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imagines--galore · 27 days ago

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||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-Five

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: EMBER ISLANDS!!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!!! FINALLY! I am so so so excited for the next chapters! And guy seriously if you have any scenarios or moments you might want to see between Zuko and Orora or even the whole Gaang or any interactions between any characters let me know!

The first night was spent out in the courtyard.

Katara had been so exhausted that the second she had laid down on her bed roll, she'd been asleep. The rest of them had tip-toed around her, going about their business of making and eating food. Sokka had quickly asked Orora to leave a bowl of food out for Katara. In case she woke up in the middle of the night and was hungry.

Orora watched as Sokka set the bowl beside his exhausted sister. She didn't even stir when Sokka adjusted her blanket to cover her properly.

"You know, she didn't mean what she said." The older girl glanced beside her at Toph, who was finishing off the last of her food. "That you're not a part of the family." The girl clarified, and though her words were meant to be comforting, Orora couldn't help but feel a twinge of ache inside her. Setting aside her half-finished bowl, the girl swallowed against the strange feeling that rose within her.

"I can pretend how much I want Toph." She said in a low voice. "But what she said is true. I'm not a part of their family." Playing around with her rice with her chopsticks, the Waterbender shrugged, giving a small teary smile. "But they are a part of my family." She nudged the girl sitting next to her. "Just like you."

Which was why Toph had been the first person she'd gone to after Katara and Zuko had ridden off on Appa. She'd ranted until she had no more words left. And once she was done, Toph had been the one to reassure her that Katara would be alright.

"She's a good person with a good heart Orora." The girl had said, finding it strange that, for once, she was the one comforting the older girl. "When the time comes, she'll make the right decision."

And she had.

Seems Orora had nothing to worry about.

Though given how much she tended to worry, Orora was beginning to wander if perhaps Yue had given her the patch of white hair so she wouldn't start growing actual white hair out of the worry and anxiety she felt all the time when it came to the people she cared about.

"So, this was like your vacation home when you were a kid?" Suki asked as they finished up their dinner. Zuko nodded, glancing around at the pathway that ran along the entire courtyard, leading away into the rooms. "That was a long time ago." The boy said. "The last time we came here was a year before my cousin and Uncle went to the war front. Since then, no one has been here."

Aang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then why was the door kicked down when we came in?" He asked, lifting his bowl of food towards his mouth and taking a bite. Suddenly looking sheepish, Zuko's eyes darted towards Orora briefly before he explained. "I came here a couple months ago, when my father sent my sister and I out on a forced vacation." Toph snorted. "And what, you couldn't walk in like a random person?" She asked, her tone obviously mocking, one that had Sokka sniggering to himself.

Annoyed, Zuko pursed his lips. "I was working through some stuff." He grumbled. Sokka rolled his eyes. "You're always working through some stuff Zuko. Should we keep an eye on you? Make sure you don't kick down any more doors?" His eyes landed on Momo who was happily chomping away on a fruit. The boy grinned. "Maybe we should have Momo follow you around. Keep you from harming unsuspecting doors."

They were all laughing now, except for Zuko, who glanced at Momo. The flying-lemur glanced back at the human.

Before quickly gathering his fruit and dashing off to hide behind Orora.

"Ouch."

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She had wanted to go to sleep, she really had. But there was something nagging her. At the back of her mind, something was pushing her to ask what she wanted to. She'd caught Zuko's eye while everyone had begun to lay down their sleeping bags. Motioning to the dark corridor that led to the inner rooms of the house, Orora stood from where she'd been adding logs to the fire to keep it going through the night.

Even though it was Summer, the wind coming in from the sea was chilling at night.

Zuko, dropping his sleeping mat on the floor, walked after the retreating form of his girlfriend. He found her waiting for him, leaning against the side of the many windows that ran along the corridor. She was gazing down to the beach, where the waves were crashing against the shore. The sound of the waves breaking was quite prominent even this far up.

It was calming.

"About Katara." She began, raising her eyes to Zuko. The girl had thought her questions about the younger girl's well being would be endless. But all that came out of her mouth was: "Is she really alright?"

Sighing, Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, pursing his lips before he spoke. "As well as she could ever be after the confrontation with the man who killed her mother." Orora tried not to wince at his bluntness, but her features twitched anyway. "She was quiet, the whole ride back, like I told you. And after that I went to get you guys, and then when she was speaking to Aang, she finally forgave me for all that I did."

Orora smiled, peace settling in her heart. Perhaps now Katara wouldn't be so opposed to her and Zuko being Soulmates.

But then she remembered the tiny detail Zuko had mentioned while he told them all of what had happened. "Did she......did she really use blood-bending? On that man?" She asked, her voice hoarse as she wrapped her arms around herself, as if her body could feel the phantom pain of how that felt.

To have someone take control of your body.

To make it do things that were out of your control.

She remembered how devastated Katara had been. How she had broken down after the run-in they had with Hama.

Zuko frowned, looking to the side, unable to fathom the fear in Orora's eyes at the mere mention of such a dangerous bending form. She had told him about it. He had never thought he would witness it.

"She did." He admitted. "She allowed her feelings of hatred and rage rule her, take over her completely." Closing his eyes, he sighed sadly, before lifting his head to look at Orora. "Anger is an ugly emotion Orora. It takes hold of you. Every fiber of your being is a slave to it, and there is nothing you can do about it. You loose your true self to it. But Katara was strong." He was quick to amend. "She was strong and though she made a few mistakes, she broke through."

He paused. "I know more then anyone how anger can take over your entire life. I almost let it ruin the best thing that could ever happen to me." His lips pulled in a small smile as he gazed at his Soulmate. "Katara fought against that rage, and she won."

Though there was a part of her that believed that speaking to Katara would reassure her fears, Orora couldn't help but feel her entire body relax at Zuko's reassurance. Her heart lightened, and new hope breathed into her.

A hope that made her believe that she had her sister back.

With one final sigh, she allowed her worries to rest completely. "I'm glad you helped her out Zuko." She admitted. "She wouldn't have allowed anyone else to help her, so I'm happy she had someone that I could trust to keep her safe."

The pride was obvious in Zuko's expression as he smiled at Orora. "Yeah, well, I had to get her to forgive me somehow. I mean I couldn't have your sister disapproving of me when I finally took you out on that date." He had laughter in his eyes, a sight she never got tired of seeing.

Humming, the girl shrugged. "She'll find some other reason to disapprove of us. Though it wouldn't be as bad as what was before." She teased, knowing it would only make Zuko nervous about the situation.

And it did.

His shoulders dropped, as did his smile.

Orora laughed softly to herself as she walked towards him. "So try to stay in her good graces now that you're there." She advised. Leaning up, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Good night."

With that she walked away, leaving Zuko to stay back for a few moments longer, his mind working a mile a second as he thought of what he had to do to achieve something he'd been waiting a long time for.

And his mind kept racing with ideas until he fell asleep underneath the open sky with the stars twinkling down at him.

The reason behind his thoughts asleep just a foot or so away from him.

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"I cannot believe I am spending my day cleaning your house."

"Technically it belongs to my Dad."

"I'm slaving away for the Fire Lord. That's even worse!"

"You know if you shut your mouth and focus on cleaning, we might get this done much faster."

"Oh no. If I'm gonna clean this place, I will be complaining every second of it."

Zuko resisted the urge to throw the already dirty rag at Sokka's face. But he didn't have to, since Katara walked by just then. "If you're done complaining Sokka, you missed a spot." She gestured to the roof which had several cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

Since they would be staying in the house, Katara had suggested that they clean up some parts of it. Areas that would be in their use, and not have them sneeze and cough every time they went from outside and into the dust and sand covered rooms.

Muttering under his breath, Sokka lifted the long piece of wood that had a cloth wrapped around it, wiping away at the cobweb. Thinking that perhaps his sister's presence would keep him from complaining, Zuko turned back to his task. "How come Toph and Aang get to sit out?" Sokka bemoaned, finding yet another thing to complain about.

The Prince gritted his teeth, fighting with all his strength not to hit the water tribe boy over the head.

"They're not sitting out, they're training. Really Sokka, its not like you have to clean the whole house. Just the rooms we'll be sleeping in." Katara looked around. "Is Orora here?" She asked, her voice sounding just as tentative as she looked. Zuko glanced over at her, as Sokka responded. "She went to the other room with Suki." He said, oblivious to the turmoil his sister felt at the moment. Nodding, the young waterbender Master walked out. And no sooner had her steps receded, when Zuko was following her.

"Hey! Where're you going?" Sokka called out to his retreating back. "Katara's gonna go talk to Orora and I wanna hear it." Call him nosy, but he wanted to listen to what the two girls had to say. Especially since he would be one of the topics of the conversation. "You coming?" Glancing at the dusty, cobweb covered stick he was holding, Sokka allowed it to fall to the floor before following after Zuko.

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Swinging her legs from where she sat atop the newly cleaned counter that ran along the length of the kitchen, Suki watched Orora as she bended water along the surface of the floor. "I feel bad that I'm not doing anything." She said, her eyes tracking how every last grain of sand and dust was taken away by the water Orora was moving to and fro.

"Well think of it this way, I'm practicing my bending by you not taking part in the cleaning." Orora said, lifting the water in the form of a bubble and throwing it out of the window and into the foliage that surrounded the house. "And with that we are done." The girl said, looking around at the recently clean kitchen with a proud grin. Suki nodded. "It looks good." She giggled. "The boys won't be happy with us for finishing our work so easily and with barely any effort."

Orora waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, let them inhale some dust clouds. Might do their egos some good." The two girls laughed, missing Katara as she stood at the entrance to the kitchen. The younger waterbender girl cleared her throat, catching their attention.

"Suki, I need you to bring the food and pots from the courtyard please." The girl said with barely a glance in the Suki's direction, before her eyes met Orora's.

Sensing the sudden shift in the air as the two Water Tribe girl continued to look at each other, Suki nodded. "Yeah sure Katara!" Jumping down from her seat, the girl began to retreat. "I'll just go!"

Though the moment she stepped outside the door, the girl flattened herself against the wall next to the kitchen and just about held her breath, waiting for the conversation to begin.

Her surprised eyes landed on Sokka and Zuko, who were pressed up against the wall opposite her. The three of them glanced at each other, before coming to a mutual agreement.

And continued to eavesdrop.

"Was there something you needed to say to me Katara?" Alright so maybe she was being a little cold towards the girl, but whatever Katara had been going through in that moment, what she had said hurt more then the other girl's rejection of her and Zuko's bond.

The younger girl bit her lower lip, guilt gnawing at her from within. "I....." She trailed off. "I have a lot of things to say, but I think I should start with, I'm sorry." She choked out, feeling the lump in her throat growing as tears burned behind her eyes.

"Orora I am so sorry about what- I was just so angry at the time, and I said some horrible things." Katara's gaze was pleading as she continued to look at Orora. "And I'm also sorry about the way I treated you and Zuko when you decided to give him another chance. I let my anger cloud my....well....my everything." Honestly, Katara was at a loss. She was usually so good when it came to voicing what she was feeling out loud, but in that moment, watching her older sister look at her with that strange expression on her face, words failed her.

A look that was a cross between endearment and sorrow.

Maybe she had rushed into it. Maybe she should've given Orora a little bit of distance before approaching her with an apology. Give them both some time. But, in truth, Katara didn't want to wait.

She missed her sister. She missed their talks, Orora's playful teasing, their waterbending sessions. Not to mention the knowledge that no matter what, Orora would always have her back.

Not that Katara had ever doubted it even when they weren't speaking to one another.

"I can't pretend that what you said didn't hurt." The older girl finally spoke, her voice soft and gentle, which only made Katara's heart twinge with guilt. "And that when you were against my decision to try to be with my Soulmate, I felt like I had been betrayed by my own sister."

Katara couldn't help the whispered apology that echoed in the otherwise empty room.

"But I'm not going to hold anything against you." Orora revealed, chuckling when she saw the obvious expression of shock shoot across Katara's face. "We've had too many bad and-and negative feelings cooped up inside us Katara." She continued. "And I just don't want to feel them anymore. I'm tired of being sad, or angry, or depressed all the time over something."

She sighed. "And I just want it to stop."

A moment of silence, where neither girl moved or said anything.

Before Katara shot forward and Orora raised her arms, gathering her younger sister in an embrace that was returned just as lovingly as it was given.

Just beyond the two hugging sisters, three heads floated, partially hidden behind the doorway.

Suki, with a smile on her lips, glad her friends had finally made peace. Zuko, with a look of satisfaction, ecstatic for his Soulmate to have her sister back.

And Sokka?

Well......

"That was beautiful!" He sobbed, stumbling to stand in the doorway, tears streaming down his cheeks. The two girls turned to look at him with identical expressions of bemusement. Orora raised an eyebrow. "Really Sokka, you're overreacting a little." She said, but her words were met with a comically loud sob as Sokka launched himself forward, wrapping an arm around each girl's shoulder and hugging them, or rather squishing them together.

Completely ignoring their protests as he pressed a rather messy kiss on each of their cheeks.

"Gross! Sokka get off!"

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They were at the last stages of their clean up.

Aang and Toph had returned awhile ago, and Katara was having Aang airbend some of the cobwebs that were too far out of any of their reach. And since Orora was finished with sweeping the floor with water and collecting the dust and sand, she was quick to escape to the inner courtyard and settle herself down next to Toph.

"How was training?" She asked, watching Toph break some nuts open with a small swipe of a rock she was bending. "Twinkletoes still has a long way to go before he can call himself a Master." She revealed, smashing some nuts open and handing them out for Orora to take. The older girl muttered her thanks before popping them in her mouth.

"You really think stealing Aang's secret stash is gonna win you any points with him?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the small sack of walnuts she'd seen Aang sneak out and eat from on several occasions.

Toph grinned. "Nope. But maybe it'll teach him to hide his food better." She laughed, before finishing off the last of the nuts. Orora simply shook her head, making a mental note to buy Toph her own bag of nuts to snack on later. As well as a new bag for Aang, since Toph finished his. "So, how're you holding up?" The older girl asked, stretching her legs out in front of her, her hands resting against the floor behind her as she leaned back slightly. The younger girl frowned. "What do you mean? Am I supposed to be holding something up?" She asked, to which Orora shook her head, smiling softly though looking sad at the same time.

"I mean how're you holding up with The Duke not being around." She elaborated.

And her words were met with complete silence.

A silence that stretched on for a good few minutes before Toph was finally able to speak. The question had come so out of the blue that the girl was actually at a loss for words. A first for her, since she was always prepared with a snippy quip for anyone who happened to come her way.

"I haven't actually really allowed myself to think about that." She finally admitted, frowning slightly as she did. "Because when I do, I feel this really overwhelming feeling. And I don't like it." She admitted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively, as if she could shield herself from within from feeling what she was in that moment.

Orora nodded, reaching out to gently lay a hand on Toph's forearm. "Like you left a piece of yourself behind?" She asked, her voice soft and comforting as she shifted a little closer to the girl. Toph, sensing the shift, didn't hesitate to lay her head down against Orora's shoulder, drawing comfort from her older sister's presence. Feeling more then a little overwhelmed, and not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded. Drawing her arm up to wrap around Toph's shoulders, Orora gave her a squeeze.

"I know it feels really difficult, and honestly, it does suck. But trust me when I say that when you meet him again, there is no other feeling like it."

Loud voices approaching had the waterbender looking up in the direction of the owners, namely Zuko and Aang who were now done with their tasks and walking towards the courtyard as well. "Believe me." Orora said, her ice blue gaze never wavering from the unaware Zuko. "I know."

Toph, sensing the two boys approaching shook her head. "Don't you go going all sappy with me, Ice Princess." She teased, glad to have spoken to Orora, and getting everything off her chest. She would still miss The Duke, but the promise of their meeting again had all her worries slowly disappearing.

Rolling her eyes, Orora gave the girl a playful shove, before pushing down the green headband she always wore. In response, Toph flicked her foot upwards, causing the earth underneath the wooden platform they were sitting on to shift and send Orora sprawling to the side.

"Toph!" She called out, rubbing the back of her head. The blind girl only grinned. "What're you complaining about?" She asked, sensing Zuko's steps rushing to where Orora had fallen and helping her sit up. "You have Firebug's arms around you now don't you?"

Orora pursed her lips, blue eyes shining with annoyance, despite the blush that painted her dark brown skin because yes, she didn't particularly mind the position she was in right then. Zuko chuckled under his breath, prompting Orora to punch his arm. "Don't encourage her." She admonished him.

Toph laughed loudly, standing up and throwing the now empty bag of walnuts in Aang's direction. "You're welcome!" She called over her shoulder as she walked away, leaving Aang to groan over the loss of his snack.

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Once everything was clean, everyone had settled down for the night. There wasn't a shortage of rooms in the house, but for some reason, they'd all opted to sleep together in the living area of the house. It was large enough for all of them to fit in comfortably, and it opened up to the courtyard outside where Appa would sleep.

Inwardly, Orora was glad they weren't sleeping in separate rooms. She liked being near all of them, knowing everyone was safe and sound asleep.

Plus she'd kind of gotten used to sleeping with Zuko's face just a few feet away from her own. More then once she had fallen asleep while simply looking at his face. Then again, he had done the same every night since he'd gotten her back.

They'd all been much to exhausted to stay up long and chat that night.

Which was why they were all up bright and early the next morning. Aang and Zuko had gotten up even earlier to practice their firebending. Orora was just waking up when they returned. She was a little miffed about it, having wanted to see how Aang was progressing and to see Zuko use his firebending from a source that was other then anger and rage.

"We need to go into town." Katara stated as she surveyed a rather long piece of paper that she held. Everyone looked up from where they'd been finishing their breakfast. "We're almost out of food." The waterbender continued. "We need to get a few other supplies, and get Suki a new outfit." She added, glancing in the girl's direction who gave a nod of agreement. Sokka frowned. "Whats wrong with what she has on?" He asked, to which Suki, Katara and Orora all threw him a look.

"Sokka, do you really expect me to walk around in prison clothes?" His Soulmate asked, raising an eyebrow at him. The boy shrugged. Personally, he didn't think it mattered. They were just clothes. Then again, he did like his girlfriend in her Kiyoshi outfit more, so maybe it did matter.

Aang looked around at the group. Each of them supporting the colors of their Nation. "Well, if we're gonna go out and explore, its best we change into our Fire Nation disguises." He suggested. The new information had Zuko looking around. "Fire Nation disguises?" He asked, to which Toph nodded. "What we wore while we roamed around the Fire Nation before the Invasion. We really blend in rather well." She said, already standing up to get ready. Sokka grinned. "Maybe I can wear my beard again!" He stated gleefully, before racing off at a speed that left Orora thinking that he was maybe part Airbender.

"So wait, we're all going shopping?" Zuko asked, looking around as everyone dispersed, eager to change and get out of the dreary house. Katara rolled her eyes. "Of course we're all going Zuko." She smiled. "Its more fun to go as a group. And its been ages since we went out and just explored." With that she grabbed Orora's elbow, who grabbed Toph, and disappeared to the rooms where they had stored their supplies.

Leaving Suki and Zuko behind to clean up.

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"No! Absolutely not!" Suki stated with a tone of finality in her voice.

"Awww but why?!"

"Sokka, it makes you look ridiculous."

"I thought you would think it made me look dignified."

"If you mean dignified-edly horrible, then yes, you're right."

Sokka pouted, though it was rather hard to see with the huge bushy beard he was wearing. Toph, who had been listening to the exchange while leaning against the broken door of the house, grinned. "I think you look dignified Sokka." She called out, prompting Zuko and Aang to snigger as Sokka turned to Toph with a hopeful look on his face.

"Thanks Toph! I knew I could-" He cut himself off, catching the wide grin on Toph's face. Scowling, he yanked at the beard, he pulled it off and tossed it aside, grumbling certain words under his breath that would have him earning two swats over the head by his sisters.

Who still hadn't appeared yet.

"Where are they?" Zuko asked impatiently, a little annoyed that he wasn't using the time to have Aang run through some fire drills again. While he was supporting a cloak with a hood to hide his face, Aang adjusted the tall hat he had found in the closets of the house, hiding his blue tattoos from sight. "Is this your first time waiting for a girl to get dressed Zuko?" He asked. The Prince's mind flashed back to the time when he had waited for Orora to come down from the apartment when they were supposed to go serve tea to the Earth King.

He remembered what his Uncle had said. “You should prepare yourself for such tardiness my nephew. A lady always takes her time. But it is always worth the wait.”

"Hey, I'm a girl and I got ready quicker then they did." Toph pointed out. Footsteps from within the house caught their attention, with Katara stepping out first. "That's because you opted to not take a bath after all that cleaning Toph, and Orora and I like to feel clean." Toph rolled her eyes as Orora stepped out as well.

"Its called a healthy coating of dust Sugar Queen." She argued, though the rest of whatever she said was barely heard by Zuko as his eyes found Orora and he stared at what he saw.

His Soulmate, in the clothes of his Nation.

Orora, wearing Fire Nation clothing.

The mere sight of her had his lips parting, and eyes widening in utter amazement. The bandeau top she wore just about covered her chest area, leaving the rest of her torso, namely her shoulders and navel completely bare. And though the bare navel did show the scar she now supported, that ran along her side, it was hardly noticeable against her dark brown skin. Her pants were cinched in just below her knees, and the skirt she'd wrapped around her hips only accentuated the curve of her body. A trait he had noticed before. Though now he could admire it more openly. Her shoes, funnily enough, were identical to the ones he wore, probably because they were the latest fashion.

The accents of gold along the edges of her clothing only enhanced the gorgeous color of her skin, as she pulled up the armbands that reached her elbows.

Her hair was completely down, the tips brushing her shoulder, settling in soft curls against her bare skin. Only a small portion of it pushed to the side to keep the hair from falling into her face. It was, of course, in place with the help of the blue comb he had returned to her.

His Uncle was right.

It was worth the wait.

There were only a handful of times Zuko had been struck speechless by someone.

And it seemed Orora had the honor of being the one to render him voiceless more times then anyone else.

Adjusting her armbands in place, Orora glanced up to see Zuko staring at her. She couldn't help but feel a blush crawling up her neck and blooming in her cheeks, the intensity of his gaze prompting her to suddenly feel shy and avert her eyes from him, brushing her hair behind her ear.

To say the both of them were as subtle as Appa in a china shop would be an understatement. Aang and Sokka were making faces at one another, identical expressions of playful disgust as they waited for the two Soulmates to break out of their little bubble. Toph had the honor of feeling both their heartbeats reach to a crescendo level. She couldn't help but grin though, already preparing a wide variety of teasing quips and jokes that she would be throwing at them both later. Suki, for all her tough warrior act, was a romantic at heart. And she could only exchange a happy smile with Katara, who had secretly planned the entire entrance because yes, she was going to help her older sister out by making Zuko see just how amazing she was.

Not that he didn't know that already.

"Are we waiting for anyone else?" Katara asked, still smiling as she finally broke the bubble the two Soulmates were happily encased in. Zuko's cheeks burned red as he quickly pulled up the hood of his cloak to try and hide his face. A little too late for that though.

"Yeah, we're just waiting for Zuko to pick up his jaw from the floor." Aang said, before bursting out into a laugh that had him leaning against Sokka for support, who wasn't any better, since he was laughing his head off just as hard as Aang was.

Suki grinned devilishly as she hooked her arm through Orora's and began to lead her down the steps. As she did, the two girls passed Zuko, and Orora's hand brushed against his.

By accident or on purpose.

Neither of them knew.

But what they did know, was that the small patch of skin where they had touched, seemed to zing with an electric charge that they both felt. One that had Orora nearly reaching out and taking his hand, just so she could feel more of that heart stopping sensation. And she would've done it too, if Suki hadn't been pulling her along.

Despite the fact that she could feel the cool sea air against her bare skin, Orora had never felt hotter before as she did under Zuko's gaze. Though this heat had nothing to do with the elements.

Oh no, this one seemed to come from inside her. And only wanted to burn brighter, engulf her entire body, mind and soul.

"Since I want my Soulmate to look at me like that as well." Suki declared, pulling Orora out of her mind as she pried her away away from Zuko's molten gold gaze. "I vote Orora to help me find the perfect outfit." She threw over her shoulder, grinning at the scowl on Zuko's face, knowing she had annoyed him by stealing Orora away.

As the rest of them moved to follow, Toph grinned. "I hope you're ready Firebug. Cuz none of us are gonna let you live this down."

Sighing, Zuko reminded himself that it was his choice to make friends with all of them. The added bonus? He was close to Orora.

So if he had to endure a little teasing as a price, then it was all worth it.

And despite what was to come, and knowing anyone could see him and tease him even more for it, his eyes never once left Orora's figure as she walked in front of him.

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28 notes · View notes

erisenyo · 1 year ago

Note

“I’m coming, just sit tight!”

for zukka please and thank you! <3

For this prompt game!

“Sokka, come on, we’re going to be late!”

“I just need a minute,” Sokka calls back, unconcerned, like he didn’t just get out of the shower, fuck.

But it’s okay, it’s okay, this is fine. This is still fine. Zuko might have meticulously planned every bit of the day, because Sokka loves nothing more than a thorough and well made schedule, but it’s fine. They can just…not do the walk along the pond that Sokka’s favorite local painted is always painting, and Zuko can scale back the time he’s allotted for lunch and afternoon snack, and—

“Sokka, it’s going to take forty-five minutes just to get there! Hurry up!”

“Which is where, again?” Sokka calls back, sounding fucking breezy.

“Somewhere we need to be in forty minutes,” Zuko grits out, finally giving into the urge to shove off the couch and pace the living room.

“Relax, hot stuff,” Sokka laughs from their bedroom, thank fuck. At least he’s out of the bathroom. “It’s a staycation, isn’t it? What’s the big deal?”

Like the fact that they’re already going to show up late isn’t enough? “If we leave too late the traffic is going to be awful,” Zuko says, aiming for something reasonable and logical and hearing it come out more pleading and whiny. Great.

Sokka snorts. “You only care cause you want to go ninety the while way there.”

What Zuko wants is to get there on time. “I thought you cared about plans,” he accuses.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Sokka huffs, audibly rolling his eyes. “Sit tight.”

“I’m sitting,” Zuko growls, “Plenty tight.”

“Yeah you are, babe,” Sokka calls back, smirk obvious just before the fucking hair dryer whirs to life—

“You haven’t even—Sokka! We don’t have time for that!”

“It’ll just take a minute,” Sokka shouts back over the noise, like he’s ever taken less than twenty minutes to dry his hair in his life. “And then I just need to pick out earrings—”

“Oh, are you fucking—there’s no time.”

“—and maybe do some braids—”

“I put it on the shared calendar, your fucking shared calendar—"

“—and touch up my nails—”

“—and now you’re going to be fucking late to your own fucking proposal your nails are fine!”

The hair dryer shuts off, Zuko breathing heavy in the sudden silence, horror slowly creeping into his chest as he plays back his words and—

Sokka swings into the doorway, bare-chested and definitely naked, hair dry and braided and beaded, nails a fresh deep blue and his favorite Hawaiian shirt dangling from his hand. “…Did you just propose to me?”

“…No,” Zuko tries, feeling himself frozen, caught.

“While yelling at me?” Sokka grins, delighted.

“No,” Zuko repeats, more forceful this time, scrambling. “That wasn’t—that isn’t—it’s not—that doesn’t—”

“Nope, that totally counts,” Sokka crows, grin huge and shit eating like this is the best thing to ever happen to him and Zuko is going to die. “It absolutely counts, and I say yes, and I’m going to tell everyone—”

“No, Sokka, come on.”

“—that I made you so mad you proposed to me on the spot—”

“You can’t.”

“—I’m going to put it in our wedding website and in my vows and—”

“Fucking hell, fuck you, you can’t—”

“Sweeter words have never been said,” Sokka says airily, ducking back out of the room to finish getting dressed and if it’s just a matter of pants it really will be only another minute… “It’s what everyone longs to hear from their fiancé!”

Zuko opens his mouth and then closes it again, letting himself slowly smile to himself as he mouths the word back again. Fiancé. He does like the sound of that…

And he’s pretty sure he can still surprise Sokka into silence with the matching armbands.

And the pig roast.

#asks and answers #aclusterfuckofglitterbugs #This one was so much fun to write #(Sokka was absolutely ready to go out the door the whole time)#Sokka #Zuko #Zukka #my writing #fic writing

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freetobee1216 · 1 month ago

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Hi I'm writing a Zutara fic and this is the first chapter

Warning, literally zero mention of Zuko yet, I plan for this to be the slowest of slow burns. Also I change cannon slightly, basically the events of the show take place over the course of 3 years instead of 6 month, just cuz I think it makes more sense.

Anyways, enjoy chapter one!

Chapter 1:

The wind ripped at her howling skin as she tried to manage the swelling gathering under her eyes. Far below, she could feel the crashing ocean waves of her element calling to her, screaming a familiar song that sounded like home. Pull yourself together she scolded herself, Aang was expecting her for dinner. Katara took one deep breath. Two. Three, and the emotions that moments ago were ruling her every action, telling her to run to where she belonged, ceased to exist.

Walking away from the cliff that overlooked the clouds swirling around the southern air temple, she stuffed the crumpled letter deep into her pocket. She could hear the sounds of meditation instruments coming from the gardens. Here, the newest air acolytes were coming to terms with their decision to turn their back on the life they once knew in order to follow the teachings of the Air Nation. A worth cause, a good decision, but that fact still couldn’t take away the sting of homesickness.

Raja, a girl from the southern tip of the Earth Kingdom, sat cross legged struggling to focus on her breathing. Her knee kept bouncing at an alarming rate and her eyebrows were so scrunched together that they looked like a unibrow. Katara waved to the girl and she sheepishly smiled back. Raja was sweet, only a year younger than Katara at 18, and the two had become fast friends in the month she had been here. Katara raised her eyebrows at her friend as if to say, need a break? Raja quietly looked at the rest of her group, specifically at Angi, the group leader, to see them all peacefully meditating. She silently stood up off the orange pillow and tip-toed to the path where Katara was waiting for her. The pair linked arms as they walked trying not to laugh and get Raja caught for playing hooky. When they cleared the corner and the music faded into the wind, they both broke into barks of laughter.

“You looked like your head was about to explode back there,” Katara said through her snorts.

“I honestly thought it would, I just can’t seem to get this sitting still concept.” Raja laughed back. “They’re doing that for the next hour, hopefully no one will notice I left.”

“I doubt it, wanna help me cook some dinner in the meantime?” Katara asked her friend.

“Yeah, anything other than that sounds good to me, what’s on the menu tonight?” She responded gratefully.

The pair went off to the vegetable patch to grab some ingredients then spent the next half an hour cooking together. Raja told her all about the drama with the new acolytes; who was just trying to rebel against their parents, who had already been caught hooking up, and who was out to steal her boyfriend. Katara laughed at all her friend’s stories, she had a way of imitating the others and embellishing just the right amount to make the story compelling. She was also aware of the many girls who joined the acolytes just to try and get closer to Aang, though she didn’t feel that pang of jealousy like she used to. She assumed she was just so desensitised to it at this point. Two and a half years of fending off pursuers and watching your boyfriend be absolutely oblivious to it, will do that to a girl.

“So, are you gonna pull out some master waterbending on the new ones to clear them off?” Raja joked as she chopped up carrots.

“Honestly? I don’t really care anymore, is that bad? O-or mad?” Katara contemplated while stirring the stew boiling beneath her making her face flush.

“Or wise?” Raja interjected adding in the carrots to the large cauldron.

“But, shouldn’t I feel something? You know just something more than nothingness?” Katara blurted out before she could help herself, these were thoughts that shouldn’t be voiced. Katara hid her face from her friend as she went to grab some herbs from the shelf on the other side of the kitchen.

Raja was quiet for a little bit before smoothing over with, “I think its fine, I mean it’s not like any of those girls are a threat to what you and Aang have, he loves you and would never cheat on you with some floozy.” She laughed out the last bit.

Katara swallowed and turned back to her friend with a smile and joked back, “Oh he’d never even dream of that, he knows he couldn’t take me in a fight if he did.”

The girls dragged the bulky cauldron filled with the vegetable stew out to the communal mess hall on the other side of the door. The room was already filling with hungry acolytes and Katara heard Raja curse under her breath. A stern looking Angi was stomping her way through the crowd that was gathering and making a beeline straight for Raja.

Raja sighed, “Well, I gotta go deal with her wrath, this is the third mediation I’ve skipped out of this week.”

“Wait, it was my fault, please let me talk to her,” Katara said, guilt spreading through her bones.

“Nah, it was my choice, I was looking for any excuse, don’t worry about it,” she said before skipping up to Angi. Katara could hear he start to apologize when she felt someone sneak up behind her.

The master bender was about to steal the water from her pouch and get ready to fight when she felt a pair of familiar hands cover her eyes. “Guess who?” the voice said. Aang.

Katara’s shoulders relaxed and she turned around to give her boyfriend a hug, “Hey Aang.”

“The stew smells great, thanks for cooking tonight! I know it wasn’t your night, but Sheejik wasn’t feeling great and I didn’t know who else to ask” Aang apologised.

“It’s fine, I like having something to do, should we grab a bowl and go to our normal spot?” Katara asked.

“Yeah, sounds great!” Aang said. Normally, they would eat in the mess hall with the rest of the air acolytes, but occasionally the two would sneak off to the private balcony downstairs that was build directly into the cliffside. It was beautiful, overlooking the other mountain islands in the sunset. It was a place where they could feel both of their native elements, the ocean below and the whipping winds around them. It had felt balanced, or well, it mostly did.

“The sunset is beautiful tonight,” Aang remarked. It was burning a bright orange that let into a salmon-like pink on the edges of their vision. The waves below perfectly reflected the light of the sun, and far to the east, dots are starlight where starting to breakthrough the periwinkle.

“Yeah, it is,” Katara said, being drawn to the last lights of the sun.

“Not as beautiful as you though,” Aang said softly.

Katara once might have blushed at a comment like that, but she was far too mature now. At least, that’s what she thought was keeping the heat from creeping up her neck. She did however paint a smile on her face and lean over to kiss his cheek, when she puled away Aang was bright red. “Thank you.”

“Have you, uh heard from Sokka?” Aang asked changing the topic.

Katara felt the letter in her pocked multiply in weight tenfold, “Uh yeah, you?”

“I got an awesome letter from him this afternoon, he’s been named Chief in Training! And he told me all about his plans to expand the Southern Water Tribe with the aid they’re getting from both the North and the Fire Nation. It’s really great what he’s doing down there,” Aang rambled on about things Katara already knew about.

She tried to hide her face by looking south towards her home, “Ye-yeah, I got a letter today too.”

“You don’t sound that excited,” Aang noticed.

“Well, I just, I don’t know Aang, it’s a lot of change.” Katara said, frustration beginning to build in her chest.

“But change is good Katara, it’s a natural part of life,” Aang tried to reason with her.

“I know that,” she snapped, then tried to regain control over her words when she saw his hurt face, “It’s just, it’s hard that all of this is happening without me.”

“All of it is happening because of you Katara, without what me, you and Sokka did, going to the Northern Water Tribe and getting them to care about the South again, stopping the war. Without that, this wouldn’t be happening.” Aang said.

“But it’s not fair! That’s my home, and it’s changing without me there! Am I even going to be able to recognize it when I return? What if the North takes over too much? What if I wake up one day and my culture is so different it doesn’t make sense anymore and I did nothing to stop it because I wasn’t there?” Katara yelled, her anger and confusion bubbling up to the surface.

“Katara, it’s going to be okay; you just have to trust in your tribe, they’ll find the right way,” Aang tried to reassure her, grabbing hold of her hand.

“It’s not about trust it’s-” Katara started pulling her hand away, but then she sighed. He doesn’t understand her anger, how could he? He has to put all of his hope into trust at the moment for his nation, or else there would be nothing left. He is trusting these new members from all over the world to find it’s way back to some semblance of the Air Nation and what he lost all those years ago. Looking at Aang, she sees the scared homeless kid from the iceberg, the pain that is still there hiding under the surface. She takes a deep breath and dissipates her anger, grabbing back hold of his hand; this isn’t something that is helpful for him to hear. “You’re right, it’s all going to work out, I was just being anxious. Of course, Sokka will figure it out.”

Aang smiled at her and leans in for a kiss, she closes her eyes and reaches within herself to try and feel how she used it, something small in her chest tried to wiggle its way out, but it feels as if it has been locked away. Their lips touch and she’s just going through the motions. It’s fine, she tells herself, this is just what happens when you’ve been a couple for a while.

The door behind them bursts open and a young boy no more than age 13 named Ren blushes profusely, “I am so sorry Master Aang to bother you and your girlfriend, but there is a reporter from Ba Sing Sei here and he wanted to get an interview about the progress of the Air Nation,” he blurts out in one single breath.

“Uh yeah, Katara do you mind?” He asks, still concerned about their earlier discussion.

“Of course, send them in.” Katara says giving Ren a maternal smile, not wanting to make the boy any more akward than he already looked.

“Of course!” he squeaks out and turns down the hall. They can hear him say something to the other side of the door then pronouncing, “Right this way sir.”

A well-dressed man in his mid-20s appears at the threshold. He is wearing a traditional Earth Nation robe and sports the most fashionable facial hair in Ba Sing Sie, a well-groomed moustache and goatee. He gives a low bow in the way of greeting towards Aang, “Avatar Aang, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Manu Sho and I have been writing for some time about the tireless efforts you have been making towards restoring the Air Nation with the Air Acolytes. It would be an honour if I could receive an interview with you.”

“Of course, come join us, Katara and I were just finishing our dinner, would you like a bowl as well?” Aang offered.

“That would be lovely,” he said and looked expectantly at Katara. “Oh, you must be Katara, Avatar Aang’s faithful girlfriend.”

Katara squirmed in her seat a bit but said, “Yeah, that’s me.”

“And you are from the Watertribe?” he asked gesturing to her outfit.

“Yeah, from the South, that’s where I first found Aang.” Katara said, feeling as though she was being looked at through a microscope.

“It must have been so nice for you to get to travel with the Avatar and learn waterbending from him!” He said joyfully.

“Oh, actually, I was Aang’s teacher.” Katara said, and edge entering into her voice. This wasn’t the first time she had to clarify this.

“I thought the Avatar was taught by Master Pakku in the North?” Manu said in confusion.

“Well yeah for about a month or two, but I was the one teaching him for almost 3 years,” Katara said haughtily.

“Yeah, Katara is a master waterbender!” Aang added in helpfully.

“Oh, I’m sorry I was misinformed,” the reporter said looking more like the uncomfortable one now. Good, Katara thought to herself. “Um, may I have some of the stew please?”

“Oh right, of course, uh Katara, would you mind grabbing Manu a serving?” Aang asked trying to smooth over the rough interaction.

“Sure,” Katara said through her teeth and crossed arms. She stomped back upstairs to the mess hall and grabbed Manu a serving, muttering to herself the whole time about blatant sexism and forgotten female narratives. When she returned, Aang and Manu were laughing together, talking about cabbages.

“Here you go,” Katara said shoving the bowl into Manu’s hands, then sat down next to Aang. Manu looked a bit unsure at Katara, but she was refusing to move. She had been helping with the efforts to rebuild the Air Nation just as much as Aang was. Katara stared the journalist down in a dare, he didn’t take the bait. Instead, he continued to ask about the progress from the last two years after the war ended. Both Aang and Katara answered his questions about the acolytes, the program they were following, the diet and efforts to restore traditional Air Nation vegetables in the gardens, the newest recruits, everything. It was going pretty well and Katara had calmed herself down now that Manu was actively listening to her. But then it happened; he brought up the idea of kids. This was something she and Aang had been avoiding speaking about ever since they got into a huge argument last month about it.

“The air acolytes are great, but when are you planning on hopefully producing the new generation of airbenders?” Manu asked bluntly looking between the two of them.

“I’m sorry what?” Katara asked her mood going south immediately.

“The new generation of airbenders, when will you be producing them?” he asked as if she were slow.

“Yeah, I heard your question, what I don’t understand is why you are asking it,” Katara snapped at him.

“Well, Ms. Katara, it’s an important question, the world is out of balance, we will be needing more airbenders,” he said.

“Well, Katara and I aren’t sure on the timeline,” Aang answered trying to be diplomatic.

“Aang, I do not want to discuss this publicly,” Katara hissed at him.

“You are a few months away from being 20 are you not? And the Avatar has just turned 18, that is a perfectly respectable age to start having children, especially because you will probably need to have a lot in order to get the new generatio-” Manu began.

“Okay that it, we are done here!” Katara interrupted grabbing his quill and scroll out of his hands that he was taking notes with and packing them into his bag, “You can go now.”

“But, I, uh, miss I am not finished,” Manu sputtered.

“Master.” Katara said.

“I’m sorry what?” He asked.

“It’s Master Katara, and you are dismissed,” She ground out, pulling the water from her pouch and getting into a defensive stance.

“Uh yes of course, Master Katara, Avatar Aang,” he said quickly bowing to them both and running off.

Katara slammed the door to the balcony shut and let out a grunt of frustration. She then walked over to the balcony to put her head down onto the railing. Aang watched her quietly from the bench. “Katara, we need to talk about this.”

“What’s there to talk about?” she huffed moodily, still staring out at the horizon. The sun was almost completely set by now, just a small sliver of it that was reaching out towards her.

“I had a feeling people were going to start asking us this, that’s why I’ve been really wanting to talk about it with you, but you keep avoiding this,” he said gently, standing up to walk towards her and putting hand on the small of her back. “I could make you a necklace first if that’s what you’ve been waiting for, well I have been car-”

“No!” Katara said, protectively placing a hand onto her mother’s necklace and backing away, “No, I don’t want a new necklace.”

“Well, what do you want? We need to talk,” Aang repeated.

“But I’ve already told you how I feel about this. Yes, I want kids someday, sure, but on my terms. I’ve been acting like a mother since mine died, and I want my freedom Aang. I never got the chance to be young and, I’m just not ready,” Katara spoke feeling as if they had been here before. The moon began to shine above them as the sky went dark.

“But, when will you be ready?” Aang pleaded.

“I don’t know, I’m just confused right now and I can’t give you an answer. I… I don’t know if I’ll ever have an answer for you…” Katara trailed off.

“Katara, being a dad, it’s not only something that I really want, but it’s also a duty I have to fulfil. It’s my destiny to bring balance to the world, our destiny,” he said reaching to hold her hands in his.

“Well, I didn’t know that falling in love with the Avatar meant I would have to sacrifice so much!” Katara yelled in frustration dropping her hands out of his grasp.

“Sacrifice?” Aang asked, his voice cracking in hurt.

“Yes! This is a sacrifice! I don’t want to be a breeding farm for airbenders! Or give up my culture to serve another! Or lose myself in your projects!” Katara shouted, her anger getting the better of her. She was saying things that she had hid deep inside her soul, things she never wanted to tell him because she couldn’t bear the pain it would cause.

“I’m not asking you to do any of those things!” Aang yelled back at her.

“Yes, you are, that’s exactly what you ask of me every day, how do you not see that? Where am I in any of this? People don’t even remember what I have done, what I have given up already to bring peace to the world. Where is my peace?!” She couldn’t stop the hot, angry tears from spilling down her face at this point. Everything she had been holding in was spilling out of her in thunderous waves of hurt. Every breath was strained with emotion.

“I thought I was your peace, like how you’re mine.” Aang whispered, tears filling his eyes as well.

“I thought you were too, but…” Katara said and turned away from those eyes, so filled with hurt and betray. Her guilt was eating her alive. She sobbed inwards, crossing her arms over her chest as if she could hold herself together.

“I’m not anymore. Am I?” he asked, emotion welling in his throat.

Katara’s sobs turned silent now, but the tears wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t see out her eyes. Why was this so hard? What had happened? This place, once lovely, now was her prison. She cried, “I don’t know why you stopped, why I stopped.”

“Do you think I could be it again?” he croaked out.

“I don’t know,” she whispered back, staring at the dark waves below.

They stood there, her back still turned to him, silently crying for an interterminal amount of time. At one point, Aang reached out towards her, taking one step, but then stopped. His reach hung in the air for a full breath, but then he turned and walked away. Out of the balcony, out of the building, and took off towards the skies on his glider. She was left to drown in a bed of her own making.

That night, Katara packed a bag.

#atla fanfic #atla #kataang breakup #katara #justice for katara #katara deserved better #katara defense squad #katara's anger #katara's rage #southern water tribe #southern air temple #aang #zutara fanfiction #taylor swift inspired #atla oc

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the-badger-mole · 1 year ago

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OTP Prompt: Katara gets in a heated argument with someone. She begins threatening them, so Zuko picks her up and carries/drags her out of the room before anyone gets hurt. lol

“Scarfaced freak,” the boy muttered. Zuko froze, his shoulders coming up to his ears. From the corner of his eye, he could see Sokka turn to him, wide eyed and stunned.

“What did you just call him?” Katara’s voice was low and dangerous. That snapped Zuko and Sokka out of their shock.

“He heard me,” the boy said. He smirked at Katara. “What? Did I insult your boyfriend?"

“For it to be an insult, your opinion would need to matter,” she snapped. “But jerks like you need to be taught some manners.” She stepped towards him, arms moving up from her sides. Zuko gasped, and grabbed them from behind. He pulled her towards him, wrapping their arms together so that Katara was essentially hugging herself.

“You can’t do that here,” he whispered to her. “You’ll blow our cover.” Katara gritted her teeth but stopped struggling.

“At least you know how to keep your girl under control, Scarface,” the bully laughed. Katara strained against Zuko’s hold again.

“I’m just going to talk to him!” she insisted.

“I’d get out of here,” Sokka warned the boy. “He’s holding her back for your safety. He won’t be able to keep it up forever.” The guy scoffed, but turned away, laughing as he walked down the street. Zuko loosened his grip on Katara, but didn’t dare let her go just yet.

“That guy needs to be frozen to the bottom of a lake,” she muttered.

“What a creep,” Sokka agreed. Zuko just shrugged.

“That’s not the worst thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he told them. ��We should head back. We’ve drawn too much attention.” He finally released Katara, only for her to start towards the direction of the other boy. Zuko caught her wrist and stared at her incredulously.

“I’m not going to draw attention,” she promised. “I just have some words for him.”

“You always have words,” Sokka complained. “I know that guy aggravated your sense of righteous indignation, but Zuko’s right. We don’t need the heat. Let it go.” Katara glared down the street. She could still just make out the back of the rude boy and she wished that she could earthbend, just for a few minutes.

“Seriously, do you want me to carry you back?” Zuko huffed. Katara turned her attention from her thoughts and raised her eyebrows at Zuko. She opened her mouth to tell him off, but paused a moment.

“You know what?” she said. “Yeah. I want you to carry me back.” Zuko balked.

“I was kidding!”

“Yeah well, I’m not.” Katara folded her arms and smirked at Zuko challengingly. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Fun!” Zuko snorted in disbelief.

“For me,” Katara clarified. “It’ll be fun for me.”

“Nope.” Zuko shook his head and he and Sokka started for the path leading back to the beach house.

“I could always go find that guy,” Katara said offhandedly. “I wouldn’t have to let him see my face when I freeze him to the side of a building.” Zuko looked back at her, eyes narrowed.

“You’re bluffing.” He was sure of all the members of their group, she wouldn’t do anything so rash.

“Am I?” She met Zuko’s eyes meaningfully. Zuko groaned and looked at Sokka. He threw his hands up as if to say ‘this is your problem’. Then with a sigh, Zuko looped his arms around Katara, one behind her shoulders and one behind her knees.

“You two are the biggest dorks, I swear.” Sokka shook his head and rolled his eyes.

#atla #zutara #ask game #otp prompts #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

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safereturn · 9 months ago

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let me hold your hand (and dance around the flames)

Another Ember Island Players Fic Word Count: 1956 Zutara one-shot Read on ao3

Zuko is sure his shame will consume him, obliterate him, turn him to ashes and blow him away in the wind. The only evidence of his existence will be that awful play and the wake of destruction caused by his own implosion.

And yet, it pales in comparison to the anger flowing off the water bender walking beside him. Fearing retribution, he keeps his gaze steadily ahead, focusing on the trio walking in front of them. Sokka, Suki, and Toph chatter about their portrayal; Toph lets out a roar that sends Sokka yelping into Suki’s side. Suki laughs so hard she snorts and slaps Sokka’s back as his cheeks tinge red.

Zuko bites back a snarky comment. It’s simply propaganda, the events told with the inevitable agenda of a Fire Nation playwright, but at least they were written as comic reliefs.

They weren’t failures and traitors.

As they approach his family’s old vacation home, Katara’s sandal gets caught in the transition of cobblestone to sand. She loses her balance, but just as Zuko reaches a steadying arm out toward her, she rights herself on her own. Aang huffs behind him.

Not to mention the resentment radiating off the young Avatar. Aang all but limps toward the house like a wounded puppy, head tucked into his chest.

Katara pulls away from the group and storms off toward shore, back stiff, fists tight. Zuko slows to a stop as he watches her. She marches on to the beach, right where the tide stops overlapping the sand, and slumps to the ground, knees to her chest.

The rest of the group carries on into the house. Aang sends one last glare at Zuko, then runs up the stairs and slams the door behind him, rattling the frame and sending an explosion of sound that evacuates nearby cicada-crickets from the trees.

Zuko feels his chest constrict at the thought of following them inside the house. He isn’t claustrophobic–years spent at sea on a Fire Navy cruiser in close quarters with his crew desensitized him to any fears of being too enclosed. But there was a sort of heat burning under his skin. He was restless and itchy. Like if he walked into that house, he would explode, bringing the walls down around him in a terrible blaze.

Zuko glances over to the silhouette of Katara sitting in the sand again, still hunched, gently swaying back and forth with the tide. He’d seen her move like this once before, flying high over the ocean on Appa, the rain coming down around them.

After confronting her mother’s killer, Katara had been near catatonic. They’d walked away from the quaking old man, but the further they got, the more she had withdrawn. Zuko had helped her climb onto Appa’s back, and she collapsed onto the saddle and stared blankly ahead. She might have been crying, but the rain had cast everything in a haze. As if it were all a dream. And then, like a child being comforted by a mother, she rocked herself side to side.

She hadn’t spoken to him until they landed back at camp, and Katara had thrown her arms around him and granted him forgiveness. He remembers the warmth of her body against his, it had spread through his chest and she gave him a gentle squeeze before letting him go.

Zuko decides he would rather drown at her hand than suffocate amongst childhood memories. He approaches her as one would approach an injured turtle duck, softly and with no sudden movements.

“Go to bed, Aang.” Katara’s words are thick, tinged with finality that left no room for argument. It doesn’t escape him how maternal she sounds, as if she were scolding a petulant child.

“It’s me,” he says. Katara peeks at him over her shoulder, then looks out toward the ocean. “I can go further down the shore if you want to be alone,” he offers, “but I’d rather not be in the house right now.”

He watches her shoulders rise as she fills her lungs with a long breath. Then, slowly, she places a hand on the sand beside her and gives it a pat.

“You can stay.” She sounds tired now, but her tone is softer than her previous chiding.

He sits cross legged beside her, sitting a little closer than intended, his shoulder brushing against hers. Zuko’s nerves were raw, his fingers had been trembling since the end of the first act. The gentle warmth of Katara’s arm against his was like an anchor, grounding him, giving him something to brace against. She doesn’t acknowledge it, she simply sways into him, then back, her chin resting atop her knees.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” Zuko says. “That wasn’t a good play.”

Katara raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t write the play, Zuko.”

“No.” He grabs a handful of sand, it’s clumpy and coarse, still damp. Zuko squeezes it in his hand, then lets it crumble between his fingers. He does it again. “I'm just– sorry. I’m sorry you had to relive that. Relive me.”

She’s examining him. Zuko doesn’t dare make eye contact, but his skin prickles at the heat of her gaze on his face. It travels down his arms, to his hands, until she’s watching the grains of sand trickle between his fingertips.

Again, he feels too large. He waits for his skin to burst open.

“That wasn’t you on that stage, Zuko.”

“It was all the things I’ve done. All the ways I’ve hurt people.”

How much good would he have to do to counter balance all the bad? Terrorizing citizens for any knowledge about the Avatar, burning down villages…

The Catacombs under Ba Sing Se.

The look of terror on Katara’s face, the smell of burning flesh, the cry that tore itself from her lips as she fought to get to Aang, fought to get them to the surface, fought against Azula, fought against him.

The look of anguish on Uncle’s face as he fought to keep Aang and Katara safe.

Zuko chokes on a shuddering breath. His skin burns, his chest burns, his eyes burn.

“I’ve hurt so many people.”

So much blood.

Katara grasps his hand, grains of sand gently chafing against skin as she twines their fingers together. “Stop,” she whispers. “That was not you on that stage.”

His mind stutters, trying to pull himself from the memories. Katara squeezes his hand once and brushes her thumb over his knuckles. Back and forth. He sucks in a breath, then lets it whoosh out of his lungs. The tension in his shoulders drops.

“You have done more than enough, Zuko.”

Enough.

If there is wetness on his cheeks, Katara doesn’t mention it. She simply keeps rubbing soothing circles in his skin with her thumb. They watch the waves crash over the horizon.

“Maybe I should apologize to Aang,” Zuko says, thinking of Aang’s glare.

He can feel her deflate next to him, slumping into herself. Katara presses her face into her knees and heaves a sigh.

“He’s not angry with you,” she mumbles.

“You didn’t see the look he gave me.”

Katara shakes her head and with a shrug says, “He’s angry with me. We had a fight at intermission.”

“What could he possibly be mad at you for?” Zuko saw the way Aang looked at Katara. He worshiped the ground she walked on, what could she have done that was so bad? And why would Aang take it out on him?

“It’s complicated.”

Zuko huffs. It’s not quite a laugh. “Try me.”

Katara gives him an uncertain look, then turns her gaze back to the ocean. Just when Zuko thinks she’ll ignore him, her voice breaks over the sound of the waves.

“Aang had… a hard time distinguishing between the play and reality. Ever since we met we’ve been really close. For months it was just me, Sokka, and Aang. And then Toph joined and it was the four of us. I always trusted them with my life, but it felt like Aang was on my side when Sokka and Toph pushed me too hard. He helped me through some pretty bad things, and I helped him, too.

“I found him in an iceberg, so I was possessive , I guess. He was going to save the world. My world. And I would have done anything–” Karata’s voice cuts off, followed by a frenetic breath. The waves wash higher on the shore, in time with her quick breaths. The water sweeps against their feet.

“I would have done anything to make him happy. He’s my best friend and of course I love him, but what he wants...” Katara heaves a shuddering breath. And then another. Her next words come quickly, garbled. “It’s too much. I’m trying to win a war, and so is he! But I can’t–I feel like I can’t even breathe.”

And then Katara makes an awful sound, a low whine cut off by a choked gasp. And then, even worse, she’s apologizing .

“I’m sorry,” she breathes, pulling her hand from his and swiping under her eyes. “This is stupid, just like that ridiculous actress.” Her hands leave behind grains of white sand on her cheeks.

And for the first time, Katara looks defeated. Not even nine months ago, in a much colder continent, with her family's lives at stake and only a water whip to protect them did she look so small. She had built herself up with fury, indignation. She made up for what she didn’t know in determination.

Now, with her eyes squeezed shut and shoulders hunched, there was nothing she could fight to make this hurt go away.

Zuko is at a loss for how to comfort her, and he hates himself for it. She so effortlessly brought him from the edge of panic. Forgave him when he was the face of everything that was taken from her.

He thinks of her arms thrown around his neck. Her thumb brushing circles into his hand.

And he does what he should’ve done when Katara sat numbly in Appa’s saddle. Zuko pulls Katara into his side, tucks her head into his shoulder, and hugs her. He winds his arms around her back, and sways her gently, his chin tucked over top of her head. Katara lets out a whimper, and then her arms circle around his waist. She buries her face into the crook where Zuko’s neck meets his shoulder.

For a moment, all there is is the roar of the waves and his stiffness. He doesn’t want to jostle her, spook her. But her fists clench handfuls of his shirt and she is shaking, chest heaving with silent sobs.

Zuko thinks of his mother and turtle duck bites and cries met with warm arms and soothing whispers. And he sways her, side to side, soothing a hand down her hair. She smells of sea salt and the old bath oils left in the wet room.

“Okay,” he says into her hair, “okay.”

It’s not okay. Zuko knows what it’s like to collapse under the weight of expectation, knows what it’s like to choke on the disappointment of others, knows the taste of desperation. It had almost killed him, back in that apartment in Ba Sing Se. And when he’d made it back to the Fire Nation on the basis of Aang’s murder, there were times he wished the fever had taken him.

So much pain.

“Nothing like the actress,” he says. There is wetness and sand and shuddering breaths against his neck. “You are strong, this is strength.”

Katara takes a deep breath. Then another.

The waves wash back out to the ocean and quiet to a lull.

“You’ve given more than enough."

#zutara #avatar the last airbender #atla #is it romantic or platonic? squint at it and let me know what you find #zuko #katara #ember island players #ember island players fic #fanfiction #safereturn write fanfic #zuko has a panic attack #katara shoulders too many burdens #a civil wars song as a fic title #zutara fanfiction #Zutara fic #there is hugging #hurt/comfort #safereturn writes fanfic

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thepublishingpress · 11 months ago

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A Civil Conversation

(Alt. title: Midnight Talks)

Zuko was feeling rather proud of himself. He had done it. He had managed to convince the Avatar to let Zuko teach him firebending. They had given Zuko a chance. Zuko absently poked at the fire with a stick. Though, not everything was ‘sunshines and rainbows’, as his mother would put it. He shuddered when he remembered the Southern Water Tribe girl’s threat.

Hm. Perhaps betraying her was not the best idea.

He’s broken out of his thoughts when he hears footsteps. Zuko tenses; he’s ready to defend himself if Katara has come to deliver on her threat.

“Um… Hi?”

Definitely not waterbender girl. “Hi.” Zuko narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. “Are you coming to make threats at me?”

Water Tribe boy chuckled. “Nah. I think my sister’s already taken care of that, don’t you think?”

“How…?”

“I saw her walking out of your room with a grin, and when I asked her what she did, she said the whole story. So, no, I’m not gonna bother you with threats of extreme bodily harm.”

“Um. Thanks…?” Zuko said hesitantly. The boy gave a shrug in response. “May I ask why you have come to visit me?”

“Wow, so formal,” The non-bender snorted, “I just wanted to ask you some things, since, you know, I didn’t have much time before.”

“Alright,” Zuko said, nodding, “Ask away.”

The other boy plopped down beside Zuko. “You’re the Blue Spirit?”

“I-uh…” Zuko blinked in surprise. Out of all the questions the non-bender could’ve asked, Zuko was not expecting this. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

“Oh! Cool!” Exclaimed the younger boy. “We’ve seen the Blue Spirit in posters and whispers around Fire Nation towns, you know.”

Zuko bowed his head. “Thanks, I guess, but how did you know?”

“Aang told us.”

The Avatar. His name was Aang. Zuko filed away the 12 year old’s name for later use. “Oh. I see.”

“So…” The boy in blue swung his feet like a child. “If it’s, um, not too personal, why’d you leave?”

“I…” Zuko paused, thinking about his answer. “Something felt wrong, I suppose. There was something missing that I knew the palace, my home could not provide. I felt discontent. But now…” Zuko trailed off.

“Now…?” Water Tribe boy pressed, curious.

“I feel more complete.”

The fifteen year old boy smiled. “Good for you, then.”

“Thanks.”

“So!” The non-bender said, clapping his hands together. “About you joining the team…”

“I won’t betray you, I promise,” Zuko blurted, “I know I betrayed you before, but I was unstable, but now–”

“Ah, ah, ah,” The blue eyed boy shushed him, “It’s not about that. I think we can trust you, for the most part. What I am saying, though, is that if you are to join this group, you need to know about the members, hmm?”

“Oh. Right.”

The boy beside Zuko offered him a grin. “Let’s start with me! You know I’m from the Southern Water Tribe, and I’m fifteen!”

“You’re a year younger than me.” Zuko noted.

“Mhm!” The boy continued chattering, talking about his life in the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko eventually relaxed and they fell into a conversation, comparing each others lives, searching for similarities to bond over.

Finally, the Water Tribe boy glanced at the sky. “I should go to bed now…” He said quietly. He smiled. “It was nice talking to you, Zuko.”

“You too, um…” Zuko mentally smacked himself for not asking for the boy’s name. He had always called the members of the Avatar's group certain names in his head, such as Waterbender, The Avatar, Blind Earthbender, and Boomerang Boy. Said boy, however, laughed it off.

“Sokka,” He told Zuko, “It’s Sokka.”

“Good night, Sokka.”

“Good night, Zuko.”

Yes, joining Avatar Aang's group was a wonderful idea.

~*~

lol happy (early?) new year everyone!! finally got out of my writer's block and artist's block (if that's a thing ofc) just in time hehe hope you have a great 2024! <3 - basil dela cruz

(P.S: i love the idea that zuko has no idea what the gaang's real names are, so he made up nicknames. it's so silly and i simply adore it <3333)

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kvohru · 7 months ago

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bachelor - maiko week '24 day 1

prompt: wedding

Zuko and his friends had had no specific expectations for the former’s bachelor party, but they certainly hadn’t expected this.

The party was in full swing, with his friends from all over the world attending, but Zuko was frankly very over it. He had originally wanted this to be a smaller, more private affair. With him being the firelord and everything, he felt like got his fair share of extravagant parties with too many attendees.

Not that this was in any way comparable to the luxurious galas he hosted and attended, of course. There was far too much… debauchery here for that.

But I digress.

‘This’ being Zuko drunkenly and incessantly complaining about ‘missing Mai’ and ‘being over this bachelor party thing’. His argument was that he hadn’t been a bachelor since the age of, like, fifteen, so this was essentially completely unnecessary. He’d much rather have stayed in with his beautiful fiancee tonight to prepare himself (mostly mentally, honestly) for their wedding, but, knowing him, he would have just spent those last few hours stressing over nonsensical things, so Mai had insisted on him throwing a bachelor party.

Of course, he said yes to her. To exactly no one’s surprise.

Presently, he could be found slumped in a chair doing something that can only be described as sulking. You know, with the hunched shoulders and the pouted lips and all. He’d miraculously extricated himself from a crowd of party-goers he vaguely knew—he assumed they were probably friends of a distant relative thrice removed, or something—and escaped back to his best friends, Sokka and Aang, secluded in a little corner away from everyone else. He knew he’d regret making Sokka in charge of the invitations. He didn’t even know half of these people!

“I miss her,” he complained again for what seemed like the millionth time, speech slurred from the liquor he’d consumed. “I wonder what she’s doing right now.” He was positive he looked very un-Firelord like, but he couldn’t really find it in him to care at all, unfortunately.

“I’m always shocked at how much of a lightweight he is,” Sokka murmured to Aang, amused at their friend’s antics, and drained the last of his fireball whiskey. “How much longer do you think he’s gonna last before blacking out?”

Aang laughed good-naturedly over his glass of soda, “No idea.” He grinned. “Won’t be much of a question of how long he’s lasting if this keeps up, though, if he ditches his party. He’s clearly ready to get back to Mai.”

Sokka snorted, “Don’t act like you weren’t the same way back when… honestly just everyday, actually.”

Aang laughed again, but this time with a dopey lovesick grin. Him and Katara had gotten married a few months back, and since then, he’d proudly carried the title of Katara’s Husband. In fact he’d taken to introducing himself as such, much to people’s confusion, because why in hell would the Avatar not introduce himself as exactly that?

He shrugged. “Guilty as charged!”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“Mai!”

Finally, finally, the party had ended.

Don’t get him wrong, Zuko really had enjoyed himself, being surrounded by the closest people to him (and their plus-two’s) (blame Sokka), all gathered to celebrate him. But frankly? Enough was enough. His social battery was thoroughly drained, and he was very ready to fall into his comfortable bed. Preferably in the arms of his wife-to-be.

“Hi, darling.” She smiled when she saw him, supported by Sokka and Aang. She rolled her eyes affectionately. Clearly, he’d overestimated his limits and had too much to drink. As usual.

He shook them off and walked towards her, engulfing her in a hug as soon as he was close enough.

“I missed you,” he breathed, kissing the top of her head repeatedly and swaying side to side with her against him, his strong arms kind of just resting on her shoulders and around her head, holding her close to his chest. Although he wasn’t necessarily stingy with his affections, inebriated Zuko was much more brazen. Much to her satisfaction.

He briefly loosened his hold on her to tilt her head up. She had to crane her neck much more to look at him now. Over the past few years, he’d grown taller and just… bigger. In many ways. Although he wasn’t bulky by any means, since his style in bending and martial arts favoured a leaner build to aid in the fast, precise movements, he’d certainly filled out over the years.

He cupped her cheeks, almost squeezing her face, and stared at her with an adorably awestruck expression. She stared back, one eyebrow arched in a mix of amusement and confusion.

His eyes roamed over her pale face. Everything about her was beautiful. From the rows of dark, long lashes that rimmed her slanted golden eyes, to her pointed nose and pink tinted lips.

“Is something the matter?” she asked, her words slightly muffled from his hold on her face. “You’re staring.”

His face broke into a boyish, lopsided grin, and his voice took on a playful lilt. “And you’re beautiful.”

Her cheeks pinked, and before she could think of a response, he leaned down and captured her lips in a loud, smoochy kind of kiss.

And then another. And another. And another.

“Gorgeous,” he said against her lips between kisses. “Incredible.” Another kiss. “Brilliant.” A kiss. “Devastatingly beautiful.” Kiss. “I can’t get enough of you.” Kiss. “I can’t believe you’re mine.” Kiss. “I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love—”

“Okay, okay!” She pushed him away from her, her face burning. She was positive her skin was the colour of her robes. Clearly, inebriated Zuko was also very dramatic. “You can’t just say these things,” she murmured, averting her eyes in embarrassment. Her heart was beating entirely too fast for comfort—he really needed to stop making her feel these embarrassingly mushy, sappy, and entirely too positive emotions. At least not in public.

She was suddenly all too aware of Aang and Sokka’s presence. Great.

She groaned, putting her face in her hands. He laughed, pulling her into him again. “God, for how deadly you are, you really are adorable.”

She melted into him. She supposed she could really see herself marrying this guy.

#atla maiko #maiko #pro maiko #mai #zuko #maiko fic #maiko fanfic #fluff #oneshot #maiko week 2024 #tooth rotting fluff #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #wedding #writing prompt

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randomwritingguy · 2 years ago

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The Myth of Y/N (Korra x Reader) Part 35

THREE YEARS LATER - PART TWO

Y/N’S POV

It was dark when we arrived.

Landing gently on an open space of Air Temple Island, I get off Spectre. No-one is outside. Makes sense. All of the Air Nomads are probably asleep right now. Speaking of which…

“Go with the rest of the bisons.” I tell my furry friend, stroking the fur on his forehead. “Make sure you get some sleep. You earned it.”

With a rumble of agreement, the bison flies off to join the with other flying bisons.

Spectre will soon be asleep. I should probably head to bed too.

I glance at the sparkling lights of the beautiful Republic City, appearing like a cluster of stars from the island. But I look at one area in particular in the right.

I really should head to bed.

But on the other hand…

TIME SKIP

Knocking lightly on the all too familiar brown door, I wait patiently for an answer.

“Coming!”

At the sound of her voice, I quickly inspect myself, tidying my robes and hair. Then, when I finally finish, the door swings open. At the entrance, I see the familiar jet-black hair, golden eyes, and small scare on the right side of her face.

Kyuni freezes in place, eyes widened, as she sees her visitor: Me.

“Surprise?” I say with a cheeky smile.

My voice snaps her out of her trance and a blink of an eye she pulls me into a massive hug!

“Y/N!” She squeals, voice muffled by her face in my shoulder. “You’re back early!”

Closing my eyes, I reciprocate. “Guess I’m faster than you thought.”

We pull apart and the firebender gives me a soft smile. “Clearly.”

I smile back. Then, I notice that she is in her pyjamas. “Oh, uh, I hope I didn’t intrude. I know I came here out of the blue at a late time.”

Instinctually, she looks down at her clothing and blushes in embarrassment. Then she looks up at raises her hands in assurance. “No, no, it’s fine. Come in!”

Walking into her apartment, I sit back on the highly soft and comfortable sofa. Meanwhile, Kyuni walks to the kitchen. “Do you want a drink?”

“A water, please.”

“Coming right up.”

A few moments later and she walks up to me, two glasses in her hand, and places them on toe wooden table. Taking one of the glasses, I feel the ice-cold liquid pour down my throat as I sip the drink. It’s freezing temperature releases some of the tension within me.

“How was the Fire Nation?” Kyuni curiously asks and sits down on a nearby chair.

“The usual.” I nonchalantly say. “Managed to settle that trade dispute that was going on. I also went to a village and dealt with a gang there.”

“A gang, huh? Were they tough?”

“Hardly. Had them screaming in a minute.”

A cute snort emits from Kyuni. “I thought Air Nomads didn’t like violence.”

“Now, wait a minute,” I start, giving her a grin. “I gave them two chances to surrender. Not my fault they were too stupid and stubborn to listen.”

“Of course, Master Y/N.” She mockingly replies, accompanying with a mocking bow.

“Stop it.” I half-heartly tell her while chuckling. The light atmosphere diminishes, however, as I remember the rest of the story.

Sensing the change in the air, Kyuni leans forward in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“The village was in deep poverty. You should have seen it, Kyuni. The conditions the people were in were terrible! They tried sending letters for help but they were just ignored. Even the Fire Lord wasn’t aware of it, and I had to tell her about it! Even the

“Is she going to help?”

“She said she would. I think she’ll keep to her word. She’s better than most world leaders I’ve spoken to.”

“Well, at least the problem is solved now. Right?”

“It shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place.”

Kyuni sighs. She knows all too well about how I feel about stuff like this. I’ve ranted enough about it as it is.

Sighing, I lean back onto the sofa. “I met Lord Zuko and Princess Azula too.”

At the names, my friend’s face lights up. “Really? How were they?”

“They were all right. The princess was…strange…but all right.”

I paused for a moment. Then, I continue. “They mentioned Korra too.”

“Oh, Y/N…”

“I know, I know.” I tell her, raising a hand to stop what I know is going to be a tsunami of apologies or words of sympathy. I don’t want to hear it. I’ve already heard them all. “Still, it hurt.”

“Well, since Korra is coming back tomorrow, I’m sure you two will have time to reconnect and talk things out.”

WHAT?!

I jump forward in complete shock which causes Kyuni to jump backwards in her own surprise.

Did I just hear that right?

“What did you say?” I ask her breathless.

Kyuni frowns initially but softens when she comes to a realisation. “Oh, yeah, you weren’t there when it was announced. Korra’s coming back tomorrow. Tonraq’s coming too.”

My heart pounds rapidly in excitement and fear as I process all of what I just heard. I lean back onto the sofa and take a long, long, sip of my drink until I eventually finish it. Placing the glass back onto the table, I don’t look at my friend at all. Instead, I just keep my focus on the now empty glass.

“I see.” Is all I say, not knowing what else I could say. What should I say? After all these years, Korra is coming back. Korra, who I or anyone haven’t been in contact with during that time. What will she look like? Will she look the same? Will she act the same? Will she be completely different? How would she feel about all of us? Would she still be mad at me?

A gentle hand on my knee snaps me out of my overwhelming amount of questions barging through my mind.

“Y/N, it will be fine.” Kyuni assures me softly.

Will it, though?

“I know.” I respond weakly, not really confident with my statement. “I’m just shocked, that’s all.”

Kyuni knows all too well of how I feel with the situation of Korra. She knows I don’t want to talk about it.

“Yeah, I get it.” She says. “We all were. I still am. But it’s going to be great seeing her again, that’s the important thing.”

I nod and give her a weak smile. “Yeah, it is. You’re right.”

Kyuni smiles back. “We’re all gonna meet her at Air Temple Island. But before that President Raiko is holding a public ceremony about the reopening of the remodelled Central City Station. Asami helped working on it, remember? We can meet up with her then. Mako will probably be there too. It will be nice.”

“Yeah, it will be.” I tell her, silently thanking her for the change in topic. “I’ll probably hold a couple of classes and I’ll meet up with you. In that case, I should be getting some sleep.

“Ditto.” Kyuni agrees and yawns loudly. “The flower shop was really busy today. I could use a good night’s rest.”

“You can say that again.” I say and rising to my feet. “I’ll see my way out. Have a good night, Kyuni. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kyuni softly smiles. “You too, Y/N. Good night.”

And, with a smile back, I walk out of the apartment and gently shutting the door. I walk a few steps away before I slowly come to a halt and lean against the wall of the now empty and silent corridor. Letting out a tense breath, I gaze upwards at the dull ceiling.

No, don’t worry. Kyuni was right. Everything will be all right.

Restarting my journey, I begin walking to the exit as I silently repeat mantras of reassurance and calming. They do little to soothe my pounding heart ready to burst.

Korra is coming back…

I eventually return to Air Temple Island and begin walking to right outside the door of my room. I don’t open it just yet. I just stare at it, zoning out into my thoughts.

“Y/N?”

Snapping out of my thoughts again, I look to my right and I see Tenzin in his night gown, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then, his features soften and he smiles. “You’re back from the Fire Nation. It’s good to have you back.”

Feeling warmth in my chest, I smile in return. “It’s good to be back too, Tenzin. I hope you didn’t wake you up.”

“You didn’t.” He assures me. “I was just about to head to sleep. How was the Fire Nation?”

I shrug in nonchalance. “It was all right. Fire Lord Izumi told me to send you her thanks.”

I pause for a moment, wondering if I should say the next thing that comes to my mind. Then, I continue. “I heard Korra is coming back tomorrow. Is that true?”

Tenzin’s eyes briefly flash with understanding and sympathy but then subside. “Yes, she is arriving here along with Chief Tonraq.”

Despite having a while to process this information, hearing the confirmation from my mentor reignites the tension inside. Swallowing, I nod. “I can’t believe it. After three years…”

“I know. I’m sure it’s going to be surreal for Korra too.”

“I’m sure it will.” I mutter. Before Tenzin recognises my conflict, if he hasn’t already, I change the topic. “I also heard President Raiko is reopening the Grand City Central tomorrow. I take it you’re going to be there?”

“I will.” Tenzin says. “So will Lin and Prince Wu.”

The mention of the latter makes me scowl slightly, a tightening in my stomach.

Wu. The next in line to the throne of the Earth Kingdom. Or, at least, he’s supposed to be. In reality he’s the most egotistical, childish, immature man-child I have ever seen. I can’t believe he is going to be running the Earth Kingdom. I pity Mako for being forced to be his bodyguard.

“I see.” I simply say, resisting the urge to on a rant about how Wu is a terrible candidate for a leader. “Kyuni and I are planning on heading there to support Asami too. I can come with you.”

“That would be great.” Tenzin says. “I better leave you to it, then. Have a good night, Y/N.”

“You too.”

Walking into my bedroom and gently shutting the door, I gaze at my silent, empty room. Due to the belief that the Air Nomads should have no worldly possessions, the interior was very simple with no decorations. Just a simple desk and bed.

And a box underneath that said bed.

Walking silently, I bend down until I’m on knees and reaching forward I pull outwards. Then, I open it.

There, in the box, are letters. Letters I have received over the years. Some from Bolin, some from Jinora, Kai, and Opal when they are off on their own duties and settling disputes. One from Kuvira…

And, on top of the pile, is my unsent letter to Korra. Gently taking it into my hands, I read the letter again. I was such an emotional mess when I wrote it. I can’t remember what really sparked the tornado of feelings. I guess it just exploded after three years of buildup. I don’t know.

This is MY fault! It is!

I’m supposed to be wise and powerful and yet I feel so hopeless and powerless sometimes.

I love you so fucking much, Korra. And I failed you.

I poured all of those three long years into that letter.

And now Korra is coming back.

Fuck!

Placing the letter back inside and closing the lid, I violently shove the box back under the bed with a force that it hits the wall.

Tenzin will be so ashamed of me if I know I kept these. I’m not even supposed to HAVE them. But…I can’t throw them anyway. I can’t.

When I’m finally bed, I just stare at the blank ceiling with my thoughts tangled in webs of confusion and contradictions.

What am I going to do?

TIME SKIP

Morning comes and work is busy.

After giving happy hellos to Pema and the Air Kids, I begin my pathway to all too familiar round ying-yang platform that gives out a view of the spell-bounding Republic City. Thankfully, I only have one lesson today and then later Tenzin and I will leave to attend Central City Station’s reopening.

I begin to near the platform but, before I make myself visible to my students, I pause as I hear excited and challenging proclamations.

“You take that back!”

“No way, man! You won’t ever be a good airbender!”

“We’ll see about that! Let’s do this right here and right now!”

“Uh, guys, do you think that’s a good idea? What if one of the masters come?”

“Don’t worry! This fight will be over before it starts!”

“For me, it will! You are going down!”

“Come on then, tough guy!!”

I sigh in complete frustration. Newbies. They have no idea what they are doing.

But I don’t intervene. Not yet. I need to catch them in the act.

“Okay, count of three!”

I smile mischievously. Perfect.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Am I interrupting something?”

My voice loud and seething with disappointment echoes across the platform as I make my presence known. A dozen Air Nomads stand in a big circle, two in the centre in battle stances, all turn to their heads to my direction, eyes widening in shock. The two in the centre of the circle, the ones who started all of this, have their jaws dropped and I can just barely make out the look of sheer terror on their features.

I raise an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Uh, Master Y/N!” One of the two in the circle, Gao, I believe, sputters in nervousness. “We were just, uh, um…”

“Just what?” I tell him interrogatively, crossing my arms. “You were about to start fighting a fellow nomad to see who was better? That’s what was going to happen, right?”

Gao wipes his hair to the side and gulps. “Yeah. But…”

“I started it, Master Y/N!” The other of the two, Xan, quickly adds in. “This is my fault! I-I provoked him!”

He’s trying to take the blame. How noble. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to work.

I begin down the stairs, not saying a word, and get closer to the two airbenders. The circle splits open to allow me to enter and I stop dead right in front of them.

“Your desire to protect Gao is admirable, Xan.” I begin, voice stern. “But you are both to blame. You may have started it, but Gao continued it.”

The two young men look down in shame. “We’re sorry.” They both say at the same time.

I hum in acknowledgement, but I don’t say anything for a while. Instead, I let the moment of shame wash over them for a while. Then, I sigh in disappointment. “Everyone sit down.”

Everyone silently rushes forward and in an organised fashion sit down before me, crossed legged. They all look at me with anticipating eyes.

I don’t turn around. Not yet. I clasp my hands behind my back and continued to gaze out to Republic City. I don’t say a word for a good five to ten minutes. That is intentional, of course. One of the most essential qualities of an Air Nomad is patience. If they can’t be patient to wait until I start my lesson, then they are already failing.

After another five minutes, I turn and finally begin.

“When you became an Air Nomad, you swore an oath of non-aggression.” I speak up loudly. “In our culture, violence is always the last resort. Always. There are no excuses. We do not glorify violence, nor do we enjoy it. It is a necessary evil.”

I pause, letting my words sink in, and then continue. “When we were blessed with the gift of airbending, we were given the responsibility for finding peaceful solutions in places where peace does not seem possible. That is our duty.”

“But, Master Y/N.” one of the students speaks up with curiosity. “I thought that was our role until Avatar Korra recovers.”

I frown slightly at the mention of my friend’s name but quickly recover. “It will always be our role, before and after Avatar Korra returns.”

The questioning student nods, and silence reappears.

I continue. “It doesn’t matter who is better or who is worse. We are not children on a playground. We are peacekeepers. How can you keep the peace when you start petty fights over petty squabbles? In doing so, you go against everything what it is to be an Air Nomad. Of course, there is no harm in a friendly competition. There are many times where I’ve been sparring with other airbenders or racing on air scooters. We are allowed to have fun and enjoy life. But what was about to happen before I arrived was not that. The fight that was close to erupting was going to be violence born of rage. Do you all understand the difference?”

The Air Nomads nod in confirmation, including Gao and Xan. Good. They have learned something at least.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I nod. “Good. I hope not to see anything like that again. We are all family. There should not be any resentment between us. We are better than that. We are Air Nomads.”

I gaze upon my students and see them glancing at each other, now beginning to understand. They are brothers and sisters, now. They should love each other like family.

Despite everything going on, one thing that I love is teaching. Seeing my students progress is so satisfying to watch and I am honoured to be a part of that progress.

Seeing this, I reward them with a warm smile. “Now, swiftly moving on, let’s begin the actual lesson.”

TIME SKIP

Tenzin, Pema, the Air Kids and I arrive at the Central City Station just in time. As I arrive onto the scene, I see Kyuni, Mako and Prince Wu discussing about something. The former spots us at the corner of her eye and her face lights up.

“Y/N. You made it.”

With the mention of my name, Mako and Wu turn to me, and smiles go on their faces too. I give them a big smile and exchange a quick hug with Kyuni.

“Of course I did.” I tell her and then Mako and I lock hands and pull each other into a hug. “Mako, its great to see you. It’s been a while.”

“It has.” The bodyguard says, a small smile on his lips. “It’s great to see you too, Y/N.”

After dealing with my inner turmoil these past few hours, this is just what I need. A reunion between friends.

“So…Y/N.” Wu leans in, an eyebrow raised in what I guess is supposed to come across as attractive but instead comes across as embarrassing. “We meet again.”

I hold back a disgusted and tired sigh. Not this shit again. This is another reason why I dislike this guy. He seems to flirt with anyone he finds remotely attractive immediately without any shame. This is the second or third time with me I swear.

“Unfortunately.” I say in the most disinterested tone as possible. “Is it your coronation yet?”

“Nope!” He replies, completely unaware of my lack of enthusiasm. “Soon, though!”

“Not soon enough.” I mutter. Then, I realise something. “Where’s Asami?”

“Over there with President Raiko.” Kyuni answers, pointing to the entrance of Central City Station. Turning to where she’s pointing, I see Asami in her red and black clothing, jet-black hair tied in a ponytail while one half dangling on the right side of her face. Standing on the left, President Raiko stands tall and proud with his usual purple suit and tinted glasses.

Asami and I exchange eye contact and she waves with a smile. I wave back.

“Attention, everyone!” President Raiko begins, voice loud and proud. “Thank you all for attending to this wonderful occasion. This is a historical moment in our beloved Republic City.”

His speech goes on for a few minutes. He talks about the station and thanks to all the people who contributed to its construction. Then, finally, he gestures to Asami.

“And of course, my biggest thanks goes to Asami Sato and Future Industries.” He says, sounding even more prideful than before. She brought our old central terminal into the modern era. Ladies and gentlemen, the world is entering a new age of peace and prosperity.”

My smile widens at that. I’m so proud of Asami. She deserves it.

But Raiko continues. “Soon, Prince Wu will take his rightful place on the Earth Kingdom throne. And thanks to our updated rail system, Republic City and the Earth Kingdom will be united like never before!”

While the crowd applause, me included, as Raiko and Asami cut the red ribbon in front of them to make the reopening of the station official, I frown in displeasure as I see Wu arrogantly striking pose after pose in front of a reporter with a camera.

Why is this idiot taking over the Earth Kingdom? He’s childish, immature, arrogant, irresponsible, and a wimp. He’s not fit to be King. Spirits, he isn’t even fit to be a babysitter. I can’t tell what’s worse. A dictatorial Queen or an incompetent King.

Speaking of Wu, as soon as the crowd dies down and Asami finishes talking to a reporter he walks up to her with a smug look. Uh oh.

“Hey there! Asami, right? Great train house. Maybe you can give me a personal tour sometime, what do you say?”

Oh spirits.

Thankfully, Asami isn’t putting up with his crap. I do like the idea of putting you on a train and sending you far, far away.”

Ohhhh snap.

The prince chuckles, trying to play her annoyance off cooly. “That's ... that's funny. I like funny dames. Maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Prince Wu, future king.”

Okay, I’m not letting this continue.

“Sorry, your majesty.” I say to him, saying his royal title in a mocking tone. “But you got business to attend to.”

Mako adds on, clearly enthusiastic as I am to get rid of him. “President Raiko wants to talk to you. Now.”

Clearly disappointed at having his chances to “woo” Asami have been thwarted, he lets out a disappointed sigh. “Fine.” Then, he winks at her. “I’ll be back.”

I hope not.

As he walks away, I turn back to Asami and I give her a hug. “It’s nice to see you, Asami. I’m so happy for you!”

“Me too.” Mako adds on.

“Thanks, you two!” She cheerly responds, reciprocating the hug. “It’s good to see you both again too! How was the Fire Nation, Y/N?”

Trying my hardest not to wince at the name which brings back the uncomfortable memories, I give her a casual shrug in an attempt to look nonchalant. “Eh, the usual. Got to meet the Fire Lord and the Princess. And Lord Zuko too.”

Kyuni snorts. “Oh yeah, Asami, I just met three of the most powerful people in the world. You know, normal stuff.”

Asami chuckles at that while I playfully elbow Kyuni at the side. Then, I elbow Mako and begin chuckling too. “Mako here gets to meet royalty every day. Very lucky guy.”

Knowing full well how he feels about who he is protecting, Mako lets a disgruntled sigh. “Yeah. Lucky. That’s one way to put it.”

“How can you even stand him?” Asami asks him.

“Well, I just remind myself that once he's on the throne, I go back to being a detective.”

“And that works?”

“I also go home, and smash my head into the wall for an hour, you know, just to get the stress out.”

That makes us all erupt in laughter, my laughing getting so bad that I have to wipe tears from my eyes.

“It’s been too long.” Asami says when we finally calm down. “Have any of you heard from Bolin?”

I shake my head. “Nope. It’s been a while since I got a letter from him. Last time I heard from him he said he’s doing good with Kuvira.”

Kuvira.

No. Don’t think about her also.

“I haven’t spoken to him in a while either.” Mako adds. “But he is coming for the coronation in a few days. The Chief told me Korra is arriving tonight too.”

I resist to wince once again. Spirits, this is going to be hard, huh?

“Yeah, I told Y/N about it last night.” Kyuni says. “It’s going to be great to see her again. It’s been so long.”

“It really has.” Asami adds. “I can’t wait to see her again.”

“Same.” I force out, trying to sound as casual as I can. I glance around and I notice Wu talking to Tenzin, Lin, and Raiko. They all look pretty serious about something, the prince in particular looks kinda nervous.

My curiosity rising and unable to resist it, I quickly mutter a “Be right back” and start walking towards the group. I manage to catch a bit from Beifong with the word “assassinated” and I further tense up a bit.

“Is something wrong, Tenzin?” I ask him, standing to the side of him and catching their attention.

“Nothing to worry about.” He assures me. “We were assuring Prince Wu that he will be protected by the United Forces when he is escorted to Ba Sing Se after the coronation.”

“Apparently Kuvira has mostly dispersed the bandits.” Wun grumbles, not really sounding assured himself. “Whatever that means.”

I frown at the mention of the name. So long trying to not think about her.

When Kuvira took on the task to stabilize the Earth Kingdom, I was completely proud and impressed by her. Suyin was being her typical selfish self and turned her back on the people suffering all over the nation while she sat in her fancy home in her utopian city. Hearing her protégé defy her mentor’s wishes and do what is right was so admirable.

And then…the whispers started. Terrible whispers. Whispers about Kuvira acting like some sort of dictator. Whispers of “re-education camps.” Whispers of people suffering.

The words of her letter to me flash in my mind. She wanted me to join her. I refused. She hasn’t written to me since.

I have told Tenzin all of this and he’s sent this all to President Raiko but he’s being stubborn. He’s so convinced that the situation can be handled once she steps down after the coronation. If she steps down, I mean.

“Knowing Kuvira, she probably has made the Earth Kingdom secured.” I say in a displeased tone. Then, staring at Raiko I add “Even if it came at a great cost.”

Raiko frowns at my last comment. He knows all too well how I feel about this.

“Um, I’m not sure I’m following?” Wu adds, voice mixed with confusion and worry.

Crossing my arms, I continue glaring at the President. “I’m just saying that Kuvira might not be completely trustworthy given the rumours spreading around.”

“Y/N…” Tenzin mutters warningly.

Wu’s worry amplifies. “Uh, rumours? What rumours?”

Finally, I glance at the prince. “Rumours that Kuvira has-“

“-Rumours you shouldn’t worry about, Prince Wu.” Raiko interrupts with a sharp edge. “Because they are just that. Rumours. Even if some of them are accurate, they will be dealt with when Kuvira steps down.”

I turn back to him. “If she steps down.”

“Wait, what?” Wu asks. “She might not step down?”

“She will.” Raiko says, glaring dead into my eyes. “With all due respect, Master Y/N, but I do not appreciate what you are spouting. You have already made your point loud and clear these past few months. You need not to repeat yourself.”

Oh, that arrogant-

“I apologise on behalf of Y/N, President Raiko.” Tenzin cuts in before I can retaliate. “While I too have similar concerns, we shall trust your judgement.”

The airbending master then gives me a narrowed stare which probably means “Stop this now.”

I resist an exhausted sigh then force an apologetic smile. “I apologise, President. I shall leave you all be.”

I can feel their stares on my back as I walk away from the group and back towards my friends.

Again, this inaction. Again, the incompetence. Again, the arrogance! DAMMIT!

When I became an airbender I swore an oath to non-aggression. I, along with every Air Nomad, must find a peaceful solution first and foremost and must not act violently and aggressively. We only fight when it’s the last resort. I’ve been teaching that to dozens of students since becoming a master. And yet, despite the confidence I display in the words I lecture to my students, the reality is much different.

Peace must always come first. I know this and I admire the Air Nomads for trying to find a peaceful resolution in a troubling situation. But one crucial flaw of their, quite frankly, naïve ideology is that they aren’t willing to do what’s needed to be done as soon as possible. Kuvira’s growing power and threat must be dealt with and yet Tenzin contends with telling President Raiko about it, who of course will just dismiss it.

The New Air Nation is a great improvement to the isolated old nomads but there is still room to grow. But I have a feeling this is one flaw that will never be corrected.

Finally releasing a tense sigh, I force a smile as I reunite with my friends.

Tenzin is probably going to talk to me later. I just know it.

TIME SKIP

“Y/N, can I have a word?”

Yep. He’s gonna talk to me about it.

“If this is about earlier, I am not apologising to you for what I said.” I bluntly tell my mentor as we reach to a quiet corner of the dining area of Air Temple Island. Its now sunset and President Raiko, his wife, Lin, Mako, Asami, Kyuni, Prince Wu, and the rest are here.

Its been a good amount of hours since the reopening of the Central City Station. This lecture I’m probably going to be given any second now really should have been earlier, but Tenzin was busy. Plus, I have a slight feeling he has been putting off somewhat. I know he knows how I feel about this situation.

“And I’m not asking you to.” Tenzin replies. “However, you have to be more careful what you say sometimes.”

I scoff. “I was just speaking what we both think. You are worried just as much as I am.”

“I am.” He admits. “But we heard what Raiko said.”

“Raiko isn’t always right.” I retort with a huff. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

My comment seems to have rubbed the airbending master the wrong way as I see him frown slightly. “What are you suggesting, Y/N?”

Dammit.

I bite back a retort. I don’t want to start an argument. Not here and not now.

“Forgive me, Tenzin.” I say. “I meant no suggestion. I’m just frustrated.”

“I know.” He says, placing a comforting hand onto my right shoulder. “But remember the principals we uphold as Air Nomads. It isn’t too late for a peaceful resolution to happen. For all we know, Kuvira might step down when Prince Wu is coronated.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

He doesn’t respond for a while. Then, he lets go of my shoulder and sigh.

“I don’t know. But I’m certain we all can handle it.”

A vague answer. I guess that’s the best I’m going to get.

When we depart, I walk up to Kyuni who is drinking a glass of water, leaning against the wall.

“Hey.” I tell her. “You good?”

“Never better.” She says, then nods towards where I just was with Tenzin. “What was that all about?”

I sigh. “I had a slight argument with President Raiko earlier at the Central City Station. Tenzin was just telling me to watch what I’m saying.”

She snorts. “I mean, he’s right about that. You do have a habit of speaking your mind a lot.”

“Hey!” I retort half-offended. “I think that’s an admirable quality to have.”

“It’s certainly an attractive quality.” Kyuni agrees. “But it can sometimes get you into trouble.”

“At least it gets stuff done.” I counter. A weak argument, I know, but I still persist.

Kyuni sighs and gives me a playful nudge. “Hey, I know you’re worried about what’s going on in the Earth Kingdom. I am too. But maybe it won’t be as bad as you think its going to be. With Korra back, maybe she can do something.”

Yeah. Korra, who’s going to be back in any second.

I open my mouth to speak but before I can get a word in, an Air Acolyte walks into the room with complete excitement.

“There’s a Southern Water Tribe ship pulling up to the dock!”

While the children let out an excited cheer of “Korra!” my blood freezes to ice. I hear nothing but the pounding of my heart.

Korra is here.

A hand wraps around my own and tugs me forward. I look up and see Kyuni giving me a small smile. I force one back and let her pull me forward. I see her opening her mouth to say something but I don’t hear it. I just keep hearing my heartbeat.

Korra is here.

We walk outside the Air Temple and down the ramp where the large and powerful ship is waiting for us.

Korra is here.

Naga rushes out the ship with obvious enthusiasm.

Korra is here.

Tonraq walks out the ship…alone.

The frantic heartbeats stop. I return to reality.

Wait…alone?

“Tonraq.” Tenzin greets, shaking hands with him. “It's good to have you back in the city. And everyone is excited to see the Avatar again.”

The Chief of the Southern Water Trible looks…puzzled. “What do you mean? Isn't Korra already here?”

The frantic heartbeat returns, more powerful than ever, but for an entirely different reason.

What is he talking about?

“No, we thought she was coming with you.” Tenzin replies but his excitement is now gone, replaced by confusion and…worry.

Tonraq too begins to worry, his eyes flashing with concern. “Korra left the South Pole six months ago. She's written me letters. She said she was here in Republic City.”

As the words leave his lips, everything falls apart.

Left six months ago…

Left six months ago.

LEFT SIX MONTHS AGO!

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

I don’t think. I act.

Dropping Kyuni’s hand like its on fire, I rush with a speed that rivals the strike of a lightning bolt further into the island. I ignore the cries of my name and pleas with me to stop. I ignore them all.

KORRA HAS BEEN GONE FOR SIX MONTHS! SHE COULD BE ANYWHERE! SHE COULD BE IN DANGER! FUCK FUCK FUCK!

“Spectre!” I shout into the wind and a few seconds later my air bison emerges from the now night sky. I quickly hop on top of the bison.

“Y/N!”

I look back and see Kyuni, Jinora, and a few others rushing up to me. “WAIT!”

I ignore them all.

“Yip yip.”

And in a flash, Spectre lifts off and flies into the sky with an urgency. Our bond allows him to know the panicked state I’m in.

I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know where she is. But I will find her. I will save her.

I will not fail her again.

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

And that's it!

I hope you all enjoyed it!

Feedback is appreciated!

See you all in the next chapter! :D

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sanrielle · 2 years ago

Text

Five years post-war, Toph and Sokka drink cactus juice late one night while on vacation with their friends. And then they wake up…

Status: completed

Word count: 18k

Rating: mature

Warnings: none

Tags: post-canon, friends to lovers, idiots in love, flirting, pining, sexually suggestive, romance, humor, happy ending

Excerpt (borderline nsfw):

“HEY, SNOOZLES! Wake up!!”

The voice—which was accompanied by the sound of a fist pounding on the door—jolted Sokka out of a peaceful dream in which he was soaring on the back of a larger-than-life Momo.

The sheets were everywhere, twisted and askew and damp from his sweat. Ember Island summers were hot. Hot enough for him to have shed even his shorts the night before when he’d crashed immediately upon arriving.

“I’m not hearing any signs of life! You’ve got five seconds to respond!”

Sokka finally woke up enough to register that the voice he was hearing belonged to Toph.

Toph!

They hadn’t seen or spoken to each in over a year—having only exchanged letters while he served as Zuko’s advisor—and now here she was, banging on his door as if they saw each other every day. Clearly, she’d just arrived and was intent on disturbing his sleep.

“Alright, that’s it!” she continued before he could move. “I’m coming in!”

“Wait, I’m not–” In his hurry to get out of bed to stop her, his feet got tangled up in the sheet and he fell to the floor with a dull thud at the exact moment that the door swung open. In walked a striking young woman dressed for a day at the beach.

And by dressed, he meant not very dressed.

“Did you really just fall out of bed?” she asked with a snort.

In all the years that they’d known each other, Toph had almost exclusively worn loose, baggy clothes that allowed her to move freely. Sure, there had been times in the past when she’d worn less for beach trips or similar occasions. But…she’d been a lot younger, then. Just a child.

Now, though, a very un-Toph-ly version of Toph stood there with mostly bare legs, defined hips, and a only thin band of cloth wrapped around her breasts.

And that was how Sokka found himself naked on the floor, sheets twisted around his legs, mouth dry, and sporting an erection that was only partially caused by having just woken up.

“Sh– Shut the door,” he stammered in a strangled voice as he frantically scrambled to his feet and tried to cover himself.

She tilted her head curiously and casually kicked the door shut. “Why? Are you naked or something?” Her expression changed to one of impish amusement. “Worried someone might catch a glimpse of your morning wood?”

Sokka lost all strength in his legs and sat hard on the edge of the bed with the sheet wrapped clumsily around his waist. He squeezed his eyes closed and desperately tried to solve the problem. Dead puppies. Sick old people. The break-up. Yeah, that’s the one. Think about that. After a couple of slow, deep breaths, his body thankfully went back to normal.

“You–” he started, though he had to cough because his voice cracked.

But she cackled before he could figure out what to say. “Oh, relax. If that sort of thing bothered me, I never would’ve survived the war. Between you, Aang, and Zuko, sleeping on the ground for months gave me an education I never asked for. And none of you idiots ever seemed to figure out that I had no choice but to see everything that happened inside your tents.” With that, she plopped down on the bed next to him with her feet dangling off the floor. “There, I’m truly blind now. Happy?”

#atla #atla fanfic #toph #toph beifong #sokka #tokka #sokka x toph #toph x sokka

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bard-llama · 1 year ago

Text

WiP Wednesday: Brother

This fic was inspired by Toph declaring Zuko her brother in A Second Chance at Family. I started thinking about what Azula would think of that... so cue this fic. This is post-canon, where Azula is working with Zuko as a political advisor.

Aaaaaand tumblr's shitty new post editor won't let me indent the story without removing all the spacing. Fucking hate this stupid thing and you can no longer opt out of it, so that's great. Thanks @staff. This platform progressively gets worse and worse. It's literally becoming LESS functional.

Anyway, have a snip:

“He’s my brother, not yours,” Azula hissed at the earthbender who was clinging inappropriately to Zuzu’s side.

Zuzu looked surprised, but the earthbender just grinned a smug grin that made Azula want to set her on fire.

“You lost siblingship rights,” the earthbender shrugged, “you know, when you tried to murder him.”

“Toph,” Zuzu hissed, probably able to tell that Azula was very close to incinerating her. Such an insult could not go unanswered.

Azula raised herself up tall. “Zuko is my blood,” she sniffed haughtily.

“Literally who gives a fuck?” Toph snorted. “Your bloodline is fucked up. We’re better family to him than you’ve ever been.”

“Nonsense,” Azula scoffed. “Family isn’t something you choose.”

Zuzu coughed. “Um. Yeah, it kinda is.”

She glared at him and he winced.

“Just saying,” he muttered. “Can we please move on from this and deal with the actual issues on our plates?”

“No,” Toph said simply, pointing at Azula. “You think your blood entitles you to him? Fuck that. What have you ever done to earn the title of sister?”

“I don’t have to earn it,” Azula sneered.

“See, that kind of entitlement is exactly why I’m the real sister,” Toph said and Azula saw red.

“Guys!” Zuzu said loudly. “Come on, we’ve got actual fucking work to do!”

Azula’s eyes narrowed at him. “You agree with her,” she said, something threatening in her voice.

“Um.” Zuzu shrugged. “You’re both my sisters, okay? Now come on, I have a meeting with the finance minister in an hour and we need to figure out–”

“No,” Azula cut him off, incensed. “I’m your blood. How can you call this – this mudgrubber ‘sister’!?”

“Oh, I’ll show you mud,” Toph began, but Zuzu stepped between them, pushing them back from each other. Azula almost set him on fire in payment for the indignity of it.

“Guys, seriously!”

“Family is a title that’s earned,” Toph said coldly. “You’ve never done shit to be deserving of it.”

Puffing up in offense, Azula let the threat of lightning crackle in the air around her – but it backfired when Zuzu said sternly, “stop it! Neither of you are helping right now! Let’s just move on and–”

Azula’s face twisted with something she couldn’t define, but it was bitter and jealous and angry. “I refuse,” she said tightly. “I refuse to have anything to do with a pretender who tries to steal other people’s families!”

“Good,” Toph snapped, “then the trash can walk itself out.”

“How dare you–”

“Guys, come on!” Zuzu stood between them again, face stressed. “We have real actual problems to deal with! Like how to fund–”

“Forget it,” Azula said icily. “As long as she’s around, I won’t be involved.”

Zuzu blinked like he was surprised at her ultimatum, but Toph’s smirk just widened.

“Fine,” Toph said easily. “Bye then. C’mon, Sparky, let’s deal with your finance minister.” She turned and started walking towards Zuzu’s office – and Zuzu hesitated, looking between them.

Azula remained with her nose stubbornly in the air – but then Zuko took a step towards Toph.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I’ve gotta deal with this meeting.”

And then he left, following after that brother-stealing earthbender, and Azula felt the sudden need to set the corridor on fire.

Servants and staff ran from the area – but Zuko did not return and Azula’s rage was complete. He was her blood! How could he choose Toph over her!?

With a snarl, Azula set off to find something she could burn, leaving a smoldering section of hallway behind her.

#atla #wip wednesday #i'm so sick of losing functionality with every fucking update #fuck tumblr

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gaybd1 · 1 year ago

Note

“Hey, why are you walking like that?” - the first time Zuko notices Sokka's leg injury never fully healed?

From these prompts || Send more!

"Hey, why are you walking like that?"

Sokka froze, almost out the door on the way to a council meeting. He’d been walking carefully around Zuko all day, trying to hide his limp from the firebender, trying not to let it become a Thing…

"Like what?" he tried to keep his voice casual, but it squeaked a little at the end, like it always did when he was caught in a lie.

Sighing, he dropped down into one of the chairs in their chambers’ sitting room. It looked like they were doing this- the meeting could wait.

"Don't do that. You're hurt." Zuko sat opposite him, arms crossed as he studied Sokka’s face looking for any sign of injury.

As much as Zuko hated being babied about his own injuries, he had no problem poking, prodding, and nagging at Sokka whenever he had the smallest scrape.

And his bedside manner was terrible.

"I promise, I'm not-" Sokka’s protests were cut off as Zuko knelt down in front of him, yanking down Sokka’s pants to get a better view of his legs. “Spirits! Do you mind?”

"Stop being a baby and let… me… see-" the firebender had to yank at the pants, as Sokka was not making it easy to get them off. When they finally budged, they came down in one motion and sent Zuko falling back onto his backside. Sokka snorted.

Zuko’s brow furrowed as he got a good look at Sokk’s legs. "…You're not hurt."

"No, I'm not." Sokka crossed his arms, more than a little annoyed but happy to say ‘I told you so.’

Zuko frowned and absently traced the scar under Sokka’s left knee. Sokka hissed at the contact and Zuko smirked up at him in triumph before turning a concerned gaze back to the knee.

"So it's... How long has this been going on?"

"What? I said-"

"Cut the bullshit, Sokka,” Zuko was using his Fire Lord voice now, and Sokka couldn’t help but to flush at the tone. “You're not okay if you're limping. Let me help you."

"You can't help me,” Sokka replied quietly, “Katara can't even help me, she’s tried. It's just one of those things...."

Zuko let Sokka’s voice trail off, sitting back in the opposite chair and throwing Sokka’s pants back in his lap. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose and met Sokka’s gaze directly.

“You don’t think I can fix it so you didn’t even want to tell me about it. Sokka. That’s so… stupid.”

“I don’t need your pity,” Sokka mumbled back, taking the opportunity to break the eye contact and carefully wiggle his pants back on.

“You’re an ass.”

Sokka stopped, one leg in, one leg out, and looked back up at Zuko. Why was he so mad? True, Sokka hadn’t told him about his chronic pain, but Zuko had more important things to worry about. Like running a country. Still…

“I’m sorry,” he finally croaked, “I know I shouldn’t keep things from you…”

Zuko groaned in frustration.

“You don’t get it. I’m not mad you didn’t tell me, I’m mad you didn’t think it mattered enough to tell me! When I’m having a bad day with my heart, do you think I tell you because I think you have some magical cure for me? No! I want you to be there for me, and I want you to let me be there for you!”

Oh.

Sokka suddenly and deeply did indeed feel like an ass.

Especially since he was still only half-wearing pants.

He quietly finished dressing and crossed the room to Zuko, swatting his hands off his knees to make space to sit in his lap.

Sokka settled in and wrapped his arms around Zuko’s neck. The tension in the other man’s body eased, but he still wouldn’t look at Sokka.

Sokka craned his neck so that their eyes met as he pressed their foreheads together.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re right. I’m just so used to… I was always the oldest, you know? I couldn’t worry anyone else with my problems and sometimes I forget that you… Well, that we love each other and are here to support each other. I’ll tell you from now on when I’m having a bad day with my leg, okay?”

Zuko smiled and reached up for one of Sokka’s hands, bringing it to his lips.

“Okay.”

#quesTian #atla #zukka #drabble #text

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paramouradrift · 2 years ago

Text

Voice loss

@febuwhump

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender, Pairing: Zukka Modern AU in which Zuko is the captain of the fencing team

This fic is also up on AO3, and you can find it if you click here. Under the cut is just a preview, because self control? Who is she?

Katara found Sokka on his way from the library. He hadn’t slept at all the night before, and he felt just generally awful to be alive. Checking himself in the mirror that morning, he noticed big dark circles under his eyes and a few pimples forming on his cheeks, so at least he looked as gross as he felt. He waved to her as she strode towards him. “Hey, Katara—ow! Ow! What the hell!?” Instead of saying hi like a normal person, she grabbed and twisted his ear. “I should be asking you that, idiot,” she said, not releasing him. “I hung out with Suki last night, and do you know what she told me? She said Zuko told her you guys were dating. Not friends with benefits—dating. But then I hear that you danced with Ty Lee and some math major for like two hours at the party yesterday. A math major, Sokka! You’d better have a damn good explanation for all of this.” “Alright! Alright! Just, let go of my ear first!” Sokka pleaded. Katara released him and crossed her arms, her expression unimpressed, and entire stance daring him to say something stupid. He rubbed his ear, glaring at her. “That really hurt, you know.” “You’re getting off lightly, I think,” Katara said. “Why did you lie to me about your relationship with Zuko?” “I didn’t!” Sokka squawked. “We just, you know…haven’t really…talked about it. I mean, labels can be so restrictive—hey! No! Stop!” Katara went for his ear again, and he managed to bat her hands away with his art history textbook. They ended up in a stalemate, with Sokka pointing his book at her like it was a weapon, and Katara facing him down like his idiocy was punishable by death and she would be his executioner. “Look,” she said, putting a hand to her brow and relaxing her stance. “I wouldn’t be mad about this if you didn’t drag half of our friends into this mess. Suki was heartbroken, and Zuko apparently drank himself sick last night. Get your shit together, Sokka.” “I’m going to!” Sokka said. “I’m just…I’m not ready to be out or anything. I don’t even know what I’d be out as. I talked to Zuko about it, and he agreed to help me get ahead of any rumors that might spread because of, you know. The kiss.” “Sokka, I don’t know how to tell you this, but it’s 2019, and you’re in college,” Katara said. “Nobody cares if you’re gay or not, and even if they did you’d have the entire fencing team behind you. You’re friends with Toph, who can take down most football players single-handedly.” “That’s easy for you to say,” Sokka said. “You’re not the one who has to live with it.” “No, I don’t,” Katara said. “I just have to live with you and your messes.” Sokka sighed. She was right. “I’ll talk to Suki,” he said. “And I’ll fix things with Zuko.” “Great,” Katara said, patting him threateningly on the shoulder. “See that you do.” He eventually found Zuko sitting with Suki on a long couch in a lounge in the student union. They were talking in low voices, and the bits of conversation Sokka overheard made him duck for cover before they could spot him. “Anyway, I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Suki said. “I had no idea it was like that.” “I’m sorry, too,” Zuko said, his voice incredibly hoarse. He had a tall takeaway cup of tea in his hand that he took a sip from. “How are you holding up?” Suki asked. “How do you think?” Zuko replied, almost too quiet for Sokka to hear. He coughed. “I feel like shit.” “Physically or emotionally?” Suki asked with an amused snort. Sokka didn’t hear Zuko’s reply, but Suki got up to leave shortly after. He snuck out of the lounge and then doubled back so it would look like he had just walked in. “Oh, Suki, hi,” he said, louder than strictly necessary. “Hey, Sokka,” she said, regarding him with mild suspicion. “Can we talk?” (Continued on AO3...)

#febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday9 #atla #fanfic #zukka #angst

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discordiansamba · 11 days ago

Text

jin squints at him.

"wait," she says, "-you're not lee, are you?"

"no," he says, "-uh. zuko here. i guess this isn't really our first time meeting but-"

"oh wow," she says, "-you were telling the truth."

zuko can't help but bristle. did you think I- lee- was making it up? why would he- i- lie about this? jin arches an eye at the slip-up and zuko just groans. look. it's confusing to keep it all straight sometimes. she gives him a considering look, before taking his hand.

"come on," she says, "-let's talk somewhere a little more private."

zuko's not entirely sure what to do, so he just just kind of follows her. there are a few confused whispers as they pass- from people he recognizes as knowing both jin and lee. she leads him off the main paths of the middle ring, into a familiar park. they'd always walk through it whenever he met her on the way back from the bathhouse.

well. lee did.

she finds a quiet bench and sits down on it. zuko shifts awkwardly on his feet for a few moments, before she pats the spot next to her and he sits down.

"so," she asks, "-here to try and conquer the city again?"

zuko groans, and hangs his head. why is that the first thing everyone asks me? i mean, it's fair, but- whatever. anyways. the answer's no. i got that out of my system. turned over a new leaf. he's also uh. sorry. for doing that. if it helps any, he'd kind of ended up experiencing it right alongside them. it sucked.

jin says she's surprised he cut his hair.

"lee did that, actually," zuko says, "-i guess he was finding his resolve."

shame, she says. long hair looked cute on you. zuko feels his cheeks heat up, and jin scoots closer. so? how do you feel about me now, prince zuko? he averts his gaze. she's so close they're almost touching- and then they are. she puts a hand on his knee, and he swears he feels his heart skip a bit.

...oh. shit.

he's still in love with her.

it must show on his face, because jin gives him a sly smile. she's flattered, prince zuko, but she barely knows you. how about you take her on a nice date so she has a chance to get to know the real you a little better. maybe this weekend? she has a day off then. and she's pretty sure you're free whenever.

"...what do you mean by that?" zuko asks.

"pretty sure princes don't have jobs," jin says.

"being a prince is a job!" zuko counters.

"uh huh," she says, "-and are you doing your job right now, your highness?"

"...no," he admits, "-i'm uh. on sabbatical. for... medical reasons."

jin snorts into her hand. that's a really funny way to refer to being brainwashed. zuko cracks a smile. he'd... missed her, he thinks. he can see why lee fell in love with her. it makes him think that maybe they weren't that dissimilar after all.

...he still has no idea if it'll work out or not. jin still might not like him.

"oh," jin says, "-but this time... don't let your uncle do your hair."

in spite of himself, zuko laughs.

iroh was across the threshold of the room in a flash, dragging him into a tight embrace. in any other situation, zuko probably would have complained about the lack of air, but instead he just buried his head into the crook of his uncle's neck.

"uncle," he says, "-i'm so sorry."

"i am the one who should apologize, zuko," iroh says, "-for not being able to protect you."

for a long time, they don't say anything. zuko is keenly aware that they're being watched by the avatar and his friends. seeing uncle again feels a lot like coming home, even though zuko's... unsure where home is now. he'd gotten so used to living in ba sing se.

he can't stay here, though.

everyone in this city knows his face- and knows that face belongs to lee. but zuko isn't lee anymore. he can't pretend to be him. he'd made this choice as lee, knowing that he'd have to give up the life he'd built for himself here. now that he was zuko again, he didn't think he could stomach putting on earth kingdom green and living a life of serving tea.

uncle finally pulls away from him, patting his shoulders. he tells him that he is going to make the tea this time, and that's final. zuko laughs, and lets him. it's weird. he kind of thought he would hate tea after... everything, but it's become a comfort to him. maybe it's just a trace of lee that he's never going to get rid of.

aang and his friends wisely choose to excuse themselves, to give them a bit of privacy. iroh watches them go, and tells zuko that he's proud of him for putting that past of his behind him. zuko just huffs. he congratulates his uncle on becoming fire lord.

they sit and drink tea together. iroh catches zuko up to speed on what has happened in the fire nation in his absence. zuko... hesitantly tells him a few things about his life as lee, since it's all he really has to talk about. uncle leans over the table with a leering grin when he makes the terrible mistake of bringing up jin, asking what his plans are.

"...i have no idea," zuko admits, "-i think i might actually need to see her again first. i don't know if i even still like her. i don't know if she'll even still like me."

uncle tells him that he can take as much time as he likes. he must still have lingering attachments to this city. there is no judgment in his tone. and... he's right. zuko doesn't think he'll ever be able to bring himself to put on earth kingdom green again, but he's grown fond of ba sing se. it's weird. he feels like he should hate it.

it had been his prison.

he just hadn't known it.

the next day, zuko decides to bite the bullet and go see ba sing se with his own eyes. he'd seen it before- but his time as lee had changed him. he stays in fire nation red, but he ties a wound cover around his scar to hide what it actually looks like. he can't see lee in the mirror anymore, but he knows other people likely will.

besides. it's not like he can see out of the damn eye anyways.

walking the familiar streets of the middle ring as himself is a strange experience. he knows so many of these people. for some of them he can even rattle off their usual order. some of them were even his friends. they give him an odd look as he passes, but zuko pointedly does not look at them. if he pretends he doesn't know them, it'll probably be fine.

"lee?"

two years of responding to that name has zuko turning his head before he can stop himself. thankfully, the person who called out to him is just jin.

...oh. it's jin.

...well. fuck. guess he's making this decision now.

#lee from the tea shop #congratulations! you're yourself again. your awkwardness level has gone up twenty points #zuko: WHAT #the gaang realizing that zuko has been a socially awkward creature all along. who just covers it up by shouting #like if he's loud enough nobody will notice #sokka: ...kind of worked actually. if you think about it

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unfriedough · 3 years ago

Note

Could I request Sandbender!Reader is a member of the Gaang and has cute fluffy romace w/ Zuko <3 (I have never done a fic request before so I hope this is right!)

‘Question’- Zuko x female!reader

Masterlist <3

An: HIYA! First off, thank you for this request, yes it was- good job!! (although maybe next time, include more details! It took me a while to think this one up hehe) Also, (although it's late) RAMADAN MUBARAK!!!!

(This is my longest fic - almost 5K words!)

Summary:

Read the request.

Warnings: fluff, cliche moments (i’m sorry), it's so cheesy lmao, Zuko’s insecure

Zuko found himself abandoned in the desert, which desert in particular? He wasn’t sure. Looking around, his friends were nowhere to be found. Groaning, he got up and whipped his head around - the panic of being lost settling in. As he waltzed around the empty expanse of the sand, he began regaining his memories. Apparently, a sand storm swept the gang plus pets apart. Zuko rubbed his sore ribs, there must be at least a few broken due to the height of the drop. Not long after, the firebender’s urge to sleep became overwhelming, his legs trembling under his weight. All hope was lost, but then, miraculously, he spotted a small village - little kids running round the expanse of it. He smiled to himself as he dragged his legs to the back of one of the shacks. Zuko sank along the back wall and finally gave in to the tiredness. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he saw a silhouette.

“Huh?”

He doesn’t remember much after that, just tiny bits of being escorted into someone’s home.

He regained full consciousness not too long after, frantically looking around his unfamiliar surroundings.

“Shh,” the teenager felt a pair of soothing hands on his shoulder. “You’re okay.”

“Who are you?” his vision was still blurry, barely making out a face.

“Your saviour” you snorted.

Zuko’s Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly, nodding his head.

“Where am I?”

“My house, you should be more careful, y'know. Some people here would really like to beat up firebenders.” you replied, walking away to pick up a med kit.

“Noted.” he said, voice still hoarse

“Why were you in the desert anyways, fireboy?”

“The sandstorm swept me in, I guess.”

“Idiot.” he glared at you. “I’m not wrong.”

You made your way back to him and placed everything on a counter, before telling him to get on one of the other counters.

“Okay, I’m gonna go grab something from the living room, take off your shirt in the meantime.”

Colour rose to his cheeks, “Why?”

“For the thrill of it.” he tilted his head to the side. “Oh my god you are SO dense. So I could check for wounds silly.”

Shortly after you left the room, he carefully removed his shirt. Zuko stared at his reflection on your window, suddenly insecure of himself. His eyes snapped towards the door once he heard it open.

“Hi, I'm back.” you stated, a wooden bucket filled with clean water in your hands.

“Hey.” you placed down your bowl next to him and finally looked.

Your breath hitched as you took in the image of this man, to you, he was a work of art. His torso was littered with tiny scars, making him look rather intimidating. You tried not to stare for too long, he was the enemy after all. Though, he didn’t look the part. Shaking your head, you walked closer towards him, positioning yourself between his legs, and pushing him gently to the back so you could wrap the bandage. Zuko tried to suppress any noises of discomfort, but to no avail, you knew this hurt.

“I know you're in pain, babes.”

He tilted his head up and moved his jaw around, pondering the loose tone you used in the pet name.

After bandaging him up, you helped him to your bedroom where you situated Zuko onto your bed. He laid, staring at you as you moved around.

“So, what’s your name, pretty boy?”

Zuko gulped at the name again, were you flirting or just being nice?

“Zuko.”

“Wait, you're the guy who’s travelling with the avatar right?”

“There’s several guys travelling with the avatar.”

You narrowed your eyes at Zuko and he chuckled lowly.

“Guess so,” he said

“Hm.” you tossed a shirt towards him.

“What?” he asked, putting it on.

“Dunno thought you’d be more? Evil looking?” you scrunch your face, framing him with your hands.

“Well what do I look like?”

“Handsome.” you shrugged nonchalantly.

Heat rose to his cheeks as he desperately covered his face for any chance of redemption, “Thanks,” he replied, muffled.

“Mhmm,” you giggled. “Anyways,”

Zuko turned his head to your drawers, where you were standing.

“Do you have any clue where your friends are?”

The firebender sighed, “No. I wish I did.”

“Oh well, I’m sure we’ll find them. Anywho, I’ll leave you to rest now.” you shut the light on your way out.

Zuko sighed when he heard the door click. He shut his eyes for a while, hoping to drift into a deep sleep. The teen tossed and turned, but nothing worked - he felt stuck. And bored. So, extremely, bored. Carefully, he got up and stalked to your window, which was closed by a delicate curtain. Zuko pulled the window back and peeked out. His breath quickened when he witnessed what was occurring outside. During his so called slumber, his friends were located and brought to the village. The gang were all passed out and healing, leaving no experienced warriors to fend off the threat. Azula.

Zuko sprinted out of your room, only to find himself in the maze of your house - unaware as to where the front door was. Eventually, he located a grand door and left out of it, then running to the attacker. There, he began getting into stance, his injuries making it more difficult. Just as he was about to release a flame, sand flew from all sorts of directions - blinding everyone nearby. Frantically, he covered his eyes and fell to the ground. He was left with only his senses of touch and hearing to guide him. In the distance, grunts and flames could be picked up on - although, he didn’t really focus on those. His main concern was finding somewhere he could breathe.

Eventually, the sand dropped, and Azula and Co were nowhere to be found. In the middle of the battlefield, you stood high and proud, your chest heaving. Zuko got up and looked around, only to find his friends standing not too far. Aang ran towards the firebender and gave him a massive hug.

“ZUKO! We thought we lost you!”

After the group had all given eachother ‘oh my god, you’re not dead?’ hugs, they all turned their attention to you. You stood in the middle of the battlefield, out of breath.

“Y’know, we could do with another earthbender on the team,” Toph joked, kicking the sand.

“You’re right!” Aang replied, missing the sarcasm. “HEY! YOU!”

You looked around then signalled to yourself and tilted your head, mouthing ‘me?’

“YEAH!” the avatar said, walking towards you.

“Yeah?

“How do you feel about travelling with us?”

Your face falls, as your brain processes the information.

“I’m 100% serious!”

“Right…” you said, dragging every syllable. “I’ll have to think about it champ.”

“Okay!” Just then, he blew into a whistle, and a huge flying bison flew in. “Appa!”

“Oh my lord. What is that thing?”

“This is Appa!” Sokka said smugly. “I know you might be scared, but fear not! As-” He was cut off by your disappearance.

Whipping his head around, he found you standing before Appa, bouncing in your spot.

“CAN I PET APPA!”

“YES!” Aang replied, just as excited for no apparent reason.

Your hand reached into Appa’s fur, a squeal leaving your lips once you felt how fluffy he was.

“So. Appa gets to travel with you guys daily?”

“Yeah! Pretty cool isn’t it?” Suki replied, and you nodded.

“Alright Avatar guy. I’ll travel with you.”

“Literally.” Sokka said, rubbing his head.

“YAY!”

Shortly after packing a few essentials, you all rode on Appa and soared into the skies.

“Awesome.” you mumbled, entranced by the clouds.

“So you’re a sand bender?” Toph asked.

“Yep.”

“Can you bend normal earth?”

“Uh. no.”

“Why not?”

“Can you bend sand?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Fair enough. I just never really left home.”

“Sad.”

“Shut up.”

At this point, the sun had begun to set, and the view from Appa’s saddle was breathtaking. Although, you still had some questions. You did make an impulse decision.

“So. What’re you guys’ names?”

“... what if we were kidnapping you?”

“Puh-lease. Half of you guys are younger.” you scoffed.

Katara smiled, “fair enough. I’m Katara.”

“I’m Suki, this is my boyfriend Sokka.”

“Toph.”

“I’m Aang, and this is Zuko.”

“I know that one,” you replied.

The avatar grinned at you, “What about you?”

“Yn,”

“Pleasure to meet you!”

You beamed at the airbender, sharing a friendly moment. Just then, you heard a chirp just behind you. Goosebumps covered your skin as you seemingly teleported to the other side of the saddle - conveniently next to Zuko.

“Chill.” Sokka erupted into laughter, “That’s Momo.”

“What is… Momo?”

“A winged lemur!”

“I thought they were extinct.” you said, carefully reaching a few fingers to pet him.

“Awesome right?”

“Aha.”

Momo crawled into your lap, leaning into your touch. “He’s adorable.”

The animal chirped, and you booped his nose, offering a smile.

Zuko was sure his heart would explode, though he wasn’t sure which of you was cuter. Eventually, Appa landed and everyone got off. As you peered over the edge, it suddenly set in how high up that jump would be.

“Yn!” the firebender called.

You directed your vision towards him, “I’ll help you get down.”

You nodded, throwing your legs over the edge and twisting your body so you were holding onto the saddle. Zuko looked around, noticing the gang went further away to set up, and called again to you: “Let go.”

“HUH?”

“I promise. I’ll catch you.”

You flushed at the thought before closing your eyes and letting go. Honestly, you felt like you had died. An ‘oof’ left your lips as you fell into Zuko’s arms, and you opened your eyes to see his face not too far from yours. Your breath hitched as you stared into his golden eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his gravelly voice squeezing your heart

“Yeah,” you said slowly.

Your mind feels blank, the only thought passing your brain is ‘since when was Zuko so pretty?’

Suddenly, you realise the position you were in, and quickly spring out of his hold.

“Ahem. Thanks Zuko!” you said awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck.

He nodded in acknowledgement, and aided you in retrieving your stuff from the bison’s saddle. Shortly after, you both moved towards the direction of where the gang were, an unnerving silence settling as you both processed newly found emotions.

“Okay, we’re camping here tonight.” Sokka said, stretching.

Hums of agreement passed around the group. Aang and Katara walked together to set up a campfire to cook, Sokka set up some tents before going fishing, and Toph earthbent a small fence to stop creatures from intruding. You and Zuko went to collect sticks. During the walk, you and him often brushed hands - though it wasn’t purposeful. Everytime it would happen, he would immediately look away from you, which left you questioning why he was so, shy? Anywho, once you got to a heavily tree populated area, you picked up a few twigs and logs - zuko mirroring that - and began your journey back.

“So,”

“So.”

“What’d you like to do for fun?” it was a dumb question, but alas, small talk was not your strong suit.

“Oh… nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Mhm,”

“That sounds miserable.” you looked at Zuko again, “I take you as a knitting kinda guy.”

“Knitting?”

“Yeah!”

“How so?”

“Well, you seem cool and mysterious on the outside, but really you're a big softy. Those kinda vibes.”

Zuko nudged you with his shoulder, “I am not a softy.”

“Mm I bet,” you laughed.

“Well. What do you like to do for fun?”

“Hm. I like to bend little things.”

He stared at you, confused.

“Wait, I worded that wrong. I meant sand like sand bending tiny structures.” he nodded in a ‘sure’ kinda way, which earned a punch to the shoulder from you.

After a comfortable moment of silence, Zuko spoke his mind.

“You sure did agree to come way too easily.”

“I guess I did. Life at home is kinda boring, plus who could pass up seeing your face daily,” you shrugged again.

This left the firebender so incredibly perplexed. Are you flirting? He couldn’t ask anyone from the gang in case they would tell you he asked, so he had to consider it himself. Or maybe ask you directly.

“Are you flirting with me?”

Your face dropped at the lack of social understanding. “Zuko. Honey.”

“So you’re just being friendly?” if you weren’t holding the logs you would have face-palmed by now.

“No, Zuko, I am flirting with you.”

“Oh. Okay.” he smiled, leading you to believe he liked it too.

If you were being honest, you knew Zuko was into you, but you were worried about your own feelings - scared you only liked the attention. You didn’t want to hurt the firebender after all.

The camp seemed to get closer in your vision as you neared the forest clearing, chatter from the gang filling the silence. You waved at Katara as you neared, who signalled for you and Zuo to drop the logs on the campfire. As you put away the wood, the firebender placed one of his hands in front of you - the other lighting the fire. Your heart soared as you watched his arm flex, the view was impeccable. The way his hair flopped as he moved his head, and his eyes concentrated on the flame - and most importantly, his desire to protect you. It was such a simple act of love, but coming from a place where you were the protector, not the defenceless. Zuko turned to you after, the embers of the fire illuminating his face, but really it was his stupid little smile that light up your heart. The way his eyes shrunk and his smile became wide. Slowly, he retracted his hand, and his smile softened. Your lips were parted slightly, completely entranced by the firebender. You snapped out of your lovesick moment, and smiled, before walking towards Toph. You plopped down next to her with a huff, as you dropped your head into your hands.

“His heart rate was high too, you know.”

You looked at the small earthbender. “No, I didn’t know that.”

A smile graced your features as you punched Toph in the chest, “Don’t you know it’s rude to eavesdrop?”

“Hey!” she laughed along.

Aang called everyone to eat, you and Toph got up from the rock and moved towards the fire. You chose a random log all alone and sat there, getting passed a bowl.

“Is this seat taken?” Zuko whispered.

Your eyes sparkled as you smiled, “N-”

“Yes.” Toph said, sitting where Zuko was about to.

He swallowed thickly and sat next to the Beifong, away from you. Toph snickered as she sensed his annoyance. You rolled your eyes, but it never hurt to sit next to Toph - she seemed to have a soft spot for you anyways. As everyone settled, and the conversations died down, you quietly slurped on your noodles.

“Hey Yn?”

“Hm?”

“D’you have any fun stories from home?”

You thought for a second, “Nope, not really.”

“Nothing? That’s so sad.”

“Sokka, I literally lived in the middle of nowhere. What’d you think?”

“I guess I didn’t think that through.”

You hummed in agreement, before continuing to indulge in your noodles. A smile graced your features as you tried the ramen, Toph laughed as she realised this must've been your first time.

“Do you like it?” she whispered.

“Yeah!” you replied, “I love it!”

Zuko eyed you as you happily ate. It was a straightforward meal, not too much of anything - quite plain really, but originating in a deserted area with limited food variety - it was something new. Something fascinating, something finally flavorful. It was adorable how much you were surprised by some noodles. His vision fell back on his food, as the familiar feeling of love crept in.

A good few minutes passed, and everyone began clean ups. The plates were stacked neatly, and any other cutlery was sorted into bags to be cleaned by the waterbenders. You sighed as you tied the final bag, stretching as soon as it was out of your grip. A gentle yawn escaped from your lips, eliciting a visit to Sokka to ask where you were sleeping.

“Hey Sokka.”

“Hm? Oh hi Yn!”

“I was just wondering, where am I sleeping?”

“Shoot. I actually didn’t consider that.”

“What.”

“Uh.. you could share with someone!”

“You’re hilarious.” your hands rested loosely on your hips.

“That I am.” he said smugly, “But for real you should ask someone.” “I’d rather die.”

“Then what’re you gonna do?”

“I’ll figure something out, thanks anyways.”

“Yeah okay,” he laughed.

You decided to walk around, making yourself look busy so nobody asked where you were residing for the night. Suki and Sokka entered a shared tent, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph each entered their own tents, respectively. Deciding to relax a bit, you headed down the cliff to a secluded beach. You plopped down onto the pale sand and laid down on your elbows. You reached one arm out to grab the sand, bending it into a heart shape. You tilted your head as you thought of another design - a flame! You bent a tiny, cartoon-y flame and smiled to yourself. “I’m so good at this.”

“You are.” a voice agreed.

Sand flew from all around the beach and covered the individual, blinding them.

“Zuko?” you came to your senses and dropped the sand - none of it sticking because you were so nice.

“Sorry,” he laughed, “I didn't mean to scare you.”

You rolled your eyes at him, “What are you doing here anyways?”

“I was wondering why you weren’t going to bed.”

You felt bad for worrying him, but then again, sleeping in an earth tent sounded uncomfortable and plain painful.

“Wasn’t sleepy.”

He narrowed his eyes at you, “Sure,”

Zuko paused waiting for you to explain your lie, and when you didn’t, he did it for you.

“I noticed you didn’t have a tent.”

“Oh really? I didn’t even notice haha.” you punctuated the sentence with an awkward laugh.

The firebender rolled his eyes and stuck out his hand. You held his hand, albeit in a confused manner, and he led you out of the cave. You weren’t really focused on where exactly he was taking you, more of the journey. His hands felt rough, yet so incredibly gentle against yours, his other hand reached out and held a fire in front of him, lighting the path for the both of you. Your shoes felt a bit too thin above the terrain, you could feel every single rock, you’d have to get new shoes eventually. The mixed scents of fire and wet greenery flooded your nose, a few different flower scents mixing in.

“Here,” he muttered, carefully not to scare you with his sudden speaking.

You were back at the campsite, in front of a lonely red tent.

“I’ll sleep outside. Make yourself comfortable.” Zuko rubbed his neck awkwardly.

“In your tent?” your body suddenly felt warmth flood throughout it.

The firebender nodded, a friendly smile on his face.

“Nonsense. That’s your tent!”

“Yeah but it’s fine I’ll manage,”

“No! You can’t just sleep in the wild.”

The firebender opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it, clearly not having thought this through. Suddenly, an idea passed through your head. Your hand reached into the tent, and examined the space inside. Big enough. You signalled with your other arm for Zuko to come in - and that he did. “Here,” you sighed, “We’ll just share.”

Zuko’s face turned a bright shade of red, as he internalised what you just said.

“Are- are you sure? Honestly I can just-”

“I’m sure Zuko. only if you’re fine with it.”

He nodded sharply, and watched as you laid down. Soon after, he joined you under the covers. You both stared at the roofing of the tent, a sigh escaping your parted lips. You turned your head gently to him, he followed in pursuit.

“Thank you,” you whispered with a smile.

Zuko’s breath hitched as he drank your presence, from the ethereal sparkle in your eye, to your perfectly shaped nose. You tilted your head slightly, shrinking under his watchful gaze. Immediately, as if it snapped him to reality, he pulled the string to shut the lamp. A giggle escaped your lips, as the seemingly recurring pink tinged the teenager’s face.

“Shut up.” the boy muttered.

You smiled wide at the clear embarrassment, “Didn’t say anything.”

A short pause flooded the atmosphere.

“Good night Yn.”

“G’night Zuko,” another smile graced his face.

Afterwards, he rolled to the other direction and shut his irises. Sleep approaching at a steady pace. Maybe a little too fast. And just like that - Zuko fell asleep, soft snores escaping his mouth.

The night was long, and so very cold. But alas, it was definitely comfortable.

The sun rose to the sky slowly, wildlife beginning to wake up. Howls, squeaks, coos, and chitters, were audible. The sunlight filtered through the tent cover, penetrating your translucent eyelids. You yawned, your eyes fluttering open. You lifted yourself to a sitting position to stretch, only to be stopped by a weight against your waist. Quickly pulling the covers down, you discovered that it was not a weight, but, as a matter of fact, Zuko’s arm. His limb was lazily wrapped around your middle. Your eyes ran to Zuko’s face, praying he was still out cold, thankfully, he was. Your pupils scanned his expression, a slight furrow resided between his eyebrows (supposedly due to your movements), his brown hair messily spread out on his features, covering his prominent scar. Slowly, his breathing quickened as he stirred out of a seemingly deep slumber. The arm that was on your waist rose to rub his tired eyes, as he groaned. Zuko attempted (emphasis on attempted) to use his other arm, only to feel a pressure on it. Looking across, he noticed his arm was under you, and you stared at him in complete shock. Immediately, you moved away and he pulled his arm back slowly, considering where it had been.

“Good morning,” Zuko rasped, his morning voice sparking butterflies in your stomach.

“Good morning,” you replied, eyes wandering.

A yawn could be heard as he muttered the next line, “How’d you sleep?”

Oh. So he was choosing to ignore Elephant-rhino in the room. Cool.

“I slept okay. You?” Zuko sat up and rubbed his face gently.

He nodded to signify ‘yeah’.

You smiled at Zuko, mumbling a thank you as you left the tent. Sokka stared at you inconspicuously.

“Why were you in Zuko’s tent?” he said, dragging the ‘y’ in ‘why’.

“Me? Oh! Just uh! Waking him up!”

“Why? It’s like, mega early.”

“Why are you awake then, meathead?”

“I’m prepping the food today,” he grinned proudly, before immediately shrieking as the food burnt.

You moved behind him to retrieve a bucket to fill in the lake. As you moved past the watertribe teenager, he grabbed your arms.

“Is there something going on with you and Zuko?”

Your eyes immediately widened, you wish you knew the answer.

“No? What makes you think that?”

Sokka leaned in real close and whispered, “You smell like him,”

You immediately stepped back, coughing awkwardly and walking away, Sokka laughing in the background.

“No? What makes you think that?” Zuko, who had overheard, repeated to himself, reminding him that you two were just friends. Nothing more. He tried to gaslight himself into believing this is what he wanted, but no, the heaviness in his heart weighed on his self esteem. As he left his tent and waved at Sokka, stalking to the woods to retrieve some sort of food, he continued to ponder just why you didn’t like him - nitpicking at each of his troubling insecurities. Maybe his hair was too long, or his scar was ugly, maybe he wasn’t muscular enough? Possibly didn’t have soft enough hands, or he was too warm or that he was a firebender or that he was plain evil or that- When did the waterworks start? Swiftly, he wiped his tears, a strained sniffle paired along. Deciding it was best to take a break, he walked across the river - using rocks to help him get across, and sat under a tree, using the foliage as partial shade under the scorching hot sun. Zuko brought his knees to his chest, his hand reaching down to play with the grass. Gazing at the trees opposite him, the firebender saw a person’s silhouette. You.

As you finally reached your destination, you threw your fist into the air. After many detours and wrong routes - the river was finally close enough to taste. Your tired legs carried you towards the water stream, and your arms grasped the bucket tightly. Humming a tune, you gently submerged the tub under the cold liquid. You pulled the bucket back up, noises of discomfort leaving your mouth as the heavy bucket was lifted onto the greenery. You huffed out a short breath of air, before standing back up and making your way back to the campsite. Zuko looked to the side sadly, contemplating his feelings towards you. Is he really this pathetic?. He went from a prince to a teenager with a silly crush? Life is so unfair. Sighing, he got his act together and got up - he would have to be better. The way back to the ‘residential’ area was rather peaceful and Zuko made a conscious effort to block out intrusive thoughts. The tents seemed to be getting closer, and eventually he finally made it back. He tossed the few berries he mindlessly picked up on the way back (so much as to not come back empty handed), and made his way to the middle - where Aang was.

“Zuko! There you are! We were just about to have breakfast and then we’ll make our way to our next hiding spot!”

“Hiding spot?”

“Well yeah,” the avatar rubbed his neck sheepishly, he didn’t usually call it a hiding spot, “We kinda figured we need to keep it on the downlow before the comet.”

“Fair enough. Any clue as to where we’re gonna hide?”

“Not a clue.”

“We need somewhere inconspicuous, somewhere secluded, FAR FROM THE FIRELORD!” Sokka stroked his chin, becoming louder as the sentence unfolds.

“How about Ember Island?” Zuko shrugged, kindly accepting a bowl of berries from Katara - as she handed everyone some.

“RIght under his nose?” Toph added.

“That sounds like a death wish!” Sokka yelled at Zuko.

“No wait, maybe he’s right. Listen if you were looking for your enemy, would you really look in your own house?”

“I guess not.”

“We’re going to Ember Island!”

Well, that was in the morning. Now, it’s past midnight, and the gang are guiding Appa. Actually, scrap that, guiding is a long shot, it was more like they were sleeping on Appa. The young airbender had been attempting to assist the giant creature in his sleep deprived state, but alas, he fell asleep. Which caused you to make your next decision. Smoothly, you replaced Aang (helping him lay on the saddle instead), and began to direct the flying bison.

“Do you even know where Ember Island is?”

That thought hadn’t occurred to you.

“No,” you extended the word.

A chuckle came from behind, before you heard some shuffling. Zuko slid down to Appa’s head, and you schootched over. As he went to grab the lead, his hands brushed yours in a feather light manner. His eyes snapped up quickly, and he was met with a slightly distressed expression on your face.

“You okay?” he said, worried.

“No.” With brows furrowed, he waited for you to resume, “Zuko, what are we?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well it’s just that, you’re giving me mixed signals man. I feel like you like me but you don’t like me, but you do but you don’t! I’m so sick and tired of it. So, please, tell me, how do you really feel?”

Zuko gulped, not expecting this.

“I-” you held your breath, “I don’t know,”

You sighed tiredly.

“Do you know?”

“I do Zuko. I like you.”

Zuko’s mind ran laps, he did know. There was never any question that he liked- no loved you. He loved the way your eyes sparkled, and the way you could talk for hours and he would never get bored, he adored your voice which could lull him to sleep in seconds. Moral of the story, he just loved you. The firebender stared at you, breath quickening. As you both looked into each other's eyes, he slowly leaned in. Once close enough, he flashed a look to your eyes before shutting his and slotting his lips into yours. The kiss was fast, a question if anything. A question to fate. And at that second, Zuko knew his fate, it was you. You were his light, his knight in shining armour - granted he hasn’t known you long, but getting to know you in the past few days was magical. Infact, he would say it was love at first sight. He’s loved you since you saved him.

Your lips separated, butterflies inhabiting his stomach as much as they were yours’. Were Zuko’s eyes always this pretty? You felt like you could get lost in them for days, as cliche as it is.

Soulmates were an iffy topic to you, were. You knew better now.

You knew better now.

An: Thanks for reading :)

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