#sokka has the big burn on his left side and then the cut/burn on his right side that goes up his back

[ssreeder]

Do you have (for fanart reasons) a guide to the scars/injuries Zuko and Sokka acquired throughout Leaving it All Behind, Risking it All, and Into the Fire?

Hiiii i know this is SUPER late for me to answer so idk if this is even still relevant but i actually do have a guide haha. It’s posted in the discord server under “fic resources” but if you’re not in there if you wanted to DM I can help you out.

Or you can just guess? Zuko has the one on his neck and face then scattered across his body (depending if you’re drawing him with clothing on) & Sokka has his left hand scar the ones all over his arms and back and then the small face scars like eyebrow and across the nose.

[umbrellalery]

Katara Does Agni-Kai

Katara Does Agni-Kai 

There should be a fic where Katara finds out that Zuko has been getting constantly Agni Kai challenges.

And she is... pissed.

Like, she is Southern-Raiders-pissed.

Because it means that these people are forcing Zuko to relive one of the most traumatic events of his life. 

And so she exploits a loophole.

Agni Kais can be fought by someone else on your behalf as long as that person publicly acknowledges that you are the superior bender. 

Which she does because Katara has little room for pride in the face of overwhelming rage and the need to bloodbend these assholes into pretzels.

There's an uproar about how she cannot participate because she's not a firebender.

Until she points out that the rules were never clear that it had to be a FIREbender. It just says bender. 

So they let her fight on Zuko's behalf. The Grand Arbiter is not pleased with the sullying of the Agni Kai court with the presence of this waterbender but he has no legal grounds to actually prevent her.

Zuko puts up a token attempt to try to get Katara to back down and let him fight and he gets a vicious scolding for not telling Team Avatar that he has been fielding thinly-veiled assassination attempts all on his own. 

Katara was not going to let her brother's crush get murdered in the guise of ritual combat over something as dumb as honor. 

Yes, she knows all about Sokka's crush. 

And judging by the way Zuko hangs on to her every word when she gives updates about Sokka, it is not doomed to eternal pining on her dumb brother's side. 

The Arbiter explicitly tell her that she will not be allowed any water in as Agni Kais are fought with only what Agni gives. 

She says no big deal. 

And Zuko is one hundred percent sure she is going to win. 

Because Katara has faced the best of the Fire Nation army for years and, time and time again, she won. 

She took on a Sozin Comet Azula and won. 

Something as insignificant as having no water isn’t going to stop her. 

The Agni Kai court for the duel is packed with nobles. They're tittering over their wineglasses about this water tribe bumpkin. But also they are curious because it's the first Agni Kai fought by a waterbender. 

The challenger, General Yuon who is loyal to Ozai, sneers at Katara. 

The Agni Kai starts and Yuon takes his time to gloat and crack his neck. 

Which is his mistake because Katara is vicious and RUTHLESS. She immediately waterbends all the wine out of the nobles' glass and hits him in the face and freezes his head to the wall. 

It takes a few seconds before people realize that the Agni Kai is actually over. General Yuon is out cold, hanging from the wall as his head is frozen to it and bleeding from a none-too-shallow cut on his face. 

The whispers of disbelief start and everyone is shocked. 

Except, of course, Zuko who always knew Katara was going to make a mess of the general. 

He had fought her before so many times. She had stood as a wall between him and Aang for so long. He had repeatedly underestimated her and he now knew that she was one of the biggest reasons why he failed to capture Aang. 

Time and time again, Katara foiled him with whatever liquid she had at hand: water, tea, fruit juice, spit, sweat and, one humiliating time, actual piss from the village latrine. 

His challenger saw a little waterbender girl. 

Zuko saw an extremely formidable waterbending master. 

There is a dispute, of course. 

The wine was not given by Agni. 

And Katara narrowed her eyes and said: "Are you saying Agni did not give these nobles wine?" 

Which, of course, shut the arbiter up. 

The victory is hers. 

It takes a couple of days but the next challenger is a councilor. 

He disagreed with Zuko's policy on school curriculum changes. 

Zuko wanted the truth about the Fire Nation to be taught so they wouldn't repeat their mistakes. The councilor wanted to continue propaganda. 

Agni Kai. 

Before he could even say anything, Katara had already accepted on his behalf and Zuko couldn't do anything but watch. 

This time, the arbiter is careful to ensure that no one was bringing any drinks inside. 

The Agni Kai starts and the councilor immediately fires great gushes of flames. 

And Katara immediately douses them with large tentacles of water she seemingly conjured from nowhere before once again blasting the extremely surprised councilor to the wall. 

She pins him again by freezing his head to the wall and immobilizes his wrists as well. 

The Agni Kai is over in seconds. 

The arbiter's mouth is left hanging open in disbelief as Councilor Gi is escorted from the arena holding his furiously bleeding cheek. 

There are puddles underneath the spectators' seats and Zuko remembers that these were the emergency barrels of water that non-bender spectators could use to douse fires if the the flames of the Agni Kai ever got too wild. 

He smiles and shakes his head at Katara who shrugs and links her arm around his as they walk out. 

"Next time is going to be the last time, Zuko." 

And it could have well been the last time. 

General Yuon and Councilor Gi both recovered with a small but noticeable scar on their face. 

Zuko realized that Katara was placing those deliberately. 

He asked Katara about it actually: "Katara, these are my subjects, you know. You don't have to be so hard on them." 

And she looked at him with that same steely-eyed glare she had when she forced that firebender down on his knees with bloodbending when they were looking for her mother's killer. 

"Zuko, if these people are going to force you to relive your trauma by challenging you to an Agni Kai, I'm going to make sure they regret it." 

People were, indeed, whispering about Yuon and Gi's scars. 

The next challenge takes longer but it still comes. 

Captain Kai challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai over water territory that Zuko was returning to the Water Tribes.  

Katara, of course, accepts again on his behalf. This time the arbiter makes sure there are no sources of water nearby. No drinks. No barrels. 

The Agni Kai starts and, this time, Kai is careful. 

He tests Katara by shooting flames at her, ready for any counterattack. 

Katara summons no water but skillfully dodges the flames. She has fought firebenders before and has found herself with no water. She has had to learn to evade them. 

Every now and then, she tries to rush him to get an actual physical strike in but is warded off by great columns of flame. 

The room gets hotter and hotter as Kai shapes his flames larger and more aggressive. 

He has finally realized that Katara actually has no water and has gotten bold. 

Finally, she catches a glancing fire blow on her shoulder and she cries out in pain, sinking to one knee.

Kai immediately rushes in to deliver a finishing blow only for Katara to assume a sleek waterbending stance and gather all of the sweat from the spectators sitting in the blisteringly hot court. 

She shapes it into a tightly controlled whip and slices his cheek twice in quick succession, one on each side before resting it as a water blade under his throat. 

"Yield," she says with a voice that promised no mercy. 

And Kai, shocked into standing still, could feel the cold blade under his throat. 

He could feel blood rapidly trickling out of his two wounds and realized, with horror, that they were joining the blade under his throat. 

He yields, knowing defeat. Katara recalls the water to herself and uses it to immediately heal her shoulder burn. 

Zuko comes down from his seat and stands in front of her. 

"Katara... wow. Just... wow." 

She looks at him. "He'll be the last, Zuko." 

And, indeed, he was. Everyone now knew that challenging Zuko would result in a humiliating defeat to a non-firebender no less. 

Katara didnt leave the Fire Nation for a couple more months to make sure that there were no more challenges. 

She spent the time buying a lot of gifts for Zuko that she thought would make him smile. 

She also tried a lot of Fire Nation food. 

Often, she would sit in council meetings and voice out informed opinion much to the dismay of the other councilors. 

Most of all, she made sure to give him updates about Sokka because she was a softie that way. When Sokka comes to replace her as ambassador to the water tribe nation, she gladly goes.

[sparkles-and-trash]

The Gaang are Roommates AU ~

note: this is a rewrite and repost of my old roommates au, there was some stuff I wanted to change, and I wanted to make the parts a little longer, so yeah, ta-dah! 

- think modern setting in the canon universe, bending is still a thing 

- the Gaang are all in going to Ba Sing Se University 

- I’m gonna change the ages a bit to make it easier for myself, sorry 

- Zuko, Sokka, Suki and Mai are 20, Katara, Ty Lee and Azula are 19, Aang, Toph and Yue are 18

- so, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Aang and Toph end up living together in a big loft type apartment 

- Sokka and Aang are old best friends, they met Toph in Middle School, and Katara is a natural part of the group 

- until now Sokka and Katara have both been living in the dorms, and they both hate it intensely 

- but now that Aang and Toph are also in uni, they all decide to move in together!

- …but the only problem is that the only place they find that they like is just out of their price rage (Toph’s parents aren’t supportive of her major so they’re not helping out much)

- enter: ~ Zuko ~

- so, Zuko has been living with his uncle Iroh since his Father, who’s a high up in some big and important company the Fire Nation, disowned him for speaking up against the company’s shifty treatment of workers and ruining a lot of sacred land etc 

- they’re still firebenders and the scar still happened, not in an Agni Kai, but it happened 

- but after Zuko started uni, Iroh really tried to push him to meet some people his own age and make some friends

- the only people Zuko talks to on the regular besides Iroh is Azula, Ty Lee and Mai, and Mai is the only one who is like, his friend yanno?

- the last year the deal was that if Zuko didn’t branch out, Iroh would have him live one year with other students

- it’s his idea of tough love 

- Zuko tried to do some random kid’s homework to have them pretend to be his new friend in front of Iroh so he wouldn’t have to, but Iroh can tell he’s lying so easily 

- so, Zuko ends up hearing about the Gaang through Mai, who heard from Ty Lee, who plays field hockey, Suki, who’s best friends with Sokka

- so, he goes to meet them, and it’s so awkward mY GOD

- Katara is a B I G environmental activist and HATES Ozai and his company, with good reason

- she eases up a tad when Zuko admits to being turned away from as a teen, but she is still suspicious

- Aang loves him right away, ofc, and that makes Katara even more suspicious because she’s pretty protective of Aang

- she claims it’s because he’s so kind and believes everyone but she totally liikeees hiiiim

- Toph is just like, sure, as long as he pays his rent idgaf

- Sokka is weirdly quiet, because he’s had a huge crush on Zuko forever, and the only one who knows is Aang (and Toph but she ain’t no snitch)

- so, ya boy makes the cut, and before they know it, it’s move-in day!

- but, the idiots didn’t think through the facts that it’s only three bedrooms oops

- and Toph is NOT afraid to pull the “I’m blind and I need my space” card

- and nobody’s up to fight her on it, so 

- let’s just say there is A LOT of back and forth, but with Katara refusing to room with her brother again, and Zuko being rightfully scared of Katara, it ends up with Zuko and Sokka sharing a bedroom, and Katara and Aang

- they have separate beds ofc

- but still, tension, man, so much tension

- it takes a while, but the dynamics starts working out really well

- Zuko is good at grocery shopping and likes to clean, and Aang is always happy to help him out

- Sokka loves cooking, so he does that a lot

- Katara is always on top of the others with schoolwork and making sure everyone is okay, and she usually does it in genius, sneaky ways so people doesn’t even notice that she does it

- Toph is clearing the air off bullshit

- like, she will call a bitch out

- but because she cares about said bitch

- so, Aang knows that Sokka has a crush on Zuko because Sokka told him in a weak moment, and Toph knows because she just knows

- Aang is a good friend tho, and he tries to like, ease them together

- but he is so awkward about it, the poor thing, and Zuko doesn’t understand AT ALL

- Toph is just sitting back and sighing a lot

- Katara doesn’t understand either but she just stays out of it (smart girl)

- but okay, we know how oblivious Zuko can be right?

- Sokka can give him googly eyes and blush and stutter around him so much and he still has no clue at all

- Zuko starts thinking Sokka just doesn’t like him at all

- but then one night Zuko has this really intense nightmare

- okay and quick addition, his scar is… handshaped? Like, you can clearly tell what happened to him

- but nobody talks about it, yet

- but then he’s having a terrible nightmare and is talking and begging and pleading in his sleep

- so much that Sokka wakes up

- and he catches on pretty fast, but had no idea what to do

- so he just shuffles over to Zuko’s side of the room and starts tapping his shoulder rapidly

- but nothing happens

- so he just… gently and awkwardly pats his head until Zuko wakes up

- and Zuko is like… wat u doin there bro

- and Sokka is like… just patting ur head to wake you from a nightmare bro

- and they awkwardly just mumble and go back to their beds

- but Zuko is smiling a lot because someone who’s not his family or a family friend really cares about him

- after that, Zuko slowly starts opening up to all of them, but Sokka especially 

- he never really tells them about being cast out and burned tho

- until one day he kinda casually slings it into a convo all fast and awkwardly

- it’s just Toph, Aang and Sokka there

- Toph yells so WHAATTT so loudly and just metalbends the whole fridge into a clump in rage

- Aang cries lmao but he tries to hide to and be supportive and not awkward

- Sokka is kinda quiet, but he carefully asks about it that night when they’re in their beds, and they talk a little about it

- Aang tells Katara (with permission) and she awkwardly, but wholeheartedly tells him that he can always talk to her

- they do that «awkward sibling hug» from Gravity Falls after

- *hugs stiffly* «pat, pat»

- but okay, Toph and metalbending when angry, it happens quite a lot 

- this was the first time it was the fridge, but the toaster, the microwave, and several other appliances have met the same fate

- everyone is kinda used to it now, and she always replaces it

- except Zuko, who’s still kinda new to them all

- but what are you supposed to say when your new friends is so outraged by the abuse you went through that they crush a whole ass fridge?

- it actually reminds him that he’s cared for here, by these people who owe him nothing, and is not related to him, and it makes him a little dizzy to have people care this way

- he casually mentions it to his Uncle Iroh the time he’s in at work, that his new friend is a metalbender and squashed their whole fridge when she was pissed on his behalf

- Iroh is thrilled

- to the point of offering Toph a job lmao

- Toph, desperate to cut of as much ties with her family and be as self-sufficient as possible, agrees

- and now Iroh have two formerly rich kids with no clue about any sort of customer service and basic stuff like that working for him

- Toph is a hard worker tho, and she and Zuko work surprisingly well together

- Katara is a little relived, because the more those two work, the less are the chances of either of them trying to cook or do too many chores around their apartment

- they mean well, or, Zuko does, but he does so much dumb shit when trying to help lmao

- Sokka starts spending a lot of time over at The Jasmine Drago too

- Aang is still trying to keep the fact that Sokka likes Zuko a secret, but he is having trouble

- Katara is his biggest weakness, and now they’re suddenly alone with her a lot

- someone else who could always read Sokka really well is Suki

. whom he used date in high school, but they parted as friends and everything s cool

- but Sokka is a little taken aback when she comes into The Jasmine Dragon one day, hand in hand with Sokka’s childhood crush obsession, Yue

- for the first time in man’s memory, Sokka is a little speechless

- and Suki’s like “lmao dude I haven’t seen you like this since the first time you saw Zu-”

- cue Zuko popping out behind them like “WELCOME TO THE JASMINE DRAGON FRIENDS OF SOKKA :D”

- Sokka is so fucking red, poor boy is just about having an aneurism at this point

- but luckily something happens and Zuko gets distracted

- Suki is having the time of her life tho, Sokka always used to tease her for her crushes before and after they dated, and suddenly, here they are

- at the apartment, Aang decides they need some apartment traditions

- they’ve been living there for almost three months, after all

- so he decides that weekly movie nights are mandatory

- so are pillowforts

- Katara is actually really excited for it, she loves all things cozy and fall-like

- also… she is weak for Aang, y’all, and she loves seeing him all excited

- Zuko barely knows what a pillowfort is, he didn’t think real people actually made it

- but imagine these dorks in a pillowfort with hot chocolate and lot’s of pillows

- Toph claims that she thinks it’s soo dumb, but she will always make sit in the middle of the group all wrapped in her blanket and laughing when the others jump and get spooked from the horror movies Sokka always wants to watch

- and she will make sure the fort is right and perfect lmao

- Zuko is a little awkward about it at first, but he likes it too

- Sokka always manages to plop in next to Zuko lmao

- they haven’t talked about the head patting incident yet, but Zuko is def starting to feel the butterflies

- one time after a movie night Sokka falls asleep on Zuko’s shoulder, after the others have left for the night

- Zuko can’t resist waking him up with awkward head pats similar to the one Sokka used on him

- Sokka thinks he died and went to heaven lmao

- but then he fully wakes and sees Zuko’s shit eating grin and can’t help but laugh at the whole thing

- and Zuko has his “oh no he’s hot beautiful and I really adore him” moment

[limit-list]

CONCEPT!! okay okay look but i wanna see a modern day zukka fic where zuko is a tattoo artist!! his uncle is a renowned tattoo artist, owns a parlor called the Jasmine Dragon, and zuko works for him there. his designs are absolutely killer, he studies a bunch of different styles (that i do not know the names of because i know nothing of tattoos and i’m too excited to do research), like the cool samoan ones and cartoon styles and he’s really good at photo realism, but his favorite is to just treat tattooing as any other art form and use his personal style.

zuko’s a growing name in the industry, and his uncle’s competitor shop is the Flying Bison (cause why not). the Flying Bison is just a couple streets over, and in it you can find aang (tattoo artist), katara (piercing person), suki (works the desk and manages everything for the owner, kyoshi), sokka (hangs out to bother katara when he isn’t in class at the law school), and toph (likes to hang out and make recommendations until people realize she’s blind and get really awkward. she works at the flower shop next door because we like tropes and flowers and tattoos just go together, okay??)

one day, suki is complaining about losing another customer to the Jasmine Dragon and katara is agreeing, and sokka is like “ehh they can’t be that great, the owner is some old guy!! i bet if i went and got a tattoo i could cause a big ol stink about it being awful and lose them some customers” and katara is like great idea you go do that and when it sucks aang can fix it!

sokka, who was joking in the first place, somehow ends up walking into the Jasmine Dragon and stopping just inside the door cause w o w that boy is hot. what the fuck why is he hiding in here when he should be a walking poster boy, those tattoos are nice.

(zuko has the burn on his face, long shaggy hair that he ties up in a bun when he’s working, a tattooed dragon that curls around his neck, a sleeve on his left arm that’s got some flames, some symbols, another dragon curled around his wrist, and on his right forearm he’s got a white lotus pai sho tile with writing around it)

(not relevant at the moment, but sokka has the moon between his shoulder blades, a boomerang on the side of his left wrist, the pattern from his mom’s betrothal necklace on his left shoulder, katara’s handwriting that says “hey loser” going up his right side, aang’s air symbol on his right shoulder, and appa on his lower back)

zuko catches sokka staring and blushes, obviously checking him out, before asking him if he needs any help. sokka’s like “yeah actually i’m here kinda as a representative of the Flying Bison, ya know, your rival. i’ve come to get a tattoo so that we can know that we’re better than you, but now that i’m here i’m kinda seeing that nothing could ever be better than you, oh fuck i just said that out loud”

...needless to say they’re both blushing now. that is, until zuko’s like “wait? you what?? what kind of guy wants to get a tattoo just to prove that you’re better than someone else???”

sokka’s like “uhhh actually i was joking when i suggested it but then my sister said i should do it and i can’t legally deny her anything so... here i am” and then they just kinda stand there in awkward silence. for a long while. somewhere between a minute and a century.

then zuko just kinda clears his throat and is like “so um where do you want it? what do you want?”

and sokka is like “???? i JUST told you i’m here to make you make me look bad and you’re just fine with it?”

and zuko just quirks his eyebrow and smirks and scoffs a bit and is like “i couldn’t make you look bad if i wanted to. and i wouldn’t let you make me look bad.”

which, the first part is CLEARLY flirting except the second part is so condescending and sokka has never been more attracted to someone since yue tattooed the moon on his back. sokka has never been known for his exceptional decision making skills. which might be why he decides to say “so about that tattoo. does me being attracted to you create a conflict of interest?”

and zuko blushes but the smirk turns into a grin and he goes “not unless you have an issue with me being interested in you too.” and sokka cannot believe he is LIVING THIS LIFE!!!!

they hammer out the details, set up an appointment for the next day. sokka goes home and refuses to tell katara anything except he’ll be getting a new tattoo tomorrow. zuko goes home and rants to his uncle about the boy from the Flying Bison that he definitely flirted the crap out of, is that a conflict and can i please tattoo this boy even tho he’s from our competitor shop? (iroh says yes of course, though he plans to send ty lee to check out the Flying Bison in retribution)

(unseen future: ty lee and suki start dating. iroh finds this hilarious)

sokka comes in the next day for his tattoo, asks zuko to do something like his dragons cause he thinks those look cool, but gives him free reign to do whatever else he wants. it takes forever, but when they’re done sokka has officially developed an actual crush on zuko beyond just his appearance. they’ve talked about their moms, hakoda and iroh, katara and the rest of the gaang, zuko’s development as a tattoo artist, and they’ve developed a comfortable silence as music plays lowly in the backround.

when sokka looks at the tattoo for the first time, he’s absolutely speechless. zuko’s added in koi fish around the moon, in a yin yang pattern, and between the moon and appa, he’s put the sun with a dragon curled around it, head resting on its tail at the bottom.

zuko’s watching him anxiously, terrified that he’ll hate it even though he’s tried to match the style that the moon was done in as much as possible. already he’s sputtering stuff like “it’s kind of too late if you don’t like it, you did tell me i could do whatever, did i overstep with the koi fish, oh my gosh here i’ll go get your money back—“ and sokka cuts him off by turning to look at him with affection just evident on his face and wtf who gave him permission to be that cute—

and then sokka is asking “hey, can i like kiss you or is that too much for the health guidelines?” and sokka’s honestly surprised that he could even ask that much, he loves these tattoos and if he doesn’t get to kiss this amazing boy soon—

and zuko is in shock apparently, but he snaps out of it with “okay let me get you wrapped up, oh god that sounds so bad, let me treat your tattoo and ring everything up and say all the precautionary health stuff that you already know so i can take my break and then we’ll see” and that’s what they do!!!

when zuko’s break is up, iroh exits into the back alley to find sokka has pushed zuko up against the wall and they’re making out, didn’t even notice iroh coming outside. of course, iroh is an embarrassing uncle and goes “ah zuko, i assume this is the competition?”

to which zuko draws back and thumps his head into sokka’s shoulder, not letting sokka back up more than an inch. “uncle go away i’m busy” “ah yes, i can see that. is this a new method of exchanging trade secrets?” “uncle.”

sokkas chuckling breathlessly as iroh hums and goes back inside. “trade secrets huh?”

(katara is infuriated that sokka loves his new tattoo, especially since it clearly shows that zuko’s an amazing tattoo artist. aang wants to meet him and learn from him like NOW, suki wants to recruit him, and toph thinks they’re dating. she isn’t wrong, but sokka bribes her to shut up so katara doesn’t find out)

[firelxdykatara]

Touching Zuko’s Scar

It’s entirely possible that someone has written meta on this before, and possibly done it better/more eloquently than I’m about to. However, I have Things To Say and I’m going to say them, and hopefully my point comes across! This post is largely spurred on by a few posts I’ve seen in the tags lately which have... rather baffling takes on the whole ‘who touches Zuko’s scar and why’ situation, particularly in regards to feeling the need, for some reason, to diminish the scene in which Katara touches his scar and the importance of that moment for both of them.

From what I can tell, this was done in an attempt to prop up Maiko, which I suppose makes some amount of sense since that is a ship which can barely stand on its own without tremendous amounts of headcanoning to fill in the gaping holes left by the fact that the entirety of their relationship development happened off-screen (and the glimpse we do get into it in the ‘going home’ midquel comic leaves a lot to be desired in terms of why Zuko would even want to be with her, but that’s another discussion entirely). But it still doesn’t quite fit, because the scenes with Katara and with Song are so much more meaningful, both in terms of Zuko’s arc and the way the girls relate to him (and it also ties into Katara feeling so hurt by Zuko’s betrayal, and needing more than any of the others before she can forgive and accept him into the gaang).

Now, that out of the way, I do want to say up front that the intention here is not to be particularly anti Maiko, but to examine the situations in which Zuko’s scar is touched (or almost touched), and the similarities two of these scenes have which are not shared by the third (at which point, you’re obviously free to draw your own conclusions).

Also, please bear with me--I can’t take screenshots or anything, so I’ll reference scenes and the episodes they come from but there won’t be images.

Under a cut bc this got long

To start off, there are three moments in the entire series where a character touches, or tries to touch, Zuko’s scar with her hand. (I say ‘her’ because all three instances occur with girls near Zuko’s own age.) The first moment is in The Cave of Two Lovers, the second episode of book two--this is the moment where Song sees Zuko’s scar, recognizes it for the intentional burn from a firebender that it is, and reaches for it.

Song: Can I join you? I know what you’ve been through. We’ve all been through it. [looks at Zuko’s scar] The Fire Nation has hurt you. [she slowly reaches for his scar, but before she can touch it, Zuko grabs her wrist and stops her; she puts her hand back in her lap] It’s ok. They’ve hurt me too. [pulls up the leg of her pants to reveal the burn scars there]

The second moment comes at the end of book 2, in The Crossroads of Destiny, in a moment that is a deliberate parallel of Zuko’s connection with Song--but this time, he lets Katara touch him.

Katara: [she holds up a vial] This is water from the spirit oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I’ve been saving it for something important. [moves closer to Zuko, standing in front of him] I don’t know if it would work, but... [Zuko closes his eyes, and Katara’s fingers touch his scar; the scene holds there as the music swells, before they’re interrupted]

Like Song did, Katara felt a connection to Zuko via a similar trauma he suffered. However, unlike Song, Katara knew who Zuko was--the banished prince of the Fire Nation, and someone who had been her enemy for most of the past several months. However, she still feels compassion and empathy for him, and it is for this reason that she takes his subsequent choice harder than anyone else in the gaang does (and why it takes more for him to earn her forgiveness).

Now, the third moment is... rather incongruous. There is neither compassion nor understanding involved in touching his scar, there is no real emotional connection, and it comes right on the heels of his girlfriend--someone we’re supposed to believe cares about him and his emotional wellbeing, since they’re in a relationship (which happened off-screen, but I digress)--shutting down his attempt to talk about his feelings, something that will present a conflict in their relationship later on.

Mai: [yawns] I just asked if you were cold, I didn’t ask for your whole life story. [she moves forward, smirking, and then chuckles, putting one arm around his neck and pulling his face towards her with her other hand] Stop worrying. [they kiss, and then Mai walks away, leaving Zuko to stare out at the horizon again; the wiki transcript says he looks relieved, but to me he looks resigned more than anything]

What’s interesting about this moment is, for one thing, it’s unclear if Mai is even supposed to be touching his scar at all. Giancarlo Volpe, the director for this episode, put the original storyboards for the scene up on his DeviantArt, and in them, it seems he was fairly careful to make sure Mai was not touching Zuko’s scar. This would make sense, considering that touching Zuko’s scar was presented as a very big deal--he specifically prevented a girl from touching his scar in the beginning of book 2, and at the end, he allowed another girl to touch him, showcasing vulnerability and trust in that moment. It is the culmination of one small part of his character arc, and that makes the moment that Katara touches his scar even more meaningful.

Of course, I can’t say definitively that it was an animation mistake or something that was deliberately changed during production (which, considering there is a moment later in the book where Bryke mandated a change, isn’t outside the realm of possibility), but it does present interesting implications.

However, even if you take the scene at face value and assume that Mai was intended to be touching his scar....it’s still presented in an entirely different framework than the previous two scenes, despite occurring almost immediately after Zuko’s moment with Katara in the caves (at least as far as episode count).

The different framework being, of course, the fact that it.... doesn’t mean anything at all.

In the first two scenes, Zuko’s scar and his pain--as well as the pain of the girls who are forging an empathic connection with him based on understanding each other’s trauma--is the focus. Touching, or attempting to touch, Zuko’s scar is the point--it is very deliberate, and there’s no way to argue against it because the writing is very explicit, and nothing else would make sense for those scenes. On the other hand, you could take out the moment where Mai touches Zuko’s scar and lose absolutely nothing--because the focus is not on Zuko, but rather on the fact that he was attempting to open up emotionally to his girlfriend (and note that this is the first indication we get in the show that they are together--take out the kiss completely and no one would even know they’re dating, let alone supposedly like one another even as friends), and was shut down with a sarcastic quip, ostensibly because Mai simply didn’t want to hear it. (This is in keeping with her later characterization, where she would much rather distract him and keep him from actually talking about any of his problems, but @araeph goes into the nature of Mai and Zuko’s emotional intimacy [or lack thereof] in much greater detail in this essay, so I won’t get too deep into it here.)

Mai touching Zuko’s scar doesn’t mean anything to the audience because it doesn’t mean anything to Zuko. He doesn’t react to or acknowledge it in any way, it’s as if he doesn’t even notice it happening (perhaps because it wasn’t supposed to? but again that’s speculation), and nothing in the scene would change if it didn’t. It simply doesn’t matter. On the other hand, Song nearly touching Zuko’s scar and then Katara actually touching his scar? They matter to him--and to the show, and therefore the audience--very much. Both moments are incredibly important to Zuko’s overall arc, because together, they show how far he had come in his own emotional journey over the course of the book.

Of course, it isn’t enough to keep him from choosing to side with Azula, because his journey was far from complete--but the fact that he was able to show such trust and vulnerability to a girl who had been his enemy not very long ago? That was huge. Because Zuko didn’t just let Katara touch his scar--he closed his eyes. She could have hurt him in that moment, but he trusted that she wouldn’t. He trusted that she was willing to use special water she’d been saving for something important--and he trusted that, in that moment, he was important to her.

It wasn’t just Zuko showing trust either, though--Katara showed trust in him. She trusted, after a few minutes of conversation and learning about the loss of his mother (and, specifically, the fact that the Fire Nation was responsible for the loss of his mother, just as it was responsible for the loss of hers), that he had changed--that he was different, and she could trust him. She was willing to use the spirit water she’d been carrying around for months on someone who had recently been so much an enemy that she fled from the tea shop, convinced that he’d somehow infiltrated the city and was planning something.

The fact that she trusted him in that moment is exactly why she took his next choice so hard, but it is also why their relationship cemented itself so solidly after The Southern Raiders, giving them quite possibly the strongest relationship in the gaang outside of Katara and Sokka.

Anyway, that was a lot of words for what essentially amounts to this: Song attempting to touch Zuko’s scar in the beginning of book 2 is explicitly paralleled by Katara being allowed to touch his scar at the end of it, and both moments occur during scenes where Zuko’s pain and trauma are acknowledged and validated, and where the person he’s speaking with feels a connection to him because of that shared trauma--because they understand what he has been through. It’s likewise important to note that while Song didn’t actually entirely understand, because she didn’t know who Zuko was or what being traumatized by the Fire Nation actually meant to him, Katara did--and she still was able to feel for him, connect to him, and want to help him.

By contrast, the moment with Mai occurs in a scene where Zuko’s pain and trauma are invalidated and dismissed, where his girlfriend attempts to distract him rather than help him through what is clearly a moment of great emotional turmoil. No, she shouldn’t have to be his therapist, but emotional support is vital in any relationship--especially when one party is traumatized and desperately needs support and love--and it is notably lacking from Maiko, starting from their very first romantic scene together.

Make of that what you will.

[lillian-lang]

Zutarians, I need some help...

Happy Zutara week, y’all! I’m Lil.

I’ve been working on my fic for...awhile now, and I’m at the point where everything’s kind of turned into word salad. I’d like to finish this thing, soon, but I need editors - badly. So, if you’re one of those folks who can write. (And particularly if you can write Katara or Zuko’s voice really well.) Please, please take a look. Friendly feedback is welcome!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653406/chapters/62276836

And here’s an excerpt from a Zutara moment below the cut:

Katara looks out from high up in the north wing of the palace—reserved especially for the royal family and their guests. She can see across acres of bleak concrete pavement leading up to the palace gates and, behind them, the jagged volcano walls of the capital city rising in the distance. It isn’t a particularly comforting sight.

Fifty-six bacui berry, fifty-seven bacui berry, …she counts to herself. Until, finally, she reaches one hundred bacui berry, and turns away from the gray window, back towards Azula’s wide canopy bed. The princess’s mouth hangs open and a trickle of drool spills out, but otherwise, she looks better than she had an hour ago. Katara removes the last acupuncture needle from her wrist and places it onto a gauze pad, which she rolls up and hands to Zuko.

“These need to be sterilized in a white-hot flame for twenty minutes before they can be used again,” she instructs.

Zuko puts a hand up to the bundle. A flame appears at the center of his palm. “Do you want me to just—?”

“Sorry Zuko, but you’re not hot enough,” she says, without thinking.

The corners of his mouth flicker upward into the kind of smirk she hasn’t seen since his ponytail days.  Spirits, he’s infuriating, she thinks—grateful that her skin is dark enough to hide a blush. She removes the rest of her supplies from Azula’s bedside and takes a seat by the window, trying to ignore the burning sensation of Zuko’s eyes lingering on the back of her neck. She forces herself to concentrate on the little vials and instruments in her hand, but it’s no good. Everything is in the wrong place. She’ll have to take it all out again and repack it later.

“Katara,” he says, coming up beside her at the window. “Did you ever read Love Amongst the Dragons?”

Katara shoots him a wry smile. “No,” she says. “Funnily enough, we didn’t have a lot of fire nation epics in our village library.”

“Azula made fun of me, but I always liked it.” He smiles a little to himself, then points, drawing Katara’s attention to a spot on the grim horizon. “Do you see that mountain, there? The one that curves?”

Katara shivers, drawing a little closer to Zuko. “The one that looks like a claw?” she asks.

He nods. “I know, it’s scary, isn’t it? If you believe the old story, it’s the claw of the great dragon, himself. It’s where the name of the district comes from — Kaa Garr. Great Dragon. And, right there where the mountain turns in on itself…” he moves his finger up the pane a little so Katara can see a black spot in the distance, “is the prison where I’m keeping my father.”

Katara lets out a little involuntary gasp and presses her fingers to her mouth. Zuko looks down at her, a wry glint in his eye. “If you thought my sister’s arrangements were bad,” he says, “you should see his.”

“I’m sorry,” is all she can think to say.

“Don’t be,” he shrugs. “You know my father isn’t exactly a nice guy. I didn’t get this scar on my face from a training accident, you know?”

“I know,” Katara says, reaching up to touch the edges of his burned skin with the practiced hands of a healer.

In truth, they had never really talked about how he’d gotten his scar, but Katara had heard rumors going all the way back to her time in the Fire Nation with Toph, Sokka, and Aang. Zuko allows her fingers to wander over his scar for a moment, tracing the lines and folds on the puckered skin. He gets lost for a minute in the phantom sensation—wondering if he’s only imagining the gentle pressure. It’s so tender and intimate that his breath catches in his chest for fear that a sharp exhale might disturb the delicate balance between them. But then Azula flops over in bed, bringing Zuko back to himself. He clears his throat, and Katara’s hand drops to her side.

“It just makes me wonder if I should be trying to help my father…you know…the way you’re helping Azula.”

Katara tries not to let her emotions show on her face. She does not believe for one second that Ozai is entitled to the same treatment as his daughter, but she also believes that, ultimately, the decision is Zuko’s to make.

“Do you think your father deserves a second chance?” She asks, trying to keep her voice even.

“No!” he shouts, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. “That’s the problem, I don’t think he deserves it! But I can’t figure out why. I mean, he not that different from my sister, is he? But, every day, I felt guilty about Azula, and every day I’m grateful that my father is still locked up!”

Katara watches as Zuko paces back and forth across the antique carpet, winding himself up. “Then you came, and I feel better about Azula—I really do, Katara—but now I’m suddenly guilty about my father. I’m the fire lord, shouldn’t I at least be fair?”

“Zuko,” Katara says, holding out an arm to stop his pacing, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but when was the last time you had a bath? Or slept in a real bed?”

He blinks down at her, “Uh, it might have been a few days. Why?”

“I think,” she says, using her most soothing voice, “that all these big questions can wait for a day or two while you rest.”

He looks skeptical, but Katara insists: “Look at you, Zuko, you’re exhausted. I’m not saying that it won’t be difficult, but I promise it will all seem better in the m-morning.” As she says it, she stifles a yawn, and Katara suddenly realizes that she, too, is exhausted.

Noticing this, Zuko takes the medicine bag from her hand and, after checking all of Azula’s locks, leads her down the hall to her room. It’s hard to tell with Zuko, but he seems excited about something. The corners of his mouth keep twitching up, like he’s trying to hide a smile. The whole of the third-floor hallway smells like fresh paint, even though the hallways look the same as they’ve always been. It makes Katara’s head swim. When they arrive at what she assumes will be her bedroom here in the Fire Nation, Zuko throws open the door for her, and Katara gasps.

The room is in the style of the Fire Nation—a wooden chest for clothes, a low-slung writing table, and an imposing four poster bed, but the details are all Water Tribe. The walls are covered with bright blue paper depicting life in the poles. The furniture handles are all solid, gleaming mother of pearl. The bed is strewn with gigantic, fluffy pelts that could only have come from the south pole.

“What do you think?” Zuko asks, studying her face. “Is it too much? I had rooms made up for the Earth Kingdom and the Air Nation, too. I don’t want you to think I’m abusing your culture, but I do want my guests to feel welcome here. I know the Fire Nation royal palace isn’t anybody’s favorite place.” He winces, thinking about the terrible stain of his father’s legacy.

Katara considers Zuko kindly. He’s hovering just outside the room—neither in nor out. She realizes that she’s never felt more warmly towards the young fire lord.

“You’re a lot like your uncle, you know that?” she says, after a minute.

Katara watches as his guarded features break into a genuine smile. “Thanks,” he says, running his fingers along the edge of the doorframe. “You know I was hoping you or your brother would be the first ones to use this room.”

“You’re lucky it’s me! Sokka would be jumping on the bed, already.”

Zuko laughs, and Katara grins with pride. It’s not easy making Zuko laugh.

“I didn’t even ask!” He says, eagerly. “How is Sokka? And Aang?”

Now it’s Katara’s turn to look guarded. “Sokka’s fine,” she says, trying to keep her voice neutral. “He’s angry because he can’t go to Ba Sing Se without Appa…” Then, anticipating Zuko’s next question, Katara explains everything in a rush: “Aang left for Omashu. He got a letter from Bumi saying that the city was unstable, and he left me and Sokka behind.”

Zuko’s reaction is not what Katara expects. His eyebrow furrows, and he lets out a troubled groan, so sharp and low that Katara can almost feel the reverberations in his chest. “Katara…Bumi is dead. He died about a week ago. Didn’t Aang tell you?”

“Oh,” is all Katara can manage. She plops herself down at the end of the bed and looks up at Zuko, dazed. “No, Aang hasn’t written to me since he left for Omashu.” The admission earns her a sharp sideways glance, but she doesn’t notice. She’s too wrapped up in thoughts of the Earth King.

“What happened?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” he admits, lowering himself down beside her on the bed. “The Fire Nation has…informants…in Omashu, but I haven’t heard from them in a few days.” The way he hesitates before the word ‘informants’ makes Katara wonder if he is uncomfortable having spies in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko had always preferred fair-play and transparency, even at his own expense.

“But you have suspicions,” she presses him.

He nods. “To tell you the truth, I’m glad Sokka’s not in Ba Sing Se right now.”

“Why not?” Katara gasps, “It’s not unstable, too, is it?”

“No,” he says, resting his head against the bedpost and letting his eyelids droop. “At least none of my advisors seem to think it is. I’m the one who has an issue. And it’s only a feeling, Katara…”

“Because of Kai Kozu?” she asks.

Zuko’s snaps to attention so quickly that he sprains his neck. “Where did you hear that name?” he growls.

“Bumi wrote about him in his letter to Aang,” Katara explains.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Zuko says, rubbing the sprain. “Kai Kozu used to keep a pretty low profile. Barely anyone outside the Earth Kingdom had ever heard of him… But lately he’s been moving more and more into the public eye. I don’t like it. He’s already got power in Kyoshi and Chin. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had plans for Omashu and Ba Sing Se, too.”

“Oh no! Zuko!” Katara’s hand flies to the reassuring carvings on her mother’s necklace, and she traces them apprehensively. “What about Toph and Suki? What about your uncle? Isn’t he still in the city?”

“I did write to them,” Zuko shrugs. “I asked them to stay here in the palace, but Toph and Suki are out in the country somewhere. I can’t reach them.”

“And your uncle?”

“Uncle doesn’t want to leave his tea shop. And besides…” Zuko blushes brick red, “I think he might have a lady friend in the city. He’s acting like a love-sick teenager.”

Katara watches as Zuko drags his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends. “You’re really worried about this, aren’t you?” she asks.

“I am,” he admits.

Katara leans back into the mountain of fluffy pillows and soft white furs, and closes her eyes—too tired to care that Zuko is still watching her. She says a silent prayer for Toph, Suki, and Iroh in Ba Sing Se, and thanks every spirit she can name for her father’s stubbornness. At least she knows Sokka is safe in the Southern Water Tribe—far, far away from the Earth Kingdom capital…

As she drifts off into sleep, she reaches out to feel Zuko’s warm body beside her—his chest rising and falling evenly. She draws a little closer, and he opens his arms wide to make room for her. She pillows her head in the crook of his arm and breathes in a scent like something out of a dream. In fact, she thinks it must have been a dream, because when she wakes up in the night he is gone, and the spot where she imagined he had lain is awash with moonlight.

[zenithpng]

TRUST FALL “Do you trust me?” | taken hostage | pushed

[It’s not that Sokka’s shy about his tics. Unless someone needs silence or there’s an inappropriate word thrown in, he sees no reason to stifle himself. He can’t control them after all, and it’s not like he’s doing anything wrong.

But this was supposed to be a good day, undisturbed by anything that came out of his mouth or happened with his body.

Luckily, Zuko is there to help bear the load, and, strangely enough, so is Azula.]

Read more under the cut, AO3 link ->HERE<-

Sokka loves shopping. No doubt about it. There’s just something about the bustle, the running back and forth, the decisions and the excitement of getting something new that never fails to put a smile on his face. So when Zuko grumbles that he needs to go shopping for some spring and summer clothes, Sokka immediately offers to go with him, having been needing to do the same thing anyway.

They set a date and a time, plan which stores they’re going to so Zuko knows what to anticipate, even coordinate their outfits, for Tui and La’s sake. (Okay, the last one is all Sokka’s idea, but there’s nothing wrong with being well-dressed with your friend and Zuko humours him gladly.)

But there’s something. There’s always something.

This something comes under the name of midterms.

The end of March is always horrendous, and really, Sokka should have known better than to plan something smack in between all the stress. But it’s fine , it’s really fine. He can take a day off from the calculus study guides (spirits, why did he have to take that in the tenth grade) and the engineering workshops because this is Zuko he’s meeting up with!

He likes Zuko, loves Zuko. If anything, this is the absolute best way to relieve his stress.

And so he’s outside the mall at one in the afternoon, foot tapping as he waits for Zuko. Soon he sees the familiar figure strolling up, giving a little wave and a shy smile.

And it’s normal to just not want to tear your eyes away from your friend that just happens to be very pretty, right?

Because Zuko is, in fact, very pretty. Straight black jeans, a red button up with - hang on, are those dragons? - left half-open over a white binder that looks like a regular tank top to anyone who doesn’t know, hair up in a ponytail with loose strands falling out and framing his face.

And Sokka could keep going. Could talk about the belt chain with sun and moon charms, could talk about the matte black on Zuko’s fingernails, could talk about the theatre mask necklace he’s wearing. Because there’s just so much and Zuko- Zuko looks so nice.

God, Sokka must be grinning like a fool by the time Zuko’s finally within arms reach, and he immediately pulls the taller boy into a hug. Zuko lets out a breathy laugh, returning the embrace.

“Someone’s excited to see me.” Sokka shakes his head, the smile never leaving his face.

“Nope, just for the shopping,” he jokes. “Race you the rest of the way, onetwothreego!” And he takes off, dashing towards the front of the mall, laughing when he hears a yell of “Sokka-a!” from behind him.

By the time he stops, Zuko is right behind him, both boys breathing hard and shoving at each other.

“You’re terrible,” Zuko grumbles. “You know I can’t keep up with you.”

“Sounds like a you problem,” Sokka says, spinning on his heel and marching into the entrance, looking over his shoulder to make sure Zuko’s following, not that he really doubted it anyway.

*****

They’re only two stores into their browsing when Sokka snaps his fingers, slapping the nearest clothes rack. He hisses, having hit a sharp corner, and shakes his hand out. Zuko peers over from the other side, expression tinged with the slightest bit of worry.

“Everything okay?” he asks. Sokka nods, wincing.

“Gotta be careful where I hit, I guess.” And Zuko just nods, going back to his searching.

That’s the nice thing about being with Zuko. He never presses like Katara does, or answers to tics like Aang. Unless Sokka somehow manages to hurt himself or is visibly upset, he leaves things alone. It’s refreshing, being around someone that doesn’t pay any more attention to his tics than the laces on his shoes.

Sokka slides over yet another shirt when he sees one Zuko might like. It’s black with red seams and fire embroidered at the bottom and on the sleeves. He calls Zuko around to take a look.

And that’s when everything starts going wrong.

As Zuko’s stepping around the rack, Sokka’s knees buckle, hitting against the carpeted floor painfully as he fails to catch himself on anything. Zuko’s eyes go a bit wider, and he’s on the floor in a split second right beside him.

“Was that a tic?” he asks, taking Sokka’s hands to help him back up. The younger grimaces as his legs straighten painfully and he nods.

“I think so,” Sokka says. “Never happened before.”

“And you’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Probably just a one time thing.”

And Zuko nods, looking over the shirt he’s handed, dropping the subject.

*****

It’s not a one time thing.

Sokka’s knees keep hitting the floor or coming close, Zuko lunging to try and catch him or at least slow his fall each time. And it seems like each time there are more tics in between the drops, and they’re coming more frequently and his eyes are burning and-

Great, he’s crying. He’s sitting on the floor of an JCPenny, crying and unable to stem the flow of sounds and words and, oh, gods, he just hit Zuko, Spirits-

Zuko’s trying to get him to breathe, looking like he’s on the verge of tears himself.

"Hey, hey," he tries, ignoring any weird stares they're getting. Sokka's hand flies up to hit at his own head, and Zuko brings it right back down, not restraining but simply letting his own hands be an obstacle. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna call my uncle, or your dad? If that's better?"

And Sokka tries to answer, he really does, but between his gasping breaths and the words and trills it's just impossible and he feels so useless-

But Zuko- Zuko is a godsend because he just pulls him in close, hushing him gently, one hand carding through his loose hair.

"I'm gonna call my uncle," he says, "And then if it's okay with you, I'll use your phone to call your dad." Sokka nods, biting his lips to stifle a bubbling-up tic. Vaguely, he feels Zuko shuffling around, hears him talking to Iroh and then his dad, but it's all far away.

Quiet noises still fall from his lips, but he's too exhausted for all his physical tics, and it's the worst feeling ever. His brain is screaming for him to jerk his head, to hit the floor, something, but his body feels like it weighs ten thousand pounds and he just can't. Zuko's hand trailing up and down his back provides some comfort, but it's still just so terrible and he hates it so much.

"Think you can stand?" Zuko asks softly. And Sokka knows good and well that the answer is no, but he nods anyway, only to come crashing back down, stopped only by Zuko's quick reflexes. Sokka nearly sobs again, but Zuko just pulls him up, lifting him like it's no problem. A protest bubbles up, but Zuko quickly brushes him off, saying he's had plenty of practice with Azula.

Sokka has no idea what that means, but saves his questions for when he doesn't feel like he's actively falling apart.

Before he knows it, he's in the back of Iroh's car, Zuko explaining in hushed tones. And when they pull up to the Jasmine Dragon, his dad is already there, pulling him upright and holding him as if he's a little kid. But maybe that's what he needs in the moment, and he lets himself be maneuvered into the passenger's seat and buckled in.

He's asleep before his dad even turns onto the main road, tired beyond belief.

Sure, it’s a sucky experience. No one wants to pass out because you’re so tired you can’t hold yourself up anymore.

But by the end of the day, Sokka’s all right. It’s a Friday, and he’s got on a hoodie two sizes too big and is laying in his bed, spamming Zuko with memes while the other boy replies in all caps to try and end the flow of images. But it’s all in good nature, and before long they’re video calling, stifling laughter in their pillows.

And by the next morning, it’s forgotten. That is, until he drops suddenly in the kitchen, the plate he was reaching for clattering to the floor with him. Bato glances over briefly, concerned, but goes back to getting ready for work, hovering a little closer than before.

Sokka makes it a point to stay seated for as much of the day as possible, going from the couch to the table to his desk in a never ending cycle. He knows he can’t keep this up for ever, but for now, it’s going to have to work. Instead of wallowing about it, he just tries to push through. No point in crying about something that will solve itself.

And for the most part, his dads and Katara are just fine, not really paying attention unless there’s a need for help. That is, until he tics on the stairs and hardly stops himself from falling the rest of the way down.

Hakoda looks up from where he’s typing at the kitchen counter, his face serious.

“You know you can’t keep going like this, right?” Sokka groans, shutting his eyes and laying his head back against a stair.

“Dad, it’s fine. It’ll go away eventually. I just have to tough it out.”

“And how are you going to go to school? How are you going to get to classes?” Hakoda shuts his computer, standing up and walking over to help Sokka up. They make it to the living room without incident, sitting down across from each other.

Hakoda looks like he’s trying to force words out of his mouth but can’t quite get them right. Finally, he speaks.

“You know it’s okay to ask for and accept help, right?” Sokka nods slowly, not sure where his dad is going with this. Hakoda takes a measured breath.

“Okay, okay. Good.” He swallows hard and continues, “How would you feel if Bato picked up something to help you out on his way home?” And Sokka’s got no idea what his dad might be talking about, but he shrugs anyway. It’s his dad after all. Hakoda only wants the best for him.

“Sure,” he says easily, and smiles. “I’d like that.”

*****

When Bato returns from work that day, he’s holding a long box. He mutters something about leaving it in Sokka’s room and disappears upstairs. Sokka doesn’t really pay it any mind. Bato isn’t someone who’s huge on talking like Dad is. He likes to sit back, give the problem at hand a nudge in the right direction, and watch it resolve itself.

And so when Sokka goes upstairs, he’s not really sure what to expect. He just pulls the keys from his bookbag and slices through the tape on the package, not really paying attention.

But when he finally gets the box open, he freezes. Then, he unfreezes, curses himself for not seeing this coming, and runs an agitated hand through his hair. It’s a cane.

A very cool cane, with metallic blue waves racing up the length of it, but still. That’s… not something he expected.

Sokka takes a deep breath, trying not to get weird about this. Plenty of people use canes. Hell, Toph uses a cane to get around, and they’re one of the toughest people Sokka knows. He’s not doing it for attention or to look cool or something. This is something that will make his life easier for however long it takes this tic to go away.

That doesn’t make this any less difficult though.

(Toph uses a cane because they’re blind. Sokka’s gonna use one because his brain won’t stop screwing him over.)

But Sokka’s nothing if not resilient, and he figures if he’s gonna do this, he’s not going to feel embarrassed about it. So he gets up, supporting some of his weight on the cane. He tics almost immediately, but hey, he doesn’t fall to the floor again. Pacing back and forth across his room for a bit gets him used to the pattern, gets him used to catching himself when his body tries to drop.

It’s fine, he’s gonna be fine. Sure he’s gonna get weird stares at school, but that already happens.

But still, it couldn’t hurt to drop by the Jasmine Dragon, right? Not that he’s nervous, no, of course not. It’s just that Iroh gives such nice advice and Zuko’s smile always makes his day so much better. Really there’s no reason he shouldn’t go to the Jasmine Dragon.

Sokka picks up his phone.

socks - 18:17

Hey do you mind if i stop by tomorrow

Zuko - 18:21

It’s a tea shop, Sokka. We can’t exactly control who comes and goes.

socks

no i mean like to talk

Zuko

We do that every time anyway.

Sokka sighs. Right. He needs to actually explain himself. Zuko’s not the greatest at picking up on stuff like that.

socks

I have some stuff I want to sit down and talk to your uncle about if that’s okay

And maybe talk to you too ;))

Zuko

Oh, yeah. That’s fine. Sundays usually are slow anyway.

socks

Sounds good, cya tomorrow

Sokka places his phone onto his nightstand, switching it to Do Not Disturb. He is going to get some rest, talk to Uncle Iroh, and everything will be okay.

*****

Walking to the Jasmine Dragon with his new cane is awkward. He’s still not quite used to it, and he logically knows that there’s no one giving him dirty looks from across the street. But that doesn’t stop him from turning his head over his shoulder and checking every so often, just to make sure.

To Zuko’s credit, he hardly reacts to the new, ah, accessory when Sokka pushes open the door. His face lights up in a smile when he sees him come through the doorway, and though his eyes flicker exactly once to the cane, his smile doesn’t falter and he punches in Sokka’s order the same as always.

“Uncle’s in the back, we were running low on the rose tea so he’s brewing some right now,” Zuko explains when Sokka’s peach boba tea is ready. He tugs a straw from the box on the counter, handing it to him. “He should be out in just a minute, I told him you were out here.”

True to his word, Iroh shuffles out a few minutes later, and Sokka pauses his scrolling through his phone to smile up at the man.

“Good morning, Sokka,” Iroh greets cordially, setting down his own cup of tea. He blows at it lightly before stirring in a bit of honey. Light brown eyes, dimmed with age but no somehow no less sharp than Azula’s, smile at him.

“My nephew mentioned you wanted to speak to me.” He takes a sip of his tea, nodding in silent satisfaction before looking back up at Sokka. “What troubles you, child?”

Sokka sighs, popping a piece of boba in his mouth before reaching down, lifting the top of his cane over the top of the table. Iroh furrows his brow, nodding slowly.

There’s a slam from inside the kitchen of what sounds like an oven door. Sokka startles slightly, though Iroh hardly reacts at all. It must be Azula baking again. Both turn back to their conversation with not a word about the noise.

“Zuko has told me of your… tics, are they called?” Sokka nods, and Iroh continues. “If this assists you in your day-to-day life, there is nothing to be ashamed of! There is never shame in accepting help, whatever form it may come in. A bird will build its nest of leaves or wool, provided it is soft.”

Sokka bites the inside of his cheek, nodding. It’s nothing he hasn’t heard before, from his father before bed last night, from Bato earlier this morning, from himself on his walk over. It’s good advice, accompanied by the warmth of the tea shop and Iroh’s signature proverbs. But it’s nothing special, really.

Iroh seems to notice, and Sokka feels a bit bad. But the older man doesn’t seem to mind, simply patting Sokka’s hand with a smile.

“I think perhaps I am not the best to assist you right now,” he says, standing and taking his tea cup. “Just a moment.”

He stands making his way back into the kitchen. There’s grumbling from inside before the door swings open again, Azula marching out.

She yanks the chair from under the table and sits unceremoniously, her face flat. She’s sharp where Iroh is soft, but there’s no real boredom or anger in her expression. She sticks out a hand.

“Let me see.”

Sokka passes the cane across the table awkwardly, making sure not to hit anything. She examines it with that sharp gold gaze, nodding in approval.

“Study,” she finally says, which is probably the closest thing to a compliment Sokka’s ever heard her give. “Doesn’t look too bad either, I suppose. Not that looks are the purpose here.” She hands it back, narrowly missing the straw of Sokka’s cup of boba. He’s still not quite sure why Iroh sent her out to sit with him, but he doesn’t really mind. Like Zuko, she’s someone that doesn’t change character because of a situation.

“It looks nicer than my old crutches at least,” Azula says, almost casually. “Those were such an ugly shade of green, I don’t know why Uncle bought them.” And she’s so offhand about it all that Sokka almost misses the meaning of her words.

“Wait, what?” he blurts before he can stop himself. Azula? Who’s always an almost royal air about her? That could probably have him on the ground in two seconds flat? That Azula?

She must have been expecting his reaction (of course she did, it’s Azula), and she simply crosses her legs, resting one arm on the table.

“I used to have so many issues when we first moved in with Uncle,” she begins, her tone still as if she’s speaking about the weather. “I screwed up my body for a while, didn’t eat and threw up what I did.” Sokka tries to imagine Azula as anyone other than the confident person he knows and comes up short.

“It was a series of unfortunate events, really. A weak body meant weak bones, apparently, and a jump I tried to make ended up shattering both my legs. Had to be in a wheelchair for a while, then use those forearm crutches for longer than I would have liked to. But it was fine, I suppose.”

Sokka bites his lip. They both know the question on his mind, and they both know Azula won’t give him the answer until he asks. Finally, he takes a deep breath and goes for it.

“How’d you- you know. Stop worrying that you looked… stupid?” Azula rolls her eyes, though there’s the slightest bit of an upward turn to her mouth.

“Well, anyone who’s opinion mattered to me didn’t care. Do you know how annoying Zuzu was for those months? It was always, ‘Zula, let me carry that, Zula, let me pick that up.’” Sokka nods. He knows the feeling all too well. Azula sighs, casting a glance at Zuko, who’s taking some customer’s order.

“But, as grating as it was, it was because he cares. And anyone who said anything bad, I could hit them with my crutch. I mean really, who’s going to admit they got beat up by a five-foot-one girl with crutches?”

And yeah, okay, that gets a laugh out of him. The image of Azula whacking a rude customer or classmate with what is essentially a large stick is one that he can conjure up easily.

Azula turns fully towards him, her expression shifting minutely.

“Do you trust me?”

Sokka freezes for a moment. Azula and he aren’t close, not like he is with Zuko. But if he thinks, there’s really no reason not to trust Azula. She’s straight forward and doesn’t beat around the bush. And so, Sokka nods.

Azula seems pleased.

“Then trust me when I say there’s going to be hardly anyone paying attention.”

And somehow, despite all the people telling him similar things, it’s Azula that finally drives it home.

*****

The next day at school, Sokka jabs Aang under the table with his cane as the younger boy laughs. Katara’s next to them, trying and failing to hide her mirth, while Suki and Toph smother laughter into their hands. His phone chimes, and he flips it over to see the notification.

Zuko

Hope your day’s going okay. Azula’s trying out a new recipe by the way. She says she wants you to try it.

Sokka smiles, typing his response.

socks

Day’s going great, zukes :)) and i’ll be there, cya later!

[nova-is-a-writer-now]

FOOLS pt.3

[[Zuko x Reader]]

<- previous next ->

Summary: Zuko and Y/N had liked eachother for a while even though neither of them knew it. Y/N tries to get over her crush for him, failing miserably. So just when she decides to let go and embrace her feelings, the new Fire lord finds himself feeling jealous and decides to take matters into his own hands.

A/N: I’m still impressed by how many people have liked this series and I’m so grateful to everyone who reads, it’s getting a little angsty in here so be prepared. (Edit: I wrote that before actually finishing this part, scratch that cause things got REALLY FUCKING ANGSTY. Also this part is a little shorter than the others but believe me, it’s as much as your little hearts will be able to take.) As always if there’s any mistake or anything let me know.

Side note I’ll wait for a request to start writing pt. 4

Warnings: Angst but it’ll end well i promise

-IF YOU HAVE ANY REQUEST DONT HESITATE TO ASK-

You walked up to your friends once again, noticing someone was missing. “Hey... where’s Zuko?” You asked everybody as you saw the packaged dress in Katara’s hand.

“He said he had business to attend at the palace, acted really weird and stormed out the marked.” She replied looking at you with concerned look in her eyes.

“That’s...weird. Maybe he got bad news, firelord stuff.” You said more to yourself than to the others.

Sokka interviened, cutting your thoughts short. “He did say we could stay and eat around here, so let’s find a place, I’m starving.”

———————————

After lunch, you and your friends walked around the market a while longer. You saw the same thing you had seen the day before from the carriage, people were happy. This was a major concern for all of you once the war had come to an end, how would the people of the Fire nation take the new way of things?but Zuko definitely did a great job with it all.

Sokka ended up buying a bunch of junk against Suki’s advice, while you and Katara bought some pieces of jewelry to go with your dresses, Toph bought a set of nunchucks which worried all of you a little bit, and Aang bout a toy for Momo.

Soon enough you were back at the palace, Zuko still no where to be seen. You tried not to pay much attention to it, yet worry still lingered in the back of your mind. It was almost dusk when you proposed the idea of setting up a campfire outside for old time’s sake. It felt like forever since all of you had sat down around the burning flames to talk or eat or simply lay down and look at the stars. So after a while, when everyone went to their chambers to leave the things they’d bought and change to a more appropriate attire for the weather, the group was back outside setting up the fire.

You laughed at sokka who tried to light it up, struggling thanks to the fact that the only wood you had found was very old and affected by the humidity of the Fire nation’s weather. Ever since Aang learned how to firebend and Zuko joined the gaang, he hadn’t had to light up a fire from scratch.

“Hey, Sokka. It’s ok, we get it, it’s been so long since we’ve done this, you’ve kinda lost your touch.” You teased, knowing he was mostly trying to impress Suki with his abilities. Toph who was sitting next to you suppressed a laugh.

“I haven’t lost my touch, Y/N!!” He replied not taking his eyes away from the wood in front of him. “Actually it’s not a ‘touch’, it’s ability and knowledge, ok?”

Your only response was to laugh looking over at Katara. She looked at him worried and said “Are you sure you don’t want me to water bend the humidity out of the wood, Sokka?”

“No, Katara! No bending, just ability and knowledge”

“I could get the flame started for you” interviened Aang.

“Is no one listening to me? Ability and knowledge!!”

All of you let Sokka stay entertained trying to light up the camp fire for a few minutes more, after that you collectively and non-verbally decided you didn’t want to be there all night waiting, so you signaled Suki to distract him while Katara and Aang worked their quick magic. When he turned back around he saw the sparks consuming the wood slowly at first and then turning into a bigger flame. He smiled satisfied with himself and turned to look at all of you. “See? Ability and knowledge.”

“Of course it is , babe.” Suki hugged him from behind while the rest of you held a laugh. 

The laughs and giggles didn’t take long to begin. It had always been so easy to get along with eachother, like you’d been friends for way longer that you really had. Before all of this, you never had any real friends at the Northern water tribe, the boys didn’t like you because you were a girl, and the girls didn’t like you because you liked fighting and bending. But when you met the gaang, it was like you could finally be yourself and not be judged, they were more of a family to you than anyone else had ever been.

You’d been outside for a while when you heard steps getting closer behind you, the night sky already spread above you. You were about to turn around, big smile on your face assuming it was Zuko, when you realized the look on all of your friends’ faces. The smile faded as you turned your head around. In fact, it was Zuko who was approaching the campfire, but he wasn’t alone. Holding onto his arm was Mai, in a jaw-dropping dress, looking as beautifuly dark as ever. You were sure the sound of your heart breaking must’ve been heard through out the entirety of the Fire nation.

Mai? You asked yourself internally making an outworldly effort to take your eyes away from them. Everyone but you greeted them equally as shocked, then he proceeded to take a sit in a log placed right in front of you, pulling Mai into his lap. There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Sokka started speaking again. You could hear his voice, but you weren’t paying attention to his words. Your eyes were glued to the floor, too scared to even dare to look up, your face lacked any color and a now familiar knot in your throat and tightness in your chest were forming again.

You reminisced to the previous months. After Mai and Ty Lee had been released from Boiling Rock, Zuko told you he’d talked to her. They’d left things in good terms, she understood why he did what he did, and he realized how he’d treated her wasn’t the best. But you were sure that didn’t mean they were back together, I mean, that happened almost a year ago, and this was the first time you’d seen Mai since the coronation.

Has he been seeing her in secret all this time? Why keep it from me? Did he know I liked him all along and was simply trying not to hurt my feelings? But why now? And why like this?

All these thoughts ran through your head while you tried your best to keep the tears that were threatening to roll down your cheeks inside. Suki’s touch dragged you out of your head. “Y/N?” She called in a soft and low voice.

“Yeah, sorry.” You replied looking up at her.

“Wanna go get some snacks from the kitchen?”

“Sure, let’s go” You took her hand and walked with her away form the open and into the palace.

Once you were sure you were out of the group’s sight, you let out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding up until then.

“Oh, Y/N. Are you ok?” She pressed your hand reassuringly

You forced yourself smiled at her. “Yeah, everything is fine. I’m ok.” You lied.

“Zuko is an asshole for doing this. If you want me to punch him in the face I can do that, I’m still training all the time, I’m sure I could kick his ass no sweat.” She tried to lighten the mood while leading you to the kitchen.

“No Suki, thanks. It’s ok. It’s not like we’re a thing or anything, he can go out, be with and do what he wants with whoever he wants. I’m no one to tell him otherwise” you spat, trying to convince yourself as much as Suki.

You finally arrived to the kitchen. Chef Karou took one look at you before noticing something was wrong. “Child, what happened? You’re white as a ghost.”

“It’s nothing Chef, I just got a little dizzy out of the sudden, but I’m ok.”

“Well you’re in luck, I have your favorite dessert freshly made. That’ll make you feel better.”

You and Suki carried each a basket of treats and small snacks Chef Karou had sent for you and your friends. You had to brace yourself before walking back outside, only to realize Zuko and Mai weren’t there anymore, instead a head of white hair filled the space where they’d been sitting before.

“Iroh!” You called handing your basket to Suki and walking up to him.

“Hello, my dearest.” He replied, opening his arms to give you a hug. He’d always been one to give great hugs. Since you met him, the two of you had connected through Zuko. He cared for him deeply for a very long time, and even though you had just met him then, you cared about him too. He’d shared his wise words with you, advising you about your worry regarding the war, and you listened to his stories in return. He was warm and caring and he had a very special place in your heart. Hugging him helped release the tightness in your chest that had been building up for a good while, and that came with a few tears as well. “Miss Y/N, there’s no need for tears, this is a joyful reunion.”

“I’m just...very glad you’re here.” You tried to explain wiping the wetness from your cheeks.

“I’m very happy to be back, and to see this nation be rebuilt and led honorably. Talking about leaders... have you seen my nephew around? I haven’t gotten the chance to greet him yet.” He asked looking around for him.

“I um... I guess he’s back at his office or in his chambers.” You hoped he couldn’t tell the way you were trying not to let Zuko mess with your head.

“Do you mind calling him for me, dear? I’m a little tired from the trip.”

You wanted to say no, specially since you knew Zuko had left with Mai, but saying no to Iroh had always been a hard task for you. “I... yes, don’t worry, I’ll let him know you’re here.”

And with those words you walked off to find him. His office was your first stop, you hoped he was there, sitting on his desk and going through paperwork as you’d seen him do many times before, because if he was that meant Mai wouldn’t be there, and you wouldn’t have to deal with seeing them together anymore. But to your despair, he wasn’t.

Gathering all the strength you had left, you made your way to his chambers. The walk there seemed painfully short, you wished you’d had more time to prepare, although after knocking on the door and proceeding to open it, no amount of time could’ve prepared you for the sight. Zuko and Mai were both sitting on the edge of his bed, he had his hand on her jaw, holding her tightly in her place, while her hand layed on his neck, holding onto the roots of his hair. They were kissing... really kissing.

The sound of the door opening made them realize someone was there and forcefully Zuko pulled apart. He looked at you for a few torturous seconds before saying. “Y/N, what can we help you with?”

We, it was such a dumb thing to notice but you did. Zuko said we, as in him and Mai, as in the girl who’s throat he had his tongue down mere seconds ago.

“Your uncle is here, he wants to see you.” You replied, your voice slightly shaky making you pray he didn’t notice.

“I’ll be right there... anything else?” His tone was one you hadn’t heard before, it was harsh, merciless, out of everything that had happened that evening that small detail was what hurt you the most.

“No, good night.” With those words you turned back around closing the door behind you. You couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, your heart ached in a way you’d never felt before. You cursed yourself in silence for being so dumb, so gullible to even think Zuko would think of you as anything more than a friend, a colleague. You cursed yourself because you knew this was how things were going to end from the very beginning.

Now he was kissing another girl and you were alone in your room, sitting in the dark, thinking about how you were going to pick all the pieces of your heart and put them back together.

A/N: sorry don’t hate me <3

Tag list: @harmlessoffering @zukoshonourr @marvel-ing-at-it-all @booksandwonderlands @bison-whistle @darthsokaaa @royahllty @godoftheabyss @ilovespideyyy @literally-anythin @daddystevee @annie-are-u-ok @whalerus @galacticamidala @mangoberry43 @eridanuswave @katherinethedork @littleninjablake @taeeemin

[rolandtowen]

Dumbass Romantics, the first part of a series exploring the ways in which Sokka and Zuko falling in love after the War. 

Sokka and Zuko seem to keep “accidentally” flirting with each other with romantic gestures from their respective cultures. It takes a while for everyone else (and them!!) to catch on. Set a few months after the end of the war, featuring chronic pain and cultural flirting.

Read it under the cut!

The Fire Lord hated the cold. He supposed he should have commissioned a fur cloak before visiting Katara and Sokka, but where could his tailors find fur on such short notice? He couldn’t bring himself to slaughter dozens of squirrel-toads just for one coat. He had settled on a cloak woven with extra koala-sheep wool, but stepping out of his ship’s warmth now and into the crisp air of the Southern Water Tribe, Zuko knew he should have heeded Sokka’s advice to him to dress warm.

The cold was a bitch. But thankfully, he didn’t have to dwell on it long.

“Zuko!” Came Katara’s voice from somewhere below him. Zuko hurried down the rampart and came to meet his old friend. He went to bow formally, but she laughed and pulled him in for a hug. “Maybe save the bowing for when we have dinner with the old folks tonight.”

Zuko raised his eyebrow.

“Oh! It’s nothing big – just my Dad, Bato, Kanna, and Pakku. I do hope you’ve worked up an appetite for stewed sea prunes, that’s all my Dad can make without blowing the kitchen up – unless you’re allergic to sea prunes, of course, but I guess you wouldn’t know yet seeing as you’ve never tried them—”

“Katara,” Sokka’s voice startled Zuko a little bit, coming from his left side. Zuko shifted his head so he could hear him better. “You’re rambling again. Let the man breathe!” Zuko let out a low chuckle and turned to fully face Sokka.

“It’s good to see you too, Sokka.”

“And you, jerkbender! Spirits, aren’t you cold? I told you bring layers!”

The trio started to walk towards Katara and Sokka’s village. Zuko pondered what he should say: admit weakness and say he was, in fact, cold; or be miserable for the rest of his visit in silence?

“I’m okay, it’s just that the Fire Nation hasn’t ever had a need to make warm clothing. My tailors wouldn’t even know where to start on finding fur for a cloak.”

“Well then,” Sokka said, “it’s lucky for you that we have polar leopards!” And with that, Sokka unclipped the fur-lined cloak he was wearing and draped it over Zuko’s shoulders, fastening the metal clips with practiced ease. Zuko was shocked.

“Sokka, I can’t take your cloak!” He protested, stopping in his tracks.

“Relax, jerkbender, there’s more where that came from. When are you going to learn to dress up for your visits, dork?”

Katara chimed in. “The last time Zuko was here, his body temperature was elevated by his righteous search for the Avatar. I’m sure peace and love have probably cooled your hot head off quite a bit, huh?”

Zuko only hummed, looking down at the cloak that had been thrust upon him. It really was, quite warm. And quite intricate as well! He ran his fingers over the moon phases embroidered at the seams, a striking white against the deep blue of the cloak.

“Enjoying my handiwork?” Katara asked.

“Yeah, I am.” Zuko answered in a daze.

He wasn’t sure if he should tell them what it meant in Fire Nation culture, to place your own cloak on another’s shoulders, to literally and figuratively place another under your protection. Really, Zuko couldn’t remember the last time he had been given anything as a gift. Charity was not a concept Ozai was familiar with. Sokka couldn’t have possible known that what he just did was like the Fire Nation equivalent of a betrothal necklace. Still, it did leave Zuko touched that Sokka would so willingly give over such a valuable garment. He decided to leave the matter alone and revel in the warmth of the cloak.

“Sooooooooo, do you wanna go fishing together?”

Zuko sighed. He was a little bored. When they got back to the village, Katara had immediately ditched them to go help Kanna and Hakoda prep for the night’s family dinner. Leaving him and Sokka to do…. whatever until dinner time rolled around.

“Uh, I don’t really know how to fish—”

“That’s alright! I can teach you. Just grab your cloak!” Sokka leapt up and swept out the door. “You are coming, right?” Sokka called from afar.

“Yeah, I’m coming!” Zuko hollered back. He fiddled with the clasp on Sokka’s – er, his cloak—and stepped back into the cold.

Sokka was at the edge of the village, spears in hand. “You ever been on a kayak before?”

Zuko chuckled. “No, the ships I’ve been tend to carry more than one person, I don’t suppose you’ve got one of those?”

Sokka punched him in the shoulder. “We can’t use one of the warrior’s boats, we’ll scare the fish!” Oh. That made sense. “Now I get it, you really don’t know anything about fishing, do you? What have you got to say for yourself?”

“Two things: one, prince; two, fire nation. We much prefer Komodo sausage to seal jerky.”

“Well, your hotness, let me show you how it’s done.” Sokka hopped into one kayak, patting the one next him. “I assume you at least know how to use a paddle?”

Zuko laughed. “I may have been an adrift refugee once or twice. I think I can handle a paddle.”

“Good,” Sokka smiled at him as he climbed into the one-seater kayak. Zuko took a few moments to adjust to the shift in his center of gravity, then nodded at Sokka.

“Let’s catch some fish.”

It turns out, Zuko is not a natural at spear-fishing. He watched closely the first few times Sokka threw his spear, bringing up fish each time. “Go on, try it,” Sokka encouraged him. Zuko looked into the depths and tried to aim for the blurry shadows he took to be fish. His spear came up empty. “That’s okay! It took me a few fishing trips before I really go the hang of it.” Sokka analyzed his form. “Make sure you extend your arm a bit before your release the spear, then you can change your angle more easily.”

Zuko nodded, mirroring the way Sokka was holding his spear. They waited in silence, kayaks knocking gently into each other on the waves. A fresh school of fish appeared underneath them, and they released their spears at the same time. This time, even Zuko had caught a fish! Only one, compared to Sokka’s two, but it was his first fish! Sokka smiled widely at him. “I knew you could do it.”

“I guess I should call you Sifu Sokka now, my fishbending master.” Zuko quipped.

Sokka blushed and he hoped the gathering snow hid it from Zuko. “I think we should probably get back; you don’t want to miss Dad’s stewed sea prunes.

“Definitely not.” Zuko replied. “What, what does one do with a fish once they’ve caught it?”

“It depends – I think it being your first fish, we should celebrate it! What do you say to making some boiled fish dumplings?”

“I think that if you’re teaching me, it’ll be wonderful.”

If it was even humanly possible, Sokka blushed harder.

When they docked their kayaks, Zuko noticed that Sokka was favoring one of his arms over the other. Normally, it wouldn’t be strange to see a person favoring a side, but Zuko knew Sokka was ambidextrous. He didn’t say anything, so Zuko kept his observations to himself. Kanna met them outside her home, and positively beamed when Sokka told her that Zuko had caught his first fish.

“Well, better a late bloomer than never, eh?” Zuko laughed but still bowed his head in deference.

“It is very nice to finally meet you, Lady Kanna. Sokka has told me much about you in your letters.”

“Oh, he has, has he?” Kanna gave a mean side-eye to Sokka, who was suddenly very interested in the icy ground. “He’s told me about you as well. You have my gratitude – I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if you hadn’t gone to the Boiling Rock.”

“It was my pleasure, Lady Kanna.”

“Just Kanna, just Kanna, my dear. Well, come in! I see Sokka has leant you a cloak, but you still must be freezing! In, in!” Kanna shooed them inside. “I will take special care of your first fish, Zuko. Anything you had in mind?”

“Uh, dumplings?”

“Excellent choice, dear. Fish dumplings coming right up!” She disappeared into the kitchen of the home.

Sokka sat down on floor, covered by blue fabrics and pelts. Zuko noticed how gingerly he set himself down, now obviously favoring his right side. Sokka’s lips were drawn tightly as he rubbed circles into his left shin. Zuko could have almost swore he heard Sokka whimper. Almost.

“Sokka,” Zuko knelt down next to his friend. “Talk to me.”

“Mmph,” Sokka scowled.

“Words, Sokka.”

“It’s mostly my leg—you know how I broke it on the day of the Comet?”

Zuko grimaced. He did remember. Even in his lightening-induced fever, Zuko remembered. He heard his physicians set Sokka’s leg and pop his shoulder back in place. He wanted to forget those sounds of Sokka in pain, but he couldn’t.

“Well,” Sokka continued. “Ever since then, it still… it still hurts. Katara’s tried everything, but I’m probably stuck with it forever. My leg hurts the worst, but my shoulder’s the most inconvenient. I’m old enough to start putting braids in my wolf tail, but I just—can’t. I can’t lift my arm above shoulder-level. And I know I’m wallowing to the guy who literally got half his face burned off but—”

“But nothing, Sokka. You’re allowed to be in pain. Here, you know what, pull up your pant leg—”

“Geez, buy a guy dinner first will you?”

Zuko blushed but Sokka did as he was told, exposing his left shin and ankle. Zuko focused a little bit of heat into the palms of his hands. He placed one on Sokka’s ankle, scanning his face for any pain. When Sokka relaxed into the touch, Zuko placed his other hand on Sokka’s shin, applying the slightest bit of pressure.

“You know, with those hands you could almost be a healer like Katara.”

Zuko snorted. “And you need to learn to let people help you.” After a few minutes, he pulled his hands away, fearing that if he kept them there too long he’d burn his friend. “If you want, I can help you braid your hair. I won’t even tell Katara.”

Sokka smiled shyly at him. He guessed Zuko didn’t know the importance of braiding another’s hair in water tribe culture—reserved for family members and, well, lovers. But Zuko was kneeling in front of him, in a water tribe cloak, offering to help him with a warrior tradition. After everything they’d been through, Zuko was family—and maybe, he could be open to being something more?

“Okay,” Sokka nodded. He pulled two beads from his pocket, both striking shades of blue, one carved by Kanna and one by Katara. “You know how my Dad wears his beads? It’s the same idea.”

“I caught my first fish today, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I can’t do now.” Zuko settled himself closer to Sokka’s face. “I’m going to let your hair down now, is that okay?” Sokka nodded again.

Zuko took out the hair tie and separated two sections of hair thick enough to support the beads. For lack of another set of hands, he resorted to holding the sections in his mouth while he carded the rest of Sokka’s back into place and tied it into the wolf’s tail again. Sokka was suddenly very aware of how close Zuko was to him—more specifically how he never wanted him to leave. He loved the warmth that radiated from him, but furthermore, he couldn’t remember the last time someone helped him with his hair. He hadn’t asked anyone since he got back from the war, and while they were on the run… he was focused on more important things than his hair. Sokka risked a look at Zuko’s face: he was rewarded with Zuko’s adorable concentration face. Wait, adorable? Where had that come from?

“How do you know how to braid, anyway? I didn’t see a whole lot of braids in the Fire Nation.”

“My mother used to let me braid her hair when I was feeling anxious or overwhelmed. You know, it’s calming, repetitive, doesn’t involve fire—perfect for mess of emotional issues like me.”

“Hey, you’re not a mess.”

Zuko laughed darkly.

“Well, not anymore than the rest of us. We all already had our own issues and then a war happened on top of that. You were just lecturing me on letting people help me. You don’t have to be alone in this.”

Zuko’s fingers trembled as he finished the second braid. “I know. I’m still getting used to having people I can actually trust.”

Kanna suddenly called from the kitchen. “Are you two done lounging around or are you going to help an old woman with this fish?”

They looked at each other and laughed. They did kind of forget about everyone except each other.

“Hey, Zuko,” Sokka started as Zuko stood up and held out a hand for him.

“Yeah?”

“You can braid my hair anytime you want.”

Zuko resisted simultaneous urges to bow and to hug Sokka. He smiled instead.

“I’d like that.”

Bonus:

Kanna had heard everything of course. But she couldn’t bear to interrupt them sooner. Tui and La, if those two didn’t end up together she’d have a riot. In the few months since Sokka had been home with her, he hadn’t opened up to anyone about his pain. And he certainly hadn’t asked anyone for help with his braids.

Spirits, those two were good for each other. Dumbasses in love.

[thegoldenavenger]

IDK if im ever going 2 finish this so here's an unedited preview of an atla fic I was working on.

I'd definitely have to restructure if I want to finish it but here's what I got so far. Mostly just the gaang visiting past Zuko events

I.

"The Air Nation--"

"Nomads." Aang instinctively corrects at the same time Iroh interjects placidly.

"--must have something pointing to the Avatar's location."

"My nephew, when would they have had time to--"

"The cowards must have planned the Avatar's disappearance. There has to be something!" Zuko, because the small, bandaged child was Zuko, stomped through the Western Air Temple pushing open doors and sweeping dust from murals in aggravated gestures. 

Iroh sighs heavily but follows the boy. He walks like a shadow behind Zuko, hands folded into his sleeves.  Sometimes his gaze catches on a mural or shadow, but it never settles on Aang or his friends, no matter how they shout or call for attention. 

"What are you planning on finding here, Prince Zuko? The Air Nomads were peaceful people, they do not have a war room full of intelligence, nor a Lord's office of correspondence, especially not after 100 years."

Zuko whirls around to give his uncle an irate glare, not nearly as effective as the ones he would give three years in time. The bandages cling to the left side of his face, and if Aang squints he can see some kind of spotting through them. Zuko is breathing heavily already. 

"I will find something! Anything!" His hands fist by his sides as he snarls. "Father trust-- Father tasked me with finding the Avatar and I will." Zuko turns sharply and his fists tremble. 

"Of course, Prince Zuko. I merely wanted to know your plan of action." Iroh approaches Zuko gently, like a wild animal, carefully places his hand on Zuko's right shoulder. "This place is remarkably well preserved. If there is something to recover, you will find it." 

Zuko doesn't say anything, just nods once. His shoulders are drawn tight around his ears still. Iroh looks down at Zuko, tenses, and says more mildly than Aang thought possible considering: "Your bandages need changing."

"They can wait." Zuko says, shrugging off Iroh and heading into one of the Western Temple's many hallways. 

"This is weird, right?" Sokka says as Iroh follows Zuko away. 

"Why are we even here?" Toph asks, "This is the Western Air Temple, my feet don't lie, and we weren't anywhere close to here before..." she trails off. 

"Where were we?" Katara asks. Her hands have been hovering by her waterskins. 

"The better question is where are we," Sokka says.

"The Western Air Temple!" Toph huffs.

"No, I mean, yes, but Iroh and Zuko acted like they couldn't see us, and you know Zuko would've made a big deal out of us being here." 

"Not to mention Zuko is like, four years younger than he should be!" Aang says. 

Sokka and Katara turn confused faces towards him. 

"This Zuko is my age," Aang clarifies, "He should be..." and the thought escapes Aang, how old Zuko should be. Aang just knows that it isn't this. 

"Don't tell me this is some more Spirit Mumbo Jumbo!" Sokka throws his hands up in the air. 

"Maybe," Aang allows, "But it doesn't feel like the Spirit World." 

"Whatever, we aren't going to figure anything out by standing still." Toph marches towards the hallway Zuko and Iroh had disappeared in and, belatedly, the rest of them follow. 

As soon as Aang's foot touches the tile past the threshold, he is no longer in the Western Air Temple. 

"Okay, yeah this is weird." Sokka says. 

Aang has to agree. They're in the Dragon Palace just as suddenly as they were in the Western Air Temple. 

"Great!" Katara hisses, "We're in the heart of the Fire Nation! And for what--" 

"Shut up!" Toph interrupts. They all quiet and soon voices come into focus.

II.

"Please Uncle!" That... sounds kind of like Zuko. "If I'm going to be the Firelord one day, I should know what goes on in the War Room!" 

"I have already said no, nephew."

Iroh and Zuko round the corner, and once again they don't seem to notice the out of place group hovering at the edge of the hall. 

"But Uncle! I don't--I need the experience. I'm already so far behind, this will give me a real foundation! My tutors are..." Zuko trails off.

"He doesn't have his scar!" Sokka exclaims, pointing. 

"Sokka! That's rude!" Even though her hands still hover by her waterskins, Katara doesn't pass up the chance to berate her brother.

"What, they can't see us, apparently."

"Scar?" Toph wonders, and Aang opens his mouth to inform her but looking into both of Zuko's troubled golden eyes stops him. 

"Yeah, Zuko has a, uh, scar... doesn't he?" Sokka starts. 

"Well." Katara says, looking at Zuko with the same intensity Aang feels. "He doesn't have one now."

Zuko's face is unblemished and smooth as porcelain. His eyes are wide, his brows upturned. He's still Aang's age, which shouldn't matter but-- 

Iroh has stopped walking, and Zuko beside him. Zuko bites his lip and looks away and Iroh puts his hands on both of Zuko's shoulders. "Okay, okay. But you have to promise to stay quiet. No interruptions."

"Yes! Of course! Thank you, Uncle!" Zuko bows, quickly, obviously excited by the turn of events and the two pass by the gang without taking notice of them. 

As Zuko passes a shadow covers his face, falling over his left eye and Aang can't decide if it reminds him more of bandages or a burn. 

Zuko and Iroh pass through a door, and this time none of them hesitate to follow on their heels. 

Once again the moment they pass the threshold they are in a new place. 

"Oh, yeah that's a scar!" Sokka says. 

III.

Zuko ignores him of course, stomping his way down the gangplank of his ship into a port Aang doesn't recognize.  He's scowling, like always, and Iroh is conspicuously absent from his side.  He marches onto the dock work, catches sight of something and ducks behind a thick wooden post. 

Aang knows his friends are as surprised as him, and Zuko seems to be surprised at himself too, because he shakes his head and stalks forward again as if hiding had been instinct, not choice. 

Aang surveys the docks, tries to find what had startled Zuko, but a voice rings out before he catches sight of anything. 

"Zuko! Fancy meeting you here." The voice fills the space like oil on water and Aang turns to catch Zhao striding towards Zuko like he owns the port. 

"Zhao." Zuko says, begrudgingly, folding his arms across his chest. He catches himself and puts his arms to his sides. 

"Commander Zhao," the man corrects as he sidles up next to Zuko. Zuko rolls his eyes and continues forward. 

"I knew those two were in cahoots." Sokka points, rudely, at the two.

"Cahoots?" Katara asks.

"What two? Who's Zhao?" Toph asks, and Aang looks at Toph who has her arms crossed over chest, defensively. Aang blinks and slows his pace--because they're following Zuko, of course--so her shoulder brushes his when they step. 

"He's a jerk!" Katara says. 

"Yeah, he sieged the North Pole and killed, uh..." Sokka trails off, his face a picture of confusion. 

"I think... the moon spirit?" Aang offers, but he can't quite remember it. 

"I don't need an escort---Commander Zhao," Zuko yells, his voice cutting into their conversation. 

"Please. What trade do you think a banished traitor would be able to get without me here?" Zhao's voice was still oil-slick as it weaved through the conversation. 

"This is a neutral port!" Zuko hisses, "And our stipend is good enough--" 

"And that's why you've had to make twice the stops you normally do, or do you just like the view?" Zhao asks, and Aang sees him turn a grin towards Zuko. 

Zuko fumes, taking two steps away from Zhao and turning the full force of his glare onto him. "So you've been stalking us!" He accuses. 

"Keeping an eye on you, like I was asked to." He says, closes the space between the two of them again. "Listen, I'll negotiate a fair price for your supplies." He says, ducking his head closer to Zuko's like he's sharing a secret. 

"I don't need your charity!" Zuko yells and tries to put space between them once more. 

"And who's pay are you going to cut this time?" Zhao asks, "Surely your own budget can't take much more... restructuring. Maybe the navigator's. If it's enough to make him jump ship, then I'm sure you can step in and compensate. Well, not that he'll be able to find a posting elsewhere, serving on the Wani had become quite the black mark on your resume I hear."  Zuko's fists tighten, and he loses the fight to keep them by his side and crosses them over his chest. 

Zhao takes this as a victory, drapes his arm over Zuko’s shoulders like an old friend and starts steering him in a different direction. “Have tea with me, Zuko, we can look over your finances together.” 

“Tea sounds lovely, Commander,” Iroh’s voice cuts through the conversation as easily as the man himself inserts his body between Zhao’s and Zuko’s. Zuko’s startled face fades away as they step across the dock.

[wildshadowtamer]

Firelord Ursa AU Idea

okay so this is a really rough idea, but what if:

(Zuko would be 10-ish, Azula would be 8, pre-lu ten’s death, if only by a few months. the siege of ba sing se was probably delayed for one reason or another)

Ozai did something awful, as usual, and Ursa finally snaps, sick and tired of putting up with this trash man and watching people suffer by his hand. She first asks Azula (who she has kept close and safe from ozai’s control) and Zuko if their okay with her ‘dealing with’ their father, to which both are alright with, and she promises them they’ll have a step-dad in no time.

So, she poisons Ozai’s drink and has tea with iroh, lu ten, and the kids, and tells them to act upset when the messenger arrives with the news of his death. She completely gets away with it, and fake-mourns him for a while while she makes her plan to kill Azulon, too.

A month after Ozai’s death, Lu Ten and Iroh prepare to head to Ba Sing Se and begin the siege, but Ursa pleads with them not to, and they stay, saving Lu Ten’s life in the process.

(the rest under the cut bc Long)

After a convincing amount of time, Ursa gets the help of her children to create the traceless poison that she kills Azulon with in the night, the creation of it was a nice bonding moment for the family, and zuko quickly got over his ‘feeling bad for being an accomplice to murder’ after Azula mentioned some bad stuff Azulon likely did.

They once again fake shock, sadness, and mourning, and sit through his funeral. However, when the sages say it is Iroh who will be crowned, he rejects it and insists on Ursa to take the throne instead, and Ursa gets crowned firelord.

The first thing she does is stop the war, then lifts the ban of same-sex marriage, and slowly starts to heal the fire nation like 6 years early.

She gets with Ikem and goes to the SWT for a peace meeting, on one of the less intimidating ships, with her family (without Ikem bc he insisted on staying at the palace in case anything went wrong) 

 After all the formal meeting stuff is out of the way, Hakoda offers to let them stay for a bit, stating he understands the curiosity of young minds, and thinks it would be good for the children to learn about the other nations, so they dont end up like their father, Ursa agrees.  Ursa, Kya, and Hakoda hit it off right away, Iroh and Kanna do too, likely telling embarassing stories about their children, Lu Ten falls head over heels for some water tribe boy his age (hes a hopeless gay), and the children meet Sokka and Katara, who they latch onto and make an inseparable bond with. 

 Sokka and Zuko go penguin sledding, Katara and Azula plan pranks like little sisters do, Lu Ten is trying and failing to ask this dude out bc his braincells left the moment he fell in love, and Ursa has successfully made steps towards peace with the southern water tribe.

They stay for a bit longer, and eventually have to leave, which none of the three kids want to, but they do go home after like an hour of “get on the boat, sweetie” “no”

Years pass, and the fire nation and water tribe children continue visiting  eachother, and Lu ten does manage to ask the guy out after 3 years of silent pining.

But then, assassination attempts start popping up left and right while Hakoda and his family were visiting, when Zuko was about 13, and he asks the guards about whats going on, to which the guards dont answer, and Zuko decides to take it into his own hands.

He creates The Blue Spirit to avoid suspicion. 

Zuko, along with Azula (the red spirit), investigate and eventually find themselves in the lair of Ozai’s Angels, a group badly named by Zhao, who was and still is fiercely loyal to Ozai (somewhat bc he was sleeping with him to get promotions), and has worse naming abilities than Sokka. A Fight happens, and Zhao ends up burning half of zuko’s face after his mask gets ripped off.

They nearly die, but Sokka, Lu Ten, and Katara burst in, and help them escape, breaking Sokka’s leg in the process. Sokka had figured out what Zuko was going to do, and had followed them to the lair entrance.

When they got back to the castle, they got both sokka and zuko medical help, and the others got told off for doing something so dangerous, and Lu Ten got in trouble for letting it happen

After Zuko woke up, he got mad, very mad. Mad at OA (Ozai’s Angels) in particular, and swore revenge on Zhao, who was quickly building up his underground society into something bigger and more dangerous. Zhao also got ahold of a dragon, somehow.

Zuko realised he had to find someone strong enough to help take down such a big, dangerous society, which now had the Dai Li on their side after Lu Ten helped Kuei realise how bad Ba Sing Se was getting under the Dai Li’s control.

and so, Zuko began on his quest to find the avatar. The others helped, going on their own adventures in their respective nations to find him. Zuko went to the northern and southern air temples with Iroh, Lu Ten and his boyfriend went to the earth kingdom, Katara searched the lands of the SWT, Sokka and Bato (hakoda was needed in the village) went to the northern water tribe, where he met Yue, and Azula (+ mai and ty lee) stayed and explored the fire nation. Between the lot of them, they had most ground covered.

After 2 years of searching and growth, it was Katara who found Aang in the ice berg, and quickly sent word to everyone else that the avatar was found.

After that, Aang and the regular group explored the world for masters to teach them, and quickly found out that Zhao was on the hunt, he had stolen a fire nation ship and was going across the world with the strongest of his soceity to find the heirs and the avatar. Zhao had visited Kyoshi Island and burnt it down, which the Gaang helped patch back up.

Zhao eventually headed for the northern water tribe, where the Gaang were to get Katara and Aang a waterbending master. Zhao’s soceity had grown significantly in the 2 years he was left unsupervised, big enough to make a dangerous fleet of firebenders.

Canon happens to an extent, Sokka falls hard for Yue, Yue dies, and Zuko carries Aang through a blizzard to make sure Zhao cant capture or kill him while hes in the spirit world. Aang goes into the avatar state, destroys the fleet, and Zhao very narrowly manages to avoid getting eaten by the ocean spirit, but gets a lot of scars for killing the moon. 

The Gaang get seperated, however, and Appa gets injured, so Aang cant fly around to locate everyone else. After 3 weeks, they end up at the earth kingdom, and find a swamp, and they know who to search for next.

Gonna put the rest in a part 2 cuz this is getting long and thats a good place to end off on.

[faangirl101]

Burning Heart: Pt 3

Burning heart masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x reader, Zuko x y/n

Tags: Enemies to lovers, slow burn

Summary: Raised mostly by yourself, you made a living for your youth years as a maid in one of the richest families in Ba sing se, Beifongs. There Toph, a blind young rich girl, taught you earth bending and also became your new family. Not that you would admit that to her. Together you escape Ba sing se on the back of a flying bison with the Avatar, in a mission to take back the world from the fire nation. But on the journey you didn’t plan to team up with the Fire prince himself, and you definitely did not plan to get butterflies around him. But you couldn’t possibly catch feelings for a fire bender right? They ruined your life and took everything of value from you. But you couldn’t lie to your burning heart.

Warnings: swearing

I thought that since Toph was actually blind now, feet burned beyond recognition, that she would go easy on me today. I was clearly wrong. She was quickly up on her feet again (pun intended). Toph had been teaching me earth bending in secret since i was a maid to her family so her tough teaching techniques were no surprise. She had me and Aang working to the bone before we finally, covered in sweat, got a break. Or more like I got a break while Aang had his next bending lesson. Fire. His first. I couldn't help my curiosity as I stood leaned against the closest wall watching Zuko in his professor role.  The balcony of the upside down pagoda in the temple was hot. Sweat was climbing up my back as I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. Zuko seemed to catch Aang's hyper demaoner “I know you're nervous, but remember, firebending in it of itself is not something to fear.” Aang didn't meet his eyes but sighed deeply instead “Okay. Not something to fear”.Zuko nodded as he closed his fists. “But if you don't respect it”, he raised his voice so it echoed through the temple “it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!”. I held back the laugh threatening at the picture of Zuko with tensed eyes and a yelping Aang. Zuko clearly picked the “bad cop” technique when it came to teaching, just like Toph. He crossed his arms over his strong chest and took a step backwards “Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make”. Aang inhales nervously as he hesitates and moves out his arms. I can see fear in his eyes as they focus on the palm of his hand. A small, almost impossible to catch, cloud of smoke appears. But as fast as it comes it dissipates to nothing. The look on Aang was a blend of disappointment and relief.

Aang looked up hopefully “Maybe i need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?”. Zuko raised an eyebrow “Good idea, You might wanna take a couple steps back”. Even if he wasn't talking to me I obliged and moved further back. I hadn't seen him in action up close yet. I was unsure what to expect but that was definitely not it.  With a grunt Zuko opens his tightly closed fist to let out…. a flame smaller than the palm of my hand. Aang, supportive as he was, applauded at this disappointing display. Me? i bursted out laughing, finally alerting them of my presence. They both sharply turned to me, who was doubled over in laughter. “You might wanna take a couple steps back?”I wiped away fake tears “What was that? That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!”. Zuko did not take that mockery ease as he pursed his lips hard enough to break his jaw.  Aang interrupted Zuko before he could yell at me “I thought it was...nice”. He smiled slightly and shrugged which made it even harder to hold back my smile.

Zuko, annoyed at my amused face, tried to prove me wrong. He let out a loud grunt, which made a wave of excitement go through my stomach. But I pretended I didn't even notice it. His next three attempts resulted in very very small flames similar to the first. Defeated he glares frustrated down at his palms “what is happening”. Aang rubbed his head, trying to comfort Zuko “maybe it's the altitude”.I left my safe spot to move my way to them “Or maybe you can't firebend anymore, which is like the only reason we took you in”. Zuko’s burning eyes just lit my amusement more “oh oh! i call dibs on Zuko’s room when we throw him out”. Aang stretches his smaller hand out to stop me from upsetting anybody further. Zuko scrowls as he turns his back at me with clearly better self control than I thought he had. Time passes and Zuko keeps pushing himself with no improvement. Aang was sitting beside me on a broken pillar as we watched Zuko deliver a pointless blast after another. “that one kind of felt hot”, Aang bursted out as he got on his feet. I snickered at his comment, as I swung my legs against the pillar. But Zuko got angry, angrier than he had ever become after any of my comments. “Don't patronize me! You know what it’s supposed to look like!”. He was right, I had seen many fire benders but no one was as worthless as Zuko at the moment. “He didn't need to patronize you, you do that very well on your own”. Zuko aimed a flame at me that was even worse than his previous ones “Shut up!”. Aang held up his hands in defense “ Sorry, Sifu Hotman”. I bursted out laughing so hard it hurt the depths of my stomach.  Zuko raises his arms above his head and throws them back with a shout of frustration. Aang gringes at his sudden outburst. “And stop calling me that!”, Zuko yells which makes me laugh possibly even harder.

Night creeps up on us as everyone is getting settled for dinner. Even Appa has a mouthful of hay as he rests next to the fountain. Everyone is busy calming their rouring stomachs, everyone except Zuko. He’s leaning on a column with his arms crossed, looking down the cracked ground under him. He looks deep in thought with his wrinkled forehead, but no one seems to notice. No one except me of course. Suddenly he turns his head to the campfire as he makes his way over to where we’re sitting. “Listen everybody, I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff”, He looks below dejectedly. Toph, used to being accused of stealing by now, raises her hands above her head. “Don't look at me!”, she folded her arms “i didn't touch your stuff”. I giggle at her outburst and enjoy the view of Zuko’s ashamed face. He looks down again “I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone”. I cross my arms and throw my legs up on a pillar “as if you even had it in the first place”. Everybody around the fireplace sits up, different emotions painted on their faces. Sokka is the only one giving me a reaction as he pretends to fire bends with an annoyed face like Zuko had been doing the entire day. It brought a quiet shaking laugh from me. But my laugh quieted down as a clearer brighter laughter took place. Katara had her head bent backwards as her body shook from the laugh. Was Katara… mocking Zuko. It was the only time Katara had done anything remotely funny, but it still deep down struck a nerve that she was making fun of  him. It was my job. But I couldn't possibly be petty over such a small pointless thing. Everyone had turned their attention towards her, including Zuko, who had an annoyed expression twisting his handsome face. She held her hands up, hiding her face “I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago”. Zuko gringed “Well, it's not lost. It's just ... weaker for some reason”. Katara held up her bowl and glared at Zuko over the brim “Maybe you're not as good as you think you are”. Both me and Toph, alike as we are, Made a hissing noise at the same time and met each other's eyes “ouch”.  Zuko ignored Toph's sarcastic smile as he brightened up with an idea “I bet it's because I changed sides”. Katara gave him another glare as she brought the bowl to her lips “That's ridiculous”. It was the first time I had seen Aang disagree with Katara “I don't know. Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to”.

“Zuko has not been angry? then what have i been doing all day”, i smirked over at Sokka who returned the facial expression. He leans towards zuko and points a finger above “Easy enough”. He pokes Zuko with his shining swords hilt in the head and waist several times. Toph and I cling onto each other to not fall over from laughing. Zuko growles behind closed teeth “okay cut it out!”. Sokka's sword slips from his hands and is thrown above before falling on his head. Zuko sighs and rubs his nose “look, even if you're right. I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way”.

Sokka rubs his head in pain from the burst with the sword but no one seems to pay him any care. Toph takes a big bite from her food “You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source”.I furrowed my eyebrows “I thought that fire bending's original source was pain, rage and suffering”. I didn't miss the way Zuko pursed his lips and looked down in something similar to shame. Sokka seemed to forget his head injury as he excitedly looked up “How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?”.Toph shook her head and wiggles her feet “No. Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is”. Sokka's dreams of Zuko diving into a volcano is crushed “So, is it jumping into a volcano?”.

“I don't know”,  Toph puts her bowl down beside her “For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles''. I remembered the many times Toph had brought me to the tunnels and showed me where she met the Badgermoles. That seemed like forever ago.  “Isn't the original fire benders Dragons? Where the fuck are we going to find a dragon just chilling?”, I looked up at Zuko who sighed deeply. “we are not going to, Dragons are extinct”. Aang shook his head “What do you mean‌? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid”. Zuko's face twists up, as if he knows something we don't. “Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?”. I feel bad for Aang because he yelps at Zuko's harsh tone. “Okay, okay!”,he moved his arms in an appeasing manner “I'm sorry”. Zuko moves on his long slender legs to the fountain. “But maybe there's another way”, he looks away in deep thought “The first people to learn from the dragon were the ancient Sun warriors”.Aang who always seemed to think he knew the most since he was technically 100 years older than the rest walks towards Zuko. “Sun warriors? Well I know they weren't around when i was a kid”, Aang stood beside Zuko now. “No, they died off thousands of years ago. But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now”, Zuko  tilts his head toward Aang “Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins''. Sokka mirrors my suspicions “So what? Maybe you'll pick up some super old sun warrior energy just by standing where they stood a thousand years ago?”. He backs up his question by flaring his hands around in a weird motion which makes me hit my forehead with my hand. Zuko shifted his weight forward. “More or less. Either I find a new way to firebend '', he turns his head towards Aang ”or the Avatar has to find a new teacher”.

When Zuko left with the Avatar, the temple seemed to become much more quiet. Haru, the Duke and Teo were on yet another exploration mission. Katara was worrying for Aang, while she cooked the same meal we had been eating for days. Toph, Sokka and I laid spread out, floating over the water in the fountain. The heat had been getting worse and it was the only way to cool down. Sokka threw a worried look at her sister.“What do you think Sifu hotman and smaller bald Kyoshi is doing right now?”, I asked as I sat up in the fountain. My soaked hair was dripping down my back. Sokka smiled half way “Zuko is probably pissed because his worthless Sun warrior plan is not working out and Aang is probably playing peacemaker and trying to calm him down”.  Toph smirked and splashed some water with her feet. Katara sneered at us and I wondered if it was because she didn't like that we were talking about Aang or if she was jealous that we were bonding better then she had done with any of us. I was guessing on the latter. “If you could have any original animal from any bend type, which one would you have?”, Sokka asked to change the conversation subject. Toph didn't even need to think  for a second “obviously the badgermoles”. Sokka looked offended “really? You would pick a blind disgusting rat over a flying bison?”. I inhaled dramatically “Blind disgusting rat?! That's my best friend you're talking about!”. Sokka burst out in laughter and Toph rolled her eyes ironically “ha ha ha”.  I looked forward, deep in thought “I hate the fire nation but honestly the dragon is the most badass”. Sokka lifted an eyebrow surprised “they're extinct, remember?”. Katara moved a spoon through the home made meal as she mumbled “i wish that the entire fire nation was extinct”. We all fell silent, like we mostly did everytime Katara opened her mouth. I thought about how different my life would have been if the fire nation didn't exist. I would still have my mom. I would have grown up with a present and loving father. If my mom had gotten good care while giving birth, instead of hiding in a barn from the fire nation, she wouldn't have died in childbirth. And if my mom hadn't died, my dad wouldn't have blamed me for her death. He wouldn't have been slaughtered by the fire nation when they invaded my home years later on the look for something we didn't even have. But I would never have met Toph. I would never have gotten so good at earth bending. I wouldn't have met the avatar gang. But I still closed my eyes and imagined a world without the fire nation for just another second.

by the look of Aangs and Zuos excited faces when they returned, I guessed it was a successful mission. I can't help but feel relieved that they're okay, and to my surprise I'm relieved for both of them. A sense of calm fills me when I see that they're BOTH unharmed, but I would never admit that to anybody. They're quick to get into positions to start demonstrating what the sun warriors taught them. They moved gracefully, every motion mirrored between them as yin and yan. Fire licked the sides of their bodys without hurting them, as if the fire and their bodies were one. I had grown up with the view of fire as a plot of destruction, a tool for suffering and power play. But now, in the upside-down pagodas in the Western Air Temple, the fire looked nothing like that. It wasn't violent. It was beautiful, I could see shades of blue and green. I could see all the colors of the rainbow within the flames, similar to the reflection of water. Or the sharpened glass in the depths of the earth. Or how air bent sunlight on a hot day. I could see all elements moving from the palms of their hands in the shape of combustions of flames. Deep deep down within my bones I could feel a yearn for the fighting of flames. A longing for the feel of the heat against my hands, that I quickly pushed down. Fire was dangerous, it was not beautiful. It was difficult to convince myself when I left the hole of lament in my heart. The rest of the avatar gang interrupted my thoughts with applause as the two got into their final postures. “Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned there”, Sokka bursted out playfully. Normally i would join him with a remark myself but i wasn't in the mood. My feelings were conflicted and I couldn't focus on anything else. Zuko seemed offended. “It's not a dance. It's a firebending form”. Sokka moves his fingers in a dancing manner “We’ll just tap-dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord”.

Zuko makes his way over to Sokka with a threatening glimpse in his eyes “It's a sacred form that happens to be a thousand years old!”. Katara crosses her arms “Oh yeah? What is your little form called?”. Zuko's eyes met the ground embarrassed “The dancing Dragon”. The gang erupted in loud laughter as Zujo gringes in embarrassment. I stand quiet, not paying attention to how Zuko turns to me. “You haven't said any mocking remark about our form”, he bent down to my level to try to catch my attention. “You mean your dance?”I ask and raise an eyebrow. He mimics my expression “Really? is that it?”. I didn't even catch his bait as I waved him away “I'm not in the mood”. As I moved away I felt Zuko's burning eyes on the plate of my back. “Since when is she not in the mood”, Zuko mumbled to himself, confused. I was busy thinking about how I had longed to touch fire. The thing that destroyed my life.

Taglist: @eridanuswave , @Whalerus, @keiko0, @emogril , @theblueslytherin , @bbecc-a 

[meggannn]

thank god im not the only other asian girl who came to realize how weirdly orientalist atla/lok is.

i hope you don’t mind me using this ask as a springboard to get some of my thoughts down (i edited this once and that fucked up the read more, so i tried several times to put this behind a cut again but tumblr hates me so i guess now everyone has to read my beef ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

my friend said last night that ATLA is like the new harry potter with the way people talk about it and..... yknow she’s not entirely wrong.....

like, not to keep pulling this card, but ~as a half-asian~, i have been struggling with this show a lot over the past few months; before even the show came to netflix, i was seeing a resurgence of ATLA stan culture. the hype of the live-action series and the release of the kyoshi novels have also amplified this. i reblog posts because i do still enjoy it, but i have been abstaining from reblogging commentary that so obviously glorifies it.

part of this burst-bubble effect is my problem, because i strongly dislike how people talk about certain characters and ships (and i admit that frustration is seeping through what ATLA did right) and observing fandom favorites makes me think that a lot of points were missed: people love toph, but hate korra (even people who think they love korra only because she’s one half of korrasami, actually do hate korra lmfao); people love zuko but completely ignore aang; don’t get me started on the fandom’s embracing of korrasami/subsequent forgiving of the patronizing, disrespectful, borderline racist way bryke did it. that is fan behavior, and it all bothers me and is no doubt coloring my judgment of the actual show, but beyond that, i also do want people to realize and accept “wait a minute, plenty of the things we criticize other media for also exist in ATLA, and it shouldn’t be different just because this show is full of asians.”

part of me wants to — and does — celebrate that a pan-asian show, in which NO white characters and NO trace of western culture exists, was a critical and commercial success in 2005! and had full network support and resonated with kids of different backgrounds. i can appreciate and be happy of that. but “no western culture” doesn’t mean “no western influence”: it’s an asian fantasy world created by non-asians, so the staff still ultimately wrote a pretty western story. the treatment of the fire lord imperialist dynasty is the big one (iroh was a war criminal who only left the warfront because his actions affected him/his family but now he’s a old friendly Good Guy and never acknowledges the lives he’s ruined! everything is ok now that zuko is fire lord! not like his new friends will have any direct trauma or conflicting feelings with how he is now heading a nation that burned two out of three of their homelands to the ground and tried to burn the third too! now here are all our headcanons about katara/sokka being fire lord/lady, toph being a fire lord advisor, and aang being an air nation rep to the fire nation! perfect ending!!), but also the themes of a pretty straightforward good kids v evil conqueror story, watered-down concepts of buddhism/taoism/others for child consumption — some of these are not strictly bad things, but they don’t make it the best story in the world. they are not worth saying “stop watching x problematic cartoon, watch ATLA, the BEST cartoon with the BEST diversity!!!!”

side note, my friend looked it up last night and there was a total of one asian writer on the staff, May Chan, who according to wiki, just wrote the Boiling Rock episodes. (at this juncture i want to keep in mind that someone in the writer’s or developer’s room might be in my situation, possibly mixed race but white-passing in both face and name... it’d be hypocritical of me to not consider that possibility, but as far as i know that’s not the case, and in any respect i think it’s important to have visible diversity, not because i think mixed people don’t have anything to say or shouldn’t be counted, but in the sense that poc who don’t get the luxury of being white-passing should be allowed control of depicting people who look like them. but that’s another discussion.)

honestly, i can look over some aspects of this show because i still do enjoy it. i like the use of martial arts as a fantastical magic device because it was used consistently and clearly they did their research, even if it does kind represent this idea of Asia, the Land of Magic Powers; i don’t mind because not everyone has the magic powers, the magic powers are deconstructed, people without the magic powers are still treated respectfully, the magic powers are diverse, and they are treated both practically and spiritually (so not everyone, like sokka, has the same awe-inspiring respect of them, which is realistic characterization to this world, and though he’s sometimes portrayed as incorrect in his disbelief of the spiritual, he’s never portrayed as wrong for being practical and realistic). honestly, i don’t mind the oohs and aahs of these magic powers because i still think the magic powers are pretty fuckin cool; it’s likely we’ve all pretended to be a bender at some point lol. and as a kid, i didn’t mind that ATLA nations blended cultures; i thought it was fun to look up later and see which sorts of things were made up and which were influenced by real things (i liked that not a lot if it was made up). i don’t mind that Lake Laogai was named after a real, horrifying place, though i understand and completely respect that plenty of others find the name disturbing and tasteless.

that said, as an adult coming to ATLA for the first time, I would probably not go this hard for a show that blends a bunch of real ethnicities together in a hodgepodge of culture clashes, at least not one spearheaded by a white developer team. i would be less willing to ignore the northern air temple episode, where aang, victim of a genocide, forgives a bunch of strangers who disrespected and destroyed his home (including the guy who was NOW INVENTING WAR WEAPONS FOR THE VERY NATION THAT DESTROYED HIS PEOPLE). i can mostly look over these things because of nostalgia. but the way people outright stan the whole avatar series (including LOK but i won’t get into that right now) without acknowledging ATLA is, ultimately, still a story with a pretty western handling of its themes just with asian faces, is..... frustrating.

a new coworker of mine, also an asian woman who was too old to watch ATLA at the time it was airing, has said that the more she learns about ATLA as an adult the weirder she feels about it and less inclined she is to watch it, which makes me think that maybe i’m not crazy.

[clandestinemeetingsinthetrees]

Featherlight

Summary: Zuko doesn’t let anyone touch his scar, except Katara. Written for @zkdrabbledecember day 10 Read on AO3

Warning: this does have some descriptions of burns. It’s not super graphic but I’m gonna put this under the cut just in case :)

Zuko was not big on physical affection, but touching his scar was entirely off limits. He’d let no one touch it when he woke up after the Agni Kai. The healers warned him it against looking at it, insisted they continue to change his bandages, but he didn’t want anyone to look upon his shame. So he went to the mirror, pealed back the bandages to see the burnt flesh underneath. It didn’t look like what he expected. He’d dealt with burns before, every firebender has, but he could tell this was much worse. He thought his skin would look like a bad blister; he didn’t expect it to be almost white.

Then he had to rub the ointment on it. He was expecting it to hurt badly and was cursing himself for still being such a coward, but after the initial sting it soothed his skin.

The healers must have cut away most of the dead tissue, left side of his face looked as if it was dug into his cheek. The vision in his left eye was a bit fuzzy, the healers said it was miracle he could see out of it at all. He’d never thought his face to be especially handsome but now he knew it’d never be.

He wrapped up the bandage himself and boarded a ship the next morning.

…

The next time someone tries to touch his scar, he’s in the Earth Kingdom. She reaches for his face, but he grabs her wrist. She doesn’t understand that he brought this on himself. When she shows him her own scar, she thinks they are the same, but it just reminds him that he’s the villain in her story even if she doesn’t know it. As he leaves, he takes her ostrich-horse and doesn’t look back.

…

Then he’s in Ba Sing Se, and he’s given up on the Avatar and his honor and his name and all he wants is peace. But then his stupid uncle makes him go on this stupid date with some stupid girl and he feels all nervous for some reason. Why would she have a crush on him?

When she leans in to kiss him, he puts a coupon between them. Agni, he’s so scared and he doesn’t know why! When she reaches for his face, he worries she’ll touch his scar, but she goes for his right cheek instead. He kisses her but he regrets it immediately. She doesn’t know him and if she did, she wouldn’t want him. He doesn’t ask her out again.

…

The first time he lets someone touch his scar, it’s his enemy. Or at least she used to be his enemy? Now he’s confused. He thinks she might understand him and then she offers to do the impossible and it feels like a trap, but he decides to let her try anyways. For too long he’s let this scar define him and when she says she can heal it he dangerously lets himself have hope.

She reaches out to touch him and for once he doesn’t shy away or grab her hand, but he does close his eyes.

Then the Avatar crushes through the door with his uncle and the moment is gone and he feels more confused than he ever has before.

As he’s standing at the crossroads of destiny, he picks the wrong side. He still remembers the look of hurt in her eyes.

…

He never lets Mai touch his scar and she never tries. They avoid it like they avoid all hard topics of conversation. Sometimes he wonders if Mai even looks at it or if she just sees the Zuko she’s loved since she was a kid. He’s not sure if it bothers him or if he likes it. At least she doesn’t think he’s damaged.

…

When he joins the Avatar, she’s wary of him. He understands. He’s starting to think he’s always understood her.

He wants to make it up to her. He decides to give her what he wished he always had: closure.

The others don’t understand. They try to stop her or force forgiveness on her, but he doesn’t judge. She didn’t kill him, but he wouldn’t have blamed her if she had. She’s so strong.

It’s not until they’re back on Appa that she lets herself cry. She’s exhausted, mentally and physically, and they land on a small island to rest. Just yesterday she could barely sit at a campfire with him and now she’s crying into his shoulder. He rests his head against hers and almost doesn’t notice when she presses her cheek against his scar.

…

It became little touches after that. She’d examine his face after a particularly rough sparring match and happen to graze its edges. When she fixed his hair the palm of her hand would happen to rest against it. He wonders if she understands how on edge she makes him or if she gets what a big deal it is every time she touches it. He wished he weren’t so hyperaware.

They’re on Ember Island and the comet’s coming closer and closer but all he can think about is the girl who watches their firebending practice everyday. It’s unnerving.

One day, while lounging on the couch, Toph reaches up to touch his face but she aims to close to his scar and, out of habit, he swats her away.

“Hey Sparky, what was that for?” Toph remarks.

“You got too close to his scar,” Sokka says without looking up from the scroll he was examining. “Only Katara’s allowed to touch it.”

Zuko curses himself for being so obvious.

…

Years later, when she cups his face to kiss him for the first time, her fingers wrap around his scar, and it should feel suffocating, but her touch is featherlight.

[shortkingzuko]

title: burned words

relationship: bato/hakoda

for @bakodafleetweek prompt: interuppted

warnings: light angst, mention of canon injuries

summary: all that Bato can think is I love you I love you I love you I love you. The words burn his tongue worse than any of the strange spices they’ve encountered since they’ve left the South Pole. 

read under the cut or on AO3 for full list of tags

Bato doesn’t try to tell Hakoda that he loves him anymore, not that it really matters, in the grand scheme of things. When he was younger, he had tried - tried to get the words to form properly on his lips, but something always got in the way. Whether it was the sudden realization that the words would affect Kya - and eventually Sokka and Katara - or the sudden feeling of cowardice after he tried so hard to get Hakoda alone, or because he thought better in the face of his dearest friend, forever mourning the loss of his wife and with the whole world on his shoulders. The war won’t stop for love, or grief, or for the chance of the big what if that’s been haunting him for nearly all his life. Bato knows this all too well; Hakoda knows this too. It used to be something that Bato thought weighted him down, something that made him dead weight, but instead, it’s only made him that much more loyal, that much more trusted, that much more important to Hakoda, even if he doesn’t know the true reasons behind his devotion. The feeling still sits heavy in his chest, pressing against his ribs so hard sometimes Bato swears they’ll snap. They never do. Bato takes his vow of silence on the matter seriously; Hakoda has his children, their tribe, and the war to worry about. He doesn’t need to worry about his lifelong friend’s pining feelings too. 

Still, sometimes Bato will look at Hakoda and the light will be hitting him just right, or the spray of the sea will gather in droplets just above his brow, or sometimes he’ll just be hunched over a scroll, hand propping his head up, eyes stern and focused, and the words will just claw their way out of his chest, like crabs escaping a net, fighting each other to get out first. At least, they try to.

Sometimes part of the confession will slip out, a raspy, “Hakoda, I-” will bubble out of his lips before he can beat it back down. Either Hakoda will be too busy or surrounded by too much noise to hear, or he’ll look up from his task, face tense with stress but eyes softening as he looks towards his friend, and Bato will have to come up with an excuse as to why he drew his attention away. Often it’s as easy as clearing his throat of the lovesick tone and saying, “Hakoda, I think you need a break.”

Hakoda rarely listens to Bato’s pleas for him to take greater care of himself, saying that the other tribe members or the war effort need him. Bato has to work so hard to not say, I need you too.

Other times it’s the good grace of the spirits that keep Bato’s confessions away from Hakoda’s ears. A quiet moment sitting around the evening fire, sparks illuminating Hakoda’s face in a warm glow, hair falling out of its wolf tail and hanging around his face, and all that Bato can think is I love you I love you I love you I love you. The words burn his tongue worse than any of the strange spices they’ve encountered since they’ve left the South Pole. 

Voice so soft that only the spirits can hear, Bato will start to say, “I lo-”

“Chief!” Someone will always call, and Hakoda will always turn to look towards them, always willing to help. It happens more times than Bato would care to admit, that he’s saved from his own inability to keep his feelings to himself, only because one of their tribe members need help settling a minor dispute.

The feeling of relief that he feels when he’s saved of a confession is secondary to the feeling of regret. His love for Hakoda paces around in his heart, like a caged sabre-tooth moose-lion, antsy and yearning for escape. More than anything Bato wants Hakoda to know how he feels, to know that despite all his flaws, all his mistakes, all of his perceived failures, he wants him to know that Bato still loves him despite, or maybe because, all that. He wants to kiss his stress bitten lips and to smooth his slowly greying hair. He wants to hold his friend close at night, to speak with him about his children, to return to their home and move in together and die old and grey next to his side. 

More than anything, Bato wants Hakoda to know that he won’t leave him and that he won’t let Hakoda leave him either. 

But those are promises that can’t, and shouldn’t, be made. Bato knows, rationally, that he might not be able to keep them, and his devotion to Hakoda means that he’s never been able to lie outright to him. So instead he dances around the subject, he tries to get Hakoda to rest when he’s been working too much, tries to make sure he always gets a slightly bigger serving of food (even though when Hakoda notices, he’ll switch bowls with whoever is the most injured), tries to tell him without telling him that he is loved, and cared for and that without him, Bato fears that he’ll never be complete. 

It’s when his arm is burned, when his skin red and melted, tissue exposed and damp, when every beat of his heart shutters and every breath is pained and hard, and his eyes keep shutting for minutes at a time before shooting back open with pained groans, that he feels drops of water falling on his face. For a moment Bato thinks it might be raining, and wouldn’t that be a nice relief on his scorched skin, except he feels a quaking all around him, and he realizes that it’s not rain or an earthquake, but Hakoda. And he realizes that Hakoda is carrying him, his strong arms around his waist and holding his leg, his undamaged arm has been positioned around Hakoda’s shoulders, and Hakoda is carrying him with such strength and tenderness that Bato doesn’t know how to react. And then he feels - doesn’t hear, the blood pumping in his ears makes it almost impossible to hear anything - Hakoda sob, soul racking and aggressive, as he continues his trek… wherever they’re headed. 

In his semi-conscious state, Bato mumbles, “Hakoda…”

All the name earns is another cry, as the man looks down at Bato’s ash-smudged and bloodied face. He says something, but Bato is already drifting off, only aware of the shaking of Hakoda’s chest and the pain of his left side. 

The only thing he can think is I love you, but he doesn’t know if his mouth moves as quickly as his thoughts.

When they get to the abbey, Bato is only awake for moments at a time, only aware of the Sisters pouring frigid water over his wounds, the sensation of thick salves, and then suffocating bandages wrapped tightly around his arm and torso. He can vaguely hear Hakoda speaking to one of the Sisters, but it’s fuzzy. Everything is fuzzy, from his hearing to his eyesight, to the feeling of everything around him.

Bato opens his eyes, unaware that he closed them in the first place, to see smudges of blue walking away, and the sight of Hakoda holding his unbandaged hand, eye closed and forehead pressed against Bato’s. 

Bato tries to greet him, but all that comes out in a garbled whine. Hakoda opens his eyes slowly, lifts his head and looks down at him.

“Hey, Bato.” His voice is choked and comes out heavy, over-enunciated. “The Sisters said you might not remember a whole bunch, but I wanted to tell you that… we have to leave. The tribe and I. We need to keep heading to the safe point, and we…. We have to leave you here.”

Another whine escaped from Bato’s throat, and he tries to push himself up, but before Hakoda can push him down, he collapses back onto the medical cot. Instead, he holds Hakoda’s hand even tighter. 

“I’m sorry, Bato, spirits, I’m so fucking sorry.” Tears flow down Hakoda’s face. “We can’t take care of you, and the Sisters here already said that you’ll probably get an infection and if we can’t take care of you, you’ll die, and you can’t die on me, Bato.”

Bato slowly, carefully, pulls Hakoda back down so that their foreheads are pressed together again. He feels the heat of Hakoda’s laboured breaths against his face. He closes his eyes, focusing on the pleasant warmth instead of the painful burn.

“We’ll send for you as soon as we’re safe so that you can follow, I swear it.” Hakoda cries, not quite freely, but as freely as he can. The warm tears stream down his face, onto Bato’s lips and into his tongue. 

And Bato believes that; he believes and trusts in Hakoda more than anything, more than he believes in himself or that this gods forsaken war will ever end. But he doesn’t trust his own erratically beating heart, or the pain in his arm, or the light-headedness that he feels.

“Hakoda,” he chokes out, throat scratchy and dry. He wants to be speaking confidently, loudly, with his usual voice of order and straightforwardness, but instead, his voice is quiet, raspy, and broken. “Hakoda, I love-”

“Chief Hakoda,” A voice calls out from the doorway. Bato can’t recognize it right now, but it booms and echos in his ears. “We need to leave. If we stay any longer, we may get caught by the next patrol.”

Slowly, Hakoda nods, and says, “Alright. Get everyone ready to leave. I’ll be out in a minute.”

There’s a shuffling and Bato assumes that whoever was speaking has left, and he’s left just staring into Hakoda’s eyes, blue like the ice caves that polar dogs dig, and suddenly Bato, for the first time, wonders if all his love could maybe be returned. 

Hakoda squeezes Bato’s hand, pressing Bato’s knuckles into his scratchy cheek, and holds it there.

Bato closes his eyes, wanting nothing more than to hold Hakoda’s hand forever. 

“I’ll send for you,” Hakoda whispers, one more time. “I’m not leaving you here forever.”

And Bato wants to say I know, I know, I know you’d never leave me, not in a hundred years, not for all the stars in the sky, not for all the warmth in the South Pole, but all that comes out in a sob that he didn’t realize was building in his throat. Hakoda wipes away the tears with his thumb.

“Bato, I-” And another cry blooms out of Bato’s mouth. Hakoda shushes him. “Bato, Bato, none of that now. You’ll be back with me soon, okay?” 

Bato nods, eyes still streaming, as Hakoda finally releases his hand. He runs a hand over Bato’s knotted hair.

“We’ll be back together soon.”

And as Bato watches his retreating figure, he wants to say I know, I love you, I know, I love you, I know. But all he can do is let out a sigh, as his emotional outburst ends, leaving him exhausted. His eyes close as he hears Hakoda giving orders outside the curtain of his door, and the only words in his mind are love you love you love you.

[is-that-another-soulmate-au]

Zukka Soulmate AU part 8

@mypureessence

@chaoticidiott

@ari-shipping-stuff

@knightedbot

@idkhowbutimgayer

@swampy-beans

@angrylittleintrovert

Zuko stepped outside just as the sun finally peaked over the horizon. His blue ribbon not tied half proudly around his right wrist. He stretched his arms above his head with a yawn only to be startled by someone running out of a small alley with a green spirit mask on and a bow in hand with a quiver of arrows on their hip.

The person only gave them a side glance before darting to the roof and an disappearing. Leaving Zuko to deal with the angry earthkingdom noble who came out of the alley with a scowl. "Young man! Did you see a green masked man?"

Zuko just stared at him sleepily "no?"

"You sound unsure"

"I only just stepped out si-" Zuko jumped when he felt a hand on his waist. Turning he found Sokka with his hair down standing beside him. He froze, oh.

"Whats going on Zuko?" Sokka yawned

"Oh! I'm sorry to disturb you and your soulmate, have a wonderful morning" the nobel then scurried off back down the alley.

The duo blinked and Zuko moved over away from Sokka's hand and cleared his throat "I was just stepping out for some fresh air and someone ran out then this noble guy started questioning me"

Sokka nodded "okay, but why are you up so early?"

"Im a firebender Sokka, I rise with the sun"

"Hey! Shh! You may not care that people know your a firebender but if you let people from this village know we could all be in danger" Sokka whisper yelled

"Okay, okay, I get it, by the way I saw a library on the way to the Inn that had a tea shop inside, I think it opens in a couple hours might be a good plan to check out some books, might even have some maps of smaller areas"

"Hm, I do like maps" Sokka said with a grin

"You do? I though Aang was the one reading the maps"

"Aang? He can't read a map to save his life, my dad taught me how to read a map before he left with his fleet so I can figure out any map atlas I need to" Sokka said with his hands on his hips.

Zuko smiled "oh? Is that so? Well then how about we go after breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me... by the way... I like the ribbon, but it'd look nicer on your neck, would you mind if I tied it there?"

Zuko flushed bright red "I uh! I actually avoided tying it around my neck because I know it is a similar style to water tribe betrothal necklaces so uh.. yeah, Ive been uh, avoiding that.. uh.. I mean I know its not an actual one but its a similar make and so I was trying to uh... avoid wearing it like one" he looked down and avoided all eye contact

Sokka took a moment and then laughed "I think thats the most I've heard you say, oh gods you are a treat.. but for real, a betrothal necklace has to be carved so this isnt like one in any way, plus the band is normally leather and this is silk so"

Zuko held his hand out to Sokka for him to untie it, which he did and then moved behind him and brought the band in front of him with gentle hands "you know, I used to tie Katara's necklace for her"

Zuko gave a small sigh when he felt the silk touch the skin of his neck "oh? You two seem close" he said with a small voice

With a laugh Sokka tied the silk ribbon in small bow "well of course we are, we're siblings during a war, that kinda thing will make family close you know" after finishing the bow Sokka leaned his chin on Zuko's shoulder

"Not all families" Zuko sighed out

"Hey, it made you and your Uncle close right? That counts for something"

"And Jee" Zuko mumbled

"Jee? The guy with you and your uncle?"

"Yeah, hes like a brother I guess" Zuko shrugged

They were both started by Aang bolting out the door looking for them and when his eye landed on them, seeing Sokka with his hands on Zuko's hips and his chin on his shoulder he grinned mischievously "hi there love birds"

Zuko let out a groan and pushed off Sokka's hands before storming inside mumbling "shut up Aang" with a bright red face.

"Youve been waiting to say that for ages haven't you?" Sokka glared and Aang nodded "well, too bad, I was just helping him with his necklace and we're both tired so I was resting"

Later on they all went to the library that Zuko mentioned, Aang and Katara wandering off to find the tea corner with Iroh and Toph, Jee spotting the owner and chatting him up. So that left Sokka and Zuko to search for maps, catching a boy their age organizing the shelves.

"Uh, excuse us, do you work here?" Zuko asked quietly.

The boy turned a bit too fast and one of his braids hit his nose before he swung it behind his shoulder. "Yes, sorry, Im Tarren, how can I help you?" The boy smiled and looked at the two scars "oh! You two are soulmates aren't you! You look so lovely together" he clasped his hands, Lily would absolutely gush over a fire and water pair"

"Woah woah, what do you mean fire?" Sokka said with a raised brow

"Did you... not notice your mate's golden eyes? Only powerful firebenders have golden eyes like his" he smiled "its nothing bad, firebenders are more than welcome here, one of our favorite customers is a firebender, he usually comes in around..." Tarren turned to look at a small sundial reflection "oh, around now... one moment"

The boy flicked his own wrist "Lily! Put on Kurt's ginger tea!"

"I already have! We have a customer here that requested it!" A young woman's voice could be heard from the far corner of the library

"Good, good, anyways, what were you looking for?"

"Maps"

"Oh, right over here, what area or areas were you looking to have maps of"

"Well, the firenation for one, and a few towns and cities in the earth kingdom" Sokka said with a pep in his step

"You seem to like maps" Tarren said with a grin

"I do! Its one of the few things I'm good at!" He said in a fairly chipper tone which caught both Tarren and Zuko off guard

"Hoooold on boomerang" Zuko grabbed the back of his tunic "you do so much more than just read maps, from what I've seen youre the only one capable of keeping this group sane, you a pretty good hand to hand fighter and whats more you're the only one capable of diffusing situations without any violence"

"Yeah, but I'm also the only one without any fancy bending" Sokka shrugged

"Who cares about that? You're a better fighter than any of them, and besides give me some time to train you with swords and you'll be even better"

"Hey now! Lily is a nonbender and can kick my ass and probably all of your bender asses with just a small blade and a few fancy steps" he jabbed a finger towards them

The duo stopped and looked at him "the girl you called out to earlier?"

Tarren blinked and awkwardly put his hand down and brushed the front of his uniform with a clear of his throat "right, yes, right, uh... sorry about that" he turned towards the direction of Lily "this scar his hers" he brushed a large burn on his right arm

"Im sure theres a big story there" Sokka said

"Yeah, there is, uh! But those maps!" Tarren then turned and skimmed his hand along several scrolls tapping three of them before lifting his hand and twisting it to bend the stone behind them, catching them in his other hand "here you go! You should probably join your friends over at Lily's tea corner, seems she's gotten into her story with them."

"How do you?" Zuko didnt get to finish before Tarren lifted his finger to show a small cut on his finger

"She normally breaks a cup when she talks about it... she has a deadly grip, works great with her training but terribly with serving tea" he smiled but then jumped when he heard the door open with a little bell "Kurt's here" he whispered before rushing off to greet Kurt only to freeze when he rounded the corner.

The duo rounded the same corner to find a short boy with firenation clothes and a torn right sleeve which revealed a matching scar to Tarren and apparently Lily. He had an awkward grin on his face and waved "heeeyyy Tarren, uh, I need to hide for a bit, and maybe a bit of a fix up?"

Zuko and Sokka looked at eachother and watched as Tarren slapped the back of his hand multiple times while calling out to Lily and shouting for Fin who was two aisles over. But by the time they got there Kurt fell and Tarren just barely caught him. He was out cold.