#prince zuko x yn

[system-to-the-madness]

Hello, Zuko here - Zuko x Reader

Word Count: 4 919 Warnings: mentions of: burn wounds, war, death, looting Summary: Zuko attempts to join Team Avatar to teach Aang firebending A/N: Can be read as a oneshot; Part Four of the series Perfect (10 times Zuko thought you were perfect and the first time he told you) Dividers: original by @thecutestgrotto edit by me (colour only)

“Hello, Zuko here.”

He had never seen anyone draw their weapon as quickly as you in that moment. Not even Azula or any of the special divisions he had trained with as a child. Impressive. And slightly scary considering you were fully prepared to all-out attack him.

No, now was not the moment to think about his stupid little crush on you. Stupid because he had never even really had a conversation with you yet. When he had rescued the Avatar and you from Admiral Zhao, he had not talked, when he had run into you at the north pole, you had only threatened him, and when he had gone to rescue the Sky Bison, you had not exactly had a conversation either and instead focused on saving the Sky Bison, which now, with slow and surprisingly light-weight steps walked over to him.

No, no, no, he had to stop getting distracted. The reason why he had come here was far bigger, far more important than just you or him. This was about helping the Avatar save the world.

“Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so, I just thought I'd wait for you here,” Zuko’s eyes helplessly flickered over to you, as if he expected you to help him out. He jumped, startled, when the Sky Bison roared at him, irritated when it suddenly licked him along his whole side. The second lick was only focused on Zuko’s face, and he surprised himself with the realization, that he didn’t really mind the warm salvia that was now sticking to his skin, and only wiped it away so it wouldn’t run into his eyes or mouth. “I know you must be surprised to see me here.”

“Not really, since you've followed us all over the world.” The reply came from the Water Tribe boy.

“Right.” Zuko averted his gaze. “Well, uhhh ... anyway ... what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed.” He looked back up, finally feeling like he was actually able to say what he had come here for. Your eyes were narrowed at him, but you seemed willing to listen, more willing than the others anyway. “And I, uhhh, I'm good now, and well I think I should join your group, oh, and I can teach Fire Bending. To you.”

The surprise at the offer was openly displayed in the Avatar’s face.

“See, I uhhh-”

“You wanna what now?” The little girl in green, probably the Earth Bender of the group, had spoken, immediately backed up by the Water Tribe girl.

“You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?”

“I think we should hear him out,” you interrupted, making Zuko hopefully look over to you. But unlike he had hoped your expression was not soft or gentle, only calculating. Yeah, okay, he deserved that.

“Are you crazy,” the Water Tribe boy asked. “All he’s ever done is hunt us down and try to capture Aang!”

So, the Avatar’s name was Aang?

“I've done some good things,” Zuko quickly spoke up. “I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I helped to set him free. That's something!”

The Sky Bison licked him again, this time over the back. He wondered how long it would take to get the salvia washed out of his clothes again. Was it even worth the time trying? Would that bison keep licking him if he got to join the group? Maybe he should just get a raincoat.

“Appa does seem to like him,” the Earth Kingdom girl pointed out.

“You didn’t exactly do a lot to help,” you accused, ignoring the girl’s comment, taking a challenging step forward. “You mostly argued with your uncle about… what was it? Honour? Destiny?”

Zuko groaned quietly, but also couldn’t pretend you were wrong; he hadn’t been exactly helpful that day.

“He probably just covered himself in honey or something,” the Water Tribe boy claimed, ignoring your words entirely. “So that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it.”

“I can understand why you wouldn't trust me,” Zuko agreed, seeing little sense in focusing on your words. It seemed like you were the most willing to give him a chance, so he had to work on convincing the others first. “And I know I've made some mistakes in the past.”

“Like when you attacked our village,” the Water Tribe boy asked.

“Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us,” the Water Tribe girl – was she the boy’s sister? – shouted.

“Look, I admit I've done some awful things,” Zuko lowered his head, clasping his hand in his hair. Really though, what had he been thinking that whole time? Never once questioning his own actions, only stubbornly, naively, focused on his goal to capture the Avatar. “I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you. I'm going to try and stop-”

“Wait,” the Water Tribe boy interrupted him, pulling out his boomerang. “You sent Combustion Man after us?”

Zuko looked back up, with the distinct feeling he had just somehow said the exactly wrong thing. “Well, that’s not his name, but-”

“Oh, sorry,” the boy spit sarcastically. “I didn’t mean to insult your friend!”

“He’s not my friend,” Zuko shouted angrily. Why was this conversation going so, so differently from how he had imagined it to go? Why couldn’t they see he just wanted to make up for his past mistakes and help them? They didn’t have to like or even trust him. They just had to let him teach the Avatar – Aang – whatever he knew about Fire Bending so he would stand a chance against Ozai!

“If he’s not your friend,” you asked, the anger in your eyes blazing dangerously, making Zuko take a step back. “Then tell him to back off!”

“That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up,” the Earth Kingdom girl shouted.

Zuko took a deep breath before turning towards Aang.

“Why aren't you saying anything?” In the end, it came down to the Avatar’s – Aang’s – decision. Zuko was sure that if the- if Aang decided he’d accept him as a teacher, the other’s might argue, but ultimately not object to his decision. “You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me.”

Aang looked over to his friends, the Water Tribe girl staring at Zuko hostilely, the Earth Kingdom girl focusing at a point on the floor, the Water Tribe boy shaking his head and you, you still watching Zuko as if you could read his thoughts if you only tried hard enough.

“There’s no way we can trust you after everything you’ve done,” the Avatar – Aang – decided. “We’ll never let you join us.”

Somehow it felt like the fragile ground of the Air Temple was giving way underneath Zuko’s feet. After all he had done, after all the battles he had fought, all the pain and rejection and self-hatred he had lived through, not even the people he had put his last bit of hope in seemed to see any chance of redemption for him.

“You need to get out of here,” the Water Tribe girl commanded. “Now.”

“I’m trying to explain that I’m not that person anymore,” Zuko shouted desperately, trying not to let the hurt and disappointment overwhelm him, his eyes helplessly searching for yours. You were still watching him, but something in your gaze had changed. That cold, calculating glimmer was gone, instead replaced by something that almost resembled pity.

It seemed like you were taking a deep breath in, getting ready to speak up, but the Water Tribe boy interrupted you before you even opened your mouth.

“Either you leave, or we attack.” The boy took a threatening step forward, pointing his boomerang at Zuko, his sharp and deadly looking boomerang.

“If you won't accept me as a friend,” Zuko knelt down on the ground, holding his hands over his head while facing the ground, offering them his wrists to bind them, “then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner.”

It was the only thing he could think of to do. He couldn’t go back home, not after he had very clearly declared himself as his father’s enemy. He didn’t know where his uncle had gone to, after breaking out of that prison cell before Zuko had tried to free him. And if the Avatar and his friends rejected him as a new member of their group, then he had nowhere to go. He had always felt alone, from a young age on, having grown up without any other boys to play with, only his cruel sister and her friends. Then his mother had disappeared, and he had felt even lonelier. That had been before his father, his own father, had exiled him. Back then he had thought he had lost everything, never realizing just how important his uncle had been to him, how he had looked out for him like a father was supposed to. He had never appreciated his uncle, and now he was gone, too. Zuko would rather be a prisoner than walk out of here and have no place to go, nowhere to belong, nobody to go home to.

“No, we won't!” The Water Tribe girl threw a wave of water at him, throwing him backwards, where he sat up in a puddle, drenched and with the distinct feeling that there simply was no end to this endless string of rejections he had lived through all his life. “Get out of here, and don't come back!”

Zuko turned around, laying in the puddle on the floor, staring up at the group. Aang and the two Water Tribe kids were staring him down with unveiled hatred in their eyes, the Earth Kingdom girl having taken a similar stance.

Only you seemed to be uncertain. It was not hard to tell that you were torn between agreeing with your friends and giving him a chance. But if he were in your position… he wouldn’t give himself a chance either. In fact, he probably long would have agreed with the others.

 “And if we ever see you again-” The Water Tribe girl seemed to try thinking of a good threat, but being unable to come up with anything, she continued: “Well, we'd better not see you again!”

Her brother took another threatening step towards Zuko, who quickly averted his gaze. Crawling backwards a bit, he slowly, carefully, got up, so they wouldn’t think he might try attacking them, before turning his back on them and walking away, each of his steps making his boots squelch from the water the girl’s attack had washed into them.

Had never felt as awkward in his life as the moment he was approaching the team around the Avatar in the ruins of the Western Air Temple. The setting sun was painting everything golden, drawing long shadows over the floors. His hands were tender from where he had caught the vine, after the Fire Nation assassin had kicked him over the ledge. Small scraps littered his palms, and he knew they would keep burning for a while.

He wasn’t disillusioned enough to hope that the Avatar would accept him into his group now, or that the Water Tribe girl might heal those scraps, as she had offered to try with his scar.

All he wanted… he just wanted them to give him a chance. He had tried to prove himself, that he was different now. That he had burnt the Earth Bender girl’s feet by accident obviously didn’t exactly speak in his favour. But still- a sense of silent pride washed over him as he looked up and found you were watching him approach with a small smile on your lips.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but-” the Avatar – Aang, his name was Aang – took a deep breath. “Thanks, Zuko.”

“Hey, what about me?” The Water Tribe boy immediately began complaining. “I did the boomerang thing.”

“Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday,” Zuko began, hoping this time his explanation was somewhat more coherent than the previous one. He searched for your eyes, finding you were watching him expectantly. “I've been through a lot in the last few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honour, and that somehow my father could return it to me.” He looked over the others. Aang listening with an almost determined expression, the two water tribe members frowning at him, the Earth Bending girl sitting on a rock. “But I know now that no one can give you your honour. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right.” He took a deep breath. “All I want to do now is play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world.”

It felt like he had never meant anything as much as this. Far too long had he tried to play along to his father’s rules, far too long had he been fooled into believing that only the reign of the Fire Nation over the world could mean a peaceful world. But if he had learnt anything in the past three, almost four years, then it was that the attack of the Fire Nation on the other nations had disturbed the balance, that all nations needed to exist in peace for there to be balance. And he was ready to help restore that balance.

It felt like the thick fog clouding his mind had finally lifted. And if he wanted to help, he had to start making up for the mistakes of his past self. Turning to the Earth Bending girl, he said: “I'm sorry for what I did to you.” Placing his right fist against his left hand, he bowed to her. “It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild, so as a Fire Bender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally.”

“I think you are supposed to be my Fire Bending teacher.”

Zuko’s eyes snapped over to the- to Aang. Did he actually mean that? Was he really going to accept Zuko’s offer?

“When I first tried to learn Fire Bending,” Aang continued, even though the two Water Tribe siblings seemed shocked, “I burned Katara.” So that was the Water Bending girl’s name. Katara. “And after that, I never wanted to Fire Bend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love. I'd like you to teach me.”

Aang bowed deeply before Zuko, who had listened attentively, unable to believe the boy’s words. Were his efforts really paying off?

Quickly Zuko bowed back. “Thank you,” Zuko smiled relieved. “I’m so happy you’ve accepted me into your group.” For once in his life, he’d get to be part of a group he actually wanted to belong to, a group he was part of because he had asked to be part of, not because he had been assigned a part in it.

“Not so fast,” Aang disagreed. Maybe Zuko had let excitement and relief take over too quickly. “I still have to ask my friends if it’s okay with them.”

Oh no, that would probably not end well for Zuko. Yesterday, before he had hurt the Earth Bender, it might have been two against two, the Water Tribe siblings against you and the Earth Bender. But after he had hurt that girl, there was no way she would speak in his favour now.

“Toph,” Aang turned to the Earth Bender. Toph? Another name to add to the list. (y/n), Aang, Toph and Katara. “You're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?”

Zuko held his breath, feeling his heart pick up speed. If she denied-

“Go ahead and let him join,” the girl answered in an almost indifferent tone. “It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet,” she added, pounding her fist against her palm and Zuko could only hope she’d go easy on him. She was a powerful Earth Bender after all, and there was only so much he could do against a boulder crashing down on him.

Aang nodded at the Earth Bender’s words before turning to the Water Tribe boy.

“Sokka?”

So that was the boy’s name. Now Zuko only had to memorise the names.

Sokka glared at Zuko for a moment before shrugging. “Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then, I'm all for it.”

Zuko released a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding, before his eyes moved onto the next person in the group. The Water Tribe girl.

“Katara?”

Zuko tensed up under her intense stare and he was only glad she couldn’t shoot fire from her eyes, otherwise he’d be well done by now.

“I'll go along with whatever you think is right,” she finally declared reluctantly.

“(y/n),” Aang turned to you. “What do you think? You said he tried to free Appa, but you were right about what you said earlier about his uncle.”

Zuko, who had almost dared relaxing, certain you wouldn’t object to him joining the group, froze. What had you said about him and his uncle? After he had convinced all the others that he could teach the Avatar Fire Bending, would you veto their decision?

With bated breath he turned to you. Your smile from before had disappeared entirely and instead you were chewing on your bottom lip, mustering Zuko with a gaze as cold as ice.

“You betrayed your own uncle,” you accused, watching his face carefully. “We were beginning to think we might be able to trust you and you betrayed your uncle, who accompanied you all this time. We can't know you won’t do the same to us as well.”

Zuko stared at you, horrified. The problem was you were not wrong. He had betrayed his uncle. He wanted to explain that he had clung to the stupid and naïve idea that he could go back home to his father and sister, and finally be accepted, be loved. But it felt like his tongue was as heavy as lead, making it impossible for him to speak and explain himself. But it didn’t seem like you were expecting an explanation anyway, because after a short moment you continued.

“We can’t know you won’t betray us. But I trust you won’t, so you better not let me down.” Zuko lifted his head, staring at you in disbelief. What did this mean? Did this mean you really- “Welcome to Team Avatar,” you finished.

Zuko felt like a weight was falling off his shoulders. “I won’t let you down,” he exclaimed excitedly, approaching the group. “I promise!”

Before he could reach them, they turned away, walking towards the inside of the temple, Sokka carrying Toph. You were the only one who shot him a last glance over your shoulder, and suddenly Zuko realized that this had only been the first step. He might have been accepted into the group, but he still was not a part of it. He still had to prove himself first. By all the spirits, he was tired. All this time he had done nothing but trying to prove himself, first to his father, now to the Avatar’s team. Well, he could still hold out a little longer, put in a little more work.

Zuko sat on his bed, holding the portrait of his uncle in his hands. Katara’s threat from before still echoed in his mind. The light outside had dimmed enough for the room to be covered in a mysterious twilight, blurring the lines of the simple portrait enough that if he hadn’t known Uncle Iroh’s face as well as he did, he might not have recognized it.

Was he ever going to see him again? Where was he now? And if he saw him again, would he forgive him? Zuko shook his head. There were other things to worry about right now.

He had to show the others that he was loyal to them. Whatever it took for them to believe him, he had to do it. No matter how dangerous or risky or stupid it might seem, he had to prove himself to them. And he had to find a good way to teach Aang Fire Bending. After all, that was why they had accepted him in the first place: Because he was their best chance at Aang learning Fire Bending. If he couldn’t do that, he wouldn’t earn his stay in the group.

A knock on the closed door startled him, and quickly he sat up straight.

“Yes,” he called, curious to see who had come to look for him.

Much to his delight, it was you, who poked her head into his spacious room. A smile pulled at his lips, and Zuko realized having joined the Avatar had the previously unconsidered advantage that he’d get to see you now every day.

Zuko’s happiness was only short lived though, because a moment later he remembered your words from before, how you had reminded everybody, how you had reminded him – of his betrayal of his uncle. You were not the person he had begun imagining throughout all these nights in which he had felt so lonely and desperate for the faintest slither of approval and sympathy.

You were a young girl who had joined the Avatar, for whatever reason, and spent the past months fearlessly facing off against the most capable Fire Benders and the biggest army in the world, determined to defend your friends. You were so much more than whatever he had conjured up for his own comfort.

Your brows furrowed as you watched his smile fall, tilting your head at him.

“You okay,” you asked, making Zuko flinch.

“Yeah,” he quickly answered, “I’m fine, what’s up.”

“Dinner’s almost ready,” you let him know, clearly not believing his answer. Considering he had lived undercover as Lee from his uncle’s tea shop, he was still a surprisingly bad liar. “But… I wanted to talk to you before that. Can I come in?”

A mixture of excitement and anxiety settled in Zuko’s stomach, but he nodded, jumping up from his bed to invite you in.

“What did you want to talk about,” he asked, hoping he wasn’t digging his own grave.

“Just-” you shrugged, stepping into the room and closing the door behind you. “I know I was pretty hard on you earlier. You saved our lives out there. I shouldn’t have brought your uncle back up.”

“You had every right to,” Zuko denied. “I know you are taking a risk by giving me a chance. For all you know, I could just send a messenger hawk and give your location away to my father.”

“Will you?”

Zuko stared at you for a moment. Did you really think he would do that?

“No,” he answered incredulously. “I told you: I’m with you now. I want to help the Avatar bring down my father and end this war, so the world can shift back into balance.”

You shrugged. “I got no choice but to believe you.”

“That’s not true,” Zuko disagreed. “You could have said you don’t trust me. Earlier, you could have told the others you don’t want me in your group.”

“And send away the best chance we have, to teach Aang Fire Bending? I don’t think so. Besides,” you sighed and leant against the wall by the door, “I believe you. That you want this war to end, I mean.”

“Why?”

You shrugged, taking in Zuko’s form as he was helplessly standing in the middle of the room. “There’s something different about you. Makes me want to give you a chance.”

Zuko nodded, watching as you absentmindedly reached for the fire pendant on the leather strap around your neck. He had seen you wear it before, that time he had gotten you out of Zhao’s prison.

“Are you Fire Nation,” he asked before he had even thought his question through.

“What makes you say that,” you asked back, almost defensively now.

“The pendant,” he explained. “You wore it when I got you and the Avatar out of Zhao’s prison.”

“His name’s Aang.”

“What?”

“The Avatar’s name. It’s Aang,” you repeated.

“Oh, yeah. I know.”

“Then use it. But you’re right. I’m Fire Nation,” you answered. “Or at least I was born as Fire Nation. My family moved to one of the new colonies when I was very little, but my dad died shortly after.”

“I’m sorry,” Zuko mumbled. He knew what it was like to lose a parent.

“It was awful,” you agreed. “He got very sick, and there was nothing the doctors could do. A while after, my mum remarried, a man from the Earth Kingdom, and we moved away from the colony. We had to hide we were Fire Nation, but we were happy. At least until my brother died. He died in the war. He stayed behind in Yu Dao and joined the Fire Nation army.”

Zuko watched how you tensed up, your hand tightly closed around the pendent now. “He gave me this,” you added, lifting your fist. “It’s the only thing I have left of my family. And he died for nothing.”

“Don’t say that,” Zuko disagreed. “I’m sure that through his sacrifice he saved others. It’s little comfort but-”

“No,” you shook your head. “His whole unit got wiped out. The whole 41rst.”

Zuko froze. The 41rst? The unit he had tried to speak up for in his father’s war council? The unit he had tried to protect and been sent to an Agni Kai for, been exiled for? He wanted to tell you, wanted to tell you that he had tried to speak up against the unit’s sacrifice, but he kept the knowledge to himself. It made no difference whether you knew or not. And even if you would believe him, it was too early to share this fact with you. Instead, he just swallowed thickly.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“You weren’t the one slaughtering him, were you,” you asked, shaking your head with a sigh. “It only got worse after that. Last year the Fire Nation attacked out village. I was in the forest, so I wasn’t there when they burnt down the house. They killed both my mother and my stepfather. I don’t know what happened to my sister.”

“You have a sister?”

“Have, had, I don’t know. She might be dead for all I know. If she’s not, she’s probably with the Fire Nation now. She’s my half-sister. If she’s alive, she’d be six now.”

“Why did the Fire Nation attack your village,” Zuko asked, trying not to picture what the Fire Nation would do to the children of the enemy.

“I think they were just claiming new territory. They never cared how many people they had to kill in order to advance with their plan to take over the world.”

Zuko lowered his head. He had been so oblivious all these years, never caring about anybody other than himself, refusing to see the destruction his father’s plans rained on the world.

“You’ve been through a lot,” he admitted, lifting his head again to look at you. Your hair was falling down past your shoulders, unbound now and reflecting the blue light of the evening. You looked eternal in the twilight, and even though pain was swimming in your eyes, Zuko could also see the strength it had taken you to keep fighting all the time. He admired your resilience, he admired you. You were perfect in his eyes, strong and still gentle, hurt so many times but never bitter, a fighter, who after all the evil you had seen still believed in the good in people. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given him a chance.

“We all have been through a lot,” you replied. “You too, you said so yourself.”

Zuko nodded. “But it feels like all the bad things in my life were something I caused myself. Your family has been a playball of my father’s.”

“I don’t believe that you are to blame for all the bad things that happened to you,” you disagreed. “You – just like all of us – are just a product of the adults who raised you. And-”

You got interrupted by a voice shouting for you.

“Dinner’s ready!”

“That’s Sokka,” you concluded. “Let’s go, before he and Aang finish everything before we even get a chance.” You pushed away from the wall and opened the door before turning to Zuko again. “Don’t be too harsh on yourself,” you told him. “And don’t focus too much on the past. There’s nothing you can change about it now. Help us change the future instead.”

And with those words you slipped out of the room, leaving Zuko wondering whether his uncle’s spirit had possessed you there for a moment before he quickly hurried after you, looking forward to whatever there would be served for dinner.

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Please Please Please! ♡

𝓟𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓘 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓭𝓲𝓭 𝓶𝔂 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮𝓾𝓹 𝓼𝓸 𝓷𝓲𝓬𝓮

Summary: Born with a blue flame, it is to your family's dismay that your body cannot withstand the extreme heat. In order to save the family's face, you're put in an arranged marriage with the crown prince of the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, the crown prince and your fiancé doesn't seem to happy with that...

Warnings: small mention of blood, asshole jerk Zuko pre-character development, afab reader, angst, unrequited love (I haven't watched ATLA in a while so I don't know the timeline so don't come after me if it isn't completely accurate (╥﹏╥)), reader can sing!

Word Count: 4k...

Inspired by "Please Please Please!" by my queen Sabrina Carpenter!

The sickeningly sweet smell of the fire lily perfume burned your nostrils. You had no choice but to breathe it in as you sat in the regal carriage, the multitude of layers of the elaborate robe reminding you of the burden you were “gifted.” ‘A gift,’ you thought, ‘yeah right.’ In your heart, a single blue flame burned. It burned a beautiful blue, like the ocean. But it was only a single flame, nothing more.

It was the chief cause of your current situation: drowning in expensive robes, gagging on the stuffy perfume, all dolled up and being taken to the Fire Nation capital to meet your fiancé. Apparently, the royal advisors and fire lord himself seemed to have no issues with wedding you off with the soon-to-be-crown prince. Why? not only were you the eldest daughter of an important general in the fire lord’s army, but you also possessed a trace of a blue flame. The flame was present since you first tried to fire bend in your childhood. The catch? Your body was naturally too weak to be “comfortable” with the powerful flame. The blue flame would scorch your pretty skin badly, leaving nasty burns and scars. That meant that you couldn’t overexert yourself, you couldn’t push yourself to your limits according to your father’s standards. You couldn’t be a strong fire bender like they wanted you to be.

And then, your mother had an idea.

In order to give you a good life (you suspect that she just wanted to save face for both her and your father), she proposed to wed you to the prince, Prince Zuko. Using that shrewd tact and calm voice, she convinced his majesty the fire lord himself to arrange the marriage.

A pebble that the carriage must have hit snaps you out of your thoughts because finally, the carriage stops. Looking out the window, your eyes widen slightly at the breathtaking building before you: the palace. The driver opens the door for you, holding your hand softly to help you down. You take a deep breath in order to clear the heavy scent of fire lilies from your nose, mentally thankful for the fresh air. At the top of the stairs, you notice two servants waiting, as well as your parents already ascending up the steps. Your gaze trails back to the ocean in the horizon before you also walk up the stairs, unwanted destiny awaiting you.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

Thank the spirits and the ancestors for somehow persuading the fire lord to have the decency to provide you your own room. Meeting the crown prince was… eventful. Once you had entered the throne you, you immediately caught sight of Fire Lord Ozai, Princess Azula, and Prince Zuko. The young prince was probably also your age, based on his youthful features. However, it was evident that he was certainly skilled in fire bending and most likely excelled in training. What puzzled you the most (other than his frown), was the large burn mark on the left side of his face. Was it from his training? An accident? Not wanting to seem rude, you tear your eyes away from him and bow courteously. The fire lord seemed to have liked that, because as he was talking with your parents, he wore a smile on his face the entire time. Similarly, Princess Azula had a condescending smirk painted on her face, as if she was proud of it. No doubt was she thinking, ‘So this is who my brother is going to marry.’ She made you nervous, and no doubt did she take pride in that. The entire conversation, you stayed quiet. ‘Y/N, you must keep your mouth shut and stay silent unless spoken to, and you remember the lesson on manners and proper responses of a noble, correct?’→that was what your godforsaken mother had told you. You didn’t feel like talking anyways, so you were thankful that the first lord never addressed you.

And Prince Zuko? You were sure that no one would ever want to be in an arranged marriage, but the crown prince made it known that he didn’t like this. His arms were crossed the entire time, eyebrows furrowed and sharp, piercing gaze watching you and your parents. It felt like he could see through you. He was handsome (besides that awful haircut), but his demeanor screamed hate and a nasty temper. Finally, after what seemed like hours of talking, a young servant quietly led you to your room.

Now, you sat on your bed, the expensive silk nightgown hugging your skin. There were 5 days until the prince’s birthday, meaning that the advisors would officially announce the engagement. It was a day you knew you would dread, though you did not realize how much you would dread it.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

It felt like you couldn’t breathe. Your mother instructed the servants to doll you up and good gracious do they do their job well.

A little too well, because your corset was waaaaaay to tight. Not enough to suffocate you, but enough to give you discomfort. Not to mention the gorgeous maroon dress that made you itchy. You had to fight the makeup lady not to overdo the makeup, eventually settling for mascara, blush, and lip tint, no doubt the finest in all of the land. It was already a quarter to 7, almost time for Prince Zuko’s birthday ball and the event that you’ve been anxious about. It wasn’t your first time attending a ball—due to your father’s status, he would take you with him and your mother to the multitude of balls held by other nobles, generals, and dukes. However, a ball held by the fire lord himself in his very own palace ballroom was cosmic. There would be way more people than there usually are at the smaller balls you’ve attended. More eyes watching you, judging you, peering into your soul: Who are you and what makes you worthy of being arranged to marry the crown prince? One of the servants clears her throat and smiles. "Miss Y/N, you look absolutely stunning.” The other maids also clap, as if you accomplished something. Not used to the compliments (all of the compliments you received from your parents were fake), you smile shyly and bow your head. “Thank you.”

A knock on the door—a butler cracks the fancy wood open. “Miss Y/N, are you ready? You must make your appearance with Prince Zuko soon.” Stomach twisting in knots, you bow to the servants before following the butler to the private foyer leading to the entrance of the ballroom. There, the crown prince stood, watching his sister process after the fire lord and your parents. The butler clears his throat, gaining the attention of the prince, elaborately dressed in fine robes, hues of scarlet and maroon.

“Prince Zuko, Miss Y/N is here.” Turning around, Zuko glances at you, a scowl on his face. Politely, you curtsy and smile.

“Prince Zuko, good evening.”

Not expected a scoff, you tweak when he seems to mock you, his expression never softening. “Let’s go.” ‘Wow, I tried to be nice and polite, and yet he seems to lack basic manners and social skills.’ You link his arm with his, trying not to let your nerves show, and the two of you exit the dimly lit foyer and enter the ballroom. Right as you walk in, you’re blinded by the dazzling diamonds and lights reflecting off the numerous chandeliers. With a smile, you wave your free hand as your mother taught you: daintily with a gentle touch. You sneak a quick glance at your fiancé’s expression, an unamused face.

‘Geez, even if you don’t like me or this arrangement, at least pretend.’

His actions and entire demeanor baffle you. As someone in such a high position, he was rebellious, and he made it known. Suddenly, shiver bolts down your spine when you realize that everyone’s eyes are on you as the two of you reach the elevated throne platform. Young ladies with envious expressions, judgmental gazes of elder nobles, and all eyes of the elite peering into your soul. You seem to know the question that they’re all thinking:

Who are you and what makes you worthy of being arranged to marry the crown prince?

—

Quite frankly, that ball was shit. The guests seemed quite shocked when the fire lord himself announced the engagement. Thankfully, when Lord Ozai called you up to show your bending, their minds seemed to be put at ease. When the blue flames formed at your nimble fingertips, slightly burning them (not that they could tell from the distance), they were at awe and even applauded. That wasn’t the end of it, however. When you joined Zuko at his side, he walked away, leaving you standing like a statue.

‘What?’

You watched him walk over to a noble lady and man, no doubt his friends. They were his age and seemed to be close, because his expression visibly softened.

Instead of moping about the stupid prince ('get a grip, Y/N!’), you decided to busy yourself with greeting the guests and thanking them for coming. Greeting strangers and exchanging pleasantries, all crucial in the game of house that you were forced to play. Forced to smile, forced to sit pretty, forced to marry the rude crown prince just because you weren’t strong enough.

And what about the crown prince? What did he do all throughout his night? You watched Prince Zuko stay with his friends, doing “normal” teenager things with his friends—clearly having more fun than you’d ever see him have with you.

And it hurt.

Sure, the arrangement sucked and the both of you hated it, but at least you tried to start things off right. Prince Zuko? He hadn’t done anything, hadn’t acknowledged you or your presence. It was like he denied your existence in his world. It hurt both your ego and your heart.

He did that the entire time, the entire four-hour duration of the ball. Ignored you, said nothing to you, and did not even bother checking up on you. You were on the verge of tears the entire time. Swallowing your bruised ego, you continued to make small talk with the elite. Finally, you were relieved when you were allowed to return to your room. You would have run if your heels weren’t hurting your feet so much. Locking the door, you stumble out of your shoes before collapsing on your bed. Pulling at the laces of your corset, you take off the suffocating dress and toss it to the floor, not caring anymore. Once in your nightgown, you tuck yourself in, the used sheets still foreign to you. This wasn’t home and it’ll never be home. You felt your throat tighten as your eyes began to water, reality truly sinking in for you.

You were to be wed to a boy who didn’t even acknowledge your existence in an unfamiliar “house.”

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

As the months went by, you began getting used to the life you now lived. Your parents returned to their home a month after the ball, leaving you alone in the palace all this time. The servants, your only friends, always checked up on you and seemed to be the only welcoming people there. The fire lord was always busy, especially with the increasing reports of the Avatar returning. The Avatar? You had heard of the man in stories and myths. You heart about how he disappeared a long time ago and of reports of his presence prior to your move to the Fire Capital. But was it true that he was back?

It must be so, because he was driving your fiancé insane. He was tasked to capture the Avatar since before you arrived and based on the sound of breaking ceramics and the unhealthy amount of glass scattered on the floor around the palace, you could quietly assume that things were not going well. Prince Zuko still had that temper that he oh so graciously greeted you with on your first day and it certainly hasn’t gotten better. Maybe that was why he was so unapproachable? Thankfully, it hasn’t made him scorn you more. Sure, he still refuses to acknowledge you as his fiancé and existing in his world, but at least he doesn’t beat or hit you.

However, the servants were not immune to his temper tantrums.

It was already near 1 am, and you had awoken to the sound of shattering and a shrill yell. You quickly get up, running out of your room to check the sound. Opening the door, you see one of the female maids on the ground. Around her, shards of glass and ceramics that no doubt made the noise. And to your surprise? Prince Zuko standing by her, fists clenched and a noticeable amount of blood coating his right fist. Instinctively, you stand between the terrified servant and your fiancé.

“Prince Zuko!” you hiss as quietly as you can as to not wake anyone up, “What the hell are you doing?” You tense up at his sharp gaze turning to your face, jaw visibly tightened and chest heaving.

“This doesn’t concern you,” he spat out. You notice a spilled tray of water near the glass, probably the maid’s own. With a comforting smile, you turn to the maid. “Go on and get some rest for the night. I’ll handle this.” She hastily gets back on her feet and bows graciously, “Thank you, Miss Y/N!” before scurrying off into the dark hallway and back to the servant quarters. Looking down, you sigh and push the broken shards of glass into a pile with the tray. Not bothering to look up at the prince, you start talking again.

“You know, she was just doing her job and being polite.”

“I don’t need her pity,” he snapped back, and you frowned even more. Standing up, you dust off your nightgown.

“She wasn’t pitying you, Prince Zuko, she was just offering you water. That’s her job and it’s good that she offered without being asked.”

You point your hand towards the glass pile and let a small blue flame melt it down.

“Instead, you scared her half to death and probably won’t be able to look at you for the next week. What’s wrong with you?” Your question must have snapped him out of his trance because prior to his now irritated expression, he was watching you melt the glass in awe. “What’s wrong with me? Well, Miss Y/N,” his tone was almost mocking, ouch. “I just got off a stupid ship after a stupid mission trying to capture the stupid Avatar! And guess what? He slipped through my fingers again! So, I think it’s reasonable that I be the ‘tad bit’ upset!”

His words hurt, and his tone made it worse. Not faltering, you let the melted glass cool off as you looked back up at him and tried to remain calm despite the rapid thumping of your heart.

“Prince Zuko, I understand your frustration, but it’s no excuse to take your anger out on others—especially those who are supporting you.”

Zuko’s irked expression seemed to have faltered, perhaps because no one had ever talked to him in such a calm and understanding tone. Unbeknownst to you, it brought up memories of the joyful little old man who’d “laze” around and make invite him for tea. It brought up memories of a beautiful, sweet woman whose absence brought sorrow and rainy days. And, he seemed to be coming to his senses as you watched him examine his bloodied hand and the glass “puddle.”

“I…” His voice trailed off, and for the first time, it didn’t seem like he hated you. A soft smile finally making its way to your face, you grab the hardened glass blob and open the door to your room.

“Come in, I’ll patch that up for you.”

The crown prince follows you in and quietly closes the door behind him. You lead him to the rocking chair by the large glass window covered by red, regal curtains and usher him to sit. Putting the hardened glass down, you open the drawer of the study desk and pull out a roll of bandages and tissue. “You have bandages?” You nod, “I always try to have because I get injured often when I fire bend.” As you clean his wound, Zuko sneaks glances at you. You’re much shorter and smaller than him, yet you look and act so mature. He then notices the small burn marks on your hands, ‘Were those from your fire bending?’ When the cotton tissue is pressed down a little harshly, the boy lets out a hiss, causing you to let up. “Oh! Sorry, was that too much?” You watch him wordlessly nod before tossing the bloodied cloth to the side and begin wrapping his hand in the bandages. Like second-hand nature, a familiar tune bubbles up in your mind and a hum slips from your throat. Singing eases your mind, so maybe it’ll clear the tension in the room. The soft melody of your humming fills the quiet room like the wind.

“You sound… nice.” At the sudden comment, you nearly drop the bandage as warmth rushes to your face. When was the last time that someone complimented your voice? Glancing up at him, your tired eyes meet his own tired amber ones. “Oh, um, thank you but it’s really nothing,” you stammer embarrassedly from the slip up and sudden praise. His gaze lingers on you as you go back to finishing up the bandage as an effort to distract yourself. No longer humming, the room becomes silent again.

…

.

.

.

It’s awkward… so awkward. In trying to start a conversation amidst the deafening silence, Prince Zuko speaks up again. “So… do you sing often?” “Hm? Oh,” you rip the edge of the bandage with your teeth to cut it, “I used to, but not that much anymore. Singing is what I did to pass the time while growing up.”

"Why’d you stop?”

The question caught you off guard, and you pause. Why did you stop singing? Looking down to tie off the bandage, you start speaking again, voice softer. “I don’t know, I guess my passion for it left me when I got a little older.” You can't remember the last time you sand in front of people, when you had confidence in your voice and not a care in the world. When you got a little older, it must have been the reality of the world that you lived in, your situation and crushing expectations of your family that made you stop. No longer did you find joy in it. Then, it became frowned upon.

Zuko is quiet for a moment, his frown deepening and face deep in thought. Inspecting his now bandaged hand, he stands up and looks at you.

“I meant why’d you stop humming just now.”

His words catch you off guard yet again, leaving you racking your fried brain for an answer. “Oh, I thought you didn’t like it.” You nervously play with a stand of your hair, cheeks heating up. You completely thought of the question wrong! The prince’s face softens, “You sounded nice…” You notice him trail off in hesitation before talking again.

“You should continue.”

You’re effectively rendered speechless at his words, cheeks flaring up again. Thank goodness that he was socially awkward, because your cheeks definitely gave you away. Desperate to shake off your flustered state, you laugh nervously. “Okay mister,” you tease daringly, “That’s enough for today. You should go to bed now.” As you push him towards the door, Zuko lets out a huff, brows furrowing and pout forming on his face. “I don’t need you telling me to go to sleep.” Even though his words were mean, they lacked their usual bite, as if he was playing along with you. A chuckle escapes your lips.

“Clearly you’re tired.”

“I’m not tired.”

You can’t help but laugh that his protest. “Prince Zuko, not everyone is a mighty fire bender that can pull all-nighters. I am such person who needs their rest—so out you go!” Playfully pushing him out the door, you grin at your fiancé. His face screams irritated, but he doesn’t say anything else and closes the door softly.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

The next morning, you skipped breakfast and stayed in your room. The events of the morning lingered heavily in your mind, casting a shadow of ambiguity. What was that? What did that mean? What did I mean? What does that mean for us? Sitting down to meditate, you fight the smile forming on your face when you recall the prince’s behavior. He didn’t seem to hate you as much after you calmed him down. He didn’t fight you when you wrapped his wound in a bandage and remained silent the entire time. You hold both of your hands out, little flickers of blue flames forming in your palms as you take a deep breath.

It was a good (who knows what) step, but a step is a step, and it was a step forward. Over the course of the next few months, Prince Zuko seemed to warm up to you a bit. The first time he mumbled a shy “good morning,” you almost collapsed.

Before you knew it and could stop yourself, you found yourself becoming captivated by him. You learned that he had a soft spot for turtle ducks (he threatened to kill you if you told anyone, a blatant but funny bluff) and that he enjoys making tea with his Uncle Iroh (a sweet man). He sucks at social interaction (that was obvious) but likes his friends.

And in turn, you began warming up to the palace and your reality. Prince Zuko had opened your heart amidst the arrangement, amidst the anger you held towards your parents. He made you feel like singing, and the small blue flame in your soul began to grow.

Like a stupid schoolgirl in love, you had begun hope that he would one day reciprocate, that maybe he’d get comfortable with you, too. You ignored the signs, both of the girl from the ball long ago and the reports of the Avatar breaking free again, and it was all to your own detriment.

Because before you knew it, he had a secret love of his own and was sent away more often, breaking your heart. You became quiet again and the flame in you slowly dimmed.

—

When you woke up one morning, you found the palace in chaos. Quickly putting on your robes, you notice the nervous glances and not-so-subtle whispers tossed around by the servants you grew to treasure. A sinking feeling pranced about in your stomach as you looked for someone who wouldn’t scamper off at your presence. Was it your hair? Your dress? You combed out your hair properly before leaving the room and chose a modest robe, so what was the problem? Turning a corner, you bump into the familiar butler. “Ah! My apologies Miss Y/N. Are you alright?” He thoughtfully scans you with his weary eyes, clearly worried about something. “I am! Thank you. Is everything alright? The palace is…” “A mess?” The older man let out a sigh and his expression became serious. You notice familiar female servants begin to walk to you. “Miss Y/N…” The butler looks at you with a solemn expression.

“The great Fire Lord Ozai has disowned Prince Zuko and banished him and his uncle.” Your jaw and heart drops at that statement.

“W-what? But… how? Why?” The butterflies in your stomach began to stir once more. What did that mean for you, his fiancé? You watch the maids all look down at the ground until one speaks up. “Miss Y/N, you should leave.”

Leave?

That made sense, no matter how hard you tried and could try, you’d never fit in here. You were a stranger in your own new “home” and unless a miracle happened, that status wouldn’t change.

But if you left, what would that mean?

Would that be considered running away from your “duties” entrusted into your hands by your parents? Would they find you? Scorn you? Kill you? All sorts of possibilities ran through your mind.

But,

running away meant freedom. You could do what you wanted as long as no one recognized you. It meant no more strict rules and stuffy, selfish elite.

You couldn’t delay your decision. It was only a matter of time before the fire engulfing the palace would burn you too. Without a second to waste, you quickly changed into more mobile clothes and packed only the bare essentials before slipping into the shadows of the darkening palace. You ran and ran without a thought. There was nothing left for you now, and it was only a matter of time before the fire lord and your parents would receive word of your disappearance, so you could only pray to the spirits to keep you hidden.

A/N: surprise surprise guess who it is (๑>؂•̀๑) Just finished Obsessed and now this? I must be on something! That's right everyone, I just published a Zuko x reader fic!! ("it's not a fetish I swear!" -Yoshikazu Miyano) Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoyed my first one <3 I am not familiar with the ATLA series and lowkey only got into Zuko because of my brother ><. Even though my fics don't include angst, I actually have a love-hate relationship with the trope. It's a bittersweet concept that I eat up in fics. Guess what? Zuko is the perfect subject for angst ( ≖‿ ≖ ) Why not make an arranged marriage (already angsty topic) fic with Zuko (angsty man) and relate it to "Please Please Please"? Also I NEED more Zuko x reader fics (ᗒᗣᗕ) It'll take me some time to publish the second part to this, so thank you all for your patience and support 🙇🙇

[gardnhee]

faint memories - zuko

୨୧- tw/content. angst with a pinch of fluff, intentional lowercase, not proofread, little cursing here and there.

୨୧- zuko x afab!reader

୨୧- note. this applies to both animated and live action zuko!! requested by my baby @lovlyrickyyy 🤍

୨୧- dividers by @plutism !

୨୧- wc. 1.2k

“stop…moving!” you grit, holding zuko’s face as he glares at you, small wince erupting from his throat.

“how do you expect me-“ he hisses, hands instinctively flying up to get a hold of your wrists. “to not move when there’s this huge fucking burn on my face!” zuko retorts, grip tightening on you. you sigh, heart dropping as you no longer see that glint in his eyes. the glint that is now replaced with sadness, pain, suffering.

zuko’s chambers grew dead silent, no more arguing, no more disagreeing from you or him. just silence.

a small smile spread on his face as he now caressed your wrist with his thumb, pressing a small kiss to it, “i’m sorry for grabbing so hard.” this made your head perk up, blush spreading across your cheeks. you shake your head, “i understand.” the room goes silent again.

only thing that could be heard were the faint yells of the firebenders training outside and the mouse like footsteps of whoever passed by the unnecessarily and stupidly huge doors.

you kept applying the ointment onto zuko’s wound, sitting back with a small huff to examine him. to you, even with that huge scar on his face, he’s still as handsome as ever. you noticed how he tried to hide it from you, looking down at his trembling hands as the events from earlier are still fresh in his mind.

he slumped back on the bed, eliciting a whine of disapproval - you weren’t done tending to him. zuko ignores this as he just lays there, gazing up at his tall ceiling with a blank stare.

you knew him all too well, which means you also knew he was hiding something. restricting himself from talking. you hated it.

“zuko-?” you started as his body jerked up from the wine red sheets.

“i’m getting exiled.” he didn’t let you speak, words crawling up his throat as he was unable to hold them back.

you felt as if all air had been knocked out of your lungs, like a punch to the gut. your chest heaved, eyes squinting and eyebrows knitting together.

“w-what?” it’s not that you didn’t hear, in fact zuko’s words unfortunately fell upon very perceptive ears.

“i’m-“

“you’re joking, right?” you chuckled awkwardly, fading into nothing as his eyes saddened. “i’m sorry.” was all he could muster. you frantically shook your head, disgusted that he felt forced to apologize for something he had no control over.

“how long?”

zuko hummed, eyes spaced out somewhere, looking everywhere but at you. you bit your lip, kneeling towards him, cold and shaky hands cupping his cheeks.

“stop avoiding and answer me, zuko. how long?”

zuko’s eyes peeled away from wherever he was previously glancing at, “however long it takes.” he mumbles and you frown, “what does that even mean.” you grunt, sitting back in defeat as you run your fingers through your hair.

“until i catch the avatar.”

you scoffed, “that’s fucking ridiculous.” zuko agreed silently, but that wasn’t enough for you. nowhere near, actually.

“i’m going to speak with your father.” you stand, making him stand with you, eyes wide and pupils blown.

“you can’t, yn.” he reaches for you in vain as you yank your hand back. “don’t try to stop me, zuko.” you were beyond pissed, tone dripping venom as zuko stood in front of you, obstructing your way to the door.

“move, goddamnit!” you hit his chest repeatedly, each strike more desperate than the last. “how are you just…okay with this?” you sobbed, forehead propped against his chest, his arms falling beside him, stiff as a statue.

“what more can i do?”

he made a good point, so good that it shushed you with a slap to the face.

“i’m leaving.”

“yn please wait-“

“im. leaving.” your lip quivered, voice shaky, eyes watery. zuko nodded, moving back to his bed, sitting on the edge.

you made your way to the bed as well, grabbing the ointment and placing it back on the metal tray.

“i hope to see you again, yn.” he murmured, back facing you as you stayed quiet, not wanting to entertain the idea of him leaving. sadly, it doesn’t matter if you entertain said idea or not, it’s happening anyway.

the moment you stepped out the door, that was it, even the hope of ever seeing him again started to dissipate.

by this point you were halfway down the dim hallway, ready to turn the corner to the servant’s quarters. you looked back, guards standing proud and tall outside the prince’s room. you bit your lip, gazing down at the cold tray in your hands, caressing it with your index finger.

after taking a deep breath and preparing yourself for a life without your first love, you walk off, never to hear from zuko again.

�� . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

“fucking hell!” zuko groaned as the memory made an unwanted visit for the nth time this week, standing from his cot like bed. he looked outside the small ship window, eyes landing on an endless ocean, stretching far and wide, separating him from you.

it’s been 3 years since zuko had the pleasure of laying eyes upon you. your pouty lips - which he longed to kiss - sparkling eyes, and beaming smile, he missed it all; every single second of it.

he made it his mission to capture the avatar, whatever it took, zuko will bring him before his father and finally get to feel your embrace again.

the fact that he didn’t seize the opportunity to confess, to tell you just how much he loves you - vocalize the burning desire to make you his partner - was eating at him from the inside out.

zuko paces around the room, breathing heavily as he grows anxious. his patience is running thin and he doesn’t know how much longer he can stay civil.

with three curt knocks zuko turns, uttering a ‘come in’ as his mind was somewhere else. a soldier walks in, with a small bow of his head, he exclaims, “we’ve found the avatar, sir!” this made zuko’s face brighten, nails no longer trapped between teeth.

“where?” the prince breathed, unspoken urgency in his voice. “here in the south pole, sir.” he raised a brow, “how far?” zuko questions.

“close by, approximately 2 nautical miles.” despite his shocked expression, zuko was elated.

“good job.” was all zuko said before strolling out his suffocating room. his palms grew sweaty, his heart hammered against his chest. he simply couldn’t contain himself.

he will see you again.

oh, he’s just imagining it; walking up behind you and surprising you, indulging in your warm laugh, welcoming eyes, and safe presence.

this is something he simply won’t - can’t - pass. zuko has the target within reach and he’s going to hold on tight, so tight the avatar will have no choice but to turn himself in.

a way one ticket, an opportunity peeking its face through the blur that is his life.

no matter the circumstance, he will not miss or give up - no, he’s coming home to you, forever this time.

© GARDNHEE 2024, do not copy, modify, or upload on other platforms

୨୧ - hope you liked it!! this is kinda rushed so im sorry if there’s any spelling errors :( please like, comment, and reblog. would be highly appreciated 🫶.

[nylpad]

DANCE OF STEAM

Warnings: enemies to lovers, war

In the heart of the Water Tribe, there lived three siblings: Katara, Sokka, and you, Y/N. You were the youngest, born with a unique gift of waterbending unlike any seen before. Your abilities complemented your siblings', and together, you were a formidable team.

When Aang, the long-lost Avatar, was discovered, your life changed forever. You joined him, along with Katara and Sokka, on a journey to master the elements and defeat the Fire Lord. But among your adversaries was Prince Zuko, a firebender with a fierce determination to capture the Avatar.

At first, your encounters with Zuko were fraught with conflict. His fire clashed with your water, his anger with your calm. Yet, as the moons passed, you began to see the pain behind his eyes, the burden of a destiny he didn't choose.

During a skirmish, you found yourself face-to-face with Zuko. Instead of attacking, you reached out with your waterbending, not to harm, but to heal a wound on his arm. Surprised by your act of kindness, Zuko hesitated, and in that moment, something shifted.

As the Gaang continued their quest, Zuko's path intersected with yours in unexpected ways. He saved you from a dire situation, and you, in turn, offered him understanding. Slowly, the enemy became an ally, and the ally became a friend.

When Zuko finally joined your group, the balance shifted. You found in him a kindred spirit, someone who understood the weight of expectations. Together, you trained, your water tempering his fire, creating a harmony that resonated within the group.

The war ended, peace was restored, and through it all, your bond with Zuko deepened. You balanced each other out, the yin to his yang. And as the world began to heal, so did your hearts, entwining like the merging rivers of your homeland.

In Zuko, you found not just love, but a partner who stood by your side as you helped rebuild a world where balance reigned supreme. And in you, Zuko found not just a lover, but a beacon of hope that guided him towards a brighter future.

[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part 22 - zuko x fem!reader

I've been waiting on you

part 21 | masterlist | part 23

a/n: UHHH happy one year anniversary of me not updating!! i missed it by a day but honestly that's very in character. i kind of have no excuse for taking a year long break from this. lol. all i can really say is i lost all my avatar inspo and got really into a bunch of other things and poor little ehfar got left in the corner abandoned!!! but i could never abandon this it's my baby and even if it takes me 1000 years to finish it i will finish it. it's kind of embarrassing that it took so long for this to come out and it's a short filler chapter like who do i think i am.... but everyone is happy and on the beach and yn finally gets some clothes of her own after spending like 7 chapters in prison clothes. anyways enjoy (three more chapters left what?? will it take me 3 years who knows)

wc: 4.8k

warning(s): yn and zuko talk about their pasts and what theyve been through but overall this is a very fluffy chapter

chapter title from seasons (waiting on you) by future islands

The days after their arrival back to the island passed by with relative ease. 

Y/N practiced waterbending with Katara and Aang so she could work on getting the hang of it again. She’d been close to mastery before Ba Sing Se, and her muscle memory was stronger than she realized, but prison and the months without her bending had weakened her. Zuko continued working with Aang on his firebending under the looming deadline of the comet.

Sokka and Suki trained with each other too, working on their hand to hand and sword fighting, and Y/N would occasionally join in to stay sharp on what Suki had taught her back in prison. Her time without her bending made her realize how much she relied solely on it, and she never wanted to feel defenseless again. 

They continued to share stories every night over a campfire. They all had plenty to talk about after everything they’d been through, especially when Zuko had been against them for half the time, Suki was leading the Kyoshi Warriors, and Y/N was stuck behind bars. 

And of course, Zuko and Y/N spent as much time together as they possibly could. They were practically attached at the hip—sitting together at meals, watching one another bend on their breaks, training against each other the way they used to, exploring the island together, just being with each other. After everything they’d been through, Y/N thought they deserved it. 

Eventually though, it was decided that they had to leave. Being in Fire Nation territory, even in the middle of nowhere, was risky. They were running out of food and supplies in general, and the possibility that Fire Nation ships would still somehow discover them weighed on their minds. They couldn’t afford to get caught so far into their mission, especially with the traitor prince of the Fire Nation on their side. 

Zuko’s idea, however, was possibly even riskier. 

“Ember Island?” Y/N asked hesitantly. “That’s… bold.” 

“We’re already being bold by staying in Fire Nation territory,” Zuko said. “We’re safe from Azula for now, but it’s only a matter of time before she somehow finds us again.” He shrugged. “My family’s vacation home is the last spot anyone will think to look.” 

“I think it’s a great idea,” Sokka said. “It’ll be nice to not fight for our lives for a minute before we make the final push.” 

Aang adjusted his hold on the reins—they’d already packed up Appa and started flying before Zuko proposed his idea—and shrugged. “I’m okay with it. Zuko and I will be able to keep training, and you all can relax in an actual house.”

“And we’ll be able to go to the beach!” Toph exclaimed. “I’ve been meaning to work on my sandbending. And,” she grinned, “I’m betting none of you have heard of sandball fights.”

“We’re really getting ourselves into something,” Katara said dryly. 

Y/N smiled and she leaned into Zuko’s side. He wrapped his arm around her immediately and pulled her closer.

“I’ve always wondered what Ember Island was like,” Y/N mused. “I was always so jealous when you and Azula got to go there on vacation every summer and I was stuck at the palace.” 

“You weren’t missing much,” Zuko said wryly. “Yeah, there’s beaches, but mostly it was just unbearably hot.” He frowned. “My father still made me do work even when we were supposed to be on vacation. I’ve done a lot of swordfighting here.” 

“I missed you,” she said, and she knew that she would never get tired of seeing Zuko’s cheeks flush red. 

“Really?” he asked. “Even then?” 

“Especially then,” she clarified. “It wasn’t like I had much going on for me there. The palace was extremely boring without you.” 

“Spirits, you guys are gross,” Sokka groaned as he looked out at the sky. “Suki and I haven’t been like this, have we?” 

Katara chuckled. “You definitely have. You could barely stay off of each other when you got back from the Boiling Rock.” 

“Just imagine what they were like when they first got back together,” Zuko said with a frown. 

“Neither of you can say anything,” Toph asserted. “I can hear both of your heartbeats shoot up every time you’re around Y/N and Suki.” 

Zuko scowled, Sokka’s face flushed, and Suki and Y/N just smiled at each other. 

“So Ember Island is a yes?” Aang asked. When everyone nodded in agreement, he looked at Zuko. “I’m in need of your navigation skills, Sifu Hotman.” 

He groaned. “I told you to stop calling me that.” 

“I know,” Aang said cheerfully. 

Zuko just sighed, and he kissed Y/N on the cheek before he moved to sit next to Aang. She smiled, and she let her hand hang over the side of the saddle. 

“...I guess it is nice not seeing you two argue all the time,” Sokka said after a moment. 

“It’s nice that you two aren’t moping around all the time either,” Toph added. “That was kind of annoying.” 

“Imagine how I felt,” Y/N said, though it was absent minded as her gaze stayed on Zuko. 

“I don’t have to imagine it,” Toph said. “You were very clearly mopey.” 

“And when you weren’t mopey, you were angry,” Suki contributed. “You said you were imagining Zuko’s face whenever I taught you new moves at the Boiling Rock. You beat him up a lot there.” 

Sokka and Toph laughed, but it was a moment before she said anything. It took Katara saying her name for her to turn back around, and when Y/N did, she blinked for a moment. “What?” 

Katara chuckled, glancing at Zuko before she looked back at her. “We’re just glad you’re back.” 

Her expression instantly brightened as she smiled. “I’m glad to be back.” 

-

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at Ember Island—and if it did, Y/N was far too busy conversing with her friends and watching Zuko for it to matter. She grimaced as she slid off of Appa, one hand taking Zuko’s and the other wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. 

“Spirits,” she mumbled, “I thought I was used to Fire Nation heat by now.” 

“Me too,” Sokka groaned. “But this is already worse than all the other places we’ve been to.” 

“Ember Island’s always been like this,” Zuko said. “The good news is that it’s Ember Island. There’s plenty of beaches—we’ve even got our own private one.” 

“Good for practicing waterbending,” Katara said with a glance at Aang. 

“Good for practicing all kinds of bending,” Zuko said. “You’re gonna need to practice your firebending every day if you want to stand a chance against my father. We’re running out of time and you’re nowhere close to being a master.” 

Aang frowned. “Way to bring down the mood, Zuko.” 

“I’m being realistic!” he defended. “You can’t just end one hundred years of war with some good luck and an optimistic mindset!” 

Sokka shrugged. “It’s worked for us so far.” 

Zuko opened his mouth to say something that would definitely cause an argument. Before he could, Y/N laughed, looping her arm through his and tugging him along. 

“Come on,” she said. “Show us around.” 

Zuko sighed, though his show of annoyance was negated as he pulled Y/N closer. “Fine. It is about time I’ve brought you here.” 

“Ugh.” Toph kicked at the sand with her foot. “I think Zuko’s just brought us along on his couples vacation.” 

“Oh, quiet,” she joked. “We’ve earned it.” 

Toph stuck her tongue out. “Doesn’t mean we can’t complain about it.” 

Y/N chuckled as they walked together, the rest of the group trailing behind them. 

“Spirits, Zuko,” Sokka marveled when they stepped inside the house. “This is huge.” 

“It is the summer home of the royal family,” he said dryly. “My father never settles for anything less than perfection. It also gave us more room to avoid each other when he was causing arguments.” 

“I can’t imagine that happened a lot,” Katara said sarcastically. 

“Never,” Zuko agreed with the same tone. “He almost burned down the place a few times.” 

Aang frowned. “Sounds like a great guy.” 

“I know you’re not a violence guy, but if there’s anyone you’d enjoy fighting, it’s my dad,” Zuko muttered. 

“I’ll do it for the good of the world,” Aang said. “Not because I’ll enjoy it.” 

Zuko grimaced and opened his mouth to say something, but Y/N interrupted once more before they could devolve into this conversation again. 

“Like Sokka said, this place is huge.” She placed a hand on Zuko’s arm. “Will we have our own rooms?” 

Zuko’s brows creased a bit, but he nodded after a moment. “Yeah. There should be enough for all of us.” 

“Suki and I can share,” Sokka said, stretching his arms out casually to reach one around Suki. She laughed and leaned her head against his chest, and he looked far too pleased with himself. “Tryna make up for lost time, y’know?” 

“Gross,” Toph scoffed. “I’ll take my own room, please.” 

Aang glanced at Katara for a moment before he cleared his throat and nodded at Zuko. “Yeah. Me too.” 

Katara was too busy looking at a mask sitting on a mantle. She picked it up and glanced back at Zuko. “What is this from?” 

“One of my mother’s favorite plays,” he said. “She was an actress before she married my father, and every time we came here, we’d always go see some shows. They gave her the mask of the lead character after the end of one production a few years ago, as thanks for her patronage.” 

“Oh, we should definitely go see a play while we’re here!” Y/N exclaimed. “I got my hands on some old play scripts when I was still working in the palace, and the other servants and I would spend hours reenacting our favorite parts.” She chuckled. “It would be nice to see actual actors do it.” 

“We should be able to carve out some time for that,” Zuko said. “Between all the training, of course.” 

“You are such a downer,” Aang groaned. 

“I’m seeing the full picture!” he defended. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do—just because we’re at our vacation home doesn’t mean we’re on vacation.”

“After all this is over, we definitely deserve a vacation,” Sokka muttered. “Before all the rebuilding and restructuring and relegislating starts…” The smile fell from his face. “Wow. We’re never gonna get a vacation.” 

“Oh, perk up, ponytail,” Toph said. “We’re going to end the endless war and defeat the undefeatable Fire Lord. If we want to take a vacation, no one can really stop us.” 

The smile reappeared with surprising quickness. “That’s true!” 

Zuko laughed softly. “Your rooms should be on the first floor. You can explore and divide the rooms yourselves. I,” he looked at Y/N, “want to show you something.”

She smiled as Zuko pulled her closer with an arm around her shoulder and made for the stairs, leaving a rapidly growing argument over room selection in their wake. 

“Do you think they’ll have decided by the time we get back down?” Zuko asked. 

Y/N shrugged. “This is the first time they’re sleeping in rooms instead of camping on the ground in… Spirits. Since Ba Sing Se, I think. I wouldn’t be surprised if they go at it all night.” 

He chuckled as they stopped in front of a room, and Zuko pushed open the door so they could walk in together. 

“This was my room whenever we came here,” he said. “I figured we could share it.” 

“This is the height of luxury,” Y/N commented, stepping out of Zuko’s embrace to run her hand over the sheets. Her lips quirked into a smile. “I can’t believe you slept on a bed like this every night.” 

“You’re telling me they don’t have this kind of stuff in the North?” Zuko asked wryly. 

“No,” she chuckled, “definitely not. We were more focused on not freezing.” 

“Well, we’re more focused on pointless displays of luxury,” he said, “so you’re not too far off.” 

Zuko ignited the tip of his finger and began lighting candles around the room, and Y/N glanced at him with amusement as she sat down on the bed. 

“Mood lighting,” he explained with the sliver of a smile. “I think we deserve some time alone after the past few days.” 

She pressed a hand to her chest. “You know the way straight to my heart.” 

Once he was done he sat down next to her, and Y/N intertwined their hands together and pulled him down so they were laying on their backs. She rested her head on Zuko’s chest and he moved his arm around her to keep her close, tracing lazy circles on her shoulder. 

“Wonderful mattress,” she sighed. “So this was what you were up to while I was sewing clothes and doing endless loads of laundry.” 

“I thought about you a lot more than you probably think,” Zuko said. She turned her head a bit to look at him, slightly surprised, and he shrugged. “Honestly? When we were kids, I thought about you pretty much constantly. My father always told me not to talk to servants, but I didn’t see you as anything other than my friend. You were… kind of my only normal friend.” 

“Well, you were kind of my only friend, period. All the other servants were way older—they just felt like a different version of my mom.” Y/N’s gaze rose to the ceiling. “I wonder how they’re all doing.” 

“They should be okay,” Zuko said. “No one really caused as much trouble as we did.” 

Y/N laughed as her gaze flitted around the room, taking in all the details. A portrait of the royal family hung on the wall, while a much smaller, lone portrait of Zuko sat on a desk in the corner. He didn’t look very happy, but she couldn’t imagine sitting for that many paintings as a child was fun. What looked to be a half-finished message sat on the desk, the ends of the scroll rolling up and obscuring most of the inked letters. A neat stack of towels and blankets were on top of a clothing chest in the other corner, and she chuckled a bit. In her experience of doing his laundry in their youth, it seemed to be something he still hadn’t grown out of. 

“I can practically see little Zuko running in here after a day at the beach,” she mused. “The ends of his clothes singed from fighting with Azula, his hair drenched from swimming, getting sand all over the sheets.” 

“I wasn’t that messy of a child,” he complained. “I… I did come home with my clothes singed a couple times, though.” 

She chuckled. “I know. My mother had to fix a lot of your outfits because of it.” 

“It’s not my fault that ‘hide and blast’ was her idea of fun!” he defended. 

“Hide and blast?” 

“One person hides, the other person searches. By… blasting fire everywhere.” Zuko shook his head. “I don’t know all kids around the Fire Nation were as crazy as us or if Azula invented it herself.” 

“...Yeah,” Y/N said with a slight laugh. “We definitely didn’t play that in my village.” 

“Of course you didn’t,” he said. “None of you were firebenders.” 

“I was the only waterbender in the village though,” she said. “There were a couple other earthbender kids, but it made me feel so special. We would always play together and try to mix our bending together.” A small yet wistful smile tugged at her lips. “That feels like forever ago, though.” 

“I know what you mean,” Zuko murmured. “I was banished three years ago, but a lifetime has changed since then.” 

“For the better?” Y/N murmured. 

She could feel Zuko nod. “Definitely.” 

Their door was then pushed open more, and Suki poked her head in through the gap. A grin appeared on her face at their closeness. 

“I see the lovebirds are making themselves at home,” she mused. 

Y/N laughed as she sat up, pulling Zuko with her. She smiled at the sight of his flushed cheeks. “We’re trying.” 

“We believe in knocking here in the Fire Nation,” Zuko grumbled. 

“The door was open,” Suki said cheerfully. “And I’d like to steal your girl for an afternoon outing.” 

Her eyebrows shot up. “What for?” 

“Well, I’d like to explore the island some, and I figure we’re the lowest profile out of our whole group,” she said. “We’ve also missed out on some shopping while we were stuck in prison—we’ve gotta get our hands on some Fire Nation clothes.” 

Y/N’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea! Leya’s dress is beautiful, but Earth Kingdom clothing sticks out a bit more than I want.” 

“And I’m in literal prison clothes,” Suki said. “The sooner we’re in red, the better.” 

“That’s… probably smart,” Zuko amended. “There’s some gold pieces in my bag. It should be more than enough for both of you.” 

“Are you sure?” Y/N frowned. “You don’t have to—” 

“You think I didn’t take a bunch of money from the palace before I left?” Zuko asked wryly. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Suki’s smile grew. “Just call it reparations.” 

Zuko huffed a laugh, but Y/N cut him off as she pulled him in for a kiss. 

“You’ll be alright while we’re gone?” 

“Of course,” he said. “This is my home, after all. If anything, I should be asking you that.” 

“I’ve got the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors with me,” Y/N said. “If anyone decides to mess with us, it’s going to be their problem—not ours.” 

Suki laughed and gestured with her head, and Y/N stood up and started walking backwards. “I’ll see you later—try to have some fun here.” 

“I don’t have fun,” he called out as she was walking out, and she just shook her head with a smile. 

“You’re really dating a ball of sunshine there, aren’t you?” Suki joked. 

Y/N bit back her growing smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

-

The rest of the day went by in a breeze. 

Y/N and Suki spent a few hours in town, chatting and shopping and even doing some reconnaissance at the end, just to make sure they were truly undercover at the vacation home. Doing rookie spy work with a Kyoshi Warrior was surprisingly just as fun as the shopping part—and after what she and Zuko did to free her village, it was surprisingly easy. 

The sun was still high in the sky when they got back, dressed head to toe in Fire Nation finery. Zuko and Aang were in the midst of training when the two of them went around back to find their friends, and when he saw Y/N, his fire died out and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. 

(“Yeah,” Zuko had stammered when she asked his opinion, “You look really good.”

“Thanks,” she said, and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. “I feel pretty good.”

“Fire Nation clothes suit you,” he said, and he pulled her into a kiss. “It’s about time you’ve gotten some.”

“Technically, I wore them for a few months,” she said wryly. “Prison clothes and all.”

Zuko scoffed. “That doesn’t count.”

“And I wore them for most of my childhood,” she mused. “Servant clothes and all.” 

“That counts even less!” he insisted. 

“But thank you,” Y/N finally said with a smile. “I was hoping you would like them.” 

It was an effort to bite back her joy every time Zuko would sneak a look at her while they continued their training.) 

The rest of the day was just mostly spent getting used to everything. The last time the vacation home had been occupied was when Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee visited, so a lot of adjustments needed to be made. 

Katara insisted on washing all the sheets, and Y/N decided to join in because of her waterbending—Aang wanted to talk with Katara, Zuko wanted to be with Y/N, Toph wanted to ask him a bunch of questions about Ember Island, and Sokka didn’t want to be left out, so soon enough, the seven of them were all sitting on the steps of the house doing laundry and telling stories. 

Soon enough, the sun had set and the house had been cleaned what felt like ten times over. Everyone had retired to their own devices except for Y/N and Zuko, who were walking along the shore arm in arm. 

“I think I like beaches,” she mused. “The nearest ocean had no beach back home, and all we had in the North was ice. You Fire Nation folk are lucky.” 

Zuko chuckled. “I don’t know if it’s luck. We’re just one big island with a lot of humidity.” 

“Still,” she leaned her head on his shoulder, “it’s nice. We should visit here together once all this is over.” 

“Of course,” he nodded. “I know I’m going to be the Fire Lord if all goes well, but there’s going to be a lot of diplomacy trips.” She felt his eyes on her. “You can join me on all of them.” 

“Of course,” she repeated. “The Fire Lord’s Earth Kingdom-born, waterbending girlfriend will be so welcome.” 

“If you’ve learned one thing through all of this, it should be that I don’t care what anyone thinks when it comes to you,” Zuko said. “I want you there with me. You want to be there with me. That’s reason enough.” 

Y/N chuckled, and she ran her thumb over Zuko’s knuckles. His hands housed callouses, borne from hundreds of hours of explosive firebending and sword-fighting and years of life on the road. She always wondered how hands that treated her so softly, that revered her, were so capable of violence. 

“I know there’s going to be a lot of expectations for us,” she said. “Especially once you take the throne. But I— I’d like to take things as slow as we can.” 

“Of course.” Zuko squeezed her hand, his brows creasing. “I don’t care what anyone says or wants or expects. I love you, Y/N—we’ll go at our own pace.” 

“It’s just because we’ve spent the past year trying to kill each other,” Y/N said with a nervous laugh. “If we could spend this next year being in love with each other, that would be really great.” 

That actually got a laugh out of Zuko, and he gestured with his head towards the sand. When they sat down, he pulled her into his side. They fit perfectly together. 

“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I think we’ve already gotten a headstart on that.”

“Good,” she said. 

Y/N sighed as she moved closer into Zuko’s embrace, his warmth a shield from the cool night breeze. She’d always run cold, and having a personal hearth made things much easier. 

“I wish we didn’t have to go through so much to end up with each other,” she murmured. 

“Believe me,” Zuko sighed, “I know.” 

“But my mother always told me that everything happens for a reason,” Y/N said. “And… I guess she’s right. Because I don’t think we would be here if all this hadn’t happened.” Something inside of her twisted, and though she tried to suppress it, the words came out before she could really think about it. “And sometimes I— I wonder why I’m still here.” 

He frowned slightly, allowing a short glance down at her. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean… you know what I’ve had to go through to get here. My village, the palace, the North, this journey with Aang, the capital prison, the Boiling Rock…” she shook her head. “Countless others have died or gotten hurt trying to protect me or save me. Our group— we were the first ones ever to escape from the Boiling Rock. So why do I get to be here? Why is my father gone, but I’m still here? I don’t deserve it more than he did. I certainly don’t deserve it more than Yue. So… I don’t know. Sometimes I just can’t understand why I’m the one that got to make it when so many others haven’t.” 

“Don’t say that,” Zuko urged. 

“It’s not the way you think,” Y/N said honestly. “It just feels like we’ve beaten every single odd.” 

“Maybe we have,” he said, “but it’s certainly not out of luck, or chance.” Zuko took her hand and intertwined their fingers together, giving her hand a squeeze. “You fought every step of the way to get here—a lot of the time, you were fighting against me. You’ve earned every good thing you’ve gotten, Y/N, and I think I might spend the rest of my life trying to be someone worthy of you.” 

“Zuko,” she lamented, “you already are.” 

“It’s not the way you think,” he echoed wryly. “I’ve loved you since the beginning, and despite everything, you still love me too. You kept giving me chances because you believed in me for some stupid reason. I wouldn’t be where I am without that—without you. I want to be the best version of myself every day so you know you made the right choice.” 

Y/N felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she smiled, squeezing his hand back. Nowadays, they were almost always touching in some way. Tonight reminded her why—she never felt more comforted, more at peace, then when she was with Zuko. 

“You… kind of just hit my next point,” she said with a nervous chuckle, curling into his side further. 

“Don’t tell me it’s more self-doubt,” Zuko said. 

“I can’t help it!” she defended. “I— I just have to make sure.” 

“Of what?” 

“That…” Y/N paused, her mouth suddenly dry. “That I’m still the one you want. Even after all that’s happened. After all that’s going to happen.” 

Zuko frowned, and he took her other hand, lacing their fingers together.  “Of course. Y/N, it’s always been you. It’s been true forever, even if I haven’t always known it.” 

“It’s not going to be easy,” she said softly. “I’m Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. Your people aren’t just going to accept that, especially with you as their leader.” 

Zuko actually laughed at that, and he gave her a sideways smile. Months ago, staring into his hardened eyes used to bring her close to tears. Seeing him smile now, reassuring doubts that seemed so pointless in the face of his love—even after everything, Y/N considered herself the luckiest girl in the world. 

“Y/N, we’ve gone across the whole world doing things no one ever has,” Zuko said. “The seven of us are going to end a war that’s been going on for a century. Aang is going to defeat my father, and he shouldn’t even be alive. We’ve beat every single odd against us. I think getting my people to like you will be the easiest thing we have to handle.” 

“You think so?” she asked. The tension had dissolved some from her shoulders, her worries dissuading with each honeyed word. 

“I know so,” Zuko assured. “I’m gonna have to change the Fire Nation from the ground up. There’s no one else I’d want by my side while I do it. My people will see you the way I do, and they’ll love you just as much.” 

Y/N leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. Sometimes she still couldn’t get over the fact that she could just… do that. Just kiss him, just smile with him, just be happy with him. Yue shone down on them as she pulled away, Zuko’s features glowing in the moonlight, and Y/N hoped her friend knew she was so much of the reason she’d gotten here. 

Happiness seemed out of reach, out of her cards entirely, for such a long time, and when she had it, it always felt like such a precarious thing. Sometimes she still remembered those days in the tea shop, the night in the catacombs. 

But with Zuko finally by her side, it was a tangible thing. Something she deserved. Something she already had. 

“We’ll do it all together,” she murmured. 

“Together,” Zuko agreed. 

And she laid back down on the sand, bringing Zuko with her. He pulled her closer, tucked into his side as he wrapped his arm around her. They laid there in silence, Zuko’s warmth heating her from the inside out, staring up at the starry night sky and reveling in the feeling of just being with each other. 

Together.

-

i'll tag ppl here because it's been uhhhhhh fucking YEAR and everyone's prob forgotten it exists and i also did tag lists while this was coming out but please do not ask to be added bc i dont do them anymore!!

ehfar tags: @chandies-sideblog @zacatecanaaaa @anzanity @randomthingssssss @escapingthoughtsandsecrets @shanksfav @shephard17895 @ilovespideyyy @whats-my-question @selfship-mishaps @ilistentotayswifttocope @i-make-questionable-choices @3leni @thatobsessedreader @lostgreekgod @oriontingz @zerode-unhinged @badpvn @mimi-sanisanidiot @adhdhufflepuff @aquaamethyst96 @hollyismentallyillhelp @holypoetrygarden @islandgayneery @pitrii-petra @jinxed-jk @veras-fanfic-reblogs @cloud-9ine @lucifersidepiece @kiskzawagnerwhore @froggi-00 @eajalova @mrsyixingunicorn10 @xxxxxxdelenaxxxxxx @cafesho @the-natureofme @whoevenfrickinknows @a-bit-late @zukowantshishonourback @settlebackeasy @jemssafespace @wildwallflower24 @calmoistorm @mich1551-blog @inutheangel @sagemastah @avrilh

[unfriedough]

Hello! Fem reader and Zuko?

- Reader had a scary experience during the day and when night reaches she asks Zuko to spend the night with her

- Zuko says something like “Alright, i’ll stay with you” he’s all awkward standing watching her

- Reader is something like “I can’t feel safe if you’re not close to me, Zuko, please”

- His knees nearly give way and he feels a blush creep up his neck slowly

- He finally gives into his temptation and snuggles up to reader, wrapping his entire arms around reader waist and neck

- Reader sighs in comfort, whispers a quick thank you, places a soft kiss on Zuko’s wrist and they just sleep (No devils tango!)

‘Bandits’- Zuko x female!reader

Masterlist <3

An: Summer is already almost over?? WHY??? Anyways, THIS REQUEST WAS LIKE SUPER DUPER CUTE AND the brackets u added at the end were so cute idek why 😭

Summary:

You get attacked whilst out and about, but maybe it was for the better.

Warnings: half of this is Zuko admiring you LOL, violence.

Zuko was the best fire lord, you think. Perhaps you were a little bias, but letting you stay in the palace rocked. Apart from visiting your hometown, you didn’t exactly have a plan for after the war. You bounced around a little, and then, a golden offer came. Zuko wanted your assistance with royal matters, you’d be the royal advisor. The title was already enough for you to be on board, but it also offered you a place to stay for a while. You just couldn’t pass that up, and hey, maybe since he’s been at this for a few months, the workload would lessen.

You were none the wiser.

You see, his life was nothing but a dumpster fire. From meetings to paperwork to arguments to rebellions to assassins to training and so on so forth, his life was a mess of schedules and poorly planned breaks.

The fire lord confided to you a lot about this, the absolute look of despair on his face as he entered another meeting, or the slow steps from the weight of his armour. He would rest his head on your lap in the library, and whilst you read the latest addition of your favourite book, he dozed off into a 15 minute nap. It was the perfect crime. They couldn’t yell at you, he was asleep right there, and they couldn’t yell at him, he was the ruler.

On a particular day, Zuko suddenly opened the door of your room, which he intentionally planted right by his.

“YN!”

“ZUKO! HASN’T ANYONE EVER TAUGHT YOU TO KNOCK?”

“Uh-“ he flushed immediately, “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight,”

“What brings you to my quarters, your majesty,” you rolled your eyes, adjusting yourself in the mirror on your vanity.

The boy stuck his tongue out at you, “I don’t have anything to do today let’s go out,”

“In this weather? Are you insane?” It was the prime of summer in the fire nation, death by heat stroke at the mere thought of going outside.

“You’ll live,” he mumbled, walking out.

Begrudgingly, you got up, stretching as you picked out the lightest outfit.

The sun burned the top of your head, you groaned, realising you forgot your hat. Zuko offered you his. He was always like that with you. So chivalrous, and yet, so childish.

“M’lady,” he bowed as he passed the large hat to you, moving to grab his spare. He kept it loosely around his belt.

“That seems excessive, but thanks,” intrigued were you, why was there another hat there?

“Maybe, but you literally always forget yours,”

“Cute,” he blushed, “But what kinda belt just has a hat hook?”

“I had it tailor made,” he played with his fingers, this clearly embarrassed him.

You were stunned to silence. Zuko tailor made a belt for me.

“Dork.”

You heaved heavily as you finally reached the market. See, the former prince had no intention of visiting the popularised shops, he opted for the small town one west of the castle. He tipped his hat lower, and you pushed your sunglasses up higher on the bridge of your nose.

“Wow you’re so different and not like other guys,” you mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

“This place looks abandoned,”

“Give it a shot, the stuff they sell is actually nice,”

“Zuko,”

“You’re so close minded, trust me for once,” he looked off to the side, where a few suspicious men were grinning at you two, he grinned to mask his worry, “Just stick close to me and we’ll be fine,”

“If I die I’ll kill you,”

“I’ll take you up on that,”

Despite your ‘friends that work together’ relationship, sometimes you felt he was being a little touchy. Especially around another man, he’d make sure there was distance between you two and him. You chalked it up to this place being shady.

“Just go I’ll be fine,” just as humans do, Zuko really needed the bathroom. Of course, you couldn’t exactly join him, gendered bathrooms are a thing, so you told him you'll just wait in the nearby stores.

“Don’t talk to anyone don’t look at anyone don’t buy anything-“

“You’re not my dad Zuko, chill,” you pushed him lightly, he rolled his eyes and left to do his business.

You were humming quietly when a woman tapped your shoulder. She wore a mask which concealed most of her features, and had a hat almost as big as yours on.

“Hello,”

‘Don’t talk to strangers’ you replayed. You pretended not to understand. You tilted your head to the side, shrugging animatedly.

“Are you a foreigner?” You continued the ‘deer in headlights’ act, and that’s when your eyes finally landed on her left arm. It rested in her pocket, and seemed to be flexed. A funny feeling rose in your stomach.

“Guys, she’s a foreigner,” she yelled out behind her, a few men and women coming up. There were about 4 or 5.

Your eyes kept snapping to the bathroom, willing Zuko to sense the situation. You were severely outnumbered, and judging by the looks of the people in the back, there were for sure a few benders. You thought to use your own powers, but due to the extensive work you perform, you rarely had time to train.

“Just give me your money and we’ll let you go princess,” one of the boys mumbled, coming up to threaten you.

You furrowed your brows, still pretending to be confused. You thought to pretend you were oblivious might actually help. You smiled brightly, turning around and buying a small souvenir for the man. You grinned as you passed it to him, a weirded-out look crossing his barely showing features.

“Is she stupid?” He peered forward into your open wallet, showcasing no money. Zuko was the fire lord. Why would you need anything aside from loose change?

“Probably, look at her, she’s dressed like a tourist,”

“That necklace looks expensive,” a woman remarked, nearing you inquisitively.

“Ah you’re right,” the leader smiled, leaning closer to you, she signed with her hand a necklace around her neck, pointing at yours afterwards, “Nice necklace, where buy?” She dumbed her words down.

You took it off, silently panicking as you removed Zuko’s handmade pendant. It was a gold encrusted heart locket, and inside was a tiny mix of your nation and his’ shades, making a gorgeous concoction. It was a thank you for joining him. The metal that crafted it seemed dainty, but was strong and durable.

You used it to your advantage.

As the mystery lady’s eyes lit up at the sight of it, you spun her around, placing the jewellery on her neck, restricting her airway.

“Nobody move,” you scowled, looking around.

The woman signalled with her hand for them to stay still. She then turned around quickly, using her pocket knife to gnaw at the metal. It didn’t work, but it did leave a few nasty scratches on it. She used the same blade to attempt to cut you, but you dodged, pushing her to the ground under you. You stood in a standstill.

“You’re not a foreigner,” she mumbled.

“You’re trying to rob me,” you narrated.

“Doesn’t take a genius,” some guy yelled. Most tellers hid at this point.

“Just give me the necklace, and all will be good,”

She pounced, pushing you into a pole. Another woman restricted your arms behind it. She walked up to you again, grabbing the jewellery harshly. Using her knife, she guided your chin to look at her.

“Tell me, how much did you buy this for,”

“It’s handmade,” you frowned, wincing as she dug the knife further into your neck, not quite breaking skin.

“It’ll pawn for a pretty penny,” a man rasped, getting closer. Both the bandits were now right in your face.

Thankfully, legs are good for kicking. You sent them both back flying, twisting around to free yourself from the other lady. During the process, your hat fell and sunglasses followed.

“She works with the fire lord, RUN!” As you tried to locate the lady, they scrambled away. You were left without a necklace, and with hurried steps.

You ran up to the stalls, talking to the nearest man.

“Hey!”

“Women’s bathrooms are over there,”

“Cool I need the men’s,”

“You’re not allowed in there,” he looked concerned.

“I know, I’m looking for a man about this tall, wearing a ridiculous hat.”

“Oh, is that him?”

“Hey YN, where’d your hat go?”

“Let’s go home,” you tugged on his hand.

“But you said you wanted to get food?”

“I’m not hungry anymore,”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Whatever you say…”

He continued to try to probe for more information, and you continued to shut him right back down.

When you finally got home and got changed, you were dunked right into another meeting. You sat next to Zuko, resting your head on your palm. Your non dominant hand rose to fidget with the necklace, only to be faced with the intense heartache that its absence brought forth. You sighed.

After what felt like an eternity and a half, the general- admiral(?), whoever, finished his speech and let you all excuse yourself. You matched your friend’s pace.

“Where’d your necklace go?”

You frowned, “probably at some pawn shop by now,”

“Okay ouch,” he furrowed his brows.

“I didn’t sell it,”

“Huh?” You reached your quarters, the moon dominating the dark sky. You pushed your door open.

“I was robbed earlier- at the market,” your feet guided you in, and towards your closet.

“Wait what? Is that why you wanted to leave? Why didn’t you tell me-“

“Zuko there was nothing you could do.” Pyjamas placed on the bed, you flopped on the mattress next to them.

“I could’ve had them imprisoned. I could’ve protected you,” he seemed hurt.

That angered you. You got up suddenly.

“I’m not some damsel in distress Zuko,”

“That’s not what I meant!” He stuttered.

“Oh yeah? Then what did you mean?”

“I just-“

“Forget it.” You pushed him out of the room, locking the door.

He knocked harshly. “Hey! You can’t just do that!”

“Why not?”

“B-BECAUSE?”

The soldiers and staff in the hallway tried to conceal their laughs, they really did, but seeing the fire lord begging his advisor who he’s totally not in love with to open the door was the funniest thing ever. Especially since he was so flustered.

“Yn please,”

“I’m changing don’t be weird,”

“When you’re done,” he rolled his eyes, resting his head against the door.

He practically fell on top of you when you opened it again.

His breath caught in his throat. Seeing you look so peaceful made him feel things. The way your face was illuminated by the dull- almost dead- candle you refused to replace. And how it made your eyes sparkle. And how yo-

“Zuko?”

“Sorry, lost in thought,” he flustered.

“It's okay,”

You stepped back, and he entered your room. It was decorated beautifully, much better than his room, Zuko never quite had the eye for design. And oh, it reeked of you. How the sheets were slightly dishevelled, the curtains weren’t quite closed all the way, the carpet had imprints of where your slippers were, and how all the decorative pillows were strung around the floor, your favourite ones still finding home on your bed.

“Sorry it’s kind of a mess,”

A mess? Surely this was an art piece. A painting of your room should be displayed in a museum.

Maybe you were a little more than his adviser. Just a little though. You sunk into the sheets, covering yourself in the warmth of a weighted blanket.

“Sooooo,” he dragged.

“Yeah Zuko, I got jumped.”

“I don’t understand,”

“What don’t you understand, I was attacked, and since I had basically no money, they took my necklace,”

“Oh,”

“Yeah,”

He paused. “Well are you okay?” He’d notice you looking out of your window frequently, and paranoidly checking your room and halls before entering.

“I’m fine,” you lied, for you were scared. Scared of being pinned with a knife to your neck, with the wrong move being the invitation to your funeral.

He tilted his head.

“Fine I lied. I'm not Fine Zuko,”

He smiled softly, a look of pity on his face. You got up out of bed, going near the window. The boy followed.

Again, your hand went up to play with your necklace.

Zuko kissed his lips. “What happened to you really sucks,”

“I really liked that necklace,”

“I’m not talking about the necklace Yn,” he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into an embrace, “You were attacked, why're you trying to brush that away?”

You resisted tears, reluctantly replying, “If I think about it too much, it’s like I’m there all over again.” You refused to meet his eyes, until a gentle hand guided your face back to his.

“Yeah, but you can’t just suppress it. You’re safe here, I’m with you,” despite the words being just that, words, they comforted you.

Your eyes were locked with him, bodies intertwined. He hardly clocked in what he was doing, until you pulled away. You crossed your arms, putting distance between you and him.

“I should probably get going- it’s late,”

“Do you have to?” And all his resolve faded, how could he say no?

“I-I mean. I-“

“If you don’t want to it’s okay I just-“

“No I get it it’s j-“ you continued to cut eachother off.

“It’s up to you,” you concluded.

“I’ll stay if it helps you,”

“It does,”

“Alright, I’ll stay here. I’ll be here.” He stayed next to the window while you sunk into the bed.

You hummed as the cool pillow kissed your skin.

Still, you couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling in your stomach. You put a hand on your chest, eyes snapping to where Zuko is to both make sure he was there and that he was asleep. The fire lord was slumped on your desk chair, head falling back.

“You okay?” He asked.

You gasped, not aware he was awake in the first place.

“I’m fine,”

“Then why are you breathing so heavily?”

“Is a girl not allowed to breathe anymore?” He laughed, not because it was funny. Well, everything’s funny when it’s past 12.

“No seriously what’s up?”

“I just don’t feel safe, even if you’re in the room,” you sat up, pulling the other side of the blanket away to show the empty bed.

If your light was burning, you’d see the bright red that burned Zuko’s face, and no, it wasn’t his scar. The thought of being in a bed with you, that close. It shocked him to his core. He knew he was kind of an idiot in the love department, if it was a job, he’d be fired. But what he did know is that he’d stumble on his words and forget how to speak if he got into the bed.

“Please?” You gave him that smile, and how his knees almost buckled below him just at the sight of it, how could he resist?

A different colour of blush gnawed carefully at his neck, tinting the already present one a darker shade of red.

“Yeah okay,” stiffly, he joined you under the sheets. Engraving the image of you next to him, nightwear making you look like a movie he’d spend eternity watching. He clenched his jaw, trying to stay focused.

Again, all efforts simply ditched him as you laid your head on his chest. You used your arms to guide his around your waist, the other your lips. You gave him the gentle-est of pecks, almost just a touch, on his wrist, resting it against your cheeks. The spot burned with warmth, a trail of goosebumps exploring the rest of his arms.

“Thank you Zuko,” but it wasn’t just a thank you Zuko. See, maybe he was delusional, but something was different.

Maybe it was the way you were looking at him, if you gave him those eyes more frequently, he’d bend to your every will. The sweet smile you dawned pushing against his arm, he wished it would leave a mould, a mark, anything, to remember this moment.

Gently, you put his hand onto your neck, and sighed. As you drifted off into a safe, sound slumber, Zuko wondered what it would take for it to all happen again.

An: I love him sm ydu

[chaoticfics]

masterpost of fics

Harry Styles:

SNL (Harry Styles X Famous!Reader)

Citrine (Witch!harry)

Sweet as Honey (boxer!harry)

parts: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Heal (wolf!harry)

mute!harry

7 missed calls (car accident)

historical au (farmhand)

prince!harry

witch harry and yn

baseball harry

harry erectile disfunction

secret pregnancy trope

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

stepdad!harry not being legal guarding of r kid

single mom r

single mom r

teen dad

fairy!harry

Spencer Reid

period stain

police officers check out pregnant yn

gf answers door to bau when they were having sex

sr and r kids get kidnapped when they were secret

sr and r kids set them up

sr and r exs, they have a kid

r is witness, dating sr

secret pregnancy/child

camp!au

cockwarming

one bed trope

lure unsub out by kissing

regulus black

lestrange!r

r and reg live with serious during war

muggle born r and having to lie to reg parents

evans!r. lily finds you and reg dating

steve harrington

mike grossed out by pda

sh going crazy for boobs

r loves his uniform

omega steve

grumpy!r

wallet photo

after birth, steve scared sex

miguel o’hara

secret pregnancy trope

childhood bestfriends (headcanon)

non-spidey, insecure

misses you

misses you (ceo)

male spiders give back rubs

clingy mig

youre cheated on, m comforts

ppl try to guess whats between you

m breaking bed

shy/inexperienced m

secret preg trope

mean/sassy!r

fake relationship

m back scratches

anatomy lesson

Cedric Diggory

cd and r's kid tells their story

smut after practice

Jack Hughs

secret prg trope

single!mom: one, two, three

want baby

walked during sex

daughter comforts after loss

Zuko

Rotations

max thunderman

pheobe catches you two

Battison

fake marriage

failed flying

wife kidnapped by riddler

sakusa

s and r are secretly dating

s and r are engaged

secret pregnancy

oikawa x r

loki x daughter!r

georgie cooper x r

[beifongsss]

life-changing field trip [zuko]

Pairing: Zuko x waterbender!reader (I’m a sl*t for the opposites attract trope I’m so sorry)

Requested?: Yes! I am once again combining two requests that I thought fit together, I’m sorry if that upsets the anons who requested :( The first anon request: “ooh maybe flirty/yn with zuko while in the ember island house or while sparring (or combine the two LMAO)” The second anon request: “Hi! Can we have more simp Zuko plz 🥺 How about that scene where the gAang looks for Aang, and Toph is like “I want to go with Zuko because I have not had a life changing field trip with him yet,” but instead of Toph it’s y/n and Zuko is all blushy and flustered because he has a crush on her 🥺”

Summary: You just want to test the waters and see if Zuko likes you back, after all, Sokka has been telling you that he does indeed like you. However, every time you try to get close to the prince, he either runs away or ignores you.

not as flirty as it could’ve been but i like how it turned out :) short & sweet

.masterlist.

~

Ember Island was beautiful.

You had all arrived there a few days ago, joining Katara after she had gone off to hunt down the man who had killed her mother. When you heard that she hadn’t ended his life, you had hugged her tightly and quietly told her that you were proud of how strong she was.

Aang had come up behind you soon after and you retreated from the two to give them a bit of privacy, crossing your arms as you stood next to Zuko. The two of you observing the scene that was unfolding in front of you, a smile twitching at the edge of your lips as they embraced.

“I’m glad the two of you came back safely,” you said quietly to the prince, never looking away from Aang and Katara. Zuko didn’t reply and shifted uncomfortably. “Especially you. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t look at your pretty face every day.”

You didn’t have to look at the prince to know that he now wore a scowl on his face, displeased at your words. In reality, Zuko was trying to hold back a blush at your words and instead of replying, he simply rolled his eyes and stormed off.

He burst into his family’s beach house, cheeks still ablaze. Toph and Sokka sat there, looking up at Zuko blankly before going back to their conversation. Slightly disappointed in their lack of response, he threw himself onto the nearby couch, releasing a loud groan. 

Toph paused her words for a second before continuing to speak. Sokka glanced at Zuko before focusing on Toph, knowing what he was trying to do. At the sound of his friends’ conversation, Zuko threw his arms over his head and groaned loudly once again. This time, their conversation stopped completely before Sokka turned to face him.

“Yes, Zuko? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing,” he replied gruffly. Toph couldn’t help but snort.

“Why is your heart beating so fast then, Sparky Pants?” Toph asked. “It can’t be ‘nothing’ if it’s got you all worked up.”

Zuko shot her a glare, forgetting that she couldn’t see it, before burying his face in his arms and mumbling something.

“What was that?” Sokka asked, a smirk on his face.

“(Y/N) was out there,” Zuko repeated, lifting his head up slightly. “Why was she the only one to greet us out there?”

“She wasn’t alone. Aang was with her,” Toph said. “Besides, she said something about making sure that you weren’t injured or anything.”

Zuko’s face went bright red once more. “Why couldn’t one of you be there with her?”

“Because your reaction every time she gets too close to you is hilarious,” Sokka replied. “Just tell her how you feel. The worst she can do is say no.”

The conversation died down as you entered the room with Aang and Katara trailing behind you. You aimed a smile at Zuko, heading over to the couch he was laying on. At the sight of you, Zuko scrambled up and all but sprinted away, a frown on his face as he muttered that if anyone needed him he would be in his room.

The smile melted off your face at Zuko’s actions. Katara noticed and came up behind you. “C’mon, help me with dinner?”

You nodded.

~ “Hey (Y/N/N)!”

You looked up when you felt Sokka sit next to you, drawing your attention from the two boys who were training in the courtyard. He followed your line of sight, smirking when his eyes landed on Zuko. “Enjoying the view?”

You hummed in response, still not facing the Water Tribe boy before replying. “I’m just studying them. It’s not every day you get to see firebenders just casually practicing their moves.”

“Whatever you say,” Sokka replied, leaning back on his elbows. “You don’t have to hide your feelings. He feels the same way y’know.”

The snort that left you was unintentional, but still drew Aang’s attention to you. He perked up immediately, his tiredness leaving his body in a second. “(Y/N/N)! How long have you been there?”

A blush covered your cheeks as Sokka nudged your side and snickered. “O-Oh, a few minutes. I was bored so I came out here to watch your lesson.”

“Great, can you do me a favor?” Aang asked, his eyes sparkling. You groaned internally knowing that you couldn’t deny the young Air Nomad anything. Silently, you nodded. “I promised Toph that I’d learn how to sandbend today but Zuko’s not done training. Can you please spar with him?”

“I’m not a firebender Aang,” you replied, crossing your arms. “Shouldn’t he be training with a firebender?”

“It’s fine, you don’t mind, do you Zuko?” Aang didn’t wait for Zuko’s response before continuing. “Besides, how often does he get to fight waterbenders? This is good practice!”

Before either of you could reply, Aang was already bouncing away. “Thanks (Y/N/N)!”

You stood up slowly and made your way to the middle of the makeshift arena, stretching as quickly as you could. Once you were done, you faced Zuko. “Ready?”

He nodded silently, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he realized you didn’t have a water skin near you. Just as he opened his mouth to ask, you lunged at him. He barely had time to duck, dodging your fist but not your leg. His knee buckled under your kick and he ended up on his knees. He glanced up at you to see you smirking.

“Cute. I always thought that I’d end up on my knees for you, not the other way around,” you commented, stepping further away from him. You dropped to a defensive position as he got to his feet, his cheeks burning as he stared you down.

The two of you moved at the same time, Zuko throwing a blast of fire at you as he ran. You slid underneath it, quickly standing and aiming a kick at him. He dodged it gracefully before sending another blast at you. Just when he was about to ask why you weren’t using your bending, you reached out, focusing on the water in the air around you and forming a thin stream of water.

Zuko’s jaw dropped slightly, he had never seen a waterbender pull water out of thin air. He managed to dodge the water whip you had created and sent up a wall of fire, turning it into a wall of steam as he evaporated the whip. You didn’t stop there however and managed to turn the vapor into ice shards which you quickly dropped onto Zuko.

He rolled out of the way, sticking his leg out at the same time. He succeeded in toppling you, and you squeaked as you fell onto your back. He moved to attack and you reacted quickly, drawing water out from nearby plants and sending it at him full force. The fire he had ready was extinguished and he ended up soaked from your attack.

“Nice one (Y/N)!” you heard Sokka yell, reminding you that he was still present. You shot him a look as you stood up before turning to face a now shirtless Zuko. 

“Spirits,” you whispered, trying not to stare at him. “How is this fair? Put your shirt back on! Or don’t.”

“You’re the one who got me all wet,” Zuko replied, tossing his shirt to Sokka and walking back to the middle of the arena.

“If only it were the other way around,” you whispered jokingly, causing Sokka to cackle. You joined Zuko once more, having no time to prepare before he attacked. The fight continued on for a few more minutes, the two of you all sweaty and tired. You decided to try and attack with ice again, dodging a punch from Zuko as you accumulated water from around you.

You couldn’t hold yourself back from making another comment as Zuko pushed his hair back from his face. “You know, I can think of a few other activities that can make us equally sweaty, if you’re interested.”

Zuko stumbled at the same time you attacked, allowing some of the ice shards to nip at his skin. He hissed lightly as the cuts began to bleed, silently chastising himself for letting you distract him.

“Oh no. Zuko!” you yelped, running over to the boy. Your face showed nothing but worry as you knelt next to him, taking in his injuries. “Let me get you healed.”

Your face scrunched in concentration as you waved your hand, a globule of water forming around it. Both of you were silent as you healed his cuts, biting your lip as the guilt crawled up on you.

“Stop doing that,” Zuko said suddenly, drawing your attention to him. You looked at him confused before you noticed his gaze was on your lip. Blushing, you looked back down to his wounds. You tried to ignore his gaze as you moved your hands up to his chest, healing the wounds there. Zuko wondered if you could feel his heart racing.

“I’m really sorry Zuko,” you whispered, finally done healing his chest. You glanced up at his face, wincing when you noticed a shallow cut on his cheek. He closed his eyes as you reached up and cupped his cheek, unintentionally nuzzling his cheek into your palm. After a minute, you pulled away. “I’m done.”

Zuko opened his eyes, meeting yours and causing you to stop completely.

“It’s okay,” he whispered back, his voice raspy from speaking so lowly. “It didn’t hurt that much.”

For once you were at a loss for words, no witty or flirty comment on the tip of your tongue as you stared into Zuko’s eyes. Remembering Sokka’s earlier words, you stepped closer to Zuko. He swallowed harshly but didn’t move.

“Zuko,” you whispered, dropping your gaze down to his lips. “Can I-”

“Hey! Aang needs you, Zuko,” Sokka suddenly called out, making the two of you jump apart. You whirled around, eyes narrowed as they landed on the Water Tribe boy. Despite the smug smirk on his face, he couldn’t help but flinch at your reaction, knowing that you were going to bite his head off once the two of you were alone.

Zuko’s eyes widened and he all but sprinted into the house, only pausing when Sokka grabbed his arm. “Forgetting something?”

“Oh, r-right,” Zuko said, taking his shirt from Sokka. He glanced at you briefly one last time before running into the house.

“Sokka,” you growled, stomping over to him. “What was that for?”

“What was what?” Sokka asked innocently, walking backwards to get away from you. A wide grin spread across his face. “The real question is: what was happening between the two of you back there?”

You pushed Sokka up against the porch railing and quickly froze his hand to it. “It might’ve been a kiss if you hadn’t interrupted.”

You stormed away after that, an annoyed expression on your face as you made your way into the house. Behind you, Sokka was trying to get free. He was unsuccessful.

“(Y/N)! Don’t leave me here! I’m sorry! (Y/N)?”

~

Zuko had managed to avoid talking to you the rest of the day, even when the two of you had been paired up to fight the Melon Lord. Toph had enjoyed that a little too much.

He sat furthest away from you during dinner and went to bed immediately after, giving a mumbled goodnight to the group. Everyone turned to face you after he left, a questioning look in their eyes (well, except for Toph). You had simply glared at Sokka, who had then proceeded to explain what had happened earlier between the two of you. The group couldn’t help but laugh, only annoying you further as they teased you about it.

You had gone to bed early too.

Katara had woken you up early the next morning, panic on her face as she dragged you out into the courtyard. “Aang’s gone!”

That statement woke you up immediately, and you found yourself looking at her with a confused expression. “What do you mean gone?”

“Look,” Sokka said, pointing to the spot next to you. “He left his staff. That’s so strange.”

“Aang’s not in the house,” you heard Zuko say as he joined you all outside.

“Let’s check the beach,” you said, walking away before you finished your sentence. The six of you trekked down to the beach, perking up slightly when you noticed Aang’s footprints. You followed them all the way to the edge of the water where they suddenly disappeared. “The trail ends here.”

“So he went for a midnight swim and never came back?” Suki asked skeptically.

"Maybe he was captured,” Katara said worriedly.

“I don’t think so,” Sokka muttered, looking at the footprints. “There’s no sign of a struggle.”

“I bet he ran away,” Toph said, her voice a little dull.

“No way, he wouldn’t leave behind Appa or his glider,” you countered.

“Then what do you think happened to him, oh sleuthy one?” Toph snarked back.

“It's pretty obvious,” Sokka suddenly said. “Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle? He's definitely on a Spirit World journey”

“But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?” Zuko asked.

Sokka bowed his head down in slight embarrassment. “Oh yeah. Forgot about that.”

“Then he's got to be somewhere on Ember Island,” Katara said. “Let's split up and look for him.”

Your eyes widened and you immediately grabbed onto Zuko’s arm, hugging it tightly. “I’m going with Zuko!”

“W-What?” Zuko stuttered, a bright blush coating his cheeks as he tried to ignore the fact that you were hugging his arm. Everyone else stared at you knowingly.

“What?!” you asked. “Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with Zuko. Now it's my turn.”

“Try not to make it too life-changing,” Sokka muttered as he walked past you, earning a snicker from Suki and Toph. Sokka and Suki left on Appa and Katara and Toph headed into town to see if they could find him there. You kept holding on to Zuko’s arm as the two of you walked further along the beach. It was silent for a few minutes before you finally spoke up.

“Hey pretty boy, why have you been avoiding me?”

Zuko’s eyes widened and he turned to you. “W-What did you just call me?”

“Pretty boy,” you chirped, a smile on your face as you looked up at him. “Because y’know, you’re probably the prettiest boy I’ve ever seen.”

Zuko cleared his throat and dragged his gaze away from you. His eyes didn’t leave the water as you kept walking side-by-side.

“So,” you nudged him softly, sliding one hand down his arm to intertwine your fingers with his. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” Zuko replied quickly, shaking you off his arm as he proceeded to walk a bit in front of you. You kept quiet as you caught up to him, biting your lip as you thought about the boy next to you.

“I thought I told you to stop doing that,” Zuko snapped, stealing a glance at you.

“Why?” you asked, releasing your lip. “Does it turn you on?”

“What?! N-No!” Zuko exclaimed. A faint trail of steam escaped his nose, letting you know that he was flustered.

“Relax, Zuko,” you chuckled. “I’m joking. Now, why have you been avoiding me?”

“We should be looking for Aang.”

“You and I both know that Aang isn’t here,” you replied, looking out at the vast ocean. “He’s probably doing some Avatar-related thing right now so why don’t you just tell me why you’ve been avoiding me.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you!”

“Yes you have! Ever since yesterday. Ever since I-” you cut yourself off, a blush appearing on your face as you thought about the almost-kiss between the two of you. Zuko swallowed nervously, also thinking about what had happened between the two of you.

“Ever since you almost kissed me,” Zuko filled in for you, his head hanging low. “That’s why I’ve been avoiding you.”

“Because you didn’t want to kiss me?” you asked, slightly upset. “You could’ve just said so, it doesn’t have to be weird.”

“Because I did want to kiss you,” Zuko replied almost immediately. The two of you came to a stop. “I’ve been avoiding you because I want to kiss you and be with you but I can’t.”

“Why?” you asked, thoroughly puzzled.

“I’ve done so many things,” Zuko whispered. “So many bad things. To Aang, to Katara, to you. I’m from the Fire Nation; I don’t deserve to be with someone like you.”

“That’s absurd,” you whispered back. “Your past doesn’t define you Zuko. You chose to make the right decision and sure, it took you a while but you realized that you were doing more harm than good. You changed, that’s what matters. You made the right choice even though you knew it could mean trouble for you and that’s why I like you.”

Zuko finally looked up at your words, his eyes full of wonder as he looked at you. A small smile appeared on his lips at your words and he found himself approaching you slowly. “Do you?”

You nodded softly.

“Zuko?” you asked quietly. “Hypothetically, if I had gotten the chance to ask if I could kiss you yesterday, what would you have said?”

“I- Hypothetically, I would’ve said yes,” Zuko whispered back. Feeling bold, you walked up to the prince and wrapped your arm around his neck.

“Do you trust me, Zuko?” you breathed, your lips inches away from his. You felt your heart speed up as his golden eyes met yours. Silently, he nodded. You wasted no time as you leaned up and pressed your lips against his. He stumbled back slightly, his back hitting the cliff that surrounded the beach as he grabbed onto your waist.

Almost immediately, he turned around, kissing you roughly and pressing you up against the wall as his body covered yours. Your hands tangled in his soft hair, your heart racing impossibly fast as you realized that you were actually kissing Zuko. You pulled away first, giving him a soft smile as you stared at him. “I take it you like me too?”

Zuko chuckled before nodding. “I do.”

He pressed another kiss to your lips, this one gentle as you enjoyed each other’s presence. The two of you were so distracted that you didn’t hear Appa land on the beach a few yards from you.

“Hey! I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure Aang isn’t in either of your mouths.”

The two of you pulled away from each other to see Sokka looking at you with a wide smirk. Suki sat behind him, giving both of you a suggestive look. Zuko helped you climb onto Appa before joining you and sitting next to you.

“Yip yip,” Sokka said before he turned to you. “So (Y/N), how was that field trip of yours?”

You turned looked at Zuko beore intertwining your hands, making him blush and earning a smile from Suki and Sokka.

“Best field trip ever.”

~

taglist!

@musicalkeys, @mywigglybaby​, @bubblebars​, @iguessthefloorislava​, @dekahg​, @boxofteenageideas​, @purifiedbottledwater, @butterflycore​

[fandomlit]

got your back (zuko x reader)

requested by anon “Can I ask for a zuko reader?! I had this idea where yn is a water bender. The gaang is just relaxing by a lake and the reader tries to get zuko in the water but he refuses every time. So the reader uses their waterbending to drag him into the water. He was kinda mad at first but slowly began to have fun as the reader splashed water at him. But then like everything goes bad when the gaang is captured and the reader is in danger. So zuko tries to protect/save them. And just cute fluff at the end.”

summary a day of teasing zuko turns into a battle quickly, and you’re doing your best to prevent being overwhelmed. but good news: he’s got your back.

a/n im back from vacation and ready to clear out my inbox yall

gif cred belongs to @thewokewordsmith​

“zuko! come on!”

the firebender looked up from the book he had snagged from the village to see you, katara, and aang splashing in the lake, sokka drifting in the distance. you were grinning at him in a way that made him sigh. whatever you were going to ask, he wasn’t going to be able to say no to that smile.

“what?” he vocalized, tilting his head at you innocently.

“come in the water, silly!” you giggled. okay, that was an easy no.

“no, thanks,” he said, looking back down to his book. he was a firebender. water wasn’t exactly his thing.

“come on!” you pouted, hands on your hips. “please? it’s super hot outside, and the water feels great!”

“maybe to a waterbender,” he retorted easily. you huffed, crossing your arms. he turned back to his book again, thinking he had gotten you off of his back. but after a minute of steady reading, cold engulfed his foot.

zuko looked down to see a stream of water connecting his foot to the lake. before he could say anything, the stream quickly retracted, and took him with it.

when he resurfaced from under the cold water, you were grinning as aang and katara laughed. he gave you a glare as he felt his shirt clung to his drenched body.

“don’t give me that ice cold look, fire prince,” you teased, still smiling. you raised your hands innocently, your fingertips encased in water. he rolled his eyes and stripped off the weight of his shirt as you began to giggle.

while you were busy laughing, zuko stuck his hands under the water and focused heat forward, effectively heating up a stream going toward you. you immediately yelped, jumping and dropping the water you had been bending onto yourself. now he was laughing.

you glared playfully, about to retort when toph yelled out, “people are coming!”

you all came to attention instantly, readying yourselves and staring at the treeline in anticipation. the silence of the day was suddenly interrupted by a group of fire nation soldiers coming from all angles.

“keep to the water and defend aang!” you spoke to your friends. they nodded as the soldiers began to attack.

you all were doing a great job at holding them off; toph was hitting them before they could touch her, sokka got close enough to protect himself in hand-to-hand combat, zuko was fighting fire with fire (and winning), and katara and aang stood back to back, working together to take out groups at a time. after zuko beat another guy away, he looked to see where you were. you had hopped out of the water, using thin snakes of water to whip and thrash away the attacks of the soldiers ahead of you with graceful ease. but a solider was coming at you from the back. zuko hopped out of the water quickly.

he came to stand right behind you, throwing a hard blast of fire at the soldier who had tried to sneak up on you. you looked over your shoulder to see zuko’s hard expression just before he backed up into you. you grinned as your backs hit each other’s, raising your water again to attack any soldier that dared to near your duo.

“you got my back?” you hummed.

“only if you got mine,” zuko grunted, throwing another hot blast.

you grinned with determination, looking to the two men running up to you. “always.”

it only took a few minutes for appa to come and swoop all of you to the safety of his saddle, aang at the front.

you let out a breath as you watched the angered soldiers shrink before disappearing completely when you all hit the clouds.

“you okay?” 

you turned to see zuko standing next to you. you gave him a smile. instead of answering, you instead opted to throw your arms around his neck. you felt his shoulders stiffen, but you didn’t let go.

“thanks for having my back,” you smiled into his chest. he relaxed, gulping. then, he slowly wrapped his arms around you and rested his head on yours.

“always.”

[system-to-the-madness]

In Shakles - Zuko x Reader

Word Count: 2 109 Warnings: Injuries, kidnapping, war Summary: While attempting to free the Avatar’s Sky Bison, Zuko stumbles into someone he had been longing to talk to A/N: Can be read as a oneshot; Part Three of the series Perfect (10 times Zuko thought you were perfect and the first time he told you)

Zuko was already walking as quietly as possible, but his steps still echoed back from the walls of the damp tunnels. He shouldn’t be surprised the walls were dripping with water. After all, he was in tunnels that ran along underneath a lake.

He didn’t know what it was, that made him turn left into the next corridor. Truth be told, he had no idea where he was going. He was looking for the cell where the Avatar’s Sky Bison was held, Appa. He had heard the name before, but it was also printed over all the flyers that had suddenly appeared in the city, and immediately re-sparked his desire to finally apprehend the Avatar.

He would find that Sky Bison, send a message to the Avatar, and have him walk right into a trap. Then, Zuko could capture him and take him back to the Fire Nation. His father would finally recognize his worth, his honour would be restored, and he could return home not just a prince, but also a hero.

The corridor into which he had turned was certainly big enough to manoeuvre a Sky Bison through. If he was lucky… carefully he approached the door at the end of the corridor, heavy stone but tall and wide. How big was that Sky Bison again? Would he fit through there?

Much to his surprise the heavy door was not locked and slid aside easily when Zuko pushed it open.  And he had been right, that strange tucking in his gut had led him straight to the hairy creature, all six legs shackled to the ground of the cell it was standing in.

“Expecting someone else,” he asked the Sky Bison, which threateningly lowered its head with the long horns, growling deeply.

Zuko rolled his eyes underneath the mask of the blue spirit and stepped into the cell, drawing his swords, when he suddenly noticed that not all six legs of the beast were shackled. Only five were. The shackles for the sixth leg lay broken on the ground.

Immediately the hair in his neck rose, and like an electric current a shiver ran through his body as he assumed a fighting stance.

“You didn’t undo those shackles by yourself,” Zuko said, more to himself than the Sky Bison, but he did not expect another human voice to answer him.

“What are you doing here?”

From behind the Sky Bison’s tail, you poked your head out, narrowing your eyes at Zuko, whose shoulders immediately dropped in relief. He had not seen you in what felt like forever, not since the battle at the northern Water Tribe.

He would be lying if he were to claim that any mental image other than your face glancing down at him was able to calm him after nightmares. How often had he spend the past weeks and months wondering what had become of you? If you had made it out of the battle unharmed, where you had gone next. In his head he had played through scenario after scenario what he would say and do when he saw you again, apologize for burning you, thank you for not leaving him behind in that snowstorm, explain why he had to capture the Avatar. You were a kind person, this much he had figured out by now, maybe you would understand why he was doing what he was doing. Of course he didn’t expect you to help him, or even stand by idly as he was trying to capture your friend, but maybe you could forgive him one day for his actions.

“Are you responsible for kidnapping Appa?”

The accusation in your voice was so sharp, that it felt like it was stabbing right into his heart. Angrily you marched from where you had hidden behind the Sky Bison over to Zuko, who was torn between what to do. Were you crazy? You knew he was a Fire Bender, not to mention that he was literally holding two swords right now, while you were only armed with a sword at your side and something that looked like a thin wire, which you probably had used to open the first shackle. But the fact that he was heavily armed seemed to escape your notice as you bore your finger into the leather of his thin armour.

“What did you plan to do with him, hm?” You pushed so hard against his chest that he took a step back. “Enslave him in the Fire Nation? Experiment on him? Use him as one of your-”

But before you could continue to accuse Zuko of any more atrocious intentions (although he suspected stealing the Sky Bison to use it to lure the Avatar into a trap wouldn’t sound much better to you), the door to the cell suddenly slipped open. Reflectively he turned around, assuming his fighting stance and the sound of a dagger being pulled behind his back made him suspect you were doing the same.

The silhouette in the door was not that of a guard, but instead the familiar, roundish form of his uncle, who carefully slid the door closed behind his back.

“Uncle,” he asked confused, standing up straight. Behind him, you seemed to be doing the same, hesitantly lowering your weapon.

“So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask ...” Iroh mumbled sarcastically. “And your girlfriend. How did she get here?”

“Not his girlfriend,” you hissed, and Zuko could hear how you were moving around, away from him and towards the Sky Bison. “I overheard some guards talking about Appa and didn’t have any time to get help from the others.” The rustling of metal made him suspect you had picked up where you had left off when he had entered the room, and gone back to picking the locks around the Sky Bison’s feet.

Right, your friends and the Avatar. You hardly were ever apart. And if you were here, that could only mean the Avatar was not too far away. He wanted to ask where the Avatar was, whether he was here with you, but instead he pulled the mask of the Blue Spirit off, and directed his attention back towards his uncle.

“What are you doing here,” Zuko asked annoyed, repeating the words you had asked him just a moment ago.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing,” Uncle Iroh replied, beginning to walk over to Zuko. “What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep him locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?”

Zuko looked over his shoulder towards where you where kneeling, undoing the second shackle.

“First I have to get it out of here,” he mumbled.

Your eyes shot up to him as if you were about to blow up in his face, but his uncle was quicker.

“And then what!” Uncle Iroh’s voice echoed back from the walls around them, making Zuko flinch. “You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!”

“I would have figured something out,” Zuko disagreed, suddenly realizing how childish his own voice sounded.

“No! If his friends,” Uncle Iroh pointed to you, sitting on the ground, “hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!”

“I know my own destiny, Uncle,” Zuko turned back to the Sky Bison, but his eyes were on you. Were you part of that destiny he was chasing? He hoped you were; it couldn’t be a coincidence that he had found you, you of all people here with the Sky Bison he was trying to break out the same way he had once broken you out of prison. He looked back to his uncle.

“Is it your own destiny, or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?”

The words felt like a poisoned blade slicing his skin. No, he couldn’t listen to this old man’s words. That man knew nothing about what it was like, being burnt and exiled by his own father, betrayed and sold for a fool by his sister.

“Stop it, Uncle,” Zuko turned his back to him. “I have to do this.” His uncle knew nothing about what Zuko had to suffer through, why he had to do this now!

“I’m begging you, Prince Zuko,” Iroh shouted. “It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?”

Zuko’s eyes flickered back to you, where you were kneeling on the floor, your hands swiftly undoing another shackle. You were focused on your work, entirely ignoring the two men shouting at one another. Your hair was bound back, out of your face so you could work undisturbed, your hands were covered in dirt, but your fingers were working with incredible precision on the shackle that sprung open with a quiet click. Not hesitating for a moment and not paying Zuko any attention, you moved on to the last shackle, not even once looking up.

It was then and there, that realization hit Zuko like a lightning. You were absolutely perfect, the way you were always loyal to your friends, unafraid to stand up and pick a fight for them, even when you were unarmed and faced a Fire Bender with two swords. You were clever, skilled, you probably had so many more skills that he would never learn about because you were perfect and he was only the Fire Nation’s exiled Prince, fallen into disgrace, striped of his honour, banished and damned to roam the world, forever chasing this unattainable goal of capturing his father’s greatest enemy, forever chasing after you, who got dangled right in front of him, just to show him how undeserving he was of even just the faintest slither of your attention.

With a scream of hurt and anger he threw his swords and his mask down to the ground, before looking up to where you were just getting to your feet after unchaining the beast before him.

“Get that Sky Bison and get out of here,” he rasped, unable to meet your eyes. “And be quick, the guards are dangerous here.”

He could feel the way both you and his uncle were staring at him, his uncle at the back of his head, you trying to catch his eyes, but he kept them stubbornly fixed on the ground.

For a moment there was silence in the cell, then your steps echoed back from the wall as you were walking across the room. Were you walking towards him? Would you thank him for letting the Sky Bison go without interfering with you? Would you try to knock him out so he couldn’t follow you? Was there a chance you would hug him, as a sign you understood why he had done all the things he had done that had harmed you?

A moment later, he could hear you climbing on the Sky Bison’s head. You had not walked over to Zuko, but to the animal instead.

“Appa, let’s get out of here,” you said, your voice so much softer than when you had spoken to Zuko or Iroh before.

The bison started moving, its steps surprisingly lightweight for such a huge animal, and when it brushed past Zuko, he couldn’t help but hopefully lift his eyes, hoping to catch a last glimpse of your face. But you were facing forwards, where Uncle Iroh had already opened the door for you to let out the Sky Bison, and your face was hidden in the shadows anyway.

A tucking in Zuko’s chest warned him that this might be the last time he got to see you, that he needed to apologize, for trying to capture the Avatar, for burning you all those months back. That he had to thank you for saving his life, that he had to tell you that the memory of your kindness, your fierceness, your courage was what kept his nightmares at bay, and that he only wished he could have gotten to know you under different circumstances so that you might have become friends. But his tongue was heavy like lead, his throat dry like the sandy deserts of the Earth Kingdom, and he couldn’t even open his mouth.

Instead, he had to watch you duck through the door, riding on the Sky Bison’s head, and disappear behind the next corner, leaving him alone in a huge, empty cell with his uncle and a million unspoken confessions.

Tags (it seems like some of the tags aren't working, sorry...): @ghoststookourlifes

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[dragonfiremage]

Destiny - Chapter One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After Lu Ten’s death - everything changed.

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

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

“Hush, child. I have to be quick.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ursa nods, “For our children.”

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

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

  “Mother?”

Silence.

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

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

“Where’s Mom?” Zuko demands.

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

You gasp quietly, hiding behind a pillar.

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

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

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

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

You tremble, “Y-yes..why?!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We don’t want any traitors here.”

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

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

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

  It was just a dream.

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

Pulling your knees to your chest, you silently wept.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[gardnhee]

i’ve received sm love on my zuko fic tysmmm guys 😞😞😞. i will be making a part 2 but first i got to get like 10 fics out of the way 😭😭. either way i appreciate yall for liking and interacting with my fics, it rly is worth the hard work 🫶🫶🫶!

[nylpad]

EMBERS

Warnings: Emotional content,Cultural themes

Author: Seeing as my last Zuko post did great I thought I'd make another one as per @chevysstuffs 's request.

The sun dipped low over Ember Island, casting a warm glow on the white sands and the gentle waves that lapped at the shore. It was the kind of evening that invited quiet reflection, and for Zuko, it was a welcome respite from the demands of his princely duties.

You, on the other hand, had come to the island seeking solace from the bustling life of the capital. As fate would have it, your path crossed with the prince's on this serene beach, away from the prying eyes of the court.

"Enjoying the sunset?" Zuko's voice broke the silence, his figure approaching with a grace that belied his usual intensity.

You turned, surprised to find him alone. "Yes, it's beautiful here."

He nodded, sitting beside you. "I used to come here to think, to escape. But now," he paused, looking at you, "it feels different."

The conversation flowed as easily as the tide, and with each word, the distance between prince and commoner seemed to blur. Laughter mingled with the sea breeze, and for a moment, the world was perfect.

Days turned into weeks, and your acquaintance with Zuko deepened. The palace hosted a grand ball, and though you felt out of place among the nobility, Zuko's invitation was impossible to refuse.

The ballroom was aglow with firebenders' flames, casting dancing shadows on the walls. Zuko extended his hand, and you accepted, stepping into the rhythm of the music.

As you danced, his gaze never wavered from yours, and in the flickering light, you saw not a prince, but a young man with hopes and fears. The connection between you was undeniable, a spark that threatened to ignite into something more.

It was on a quiet evening in the royal gardens that Zuko's true feelings surfaced. The fireflies danced around, mirroring the nervous energy that Zuko exuded.

"I've been meaning to tell you something," he began, his voice barely above a whisper. "These past weeks, getting to know you, have been the happiest of my life."

Your heart raced, anticipation hanging heavy in the air.

"I care for you, more than I thought possible," he confessed, his golden eyes searching yours for a reaction.

The words hung between you, a delicate truth that held the power to change everything.

This is just the beginning of their story, a tale of unexpected romance and personal discovery. If you'd like to continue this journey, let me know, and I can write the next chapters, weaving a narrative that captures the essence of a blossoming love between Zuko and the reader.

The days that followed were filled with stolen moments and secret glances. Zuko, once a prince bound by duty and honor, found himself yearning for the freedom to love openly. You, who had always been just a face among the many in the palace, now held the heart of the Fire Nation's heir.

One evening, as the wind whispered through the gardens, Zuko took your hand and led you to the edge of the palace, where the view of the volcano met the starry sky.

"I've never felt this way before," he admitted, his voice carrying the weight of his lineage. "With you, I'm just Zuko, not the prince, not the firebender—just me."

You smiled, your hand squeezing his. "And I'm just me, not an attendant, not a subject—just a person who sees you for who you truly are."

The promise of tomorrow hung in the air, a future where titles and roles would not define your bond.

The annual Fire Nation Festival was a spectacle of lights, colors, and celebration. It was a night when the entire nation came together, and for Zuko, it was an opportunity to show you his world.

As fireworks painted the sky, Zuko's eyes were fixed on you, the reflection of the vibrant explosions dancing in your gaze. He leaned in, his lips meeting yours in a kiss that sealed your intertwined fates.

The crowd erupted in cheers, oblivious to the union of two souls amidst the revelry. It was a moment of pure magic, a testament to the power of love that knows no bounds.

Time passed, and with each day, the connection between you and Zuko grew stronger. The palace walls, once a barrier, now served as the foundation for a love that defied convention.

On the night of the first snowfall, Zuko stood before you, a look of determination in his eyes. "I don't know what the future holds," he said, "but I know I want you in it."

You reached out, your fingers tracing the scar that marked his past. "And I'll be there, through every challenge, every victory."

It was a vow made not with words, but with hearts that beat as one, a silent promise to face the world together.

[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part 21 - zuko x fem!reader

Meet me in the afterglow

part 20 | masterlist | part 22

a/n: wowwwww we're finally in the happy part of this fic lol. it feels so good to write zuko and yn together after 100k words of them being on opposite sides and hating each other. it was actually kind of hard to write this because it was a lot of chill fluff and it has been a long Long time since ive written that. very sorry this took so long

wc: 5k

warning(s): some discussions of yn and zuko's pasts but overall very fluffy

chapter title comes from afterglow by taylor swift!

Silence.

That was what Y/N woke up to.

No nightmares, no guilt, no flashbacks—just… silence.

And the arms of another around her. Zuko. She reveled in the warmth he provided, sighing contentedly as she shifted to look at him. 

She’d always thought Zuko was beautiful, but he was even more so when asleep. His features relaxed rather than rageful, no longer tainted by her own incessant anger. Pools of gold met her when his eyes flickered open, a gentleness held within them she’d missed dearly. 

“Hi,” she whispered, a smile already tugging at her lips.

“Hi.” His voice was just as soft, his own emerging smile enough to make her melt. “Did you sleep well?”

“Better than I have in months.” Y/N moved her hand over his, and Zuko turned his over to entangle their fingers. “And it’s all thanks to you.”

“It’s the least I can do,” he murmured, and he drew her in for a soft kiss. That was what made her melt. “You know I’m never letting you go again, right?”

A light laugh spilled from her lips. “I don’t want you to.”

“Good.” 

Though she wanted nothing more than to nestle back into Zuko’s embrace, she mustered enough strength to sit up, a small yawn escaping her. “When do you think we should go back?”

Zuko sighed as he sat up next to her, running a hand through his rustled hair. “We have time, Y/N. We’re in your village, the place you grew up. We don’t have to go back until you want to.”

“We are on a timeline though—”

“A timeline that isn’t close to being up yet,” he countered. “Aang doesn’t have to fight my father for a while—a few extra days out here isn’t going to hurt us.” Zuko shrugged. “You deserve a break after all you’ve been through lately, and besides—I’m sure your people wouldn’t mind hosting the savior of the village for a little longer.”

Y/N laughed and pushed him lightly, eliciting a little half-smile from Zuko. “Okay, I get it. Another day would be really nice.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?”

She shook her head. “The rest of today will be enough for me to help get things moving on the repair front. We’ve already been gone two days—any longer than this and Katara will think we’ve died.” 

Zuko chuckled. “Alright.”

“Besides,” she said as she stood up and stretched her arms out, “after all of this is over, I’ll be able to come back anytime I want. And,” Y/N looked at Zuko, “I’ll be able to properly introduce you. As Zuko my boyfriend, and not Zuko the evil prince.”

He grinned. “Your boyfriend? Is that official?”

Y/N groaned and swatted at him. “Get out of here. I have to get dressed.”

“Anything for my beautiful girlfriend,” Zuko said as he got up, still wearing that ridiculous grin while he walked out.

Y/N rolled her eyes as he shut the door, but she couldn’t help but smile. It felt good, joking around like this. Having a lazy morning—waking up with him in the first place. 

And yeah—hearing Zuko call her his girlfriend was pretty nice too. 

She’d been longing for it for a greater time than she knew, and now that she’d worked through her anger, let it go, realized that this was what she wanted? 

It was too great a feeling to put into words.

That small smile remained on her lips as she began to rifle through her belongings, the minuscule amount she’d packed for this trip in a tiny satchel. She wanted to change, but the only other clothes she had were the tunic and pants she’d worn for months in prison. They were sort of the only clothes she owned now. 

The smile faded as she shoved them back into her bag. Maybe she could ask Leya to borrow one of her dresses for the day. That particular memory didn’t need to be resurfaced right now. 

She blew out a loose sigh as she sat back down on the bed, allowing herself a moment to really take it all in. 

Though Y/N had initially planned to get in and get out, the whole ‘taking back the village’ thing really threw a wrench in her hasty excursion. After last night—after the fight, the general, the grave—she was well and truly exhausted. Lao and Leya had immediately offered up the second bedroom of their home to her and Zuko, claiming it was ‘the least they could do after all she’d done’, and in the moment, Y/N wasn’t one to deny it. 

She didn’t realize how worn out she was until she laid down on the bed—true exhaustion and the warmth of Zuko’s arms around her was a deadly combination—and she was out before she knew it. 

It was the best she’d slept in a long time. 

Because she didn’t have a new outfit, she opted for smoothing out the black fabric and her hair, and nodded to herself before she left the room. She was surprised to see Zuko leaning against the wall next to the door, his arms crossed as he stared off at nothing in particular. 

“You waited?”

“Obviously. Life-threatening fights don’t have to be the only time we stick together.” She chuckled a bit as she slipped her hand into his, pleased at how familiar the motion felt.

“Of course.”

“Besides—” Zuko cleared his throat as his eyes darted away for a moment— “I’m kind of scared of Leya and Lao. I don’t think they really trust me.”

“What? Of course they do!” she exclaimed. “You took down the factory with Lao, and you helped in the fight for our village—they wouldn’t have offered you the place if they didn’t.” 

“You weren’t there,” he said dryly. “Lao questioned me the entire way to the factory about you. And he might be okay about me now, but Leya still seems uneasy. They still don’t even know who I really am.” 

“Who you are is Zuko. It doesn’t matter that you’re the prince—you’re Zuko, and you helped them. That’s all they’ll care about.” She gave him a slight nudge. “Things are different out here, away from the Fire Nation. People are tolerant. You’ve seen that while you’ve been away, right?”

It took Zuko a moment, but he nodded. His lips quirked in the smallest smile and he nodded again, as if he was actually starting to believe it. “Okay. Yeah.”

“Yeah,” she repeated. She swung their hands together a bit and started to lead the way. “Now let’s go. It’s nearly noon—we’ve gotta get our day started.”

“If you say so,” Zuko mused, and she just laughed. 

“I do.” 

“It’s good to see the two of you are finally awake,” Leya mused from her cushion as they emerged into the living room. “I was afraid you would sleep the whole day away.” 

“If anyone deserves it,” Lao said, walking over from the kitchen, “it’s them.” 

“Sorry.” Y/N scratched her neck, slightly bashful. “We were exhausted after yesterday.” 

“No need to apologize,” Leya laughed, and she gestured towards the counter. “Help yourselves, please—we made xiaolongbao and egg custard tarts to celebrate. There’s far too much for just the two of us.” 

“Are you sure?” Zuko asked tentatively.

“Of course we’re sure,” Lao said. “We’ve welcomed you into our home. Anything we have is yours, son.” He frowned. “I never did get your name.” 

He paused. “...My name is Zuko.” 

The name struck them like steel, tension immediately thick in the air even if just out of instinct. 

“Like Prince Zuko,” Leya said carefully, “of the Fire Nation.” 

“I don’t think I’m much of a prince anymore,” he frowned. “I did betray my entire country to help the Avatar.” 

Lao glanced at Y/N, the unsaid question obvious. 

“It’s the truth,” she said. “Zuko has been working with us for a good while now. He’s the Avatar’s firebending teacher, and he’s going to help us end the war.” 

“Alright,” Lao said, and he nodded. “Welcome to our home, Zuko. Officially.” 

His brows creased together. “Really?” 

“You’re clearly a good man,” he said. “Not just anyone would do what you’ve done.” 

“That’s not true.” 

“It is,” Lao insisted. “You didn’t have to help free our village, but you fought on the front lines with us.” He smiled wryly. “That makes a man good in my book.” 

“I agree.” Leya’s smile was softer, kinder, but held the same respect. “You’re just as much a hero to our village as Y/N is.” 

Zuko looked like he wanted to protest, but Y/N placed her hand over his and nodded. He deserved the praise. 

“...Thank you,” he finally said, wholly genuine. “You have no idea how much that means to me.” 

“Any friend of Y/N’s is a friend of ours,” Leya said, and her lips quirked up. “Would you like to hear some of the terrible things she did when she was younger?” 

“Leya—” Y/N began, but Zuko shook his head, his own smile growing. 

“Tell me everything.” 

She groaned as he pulled her over to the floor, two cushions already set for them. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as she sat down next to him, Leya and Lao launching into a story together from her childhood. 

(She had always been a bit of a terror, especially after she discovered her waterbending. That didn’t mean she wanted Zuko to know about it.) 

((“This is no way to treat the savior of the village,” she complained at one point. She was fully ignored.)) 

After spending far too many hours eating, chatting, and laughing (at Y/N’s expense), she and Zuko set out for the day. Y/N asked Leya for a spare outfit and she obliged immediately, so once again she found herself in Earth Kingdom greens and browns. The soft linen was the nicest reprieve from the scratchy prison clothes she’d been stuck in, and she had to admit—it was nice being back in Earth Kingdom clothes. It was just as much a part of her as the North. 

The rest of the day was busy but fulfilling, working long into the night to make up for the damage from the battle. Most of their efforts were spent architecturally, helping to repair houses that had been damaged and to tear down the Fire Nation estates. 

It might have been property, but it was tainted beyond belief. South Zeizhou would never truly belong to her people again if any trace of the Fire Nation remained. 

Y/N and Zuko had split halfway through the day to help with separate things—for some reason, her people were trusting her with designing. She spent the entire rest of the day running around helping various people, sketching up ideas for buildings and statues and everything else under the sun. It turned out that, when you saved an entire village of an eight year hold, they were just a little grateful. 

(She denied the idea every time someone brought up building a statue of her. She was sure she heard Zuko go behind her back and tell them otherwise.)

She was kept so busy that she didn’t see Zuko again until that night, when she pushed open the door to Leya and Lao’s estate to see him sitting on the floor alone. 

“Zuko,” she said, still getting used to the lightness his name brought her. It was more comforting than anything. “What are you doing up?” 

“I should be asking you that,” he said with a slight smile, setting his bowl down. “You don’t have to work all night, you know.” 

“I lost track of time,” she said sheepishly. “What are you eating?” 

“Jook.” A faint blush tinted his cheeks as he gestured back towards the kitchen. “Leya and Lao turned in a few hours ago—they told me to tell you that you had free reign of their ingredients, but I didn’t want you to have to do it yourself after working so hard all day. So I made you something.” 

Her whole expression softened. “Zuko, that’s so sweet.” She crouched down and pecked him on the cheek, warmth blooming in her chest. “I didn’t even know you could cook, being a prince and all.” 

He chuckled. “Uncle taught me some things when we were in Ba Sing Se. I told him I didn’t need it, but I guess some of it stuck.” 

Y/N took his spoon and tried some of the jook in his bowl. Her eyebrows shot up. “That’s surprisingly good.” 

“Surprisingly?” he asked with mock disdain. “Why can’t it just be normally good?” 

“Because,” she said, “I’ve never tried your cooking before.” 

“That just settles it,” Zuko said. “When we’re back in the Fire Nation, I’ll ask the chefs to teach me some things. That way I can really impress you.” 

“You don’t need to impress me, Zuko,” she said, and she stood up and walked over. “Just spending time with you like this is more than enough. We’ve got a lot of it to make up.” 

He managed a soft laugh, but it was bittersweet. “Yeah. We do.” 

Y/N filled her own bowl with jook and then walked back over, settling down next to Zuko. She placed her hand over his, smiling softly at him. “Tell me about your day.” 

“It’s been… a lot,” he said. “I’ve helped tear down a lot of Fire Nation buildings. I melted a lot of metal.” He chuckled. “If only we brought Toph with us. Her metalbending would make things a lot easier.” 

She laughed. “She’d become the foreman of this place. She could probably redesign everything herself.” 

“What about you?” he asked. 

“I did a lot of healing,” she said. “Turns out that sending a lot of middle-aged men and women that haven’t fought in years into battle against trained soldiers results in a lot of injuries.” 

Zuko frowned. “Was it bad?” 

“Not as bad as it could have been,” Y/N said. “Mostly twists and sprains and artificial cuts. One man got his arm broken, and I have no idea why he didn’t ask for help last night.” She shook her head. “No matter what nation I’m in, men always think they have to act tough.” 

“I’m glad you’re able to help them,” Zuko said. “You know you’re amazing, right?” 

She playfully shoved him. “Stop it.” 

“Never.” He shrugged. “Like you said, I have a lot of time to make up for.” 

“I guess flattery’s a good place to start,” she said coyly. 

“It’s easier if you just accept it,” he said sagely, “because I’m not going to stop.” 

Y/N laughed and leaned against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. “What was it like being back and seeing everyone? Did they all recognize you?” 

“Maybe not immediately, but everyone knew my name.” Y/N smiled. “People don’t really forget the only waterbenders in village history.” 

“Do you think this’ll ever be your home again?” Zuko asked.

“It’ll always be my home,” Y/N mused. “It’s where I was born, where I grew up. There’s a part of me in this village, and there always will be. But…” she sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know if I’ll ever live here again. I’ve been traveling all over with my friends for the past couple months, and it just feels like I’ve… outgrown it.”

“I understand,” Zuko said. “You’re different than the girl that grew up here. You’ve changed, and that’s not a bad thing.”

“I know. It just feels like betraying who I am.”

“A part of you is in this village,” Zuko said, “and a part of this village is in you. Just because you’re going somewhere else doesn’t mean you’re forgetting who you are.”

“When did you get so wise?” she asked, craning her neck to look up at him. 

“Years of traveling with my uncle,” he said, and she laughed. 

They spent the rest of the night idly chatting and finishing up their meal, and by the time they turned in, the village was completely dark. 

It was quiet as they settled into bed together, Zuko’s arms around her setting her at ease. She felt safe next to him. 

(Spirits, how she’d missed feeling safe.)

-

“Are you sure you have to leave so soon?” Leya questioned, her gaze watchful even as she stood in the kitchen.

“We have a war to end,” Y/N said, only slightly joking. “I’ll be back sooner than you know.” 

“You’re making us all so proud, Y/N.” Lao patted her on the shoulder, and then he pulled her into a hug. “People will tell stories of you centuries from now, I know it. You’ve made history.” 

“I’m just glad our people are finally free,” she said softly. 

“And you, son.” Lao pulled away and looked down at Zuko, respect in his eyes. “Your path hasn’t been easy, but you’ve made it here. You’re welcome in our corner of the Earth Kingdom anytime.” 

“I’m just doing what’s right,” Zuko said, but she could see the beginnings of his pleased smile. 

“And sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.” Leya came over with a large basket, smile beaming down on the two of them as she handed it to Y/N. “This should be enough for your journey back and to share with the rest of your group.”

Y/N frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Of course we are,” Lao said. “Without the Fire Nation leeching off of us, we’ve got plenty to spare.”

“Thank you,” Zuko said. “This means a lot.”

“It’s the least we can do,” Leya said, and she grasped Y/N’s hands. “Promise me that you’ll be careful.”

“We’ll try our best,” she vowed, and she glanced at Zuko with a smile. “I’ve got a lot of good people with me.”

“You,” Leya pointed at Zuko, tone motherly as ever, “make sure nothing happens to her.”

“That was already the plan,” he said with a chuckle.

“So,” Lao said wryly, “what’s the next thing I should expect from our heroes and the Avatar?” 

Y/N smiled inwardly. “Change is coming. That’s for sure.”

-

The ride back to camp was quiet, but different kind of quiet from before. Y/N and Zuko switched off on flying shifts, occasional conversation filling the gaps—more often than not, though, they just sat together. Her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, her fingers rifling through his hair. 

The fresh air invigorated Y/N. She felt like a whole new person, the dread and anger and heaviness she’d been carrying with her for months steadily dissolving.

Zuko’s constant presence was nice too.

Without her inner dread, supremely thick tension, and a week of sleep deprivation, she was actually able to enjoy the trip back home. It went quicker than the ride there, and she never thought she would be so thankful to see an island. 

Tiny specks in the distance turned into her friends the closer they got, and she and Zuko shared a smile. Y/N was going to have a lot of explaining to do. 

“You guys are finally back!” Sokka exclaimed once they were in hearing distance. “Where did you even go?” 

“You’ve got some nerve leaving like that without a word!” Katara yelled, but the moment Y/N slid off of Appa’s side she barreled over and pulled her into a hug. She knocked the air out of her completely, but Y/N laughed as she wrapped her arms around her in turn. 

“I’m sorry,” she breathed. “It was something important.” 

“She’s been worried sick about you,” Toph spoke up. 

“So have you!” Aang piped in. “You were asking about it y—” 

Toph punched Aang on the shoulder, and he stopped. “What was that for?” 

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Toph said, cheeks flushing pink. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Sokka interrupted. “Where did you two even go?” 

Y/N let out a long deep breath, and Zuko nodded supportively when she glanced at him. “We… went back to my village. The other day was the anniversary of my father’s death, so I went to honor him.” 

“Oh, Y/N,” Katara murmured, and she pulled her back into a hug. “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell us?” 

“I thought it was something I had to do on my own,” Y/N said, pulling away after a grateful moment. “If I had my way, I would have. But Zuko pushed his way on.” 

“It’s not my fault you’re so stubborn,” Zuko said. “Besides, it was obviously the right move.” 

Sokka frowned. “You guys are being really nice to each other.” 

Aang’s eyes lit up. “Did you two have your life changing field trip?” 

It was Y/N’s turn to frown. “Life changing field trip?” 

“That’s what they’re calling it,” Toph explained. “All the trips that they’ve gone on with Zuko to be his friend or whatever. I still haven’t had one.” 

Zuko stared at her. “I woke up with rocks in my bed every day for a week.” 

“Yeah, but we didn’t go anywhere,” she grumbled at the ground. 

Y/N chuckled, though her expression sobered. “I thought I was just going to remember my father, but it turned out that the Fire Nation was still occupying my village. So Zuko and I pushed them out.” 

Katara’s eyebrows shot up. “Just like that?” 

“It wasn’t that easy—” Zuko said, but he was interrupted when Sokka patted—or rather hit—him on the back. 

“Nice going, buddy! That’s how you get your girl back.” 

He glared daggers at Sokka but Y/N just laughed. “It took a lot of fighting and some haphazard plans, but… yeah. We took my village back. My people are free, and I got to see my father’s grave.” 

Katara’s entire expression softened. “I’m so happy for you, Y/N. That’s— that’s amazing. And… is it back?” 

Y/N nodded with a smile, and she formed a ball of water out of the air. “My bending is officially back.” 

Katara screamed and she nearly tackled Y/N with another hug. “Thank the spirits! I knew you could do it!”  

“Life changing field trip always works,” Aang mused. 

“Well, whatever you did, it worked,” Toph said. “I’m happy I don’t have to see the two of you mope around all the time anymore.” 

Zuko frowned. “You can’t see.” 

“Trust me,” Toph muttered, “some things transcend sight.”

Y/N smiled, and she took Zuko’s hand, tears welling in her eyes. “I really missed you guys.” 

-

Later, once they’d unpacked all their things from Appa and properly decompressed, Y/N found herself sitting on her own by the cliffside once again. This time, though, she wasn’t trying to hide her mourning from her friends or foster the burning inside of her chest. Instead, she played with an orb of water in the air, a small smile on her lips at the effortlessness of it all. Not only were they surrounded by water on all sides, but the Fire Nation’s climate meant there would always be moisture in the air. 

Oh, how she’d missed her bending. 

She didn’t flinch when she heard footsteps behind her, able to see the reflection in her orb—instead, she flicked her hand and shot the water back at her visitor. 

“Hey!” Zuko complained, sputtering as it struck him in the face. “What was that for?” 

She giggled as she turned her head. “I had to make sure you remember who you’re dealing with.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, grimacing a bit as he wiped water droplets off his face, “my girlfriend is super powerful and can take down anyone. That doesn’t mean you have to take me down.” 

“Oh, you’re so dramatic.” Y/N smiled as she stood up and flexed her fingers, drawing all the water out of his clothes. “It was barely anything.” 

“This time,” Zuko said, and he gestured around them with a wry smile. “We’ve got a whole ocean around us.” 

“I’m not that powerful,” she said. 

“Maybe,” Zuko said, “but I don’t trust you and Katara together.” 

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” She chuckled as she took his hand. “What’d you come over here for?” 

“You’re not allowed to mope around by yourself anymore,” Zuko said. “We’re having a campfire and digging into some of the food Leya gave us.” 

“I’m not moping,” she complained. 

“Not anymore,” Zuko clarified, and he chuckled at her expression. “Still. You have to join us.” 

“Of course,” Y/N said, and they started walking over together. “I’m excited for some actual food after the past few months.” 

Zuko frowned. “I made you jook last night. That was perfectly good food.” 

“You know what I mean,” she groaned. “Yes, it was perfectly good food. I’m just excited for more of Lao’s xiaolongbao. That man makes miracles in the kitchen.” 

“I’ll have to get him to give me the recipe next time we visit,” Zuko mused. 

She looked at him, slightly surprised. “You want to go back?” 

“Of course,” he said. “It’s the place you’re from. And besides,” he shrugged, slightly bolstered, “I am one of the saviors of the village.” 

She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder. 

“Of course.”

-

“It’s about time you guys got here,” Toph grumbled. “Katara won’t let any of us eat.” 

“They’re here now,” she said, “you can—” 

Katara didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Toph started digging in, and she just shook her head with a sigh. 

“We’re glad that you’re here,” she offered with a slight smile. 

“Katara’s mostly glad that you’re back,” Sokka said, his mouth full of food earning him a glare from his sister. “I think you two have separation anxiety or something.” 

“Can you blame me?” Katara defended. “You were gone for weeks and we had no idea what happened to you. You can’t just up and disappear with Zuko.” 

“To be fair, you tried to do the same thing,” Sokka said. 

“To be fair, you thought Y/N was going to kill Zuko,” Katara shot back. 

Zuko’s eyes widened slightly. “Uh, no. We never went that far.” 

Not with him at least, Y/N thought with the smallest bit of guilt. Not for what she did, but for keeping it from her friends. That was a whole other problem she had to deal with, and definitely not tonight. 

(Maybe not ever.) 

“Let’s talk about something else,” Y/N said, and Zuko put his arm around her, pulling her close. She couldn’t help but smile. “What have you guys been up to while we’ve been gone?” 

“It was only three days,” Sokka said. “We didn’t get up to that much.” But he wouldn’t stop staring at them, and Zuko frowned. 

“What?” 

“Nothing,” he said with a shrug. “I just realized I’ve never been around you two when you actually liked each other.” 

Zuko’s cheeks flushed bright pink as Y/N laughed. “You really haven’t, huh?” 

“Why did you have to say that?” Toph groaned. “Now they’re going to be extra gross.” 

“What, you mean like this?” Zuko pulled Y/N into a kiss, but she didn’t even get the chance to enjoy it before something hit the two of them. 

Y/N pulled away and picked it up, scowling at Sokka. “Is this your shoe?” 

“There are children here!” he complained. “You two really are gross.” 

“I think it’s sweet,” Katara said, and she hit Sokka on the shoulder. “Leave them alone.” 

“I’m just trying to protect the sanctity of this place!” he exclaimed. 

“I’m on Sokka’s side,” Toph piped in.

 As the group devolved into accusations and conversation with occasional pauses for food, she leaned into Zuko’s side and sighed contentedly. 

This was the life she’d been chasing so long. All they had to do was end the war. 

And after everything she’d been through, that seemed like the easiest part of the journey. 

-

Things cooled down after a while, and they began to go their separate ways. Sokka and Suki went off together, Aang went to meditate and clear his mind, and Toph went off to do spirits knows what. Y/N was close to nodding off against Zuko’s side—she was sure he already had himself—when she heard Katara’s voice. 

“Hey,” she said, gesturing away from the fire with her head, “can I have you for a second?” 

Y/N nodded, yawning as she tried to blink the grogginess out of her vision, and the two of them walked over. “What’s up?” 

“This is something I’ve been wanting to give to you for a while, but it hasn’t been the right moment.” Katara grinned. “But it is now.” 

She pulled something out from behind her back, and when she presented it Y/N realized it was a water skin, almost identical to the one she’d given her months ago in Gaoling. 

“Both of ours were taken away at Ba Sing Se, but I was able to get a couple new ones from some of the Water Tribe soldiers when we ran into them. And now that you’ve got your bending back…”

Katara trailed off as she offered it up again, but instead Y/N crushed her in a tight embrace.

“Thank you,” she said, unable to hold back her own smile. “For thinking of me even then.”

“Always,” Katara said, returning the gesture with just as much intensity. When she pulled away, her eyes shone.

“It’s good to see you like this,” she said softly. “Happier. Lighter. You look better than you have in months.” 

“I feel better,” Y/N admitted. “I know that I needed to forgive Zuko, and maybe it was the spirits’ plan to make the road so treacherous. But it feels so good to have him again.” 

“It feels good to not have you two arguing all the time,” she said wryly. 

Y/N chuckled. “Just imagine how I feel.” 

“What do you think is next for you two?” Katara asked. “After the war is over, I mean.”

“I haven’t really thought that far in the future,” she admitted. “After everything, I’m just trying to live in the moment.” 

“I think that’s a perfect idea.” 

Y/N smiled. “So do I.” 

-

perm tags: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77 @simonsbluee @kwyloz @masteroperator @louderfortheback

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[unfriedough]

‘Lovesick Losers’- Zuko x female!reader

Masterlist <3

An: HIYA! IM BACKKKKK!!!!! Okay so I’m well aware this is SUCH a late post, but bare with me things have been messy recently. As a gift (?), here's a over 2 k word fic - happy reading loves <33

Summary:

Growing up with the prince, you two were inseparable. And once he was banished, you hadn’t seen him again for years, that was, until you joined team avatar and began fighting against him, and then eventually fighting alongside him.

Warnings: fluff!!!!, toph is a bully (affectionate tho <3), Zuko is a NERD.

They all noticed it. The way you and Zuko looked at eachother, with love and passion. And they saw the way he flustered when you teased him, and the way you smiled when you spoke about him. They noticed the stolen looks, and the electricity in the unintentional touch - they saw it all.

What they didn’t see were the thoughts that kept you up at night. “Is it love, or is it boredom?”. You could never come up with an answer. Zuko was everything to you, was it really worth risking what you have now? Say you date, and you break up - what then? You can’t be friends anymore. Of Course there's the “‘he’s my ex but we’re friends” - but deep down you knew that wouldn’t work. Asking the obvious could potentially ruin everything you had built.

Plus, he liked Mai.

Zuko, much like you, laid awake at night.

Who do you love? Who does he love? Is it really Mai? Or is it Yn? Was Mai only ever a childhood crush? Were you just out of boredom? He knew the answer, as much as he didn’t want it to be true. He liked, no, loved you - but you, you were his friend. Nothing more. Nothing less.

And he would never jepreodise your friendship with his ‘dumb’ feelings.

And so you both ignored the spark, no matter how much it hurt.

“Get a room,” you groaned to yourself as you heard Sokka make smooching noises.

“Get a room,” you groaned to yourself as you heard Sokka make smooching noises.

“Get a room,” you groaned to yourself as you heard Sokka make smooching noises.

You got to your feet and straightened your clothing, before stepping into your boots. Sighing, you finally left the tent and made your way to Katara, not sparing a wave to an enthusiastic Sokka. I mean, he woke you up after all.

(If a part around here duplicates blame it on tumblr whenever I add the read more it does that 🙄)

Eventually, you made it to the waterbender and avatar duo, who were getting started on a nutritious (?) breakfast. Smiling, you gave Katara a side hug before grabbing some elderberries berries, offering them to the mix. Aang gladly added them, before waterbending the soup in order to mix it. You folded your arms over your torso, and watched as Katara and Aang laughed at something she said, you saw the way she stared at him when he laughed, and the way he grinned when she complimented him - they were so disgustingly in love.

But in some way, you could see yourself in Katara, acting just the same with Zuko. The giggles, and the shyness. You rolled your eyes, walking away defeatedly.

“Where’s she going?” Aang pointed.

“Just going for a walk.” you waved your hand off.

You sighed as you entered the woods, trailing your hands on the deep bark of the trees, feeling so many emotions. Once you were deep enough, you sat down onto the lush grass and closed your eyes, titling your head towards the clear sky.

“What are you doing?”

Your silence was interrupted by a raspy voice, Zuko’s. You coughed awkwardly before regaining your componence.

“Just thinking.”

“Thinking?”

”Yep,”

“‘Bout what.”

“Nothing really,” that was a lie - you were thinking about him. About how his eyes sparkle when he’s excited, about how his muscles flex when he works out, and the way his voice sounds raspy in the morning, how gentle he is with you no matter what, and the way he clenches his jaw when he’s mad - the way he’s Zuko, really.

He looked to the spot next to you, and you signalled with your hand for him to join you. The firebender awkwardly joined you, before turning his head to look. He thought you looked ethereal. The way your side profile was illuminated by the sun, and the way your hair perfectly crowned your head. Sensing his stare, you turned to look at Zuko inquisitively, oly for him to be staring at you with complete love and adoration in his eyes - of course, you didn’t notice that look in his eyes. A heat rapidly spread from the tips of his ears to his cheeks as he quickly averted his sight. You tilted your head to the side, before slowly cupping his cheek. Subconsciously, he leaned into your touch, and looked back at you. A soft smile tugged at your lips, before a magnetic force began pulling you towards the flustered teen. Your eyes fluttered shut, and your lips were seconds from interlocking. Your heart was beating uncomfortably fast, becoming even more rapid when you felt his hand on the back of your head, the other on your cheek. Your foreheads touched, noses brushing together as you looked into his warm eyes, a sparkle lighting up his breathtaking irises. He drank your features, flooding all his senses with you.

SNAP

A twig in the distance yelled. You and Zuko jolted apart, an awkward silence filling the two of you as you got up to investigate. Sokka emerged from the woods, his eyes angled behind him as if he was being followed. He walked directly into you, an ‘oof’ noise leaving him as he fell onto the cushioned ground. You, on the other hand, never touched the ground. Zuko had supported you before you fell. Sokka stared, mouth open in excitment. You gulped, your eyes slowly wandering up, only to catch sight of a worried Zuko. You quickly stumbled back onto your feet, your hand rising to rub the back of your neck, as you quickly thanked him. He smiled a gentle and caring smile as he nodded. And suddenly, Sokka was a forgotten character as you drowned in the love hearts emerging from your eyes.

“Are you okay?” he mouthed

You nodded, biting your lip and looking away shyly.

“I’M RIGHT HERE!!!”

You immediately snapped out of your trance, a frown settling on your face when you saw the watertribe teenager on the ground, you knelt to the ground and inspected him with your eyes, finding a cut on his arm from falling earlier.

“Come.” you shook your head, “that cut could get an infection if you don’t get it healed.”

Sokka sprung up to his feet before following you to the nearby river, Zuko walking with you two. The ponytailed boy sat down, and you knelt on your knees in front of him, waterbending some of the water out of the running liquid and placing it on the wound. Sokka squirmed but calmed a bit when you made the water glow. You pat his shoulder after you were finished, and asked him:

“Better?”

“Much!” he gave you a quick hug as a thank you, before getting up again.

Zuko felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach as it began to rise, his fists balled at his sides.

He didn’t know why he felt like this, but he knew he didn’t like it.

Zuko would have to find a way to rid himself of this sorrowful feeling.

He walked off with you, Sokka staying behind to collect some sticks - his original mission.

–

The next morning, you watched as Zuko trained by himself. The way free flowed so easily from his soft fingertips. He whipped his head around when he felt someone’s eyes on him. You flashed him a big thumbs up, along with a grin. He smiled before turning back around to continue his moves. He felt somehow stronger when you were around, the impending feeling of having to impress you always looming on his every movement. Then he heard you laugh, turning around again to see you with Sokka. Anger was rising in him, and as he was too focused on you and the watertribe warrior - he hurt himself with his flame, consequently falling on his behind.

A groan spilled from his lips, before he heard the pitter patter of your footsteps. You knelt beside him and held his arm, inspecting his injury. You helped him get up before taking him to your tent to grab your water. Your soft hands held his calloused ones, as your water trailed his wrist and began healing.

A content sigh left his lips.

“You need to be more careful,” you furrowed your brows at him, “what even happened?”

“I got distracted,” he confessed.

“Oh? By what?”

Zuko’s face was drained of colour, what was he meant to say? Oh yeah no I was distracted because Sokka was being touchy and I was jealous-

And that’s when he came to the realisation that the feeling he was feeling was jealousy. How could he have been so dumb?

“Okay, you don’t have to tell me then,” you gave him a smile, taking his silence as a sign of discomfort.

“I was distracted because of you.” he said, in a moment of confidence.

Before immediately regretting it.

“Oh I’m sorry,” you looked ashamed.

You felt a pang of guilt, you were the cause of his injury.

“No wait, it was my fault, I should've kept my attention on my bending.” He tried to fix it.

“It’s okay Zuko, you don’t have to try to cover for me,” you laughed slightly, pushing a strand of hair back from his face.

“Well, I liked having you there,” he muttered, leaning into your touch, before flushing red when you rested your forehead against his.

His throat bobbed as he looked into your eyes, his tongue sliding against his lips. Your hands rose to his face, tracing his features. From the arc to the tip of his nose, down to the curve of his lips, then gliding against his sculpted jaw, before rising to his scar. Your fingertips trailed the rough edges, such a contrast to how he was acting. Your eyes sparkled when you saw his eyes were shut, a wobbly smile on his mouth.

“You’re so cute.” you breathed.

His blush deepened as he fluttered his eyes open again. You grinned at his innocence before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He furrowed his brow before lightly leading your face back to his - lips centimetres away.

Zuko’s eyes flicked to yours, a question.

Your body moved before your brain, lips locking onto his. He pulled you closer to him, back hitting your bag. Your bodies felt impossibly close as your hands gripped onto his raven hair, his palms on your lower back. His lips were grounding, keeping you from waking up to an empty bed, his hands clutching you as if you were to disappear if he let go.

You softly broke away from the kiss, licking your swollen lips. He smiled a wide smile, a gorgeous sight really. Your heart fluttered as you watched him. He dug his face into his pale hands, a groan leaving his lips. Zuko was wonderstruck that this was his reality. He lifted his head and stared at the top of the tent, his irises landed back on your (e/c) ones, a chuckle leaving his lips.

“ZUKO?” Aang yelled from outside, walking past and clearly on the hunt for said guy.

He opened his mouth to yell back to the avatar, before his voice was muffled by you. You had kissed him to shut him up, and he was definitely shut up. It was a quick kiss, stopping his train of thought. You winked at him before crawling out of the tent.

He heard you faintly speaking to Aang, leaving him an opening to get out - and that he did. As soon as he was back on his feet, he was met with a very smug Toph. He squealed before she spoke:

“How much for that little secret?”

He played dumb.

“What secret?”

“Last Thursday ring a bell?” she smirked

His eyes widened as he remembered his rehearsals. He planned to confess to you later that week, which failed but whatever. Unfortunately he wasn’t as alone as he thought he was. His face fell into his hands as he groaned in embarrassment.

“How can I pay you?” he said, defeatedly.

“Hmm, you have to tell her.”

“HM?”

“Tell her everything you said, she’s such a sap. Yn’ll think it’s cute.”

Toph wasn’t evil, she wanted to look out for her friend. Besides, you had been so welcoming and understanding with her - even when she was kind of mean at times, you stayed patient.

“No way. Uh uh.” It was too embarrassing for Zuko.

“Then I’ll tell her.” she grinned evilly, “YNNNN!!!!”

He struggled to shut her up, attempting to cover her mouth with his hands.

“Stop shut up stop stop stop stop.” he whined quickly.

You popped you, “Yeah?”

Zuko immediately sprung back from Toph, staring at her with anger.

“Zuko here said that-”

“FINE JUST SHUT UP!”

The earthbender laughed, as Zuko shrank.

“What’d he say?” you furrowed your brow.

“Just- follow me.” he walked sadly.

“Okaaaay?”

After a short walk to his little room, he sat on his bed whilst staring at the ground.

“What?”

The firebender stared at you, before chuckling.

“It’s really embarrassing.”

You nodded along, eyebrows quirked up.

He walked up to you, and held his breath.

You coked your head to the side,

“Spit it out,” you laughed.

He chuckled before guiding your chin to look at him,

“Yn, we’ve been friends for years. You were the only stable thing in my life. My rock if that makes sense. And I, I guess I’ve been a bit stupid recently. I was handed the signs and I ignored them, but I can see it now.”

“Are you proposing to me?” you giggled.

“LET ME SPEAK,” he pushed your shoulder back playfully.

His arms wrapped around your middle as yours wrapped around his neck, an almost subconscious reaction as you laughed, only for your sound to get caught in your throat as you made eye contact. He swallowed heavily before continuing, never breaking his stare.

“Yn, I think. I think I’m in love with you. God, I can’t get enough of you, Yn. I wanna call you mine, and, and I want you to call me yours. So I guess this is me formally confessing to you.”

He waited for an answer, worry building up.

“You think or you are?”

“Huh?”

“You said you think you’re in love with me.”

“Shut up, you know I am.” He pecked your lips, smiling.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Does that mean we’re?”

“Mhm,” you rested your head on him.

He sighed contentedly, a contrast to his rapid heart beat.

This would be a fun secret.

An: I have exams coming up soon so Idk if writing will be happening. But whatever! Hope you enjoyed this story, SEE YA! <3

[tui-la-la]

Zuko x f!Reader fic

Hey, do you ever feel like the comics royally screwed over sweet Zuko in The Love Department ™? Me, too. Here's a Zuko/female reader fic to dull the pain. This follows the comics pretty closely, just trying to weave in one extra Kyoshi Warrior (guess who), traveling to the Fire Nation with Suki, Ty Lee and the rest of the warriors to serve as Prince Zuko's personal guard. I think you can guess where this is going.

Part I

Warnings: None

Word Count: ~ 1300

I don't know where this is going to go, so! If you have thoughts, shoot me an ask. Maybe more, maybe tag list? Idk

I.

THE AFTERNOON SUN glittered on the surface of the water. On the horizon, Elephant Koi rose from the depths with a splash. Y/N took a moment to bask in the sights of Kyoshi Island as she reached for her waterskin. She took a deep drink and wiped the sweat from her brow as Suki called an intense day of training to a close for the Kyoshi Warriors. The voice of her friend and sparring partner, Ty Lee, broke Y/N’s silent admiration of the scenery. 

“Y/N!”

“Mm? Ty Lee?”

“Why do I feel like you’re not listening to a word I’m saying.”

“That’s because... I’m not. Sorry..! Ow! Stop! I said I’m SORRY! It’s been a long day. What were you saying?”

A wicked grin came over Ty Lee’s face as she ceased her assault of Y/N. 

“I was saying, our newest sister is picking up Chi blocking really quickly, and I think it’s time for her to get some real training in”. 

Y/N laughed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, so why don’t you spar with her, then? I promise I’ll carry you home when your legs are jelly.” 

“So, first of all, you said that last time and then walked away laughing. But you know what I mean, Y/N! She needs to spar” Ty Lee pleaded, sending her friend a doe-eyed look. 

“Alright, alright. I’ll spar with her tomorrow after training, and we’ll see just how good of a teacher you are, Ty.”

“I knew you would come around!” squealed Ty Lee, throwing her arms around her friend. Y/N responded with an exaggerated eye-roll. “Plus, I’m covering ALL of your watches during your trip home. You owe me!” 

At the mention of home, Y/N cast a dreamy look to the horizon and sank down onto the beach. “You’re right,” she said, pulling her armor off and burying her feet in the sand, “I do owe you… big time”. 

Ty Lee cartwheeled into YN’s field of view, landing in a handstand inches from her face. “Are you excited? You’ll get to see your boooyfriend“ Ty Lee quipped, raising an upside-down eyebrow. 

Y/N exhaled deeply, avoiding her curious gaze. “I’m… excited, I guess, to see Haru. I don’t know, Ty. It’s not that simple. I’m probably going to have to figure that... whole thing out when I get home, huh?” 

Ty Lee’s response was cut short by a shrill signal coming from the temple; a signal for the Kyoshi Warriors to assemble. Y/N rose up, brushing sand off of her green skirt and donning her armor. The two girls cast each other a knowing look. “Maybe I won't have to figure it out, after all” Y/N said, as the two started their run into town. “It sounds like we’re needed elsewhere”. 

-

Suki took her place at the head of the group, looking at the group of warriors gathered in front of her. A messenger hawk carrying the symbol of the Fire Nation perched on her shoulder.

 “Kyoshi Warriors, we’ve been asked to serve as Fire Lord Zuko’s personal detail” a stoic Suki told the room. A murmur rose from the group. “There have been six attempts on the Fire Lord’s life in his past year on the throne, and it’s now our job to ensure his safety. I’ll be assigning you all to  two groups; one to stay here on Kyoshi Island, and another to be detailed to the Fire Nation Capital. You’ll receive your assignments tomorrow morning, and we’ll head out shortly after. Sleep well, everyone. Dismissed.” 

The group broke apart, discussing the news. “Looks like your trip home just turned into MY trip home!” Ty Lee said excitedly. “I can’t wait to show you where I’m from! We’re going to have so much fun!” Y/N glanced away from Ty Lee to where several warriors had already begun to approach Suki, undoubtedly about their potential assignments. “I don’t know, Ty, I think maybe it would be best if I stayed here”. 

A look of confusion crossed Ty Lee’s face. “Really? But wouldn’t you, of all people, want to go? I mean, you’ve never even seen the Fire Nation, and it’s where yo-“ 

“But who's going to look after Kyoshi Island?” Y/N interjected. “Plus, I’ve been a Kyoshi Warrior for less than a year. I’ve never left the Earth Kingdom… and look at how excited everyone else is at the possibility of going. It’s better that I stay here”. Y/N broke away from Ty Lee and the rest of the crowd.  “Come on, let’s go get some dinner” Y/N said softly, and turned to exit the temple.

-

LATER THAT NIGHT, Y/N returned to the temple to find Suki sitting pensively on the floor. She had seen a light in the temple from her bedroom window, a sure sign that Suki was still there, working through a big decision. 

“Knock knock” said Y/N softly, entering the room. Suki looked up, offering a slight smile at the sight of her friend. “How are you, Suki?” Y/N asked, taking a seat on the floor next to her. “This is a big task ahead of us, and the Fire Lord is a friend of yours”. Concern flashed across Y/N’s face. She reached over and gave her friend’s arm a soft squeeze. Suki sighed, rolled back onto the floor, and splayed her out arms with a thud. In response, Y/N collapsed onto her back in dramatic caricature of Suki’s movements, earning a chuckle from her friend. “I’m glad you came down” said Suki softly, “I was just thinking about how I wish Sokka was here to talk to. There’s so much on my mind”. Her brow furrowed before continuing. 

“It’s not that I’m nervous about the mission…” she said, her voice becoming hushed. Her eyes scanned the ceiling, almost as if looking for answers. “I’m worried about Zuko. Mai’s letter mentioned he hasn’t been himself… he’s having trouble sleeping, and this Yu Dao conflict keeps escalating.” Suki hesitated for a moment, then turned to face Y/N. “I was actually hoping you would come with my group to the Fire Nation. Not only are you a skilled warrior, but I think you might be able to help figure out what to do about Yu Dao and the Harmony Restoration Movement” her voice hushed further “...because of what happened to you.” 

Y/N took a deep breath, closing her eyes. They sat in silence for a moment. “You’re my leader, Suki. And my friend. I’ll go wherever you need me” Y/N replied with a soft smile. A sigh escaped Suki, a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. She rose to her feet and offered a hand to Y/N, pulling her up to her feet. “Thank you, Y/N. Our ship leaves tomorrow morning. We might be there a while… so make sure to pack all of your belongings”. Suki’s gaze softened when she saw a nervous look flash across Y/N’s face. “I’m really glad you're coming with us, Y/N… I don’t know how long I could handle Ty Lee without you” she said, causing Y/N to burst out laughing. “That’s fair. It’s a tough job... but someone has to balance out the pinkness of her aura” Y/N said, and they both laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Suki. I need to rest up… apparently one of our sisters needs to test her Chi blocking tomorrow” Y/N said with a wink, earning one last laugh from Suki before making her way back to the village.