#so either this whole story will be of normal length for once OR it'll be two parts (more likely)

[juliewritess]

Found the writing voice for now. It's kinda similar to my current fanfic WIP but I want it to be a little different. But that's habit & something to edit later for consistency. The tone for the prologue has been set, too, though it's far from done. HOWEVER I intend on participating in Nanowrimo this year to get 50k of writing for this before the end of the year, which is super exciting, and it's also okay if I don't make it!

[storiesofsvu]

Solace in Solitude Ch 6

warnings: language, usual anxiety, minor medical stuff, minor ptsd/hurt that goes with this story and the usual sass/arguing. again, apologies for the length between chapters and there is a chance it'll be another month before the next one, things are calming down at work but i do really want to make sure that this story is written as well as it can be. stay tuned for more one shots in the meantime!

The apartment was quiet, almost too quiet and honestly, it almost always was. Despite sharing the space with Emily over the past two weeks you felt like you’d only seen her once since discharging her. You were sure part of that was thanks to giving her the bedroom with the ensuite, the greedy part of you had wanted to take it as your own, but the doctor in you knew that it would make things a hell of a lot easier for her recovery journey. You went about your regular routine, tv on low for the morning news as you ate a quiet breakfast, made sure you had your things and spent the majority of the day at the hospital. A workout either on the way home, or a run after you’d dropped your things off, dinner on the balcony while you watched the city nightlife come alive. At first you were wrapping up cases, discharging the last of the patients you’d been lead on and helping out wherever you could. It was unclear at this point if you were to remain on hospital staff or not with your VIP patient discharged, but you figured giving her space and leaving the house empty as long as possible was probably a good idea.

You began to wonder if this was your prime time to explore the city, to adventure outside of it, maybe see more of France, Europe as a whole. The responsibility that had been tying you to the hospital was lessened, as long as she stuck with her PT and kept up with instructions of aftercare, she should be fine. You were on the balcony flipping through a travel magazine daydreaming about a trip down to Bordeaux when the coffee machine beeped loudly and your brow furrowed, it was eight p.m. You let out a soft sigh when you heard her door open followed by the sound of emptying the coffee pot before disappearing back into her room and you tossed the magazine to the side. She was never going to be the perfect patient and if you didn’t stick around to babysit, there was no way she was going to heal properly. You were completely unsurprised when you were tidying up the kitchen later and found the decaf still sealed, the regular bag nearly empty.

Yeah, you were stuck here for the foreseeable future.

*

The first couple of nights at the apartment Emily was still on such a cocktail of drugs that she slept pretty soundly. The room was darker, the bed comfier, there was no constant intrusion of nurses throughout the night, no annoying beeping of machines, codes from down the hall waking her up in a panic. She was just starting to feel the closest she could get to normal again, starting to feel actually human.

She found a note on the kitchen counter one day, reminding her about her scheduled PT appointments and that you had arraigned a car service to pick her up and bring her back as to not tire her out too quickly. Rolling her eyes she wanted to crumple it up and never see it again but she knew she had to get better, peeling it off the counter to stick to the calendar in her room. The PT wasn’t the part that was irking her, it was the ‘Valerie’ scrawled across the top of the note that made her gut churn, she may have been becoming human again but she was still entirely unsure of who she really was, or who she was supposed to be.

Every so often she would catch a glimpse of you in the hospital hallways on her way in or out of an appointment, it was almost strange to her, seeing you working in a different environment than before. You seemed to always be on the move or so deep into research you had no idea what was going on in the room around you and she was honestly thankful you never saw her or mentioned anything more about PT. Her doctor made the call to wean her off the rest of her pain meds which she was fine with, it meant she was moving in the right direction, that she was healing properly. The downside of it being that she was now in actual pain, her body aching, especially on days she had appointments, she’d lay in bed at night unable to get comfortable leaving her utterly exhausted the next morning. After checking the label she figured she could be taking a full pill of the sleeping pills instead of half, hoping that would knock her out enough to not feel any pain anymore.

That worked for approximately two and a half nights until she was plagued with another terrifyingly vivid nightmare, one that she couldn’t seem to break out of until hours later when the sun poured in through the open blinds. She woke up drenched in sweat, her heart rate through the roof as her body fought with its fight or flight response, managing to keep half control of herself until she heard the front door click shut locked when you left for work. Her muffled deep breaths broke out into sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks until she’d fully cried herself out with barely enough strength left to drag herself into the bath. Back on the lower dosage she was stuck with minor pain and weird, terrible dreams, whatever had been working before wasn’t working any longer and she didn’t want to mess around with any new drugs.

That was when she decided to stop sleeping at night.

Every time she napped during the day she had no issues at all, curled up like a cozy cat in a stream of sunlight she felt safe. She knew if she jerked awake she could at least instantly see her surroundings, there was no fumbling around in the dark while she tried to figure out if she was in danger or not. Her nights could be spent double checking that you’d locked the door, that the alarm was actually set before she ate a little bit of food, loaded up on coffee and staying in her room with the light on, thankful for the endless hours of streaming services available.

Hence the eight p.m. coffee.

*

You had no idea that she had made a one eighty with her sleep schedule, continuing about your life as normal as you could. At the start you had been worried about her not eating, but food would slowly disappear out of the fridge and pantry. You usually made larger portions of what you were making yourself, tucking some containers into the side of the fridge you had decided was hers, noticing when they turned up in the sink empty. She was eating, she was eating healthy meals and going to her PT and follow up appointments, you weren’t going to push the coffee thing. This was your new life; you’d adjust to it eventually.

A summer day rudely interrupted with thunderstorms got you stuck at the hospital a little later than usual, and lead to you skipping your workout. The last thing you wanted was to look like a drowned rat at the end of your run, so back to home it was. What surprised you when you unlocked the door to the apartment was the sound of someone in the kitchen,

“Oh, Valerie, hey.” You greeted, doing your best not to awkwardly stop and gape at the sight of her out of her room for once. She tensed at your greeting, her jaw clenching slightly as she flicked off the burner and began to plate up her food.

“Hey.” She replied, “sorry, I’ll be outta your way in a sec.”

“You know it’s fine to eat out here, you’re allowed to exist outside of your room.”

“It’s fine.” She sighed, “I don’t mind. You just finished work, I’m sure you’d prefer quiet.”

“Val, c’mon, you eating at the dining table doesn’t mean hours of conversation, it’s okay.” You half laughed, stepping around the island.

“Would you stop that!” Her body tensed again and the mug she’d grabbed from the cupboard landed on the counter a little too aggressively.

“What?” You asked quietly, watching for a moment as she took a heavy breath, her reply quiet but curt.

“That’s not my fucking name.”

“It’s the name I was told to call you.” You offered with a shrug and she groaned, “isn’t this about keeping you safe?”

“When we’re out!” She snapped back and it was your turn to roll your eyes.

“It’s not exactly like you leave the house.”

“Exactly!” She finally turned around to you, fire in her eyes but something else hidden behind it “so you could at least drop the act when you’re here, when it’s just us. Please.” Her voice nearly cracked, “just call me Emily.”

“Okay.” You held up your hands in defeat, letting out a small sigh as you leant against the island.

“Thank you.” She replied through gritted teeth, turning back to the counter to pour out a hefty mug of coffee, more than well aware that your eyes were on her. “It’s decaf.” She lied and you snorted.

“The decaf hasn’t been touched. I may not be an FBI agent but I’m not stupid.”

“Would you just spare me the caffeine lecture?”

“It’s not just that.” You replied, eying her plate, the eggs and toast were fine, but bacon and sausage, along with a bag of sugary pastries you hadn’t bought were not ideal. “All that combined together isn’t going to help you. How many times do I have to tell you, you have to limit this. You don’t have a spleen.”

“And whose fault is that?” She snapped, shooting daggers at you before she managed to pick up everything she needed.

“It was that or let you die on the table.” You snipped back as she bolted toward her room.

“Sometimes I wish you’d just let that happen….” She kicked the door, slamming it shut behind her, not missing the frustrated groan you let out in reply.

She didn’t want to admit how much it was fucking her up, how much it was dragging her back down into a pit of despair and trying to figure out if she could ever be the woman she was before. All these covers, these acts, different personas were starting to mesh in her brain, there were memories she wasn’t sure if they were hers or Lauren’s. Stories she’d told while undercover that she was starting to forget if it was something that actually happened to her or something that she knew would get Ian wrapped around her finger faster. Just an hour ago she’d woken up from a nightmare of looking down the barrel of gun before killing whoever was coming after her and she wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, if it was out in the field with the BAU or something she likely shouldn’t have done for Ian. She’d spent years trying to erase Lauren from her psyche, now it was getting all dragged back up again and she hated it.

Most of all she didn’t want to erase Emily.

*

You spent the weekend with Emily’s parting words replaying through your head, wondering just how much she had actually meant them. You’d seen it before, in patients who survived through a life and death situation while their loved one didn’t, taking the blame, wishing it was them, survivors guilt eating them alive. You knew that in this case it was something similar, but also something different, Emily was no longer living the life she had been before, she was in hiding and likely living in fear. You made a mental note to try and keep an eye on her, and for some higher power to grant you all the patience in the world to be as gentle and forgiving towards her when she no doubt would snap again. While the two of you weren’t exactly getting along, there was a chance she didn’t necessarily hate you, it was everything you represented, the idea of you, what you had done to her, even if it had saved her life.

When they said that sometimes dying was the easier option, they really hadn’t been kidding.

*

Emily couldn’t sleep. Even with the sun streaming in through the curtains and the fact that she’d managed to successfully reroute her sleep schedule, at least this time she knew exactly why. Today was JJ’s birthday, a day she was meant to be back in Washington celebrating with her best friend and she couldn’t even so much as call her. By mid afternoon she was still tossing and turning, unable to stop her brain from racing so she figured she may as well just get up and start her ‘day’ now. Heading into the bathroom she brushed her teeth, grimacing at the state of her hair when she caught her reflection, she’d been relying on dry shampoo since being discharged and that tactic was holding on by a thread now.

Figuring that was a problem for later she pulled on a hoodie and wandered out into the kitchen, starting the coffee pot before staring into the fridge for something to eat. She fiddled with a few of the containers, finding one that must have been from that morning with a breakfast burrito inside it she decided that was doable and popped it into the air fryer.

“I may have over salted that, sorry.” Your voice broke through her sleepy routine and she jumped, her heart hammering in her chest as she spun around to face the living room, finding you on the couch, a few textbooks spread out around you, ear buds in your ears. You hadn’t even glanced up from what you were doing when you spoke, knowing she’d rather you kept to yourself.

“What are you doing here?”

“I live here…” This time you did glance up at her, raising a brow in her direction as you pulled out a bud.

“It’s the middle of the day. On a Thursday!” She exclaimed, her heart starting to calm, “did you change you schedule?”

“No.” You shrugged, “they just don’t really need me and I feel bad taking hours from people who actually work there and need them.”

“You one of those trust fund kids?” She asked and you snorted.

“Definitely not. But the US government does pay me to make sure I don’t run off and leave you all on your own.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.” She grumbled, “couldn’t you be out with friends or something?”

“Don’t exactly have any of those here.” You sighed, turning back to the notebook in front of you, “and you do need some kind of help, believe it or not.”

“Do not.” She muttered under her breath and you shook your head with an annoyed laugh.

“You can’t change the dressing on your back by yourself, and you’re not strong enough to shower alone.”

“I showered fine the other day without you!” She scoffed, a little offended that you’d even say that and suddenly very paranoid that she stunk.

“Yeah?” You glanced back up at her, “when was the last time you had an everything shower?” She thought for a second and then grimaced, not wanting to admit it, and you smiled, “exactly. And it’s not just the shower, I’ve been doing all the heavy lifting, groceries, taking trash out, cleaning, you need me or a maid. And I’m the one with a medical degree.”

“Whatever.” She huffed, turning back to the coffee pot as it beeped, “keep doing what you’re doing, but I’m fine to shower on my own. Besides, I don’t need you seeing me naked.”

You barked out a laugh, “sweetheart… you were naked on my OR table, it wouldn’t be anything I hadn’t seen before.”

Emily wanted to disappear on the spot, while you were likely right, she didn’t want to think about it like that, and she definitely didn’t appreciate the condescending tone that came along with the pet name. She would accept the help that kept her inside the apartment, made it so she didn’t have to run errands, kept her safer, but the shower was crossing into a territory of vulnerability she never wanted to show.

“I’m fine.” She insisted.

“It’s not like I’m going to get in the shower with you, it’s to help with your hair. I don’t want you blowing a stitch, I’m not fond of doing sutures outside a hospital.”

“I said I’m fine.” She let out a sigh of relief when the air fryer beeped.

“Really? So you just prefer the dry shampoo rats nest look you’ve got going on? The low pony tails every day your go to style? Not because you can’t reach your hand above your head without being in pain?” With a breath you dropped your pen onto your lap, “there’s a detachable showerhead in your bathroom, we can do your hair first and you can be fully clothed then I’ll leave you to shower on your own.”

Her eyes darted your way while she dumped the burrito onto a plate, “well since you’re bumming around here doing nothing else I guess I’ll take advantage of that after breakfast.”

“So glad my medical degree will be put hard to work.”

Had she not been so thrown off by you being home, or grumpy over the circumstances she might even have laughed at that before taking a bite of the burrito, wincing as she swallowed it down, “you weren’t kidding when you said you oversalted this.”

*

A water droplet hit your foot and you looked up from your book, Emily was tightly wrapped in a robe, shifting on her feet in front of you with a pained expression on her face.

“You’re dripping.” You pointed out dryly and she scowled at you, mumbling something unintelligible at you. “You’re gonna have to speak up.” You chuckled, prodding at her leg with your foot, “just admit I was right and stop leaving puddles around the apartment.”  

She glared at you again, her hair continuing to soak her shoulders, “can those magically skilled surgeon hands of yours braid, or just sew painful sutures?”

You let out a small laugh, “yeah I can braid, there’s a comb and a hair serum in my bathroom.”

You gestured and Emily hesitated briefly before disappearing to grab them, taking a minute as she was unsure of where to look, not wanting to snoop through your personal items. She finally returned to you, handing you the items and you put your book aside, shifting to the edge of the couch.

“Sit.” You gestured to the floor in front of you and with an annoyed sigh, Emily did as you asked, holding the robe tighter to her in an attempt to keep some of her modesty. Your fingers started slowly and gently threading into her locks, shaking them out gently to make sure you weren’t about to rip her hair out of her scalp. “Hmm..”

“What?”

“I should’ve made you do this earlier, or done it with the conditioner still in, it’s pretty knotted. I’ll do my best not to pull too hard.”

“I’m fine.” She replied, it was curt, but said with a tired sigh. If she was completely honest, she was getting tired of repeating the same mantra, even if it was just to herself.

You didn’t reply, standing from the couch and stepping around her, darting to the bathroom to grab a few more things that would help. You settled behind her once again, gently nudging at her shoulders to move backward and settle between your legs so you could get the best angle. Starting with a detangler spray you worked through her hair, making sure all the bigger knots were out, gentle easing them from her hair with your fingers first before the comb. She surprised herself when she only winced a couple of times, you were incredibly gentle and careful with the task at hand.

“I take it this isn’t your first time doing this.” She muttered and you laughed.

“Nope. Mom had no sense of patience; she’d yank at your hair until it was done. I suffered through it, but my little sister used to scream bloody murder so I started doing it for her instead. She fully believes no mom is actually good at detangling hair, that it’s all an act.” You chuckled, “can you prover her wrong?”

“Uh..” Emily wavered, “my mother wasn’t exactly maternal. Spent more time working than parenting, and work kept her busy, it felt like we never stayed in one place long enough to find a good enough nanny.”

“Army brat?” You asked, smoothing serum over the ends of her hair.

“Ambassador.” She admitted with a small sigh.

“And you asked if I was the fancy pants.” You teased, she let out a mildly offended scoff but before she could reply you were talking again, “one braid or two?”

“Probably two?” –

“Two would hold a nicer wave.”

You both laughed softly before you took the end of the comb parting her hair down the middle, “looks like there’s finally something we can agree on.”

It was with ease that your fingers slid through her hair, keeping sections where they needed to be, tightening the braid when you knew it was about to be too loose but making sure not to pull hard enough to hurt her scalp. You wrapped an elastic around the end of the first one, smoothing it out, fixing a few pieces before moving on to the other side of her head.

“How many places was she stationed?” You asked softly as you began the second braid.

“A handful.” She replied, “spent a good chunk of my childhood in the Middle East.”

“Can you get by on English over there?”

“Not exactly.” She chuckled lightly, “my Arabic’s not as good as it used to be, but I guess I’m still considered fluent.”

“Trilingual? Impressive.”

“Add in Spanish, Italian and some Russian and I think it’s more than tri.”

“Jesus.” You laughed, “here I was thinking I was smart for knowing two languages.”

“I mean…. You did graduate med school.” She offered and you laughed.

“A compliment? Now that is something I never thought I’d hear.” You wrapped an elastic around the second braid, nudging at her shoulders as you sunk back into the couch. “You’re all done.”

With a small groan, Emily pushed herself up from the floor, trying to ignore the cracking of her knee as she did so before turning to you, gesturing to the items on the coffee table, “you want me to put those back?”

“Nah, I’ll do it later, I was gonna shower before bed.”

“Okay.” She fiddled with the tie on her robe, looking anywhere but you for a moment before she finally caught your gaze again, “thank you…”

“You’re welcome.”

You knew you could have replied with something about how that’s what you were there to do, how you were literally brought to France to help her out, but neither of you were biting the other’s head off right now and you didn’t want to risk it. Instead you simply shot her a small smile, shifting on the couch as you got comfortable.

“Can I ask you something?” You looked up at her, figuring you were on a good slate right now.

“Sure.”

“You’re up now, and.. I hear you around the apartment sometimes at night. Are you sleeping? Are the pills not working?”

“Uh.. they uh, weaned me off the pills.” It was only half a lie, “kept having bad nightmares. And I sleep better during the day,” she shrugged it off, “just.. couldn’t manage to fall back asleep today is all.”

“Okay.” You surveyed her for a minute before you picked your book back up, “I was thinking of ordering a pizza for dinner, you want in?”

“Am I allowed?” She asked with a near tease.

“Consider it a special occasion.”

____________

@mickey-gomez @momlifebehard @daddy-heather-dunbar @maybe-a-humanbean @rustyzebra @ilovemycrayons @mandy-asimp @leftoverenvy @kades95 @dextur @supercriminalbean @daffodil-heart @its-soph-xx xx @just-a-torn-up-masterpiece @hopelesslyfallenninlove @peanutbutterprincess @emilyprentisssluvr @lex13cm @zizzlekwum @emobabeyy @riveramorylunar @s1ut4nat @scorpsik @prentiss-theorem @strongsassysexysloane @happenstnces @sapphicprentiss @geekyandgay98 @pagetboobstarcomments @onmykneesformarvel @inlovewithemilyprentiss @desperate-gay @amypoehlfey @overtrred28 @theclassicgaycousin @regalmilfs4me @kalixxh @ara-a-bird @five-bi-five-mind @niyizh @inlovewithmiddleagewomen @tommyriddleobsessed @hotchs-bitch @ollysmulti @kmc1989 @irishavengersassemble @romanoffsho @ratsnestinmyhair @assgardangod @originalbrunettecharacter @elz-artzzz @hopedoesntknow @dj-bynum3718

[crispy-crust]

i've talked about this at lenGth in multiple places but seeinG this has stoked that fire once more so fuck it why not i feel like typinG out a rant actually not believinG in june full stop is fuckinG stupid and shows a huGe lack of understandinG of the story and character as well as a straiGht up disreGard for canon itself if you hc her transmasc the OFFICIAL writers for the OFFICIAL CONTINUATION have said MULTIPLE TIMES that june is canon and was always planned even before the toblerone

sayinG june is "only canon to the epiloGues and beyond canon" also shows that you either did not understand them or just straiGht up didn't read them. aGain, official word

and sayinG or arGuinG that june can/should only be canon in one timeline (meat/candy) is stupid and also kinda just straiGht up disGustinG??? that implies horrible thinGs about trans people actually? usinG roxy as an excuse for this plays into the "you did not understand the story" thinG because if you read candy all the way throuGh you would very much know that roxy is not "just transmasc in meat" a lot of people try to arGue that june and her deadname (i don't wanna say it sorry) can co-exist and that due to doomed timelines anythinG is possible but aGain that's Gross and implies that june isn't the REAL one she's just a possibility that can happen in an alternate timeline to please the trans women and then all the *normal* fans can still have their boy character. it's very apparent they see transfems as an uncomfortable other and they feel that no character or person they love could ever be that. many other arGuments i see are stuff like "she acts like a Guy throuGhout the whole story, people refer to her as a man" and i'm like.... yeah? have you ever met a trans person???? like ever? and then the headcanon-inG of her as transmasc... do you Genuinely believe that this character who is well known for repressinG emotions fiGured out her Gender identity and transitioned before the aGe of the 12? and you think everyone in 2009 just accepted that? seeinG june as transmasc is throwinG canon out of the window and that's a little disrespectful no? don't we think that we should actually take the story itself into consideration when cominG up with headcanons for characters? so much of fandom headcanon culture is just slappinG a label on someone without considerinG how that affects the story or enhances the readinG of the character and i could Go into how this makes transmasc dave also a bit silly cuz a biG part of dave's arc is overcominG his internalized homophobia so havinG him be transmasc kinda messes with that a lot actually. but anyway the point is june is canon. no one in this fandom can read. i'd like to think that when they eventually fully canonize her in bc that'll reduce the discourse but knowinG this fandom it'll just Get worse.

im gonna fly off the handle

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Huan x female airbender Part Three (last part)

Part one here

Part two here

Tagged: @feitansrisingsun​ @sirkekselord​ @sillytimetravelcomputer​ @linrailme​  I tagged people who asked for a part three :) 

----

You and Huan travel to the firelord’s palace for his appointment with firelord Izumi but another firelord decides to crash your appointment...following the meeting you and Huan get into an argument that ends the trip in a way you did not expect

You and Huan arrived in the firenation a week later and you grinned as Huan stared at everything like a tourist. Wanting to impress him you took the flashy route home to where your mother was waiting. It was the first time Huan had met her and you knew he was nervous given your dad’s attitude to him but he needn’t have been. Your mom had heard all your stories about Huan and greeted him with a large hug as if he was already family, sincerely congratulated him on his appointment with the firelord and enquired after his favourite meal so she could make it for him all within a minute of meeting him. Huan saw where you got your kindness from.

You were slightly worried your small fire nation home would seem quaint in comparison to Huan’s mansion but he seemed oddly entranced by it. You saw him examining everything curiosly, from the handprints on the wall from when you decided to paint the wall when you were 3 and your dad joined in to the bizarre overgrown flower maze your dad called a garden. As Huan was looking around the *kitchen* that was really more of a culinary laboratory for you mom to experiment with new recipes you worried compared to his efficient home this would all be odd to him. You watched his face for any sign of confusion or dislike but couldn’t read his expression. When Huan held up a cup you’d made out of clay when you were 8 you burst “so what do you think?��. “Honestly I think your clay modelling needs work” he joked and you smiled “no of my home...will it be okay for you? I know it’s not Zafou but...”. “Not Zafou? y/n your homes lovely!”. “But you don’t think it’s....” you hit your head on plans your father had hung from the ceiling and frowned “messy and disorganised?”. You knew Huan’s father kept all his research in his laboratory, not on the living room ceiling. Huan smirked and shook his head “no i like all this because it’s so you” he smiled “the warm colours! The personal touches crammed everywhere! The fancy artifacts used as vases” Huan smirked noticing the firenation vase your father had been given which your mom used to hold cooking utensils “it’s the exact embodiment of you I love it” Huan finished and you blushed. “Well that’s...not what I was expecting” you commented and Huan smiled “I can tell by how red you’ve gone, I like when I make you blush”. You blushed even deeper and Huan laughed making you roll your eyes. “Come on i’ll show you your room” you said attempting to distract him but Huan continued chuckling as he followed you upstairs.    

Given the fact the meeting was early tomorrow morning you ate and got an early night before setting out for the palace. You and Huan gave your names and were taken through so many coridoors you lost count before eventually being shown into a room with a desk and some sofas. "Wow this place is...". "I know, i thought you were rich" you smirked and Huan smiled but you could tell he was nervous. "Don’t worry it'll be fine, if Iroh recommended it i bet the firelord's all for it". "Have you ever met her before?" Huan asked and you shrugged "a few times at fire nation parties, my dad and her were friends as kids, then he mentored her son Iroh when he joined the army. Iroh was always around our home, he actually babysat me as a kid". Huan paused "the future firelord was your babysitter?". You paused before nodding "i guess, he was always just Iroh to us...his parents wanted him to live as much like a normal teenager as possible so he'd babysit me once a month, kind of hard to think of someone as a prince when they make you food and play doll houses with you". Huan smirked and you smiled "but i’ve met firelord Izumi quiet a few times, and firelord Zuko and Mai once or twice at really formal events". Huan nodded slightly reassured and you touched his arm "it'll be okay i promise". Huan wanted to point out how you had no way of knowing for sure but he didn’t, he just smiled and put a hand over your hand on his arm.

The door opened and you both tensed. You jumped up turned to the leader of the fire nation "Firelord izumi" you said bowing low and Huan followed your lead. "Thank you but there is no need for that" she called "you are my guests" she said showing you a warm smile. You smiled back and she stepped closer to you both "y/n it is so lovely to see you again, how are you parents?". "They are well thank you ma’m" you smiled. “Your father an airbender...I bet he’s making a unique mark on the air nation”. “He is” you laughed “my uncle Tenzin is not too pleased with him”. Izumi smiled fondly "That sounds just like your father” before she turned to Huan “and how are you Huan? We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting before but my son was very impressed with you, how is your mother?". "My mother?" Huan asked "you know her?". "Well i haven’t see Su since we were children but i am fond of her" she smiled "you know my parents and your grandparents were close friends don’t you". You and Huan nodded "of course". Izumi smiled "that is why when my son told me about you Huan I knew I had to meet you. I've been wanting to freshen up the place and who better than such close friends?". You and Huan were slightly speechless but Izumi smiled "so please sit and we will discuss what i have planned". You had just gotten into the plans and areas Izumi wanted art work for when the door opened. Deespite neither of you having been around him much you both recognised the former firelord on sight.  "Firelord Zuko" you and Huan gasped and you both rushed to stand and bow. "No no! You are my oldest friends children" he smiled "you do not bow to me". You and Huan blushed and smiled. "It is so nice to see you both here" he smiled coming to stand right in front of you. He searched your faces and smiled "y/n you look just like Aang but I see the hint of Sokka and Katara in you too and Huan....well you just eminate Toph energy" he grinned "it is so nice to see you both, it’s like having a mini Aang and Toph in the palace again..i am so pleased our bloodlines are still linked together". You and Huan smiled glancing at one another "it seems they always have a having of intertwining" you commented and Zuko laughed. "That they do! Now Izumi please continue" Zuko said taking a seat “pretend i’m not even here”. You and Huan smirked at the very idea and Izumi smiled fondly before turning back to your both “so the question isn’t if we want you but when can you start Huan?”.

---

You walked down the palace steps an hour later a buzz about what had just happened. Huan had been hired to comission the palace! The palace! Izumi had given him almost full artistic freedom and a mass amount of money and resources. She had set him no time limit, her only condition was she wanted to announce him as her royal artist and keep him in her books for future works. It was an amazing first job as an artist and more than many got in a lifetime. You were chatting away about how proud of Huan you were when he stopped walking and grabbed your hands. You looked at him confused as Huan grabbed you and kissed you. Huan never liked PDA or being overly affectionate but here he was kissing you infront of the whole fire nation. It wasn’t a quick kiss either, it was the longest kiss you’d ever had and Huan had initiated it. You finally seperated for breath and Huan looked at you "thank you" he smiled "for getting me here, for being my girlfriend, for coming into my life" he smiled stroking your cheek "i...you..". You smiled Huan’s energy running low and took his hand "i know". Huan smiled at you gratefully and pulled you into his chest hugging you. You wrapped your arms around him slotting into him and smiled. You looked up and noticed huan was bright red which was hard with his tanned skin but none the less adorable. "Come on" you smiled seperating from him and tugging his hand "my mom will want to hear the good news!".

Your mom was thrilled and said you should celebrate. You agreed and took Huan to one of the best resturants in the capital. You covered the bill, despite the fact Huan was filthy rich, and just enjoyed treating yourselves ordering everything and anything you wanted. You’d both dressed nicely and you were determined to make this a special occasion and it became one...but for reasons you weren’t expecting.

Huan loved when you dressed up but also couldn’t help but feel nervous or lesser beside you. He knew he was punching dating you but that was most apparent when you went places looking stunning and Huan wore all black or dark green floor length outfits. It was more noticable you were an odd match in moments like this and although you never seemed to notice Huan knew that couldn't be said for other people. Case in point, on your way home you were walking hand in hand back to your house and passed some men. Huan saw their eyes fall on you in that dress and sure enough their heads turned. They were so busy staring at you they didn’t even notice Huan’s glares for a few seconds. When they noticed him they did a double take at your joint hands, clearly thinking the two of you didn’t match. Huan glared at them his muscles tightening and you felt his arm contract. "Huan?" you asked glancing at where he was looking and saw he was staring at some men. "Huan?" You repeated "are you okay?". Huan nodded snapping his head back around "i’m fine". You frowned seeing Huan was angry but didn’t want to press it out in the open.

You got home and found your mom was out meaning you had the house to yourself. You and Huan settled in your room and you took off your jewellery and shoes while watching Huan worriedly. He hadn’t said a word since those men and was just sat staring into space as he expanded his metal bracelet and back again. You frowned and now in private decided to approach the topic. "Huan?" you asked laying a hand on his arm "are you okay?". Huan sighed but nodded "i’m fine". "Because you seem kinda...". "It’s nothing" he said but he’d raised his voice and you frowned "what did those men do?". Huan sighed "it’s not just them it’s everyone". You frowned "but those men must’ve done something to make...". "Yes they did but they’re not the only ones" Huan sighed "everyone does what those guys do when they see us together". You paused sensing this wouldn’t be good but still had to ask "and what’s that?". "They stare, mainly at you first and then they notice me there too and do a double take that you’re even with someone like me, i see them question it on their face, how is he with her?". You touched Huan’s arm again but he shook his head turning away from you "no i get it, i don’t need pity y/n i ask myself that too". “Huan but i...”. “Yeah you like me” Huan sighed “but that doesn’t change the fact you shouldn’t, we just don’t match! We’re complete opposites and it makes me wonder how long before you’ll find someone better and...”. “Huan!”. “No it’s okay honestly I’m just pleased we had this much time together”. "That’s enough" you snapped and Huan’s gaze shot back around confused to hear you raise your voice "what?". "I usually don't say anything because i know you’re just a realist but i won’t let you talk about yourself this way Huan!". Huan paused "but it’s true". "No you think it’s true because of what we’ve been taught but it’s not! Looks don’t count for shit Huan! Some people might think we look odd together but i don’t care, why would i care? I think you’re amazing, smart, funny, hot and care about me...why would i care what anyone else says or thinks? All i care about is what you think of us and I don't want you ever feeling like you have something to prove to me Huan, ever! In my eyes you’re amazing and i see you that way, i see how lucky i am to have you and when i look at you i just want to..." you trailed off and seeing the way Huan was looking at you just kissed him. Huan kissed you back but you could tell he was still hesitant. "You really don’t see how out of my league you are?". You shook your head not moving your face away from his "not at all, were equal you and i, i like you and you like me, what else matters?". "Nothing" Huan agreed and kissed you again. You smiled and kissed him again "you're incredible Huan, you need more confidence, if you could only see yourself how i see you" you sighed and Huan stared up at you "you're just perfection" and kissed him again. Usually you’d break away pretty early on but you didn’t want to this time and neither did Huan. Things progressed further than they ever had but Huan hesitated as you didn't show a sign of wanting to stop. "Y/n are you sure you want to...with me?' you paused but nodded blushing "yes but if you aren’t ready then that’s okay..." you started when Huan kissed you pushing you back down "no i just wanted to make sure you weren’t just doing this for...". You flipped Huan and pushed his shoulders down "i’m doing this because i want to, not because i want to make you feel better or because i feel bad, but because i find you incredibly attractive and i want this". Huan redenned but his eyes sparked “okay”.

***

"Do you believe me?" you asked Huan afterwards and he nodded "yes". You smiled against his chest as his arms tightenned around you. "Good" you smiled kissing his neck, the only part of him you could reach without having to move. "You’re brilliant Huan and i am completely infatuated with you". Huan nuzzled his head against yours and sighed happily “I am too”.

The next morning

You woke up with a jolt and Huan woke up too feeling you jump. "What’s wrong?" he asked and you smiled "nothing...i just wondered where we were". Huan smiled seeing how good you looked beside him and for once thought you fit. He kissed your forehead and smiled "we’re in heaven". You laughed and relaxed back against him "no but we did have an undistrubed night which is odd, my mother must’ve assumed you were in your room and luckily didn’t check". Haun nodded "lucky, very lucky". You grinned and pulled the covers over you two. "Are you cold?" Huan asked and you shook your head "no this way i can forget where we are, it’s just us". Huan smiled and nodded "that’s all i need".

When you finally couldn’t hide anymore you sauntered downstairs for breakfast while Huan went to shower. You mother was sat at the table and greeted you warmly. You ate together chatting happily before your mother smiled “ow i have news! Your father’s coming home tomorrow". You smiled pleased and went to ask when his ship was getting in when your mom continued. "So make sure Huan stays in the guest room tomorrow night". You almost chocked on your breakfast and swallowed with some effort "i’m sorry?". "I’m not stupid y/n" your mother said raising an eyebrow "i know Huan didn’t sleep in his own bed last night". You paled "we...we were...". "It’s okay, you’re both adults just be safe, i trust both of you". "You do?" you asked and your mother nodded "i’ve seen the way he is around you, he’s a sweet boy and i trust him with you, i like him for you". Huan walked into the room and saw the way you and your mother stopped as he entered. "What?" he asked startled and you smiled shaking your head "nothing" and just smiled up at him. You took a moment to just admire Huan in your kitchen, his long dark hair still damp moving as he talked. His goregous green eyes watching you as he pulled a signature frown at your behaviour. Huan was obviously very confused but ignored it and sat down next to you. You entwined your hands and Huan smiled "what’s gotten you so happy?". You sighed and shook your head "nothing in particular". Huan raised an eyebrow but smiled and held your hand tighter.

Epilogue

Huan stayed in the fire nation with you for many years to complete the palace renovation and afterwards decided to settle down in the fire nation permanently. He found the fire nation a perfect place for his modern art and was soon one of the biggests influences of your generation. You carried on your air bending, working as a representative of the air nation for the fire nation along side your father. You and Huan rented an excellently furnished and decorated apartment in the city and later when your duties reduced moved out to the colonies. Neither of you wanted children and instead invested in many cats and dogs, which you loved as dearly as children. Your home was constantly bustling with your and Huan’s family, your father was always popping, your cousins visiting whenever they got annoyed by one another and atleast one of Huan’s siblings was always around. You loved feeling like part of a big family but also love the quiet days where it was just you and Huan curled up infront of the fire. Huan never questioned your match again because he couldn’t. He knew something that felt this perfect had to be just that, perfect.

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So this is my last part of this Huan series! Thanks for all your support, I never intended to do a part two let alone a whole series so thanks for encouraging me! I hope you like it :)