#zuko the shepherd

[jesncin]

Okay, I'll bite, what are your feelings on the trans conner pitch?

Oh boy! Thank you for tossing me this bone because I have a lot of mixed feelings!

I notice that people online are very hot and cold about the Trans Superboy Pitch, they either love it or hate it and that doesn't leave a lot of room for nuance + discussion. So to be respectful to a fellow trans peer in the industry, I want to do a fair review/analysis of Skyrocket: the trans Conner Kent pitch by Magdalene Visaggio.

My general takeaway from the pitch is that I like the premise, but the details fumble the execution for me. I can really feel from reading the pitch that Visaggio cares about Superboy. She understands that he's a very weird legacy character who has struggled to find proper footing in the DC Universe after all these years. An effective legacy character is one who is able to spin off and expand upon the themes of the character whose mantle they carry. But the cheesy whatever-goes 90's-ness of Superboy's original run didn't give future writers a lot to work with in terms of a Superman Legacy Character.

It's why I genuinely believe the later retcon reveal that -part of Conner's DNA is from Lex Luthor- is a fantastic addition to his character. It takes a character who was just kind of screwing off to gentrify Hawaii back into the center of Superman's good vs evil conflict. But now Conner's problem is that his story is too tied to his origin and Superman's shadow. Placing Conner with the Kents in Smallville afterwards made him narratively redundant. What's next for him?

So let's dig into the pitch!

I like what's at the heart of this pitch. It's a very season-3-ATLA-Zuko "honor wasn't all it's cracked up to be" arc and I think that suits Conner's character really well! It's the details I have gripes with:

"Conner has been largely relegated to the Jason Todd of the Superfamily" oof, haha that's not a particularly fair characterization.

The constant comparing of Superman to Christian imagery. He's described as basically "Jesus goddamn Christ" in the pitch. The Tyrannical Kryptonians are named Saint, Shepherd and Savior. No surprise I don't like seeing a character who allegorically represented Jewish immigrants to be constantly compared to Christian imagery and deified.

It's inevitable with pitching to the company, but the pitch is bogged down by a lot of convoluted plot points. I get that it's necessary to pitch event tie-ins and universe hopping shenanigans, but it's a lot.

Leland feels like a plot device in this. I'm sure there were plans to flesh out the brotherly clone relationship between him and Conner so that he can feel like his own character, but from the summary he just kind of revolves around Conner the way the pitch describes Conner revolving around Superman. Oops!

Conner's relation to Luthor and Superman works as a story about legacy, bloodlines and the things parents pass down to their kids. It's best when handled thematically and not literally because it's easy to get into essentialist "good genes" vs "evil genes" near-eugenics talking points. Unfortunately this pitch has a lot of that vibe. Leland has more Lex genes so he's super smart. Conner and Leland are able to start a schism in the Future Tyrannical Kryptonian House by "proving their truer genetic link to the original Superman, unsullied by thousands of years of tinkering" thereby gaining allies. Not great!

The part where Conner wants to find "his own Metropolis" by moving to Dripping Springs, Texas. That's Jinny Hex's field of operations, so is it really his own space? I would've just given Conner a new town so he can better stand on his own and build out a unique cast system.

Okay let's talk about the trans stuff!

I get that it makes for an Iconic Visual Superhero Moment, but I really don't like the part where Conner steps through a magical crystal and pops out the other side as a trans woman. It robs her of having that discovery on her own. The pitch says "I believe that this is as natural a move as Iceman's coming out". And just?? Man, remember when Jean Grey read Iceman Bobby Drake's mind and robbed him of his agency by outing him through that invasion of privacy? For a pitch all about Conner's journey of defining herself, it weirdly robbed her of that moment.

The pitch does such a good job talking about how Conner feels like her whole life revolves around Superman and how pointless wanting to be Superman feels now that Jon Kent has taken the mantle. She has Clark's genes, goes to Clark's hometown school, is raised by Clark's parents and all that. So then why is she eventually named after the women in Clark's life? Constance "Connie" Lara Kent. Clark's Kryptonian mom and human grandma? Was the world so small that she could not name herself after anyone else or come up with a new name? Connie doesn't even get to name herself, her new name is one Martha Kent bestows her with. It's hypocritical, and doesn't have the same impact that Superman giving Superboy a Kryptonian name does.

Speaking of which, this right here is my biggest gripe. It's not in the pitch itself but?? Wait- why go on about how Conner deserves a name that's not given to her and then turn around and make Martha name her? Sure, Connie comes up with the superhero name "Skyrocket" herself but surely she also deserves to name herself considering the thesis the pitch built up about self discovery and agency right?

Also with all due respect, this is the whitest queer take on Conner's identity. I wish white trans people could understand that you can have multiple true names that reflect different parts of you.

When Clark gives Superboy the name "Kon-El" it matters that it's given. It ties so well to the idea of familial acceptance into a nearly-extinct culture. You wouldn't know how to reclaim that part of your identity when that culture's been wiped out, so of course it's an honor to be trusted with a name that preserves Krypton's culture. This is a common practice with diaspora reclaiming cultural names from closed cultures, they are gifted their names by someone more culturally connected. I think the pitch having Martha name Connie is trying to echo this, but it doesn't hit the same without that cultural context. It also undercuts the genuine joy Conner felt from finally having a name he truly identifies with. Conner was only ever referred to as Superboy before then. When Clark gives him the name Kon El, Conner cries out that Kon El is his "real name". It's one of his defining moments, and to have that be diminished by saying "It's still a name someone else gave him" is so disappointing.

Then there's the design.

This is gonna lean more into preference, but I'm not the biggest fan of this design! I get what it's going for but it has too much going on everywhere. It also doesn't have that proto-punk look original Conner had, so it ends up not feeling like him. It's too superhero, and not enough casual-wear-on-a-supersuit that Conner sports really well. I see how it fits in with the everyone-in-Superfam-is-wearing-jackets-era, but I also think those new designs don't look good either. Especially Supergirl's. I feel like Conner should be more punk post transition. No respectability beam for her!

Also the name Skyrocket? It's giving knock off-brand toy vibes to me I'm sorry D: People on twidder suggested Supernova and that sounds way better! Even Visaggio stated she prefers that name so you can't be mad at me for this.

Overall big conclusion feelings!

I've been following Visaggio's work for a while because it's awesome seeing trans people getting picked up in comics. While there are some things about her writing I like, for the most part I've felt like her work isn't my cup of tea. I tried reading up a bunch of interviews she's in to try to understand why her writing wasn't clicking with me, and what I discovered is that we have fundamentally different approaches to queer storytelling.

From Paste Magazine. I get where she's coming from, trans characters deserve to have multi-faceted narratives that don't overly center how they're othered at the expense of further characterization. But also? I just actually find the interior lives of queer people and identity interesting. I like writing the kind of escapism and joy that's informed by surviving and inheriting hardships rather than erasing those things or skipping past it. I think this is why Connie is robbed of her trans discovery in the pitch. Why we don't get to watch her grapple with gender identity in a political way. Queer stories about queer struggles are considered archaic and unnecessary nowadays. It's part of the escapism Visaggio values in her work; to give a place of respite for trans readers from the cruelty they experience in reality, but I don't connect to stories like that personally. Whenever I try to share queer Indonesian art and writing with my peers, I'm often told it's too painful to look at. That our pain doesn't fit the modern expectation for happy, empowering queer stories. "trans people get enough hardships in real life, they don't need that in their fiction" Visaggio still talks about her newest projects like this btw.

I'd love to see a take on Conner that more holistically continues the political immigrant themes of Superman. The white parts of fandom love interpreting Conner's identity crisis as primarily a queer struggle, but it's also one of a person grappling with his mixed heritage. He's a diaspora kid separated by a generation away from Krypton. He has yet to make peace with the Luthor side of his identity, one borne of generational trauma and resentment for one's roots. Instead of a take where his queerness separates him from the pressures of legacy, I want to see a Conner take that has themes that are intersectional about his mixed diaspora and queer identity. I want his superficial punk aesthetic to graduate into actual punk ideals. The anti-establishment and radical love philosophies of punk culture would make such a cool extension of Superman themes and it would make so much sense that someone facing so many intersections of marginalization would be radicalized from their experience. I want a queer Conner who isn't just empowering and idealistic, I want one that also gives space for queer readers to feel like their pain is seen too. Conner isn't "Truth, Justice and the American Way" he's famously "Truth, Justice, My Way".

There's a tendency in media criticism to treat marginalized talent as infallible, and I don't think that fair to creatives like Visaggio. Being able to look at their ideas with nuance instead of essentializing it as being Good or Trash is the best way to respect diverse creativity. And my nuanced feelings are that a white queer person who looks at Conner's story and just sees the queer part and dismisses the diaspora mixed heritage side of him,,, is not going to give me the Conner story I want to see.

[awritessomething]

I have absolutely no ideas for writing whatsoever pleaseplease leave requests!!! Smut, angst, fluff, whatever y’all want I can probably do.

Ill write for these people and probably more that I forgot (all male character x fem!reader) :

Formula 1:

Max Verstappen

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

Charles Leclerc

Pierre Gasly

Lewis Hamilton

Carlos Sainz

Daniel Riccardo

Mick Schumacher

Criminal Minds

Spencer Reid

Aaron Hotchner

Derek Morgan

David Rossi (preferably young)

Marvel:

Bucky Barnes

Tony Stark

Thor

Sam Wilson

Deadpool

Steve Rogers

Spiderman (Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, Miguel O'hara)

Call of Duty

Keegan Russ

Simon "Ghost" Riley

König

Phillip Graves

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Star Wars:

Anakin Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Kylo Ren

Luke Skywalker

Han Solo

Outer Banks:

JJ Maybank

Rafe Cameron

Topper Thornton

John B. Routledge

Harry Potter:

Harry Potter

Cedric Diggory

Draco malfoy

Ron Weasley

Fred Weasley

Blaise Zabini

Regulus Black

Severus Snape

Tom Riddle

Sirius Black

Lorenzo Berkshire

Oliver Wood

The Walking Dead:

Glenn Rhee

Daryl Dixon

Rick Grimes

Carl Grimes

Sports:

Joao Felix

Jude Bellingham

Brock Purdy

Leon Draisaitl

Jack Hughes

Vince Dunn

Mitch Marner

Connor Bedard

Wayne Gretzky (young)

Miscallaneous:

Jack Champion (Ethan Landry)

Patrick Bateman

Batman (Christian Bale)

Johnathan Crane

Finnick Odair

Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark, Mike Schmidt, Sean Anderson, Clapton Davis)

Rodrick Heffley

Colby Brock

Sam Golbach

Tristan Dugray

Dylan O'brien

Bellamy Blake

Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd, Ronald Miller)

Joe Goldberg

Timothee Chalamet (Wonka, Paul Atreides)

Minho (The Maze Runner)

Keanu Reeves (John Wick, Neo, Alex Wyler, Dr. Beckham, Julian Mercer, Ted Logan)

Jim Halpert

Farkas

Ulfric Stormcloak

Miraak

Ben Schnetzer (Max Vandenburg, Brad Land, Russ Sheppard)

Ralph Macchio (Daniel Larusso, Johnny Cade)

Dallas Winston

Sodapop Curtis

Robby Keene

Zuko (atla dallas liu)

Jet (atla sebastian amoruso)

Cillian Murphy (Johnathan crane, jackson rippner, Neil Lewis)

Evan Peters (all ahs characters, Luke cooper)

What I wont do:

Pedophilia

Beastiality or anything animal-y

Waterworks

Male reader (sorry)

Character x character

Threesomes or anything not 1x1

Character x oc

Specific body types (i just don’t see the point)

Daddy/mommy kinks

Incest or stepcest

(I’ll prob have to add on but its midnight rn)

[sokkastyles]

Zutara Month Day 26: Drunk

CW for alcohol abuse (kinda implied already, but underage so), mentions of physical abuse.

He's the absolute last person in the world she'd expected to be on her doorstep on a rainy Saturday night, soaked through and shivering and emanating a distinct sour odor.

"Are you drunk?"

He looks down at his muddy shoes, sways unsteadily.

"My dad kicked me out. I didn't know where else to go."

Katara wants to ask him why. He hadn't been at her house since the fourth grade, and now he shows up here like this? Why was she the first person he had thought of?

But it's raining buckets and he can't just stand on her porch forever, and he looks like he's about to fall over, and if she stands here too long with the door open, her dad will hear and wonder what's going on, and she doesn't want to make him worry any more than he already does about their family. So instead, she wordlessly shepherds Zuko into the house, holding his arm as he shakily steps out of his shoes, then she grabs a towel from the downstairs bathroom to wrap him in so he doesn't drip water all over the carpet as she brings him up to her bedroom.

"Thank you," he rasps quietly, pulling the towel around him. He looks awful and leans on her so heavily, Katara is worried that they both might topple over.

She grabs a pair of Sokka's sweatpants that she'd been in the process of mending, and an oversized t-shirt, and passes the clothing to him through the cracked open bathroom door, assiduously not looking as he stands in his boxer shorts and socks. She tells him to put his wet clothes in the bathtub, and hopes he doesn't slip and fall while changing.

She's glad that Sokka isn't home and dad is busy with tribal council stuff, otherwise she'd have to come up with some reason why a drunk disheveled boy who she barely knew is changing in her bathroom.

After several long minutes, when he doesn't come out, she nervously raps on the door as light as she dares. He doesn't answer. The last thing she needs is for Zuko to fall and hit his head in her bathroom, so, preparing herself for whatever sight might lay beyond, she gathers her courage and opens the door.

He's sitting with his back against the sink, kinda slumped over, in the clothes she gave him. The wet things he was wearing are wadded up in the bathtub, like she'd asked. And Zuko is not moving.

She crouches down next to him, imagining the possibilities. How much had he drunk? Quickly, she feels for a pulse at his wrist, and as she does, Zuko yanks his arm away from her with a cry.

Not before she'd noticed the pretty nasty bruise encircling his wrist. That was why he'd cried out. At least he was awake now. "Come on," she says, helping him up off the bathroom floor, careful in case there are any more bruises hidden under his clothing. The way he stiffens as she puts a hand under his ribs answers that question. He hisses but doesn't pull away from her, letting her guide him to the bed.

She still wants to ask him why, of all the places he could have thought to go, the first place he thought of was his science partner from elementary school. It's not like they were even friends. Katara didn't even know who Zuko considered friends these days. Maybe he really didn't have anywhere else. She tried to picture who Zuko normally hung out with at school, and realized she almost always saw him alone, if it wasn't with his sister and her insipid friends. Zuko didn't seem to fit in with them at all.

And what he'd said about his dad...

She manages to sit him down on the bed while she thinks about what to do. With the way he was guarding the bruises under his clothes, he might be more hurt than he was letting on, and it's hard to tell with how drunk he is, but the way he had reacted to her touch made Katara feel like he probably wouldn't let her mess with him too much.

But he had come to her for help, for whatever reason. And Katara would never turn her back on someone who needed her.

She looks back at him and sees that he had shifted on the bed, curled up with his knees pulled up under his arms, shivering.

"I'm fine," he mutters defensively, as if reading her mind.

With only a small amount of protest, she makes him drink several glasses of water, satisfied at least that he wouldn't be sick, before fishing in her closet for an extra blanket, and when she looks back he's curled up on his side at the foot of her bed, asleep. Gently, she tucks the blanket around him, making sure his head is positioned correctly. Then she curls up at the head of her bed, looking up every so often from her book to glance at Zuko's sleeping form, the gentle rise and fall of his chest. After a while, she switches the lamp off and tucks herself under the covers.

She'd have to explain things to her dad and brother in the morning. Surely they would understand, and maybe dad would know what to do about the bruises and what Zuko had said about his dad.

But when she wakes up in the morning, Zuko is gone, and so are his clothes from the night before, the clothes she had given him last night folded neatly on the sink.

She sees him in the hall at school on Monday between classes, hidden behind a large hoodie and wearing the same mud-splattered sneakers from the other night. He locks eyes with her for a brief moment before closing his locker and walking off in the opposite direction.

[youllalwaysbemyporcelain]

starter/plot call for hwevent18. just a list of each muses occupations for now. like to plot and i'll message you. or just tell me who you want a starter for. i'm not going to put a cap on these at the moment.

a-xiang: not aware anything has changed

occupation: second in command to qi zhuyin

starters:

aang: not aware anything has changed

occupation: assistant to zuko

starters:

abe: not aware anything has changed

occupation: carpenter

starters: (francis)

adam noshimura: not aware anything has changed

occupation: knight

starters: (kono, vi)

addison wells: not aware anything has changed

occupation: thespian

starters:

aedhan: not aware anything has changed

occupation: fisherman

starters:

amity blight: not aware anything has changed

occupation: apothecary/witch

starters: (ally)

apollo: aware there’s been a change

occupation: tailor/dress maker

starters: (taka, dizzy)

auden west: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: scholar

starters:

aurora nightheart: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: noble/fae

starters: (jumin)

b.e.n.: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: court jester

starters:

belphie: aware there’s been a change 

occupation: baker/demon

starters: (claire, beel)

bloo: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: thespian

starters: (legolas)

bo peep: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: shepherd

starters: (wuxian)

bram greenfeld: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: squire

starters:

cj hook: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: castle guard

starters: (harriet, mal)

cloe: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: jewelry maker

starters:

cyrus goodman: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: astrologer

starters:

danny fenton: aware there’s been a change

occupation: librarian 

starters:

diana holland: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: scribe

starters: (anya)

doom: aware there’s been a change 

occupation: god/physician/surgeon

starters: (sha hualing, meredith)

drogon targaryen: aware there’s been a change 

occupation: tavern owner

starters:

elsa: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: witch/merchant

starters: (hans, lorna, anna)

evie o’neill: aware there’s been a change

occupation: fortune teller

starters:

faith newman: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: tavern owner

starters: (harriet)

gu soo oh: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: artist/nurse

starters:

hercules: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: demi-god/knight

starters:

isabela madrigal: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: apothecary/witch

starters: (rafael)

jack skellington: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: noble

starters: (sally)

jem carstairs: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: general/scholar

starters: (lu ten)

juliet capulet: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: dress maker

starters: (romeo)

kieran hunter: aware there’s been a change 

occupation: foreign king/fae 

starters: (spencer)

king clawthorne: not aware there’s been a change  

occupation: thief

starters: (wall-e)

louie duck: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: squire

starters: (chengling)

lee yeon: aware there’s been a change

occupation: monster hunter

starters: (danika)

max lightwood: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: eisa's squire

starters: (lilo, rafae, eisa)

max lightwood-bane: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: knight for xiao chiye 

starters: (rafael)

miguel rivera: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: cobbler/musician

starters: (marie)

minette: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: fortune teller

starters: (chad, lu ten)

na jii na: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: scribe

starters: (irene)

naomi campbell: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: bard

starters: (ali)

ocean tremaine: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: toph's guard

starters: (toph, jamie, dizzy)

princess bubblegum: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: alchemist  

starters:

phoenix volturi: sulpicia's guard

occupation: assassin for hire/vampire

starters: (urumi, satana)

pyrrha alexandra: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: monster hunter

starters: (jamie)

rachel green: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: merchant/sells dresses

starters:

rory williams: not aware there’s been a change  

occupation: nurse

starters:

sailor serpeni: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: dancer and singer/vampire

starters:

sam maek jong: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: foreign king

starters: (dizzy)

scarlett thomas: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: merchant

starters: (hongjo, jaskier)

sisudatu: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: barmaid

starters: (lonnie)

sophie sheridan: not aware there’s been a change

occupation: innkeeper

starters: (junwoong)

sprig plantar: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: squire

starters: (sulpicia, noah, ding tao)

stitch pelekai: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: chaotic bard

starters:

tommy pickles: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: thespian

starters:

the twelfth doctor: not aware there’s been a change

 occupation: scholar

starters: (clara)

tylor tuskmon: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: apprentice to taka

starters:

uma: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: cook

starters: (harriet)

yoo jae yoo: not aware there’s been a change 

occupation: farmer

starters:

yoon chi woo: aware there’s been a change

occupation: tavern owner/vampire

starters:

[iravaid]

(in reference to your reblog)

I would absolutely love an exhaustive breakdown of all of your decisions regarding ‘Simon Riley in Situations’

That series consumes me. Much like in the way that Simon was consumed by the desert. I have been fundamentally altered by it.

Oh my god, genuinely thank you so much for asking

This became a very long set of rambles that I have two split in two, possessed by the talk too much demons... sad! Here is the first part, the second part I'll tack on in a later reblog.

More below, I get a little bit Pepe Silvia in this, but oh well lmao

An Introduction

I’m going to preface this with stating that the comics are bad. On an artistic and writer’s standpoint, their net value is negative. I have read those six wretched issues at least seven times through and feel confident in that assertion. I have no idea why people think they’re actually good, in the face of muddy rendering and an overall displeasing art style, Americanised writing with poor panelling and pacing and dialogue, among other torture-porn related things.

That being said, there are moments of competency that shine through, past the early 2000s edge and casual sexism + racist stereotypes, which in turn irritates me because it does show there could have been a better story here. And Yet. But the comics have been a well of spiteful inspiration, first with Except You, and second with In The Desert (and perhaps more to come), and I do want to talk about that. (and I do know that the comics aren’t necessarily canon for the reboot Ghost, but like. C’mon. Work with what we’ve currently got. Even if my money is on Makarov in the reboot having something to do with Ghost’s past, considering the knowing look he and Price share upon seeing the photo.)

Simon is a character that has been doomed by the narrative since day one, and while it would not be a surprise if he survives MW3 on account of the company wanting to make money off his multiplayer counterpart, there is a certain compelling grief in knowing his fate was always going to be how it was in the original trilogy. Simon suffers: Simon dies; Ghost suffers: Ghost dies. There is no other way this story ends. And there is something about the cyclical nature of his life, and patterns to be found in a such a story, which I think are extremely fun to try and enforce, as well as emphasise. It’s this, among other things, that makes him a compelling character to me. Well – that and him being tall, built like a brick-shithouse, gravelly voice, wears a skull mask, has a strong sense of loyalty and compassion for fellow soldiers… (but that’s beside the point!!!!).

The things he went through in the comics had occasionally been so over the top that I need a moment to stand back and go ‘… really? Like. Really? After all that, you put him through more?’ after every reread. It’s not enough that his entire family was murdered but also his psychiatrist and superior officer, and so on and so on. But unfortunately, I have to reiterate that the comics have been a source of inspiration. ‘Simon Riley In Situations’ is an extension of this spiteful motivation to retell/improve upon what the comics were trying to do, as well as occasionally extrapolating on them, or even warping canon to better accommodate my own headcanons/the rebooted universe.

I love stories were a main/side character goes through an incredible change, to the point where they’re noticeably and irreparably different to how they were at the beginning of the story, for better or for worse. Examples that come to mind, currently, are Jinx from Arcane, Zuko from ATLA, Ahsoka in Clone Wars, Steve from Stranger Things. To me, the transformation of Simon into Ghost is something very compelling. The Simon Riley that’s about to fly to the states with Major Vernon is a man very, very different to the Simon Riley freshly recruited into the 141 by Shepherd. But fundamentally they’re still the same person, and that can be an important facet for a big change in a character imo.

I like using a lot of poems and songs and the occasional bible reference in my works. I know it’s fanfiction and maybe for some people that’s overdoing it, but I love it. I love how art informs and inspires itself, and I love using the inherent emotional and cultural connections attached to a specific work in order to enhance that of my own writing. I think it’s good practice, and maybe it doesn’t matter that it’s expressed in the form of fanfiction. I’m a better writer because of it, and that’s something of significance to me: I never studied English lit/creative writing at a higher level of education, so this is where it will be expressed.

Skulls, Death, and the Ghost

Skulls haunt Simon throughout the comics; in turn, Simon has been haunted by the Ghost he’s doomed to become for a very long time. Roba wears skull face-paint when torturing and attempting to brainwash Simon, Simon’s father used to wear skull face-paint when performing, Simon smeared toothpaste on his face when in recovery from Roba’s captivity and it resembled a skull, Tommy wore a skull mask to emulate his father, and Simon hallucinates skeletons/skulls at different points in the comics. Finally, when his family are killed and Simon goes on his revenge mission, he wears the same face paint as he did during Día de Los Muertos when Roba captured him. He claims that the brainwashing didn’t ‘work’ (as the comics put it), but here Simon is, wearing the same mask as his tormentors. I wanted to stretch that recurring imagery by adding the vocalist wearing the skull face-paint in chapter one of Except You. Something there about returning to form, or perhaps finally looking back to see what exactly is that thing who’s been lurking in the back of your mind. I describe the skull reoccurring as “morbidly familiar” in that this has always been Simon’s fate, and it doesn’t matter what he does to try and escape, because he will always return to it.

It can also be stretched to symbolise his close relationship with Death. Simon has ‘died’ a lot of times in the story. At first he believes he’s dead on a subconscious level (nightmares with Roba’ saying he killed him), but then issues 3+4 happen, and that belief escalates into a conscious conviction that he died on the concrete floor in Roba’s captivity; he died out there in the desert; he died surrounded by his family’s corpses on Christmas; he died the moment he killed Roba; he died for good at the end of MW2. Roba killed Simon, and Ghost put whatever ‘Simon Riley’ once was to rest in the funeral pyre of his childhood home. Ghost has always had to everything on his own up until this point: even give himself a proper sendoff. A part of me wonders if Ghost believes himself, on some level, to be the keeper of Simon’s memory and identity. That is what a ghost is, right? The thing that lingers after a tragedy.

It's something incredibly interesting to consider present-era Ghost. Does he still think he’s dead? Is he waiting for the rot to set in? Has he been so dissociated from himself for so long that he doesn’t know how else to function, and on some level is terrified of what might happen, should he in turn look back to face whatever is left of ‘Simon Riley’? Maybe Ghost can be interpreted as the one that came back ‘wrong’, and he’s waiting for other people to notice that there’s nothing left but a corpse. He has gotten very little help by way of therapy/counselling, and probably doesn’t have the tools nor language at his disposal to neither work through these things, nor know how to voice them in the first place. That’s one of the reasons I wrote Simon as not fully aware of the definition of ‘child abuse’ and how it related to him. He knows Nigel (his father) was a cunt and a wifebeater, but he doesn’t know those necessary psych terms to properly begin processing what happened to him both as a child and adult, because who could have taught him? He never got the chance to go to DBT or CBT, and that hazy moment of time with Dr Halloway probably wasn’t conducive to learning about things like CPTSD and trauma and abusive households. I tried to extrapolate this, with Simon’s internalised ableism also being a block to fully accepting or even processing those terms. He’s in a lot of pain, and he very, very desperately wants to move on, to return to how he used to be before all of ‘this’. Will talk later on about how the military factors in to keeping the status quo of ‘the Ghost’.

In tarot (love you tarot love symbolisms in it love when it’s used in media mwah mwah), the death card symbolises major change, rebirth, and endings and beginnings.

If anything, Simon Riley is defined by his deaths and rebirths, how he keeps forcing himself to change in order to survive a brutal narrative set for him. And Ghost, who bears a skull-face not dissimilar to the grim-reaper, perhaps wears this taboo symbol to ward off ‘evil’, or to use that fear in order to keep people at arm’s length, in response to these injustices done to him by fate and the machinations of people far crueller than Simon. He has been through a lot, and still he keeps moving, keeps completing missions and being a ‘good soldier’, because that’s all Simon knows. He’s like a shark in that way, or a well-trained dog: he was never taught, nor given the chance to learn, how to not be a soldier. This is something me and @narramin, affectionately refer to as hound-coding, which, god, really suits Simon. Will talk about it further on.

Roba Himself

Manuel Roba is certainly there. It’s honestly incredibly disappointing to see how this specific character was handled, how heavily the writers leaned into stereotypes to depict Roba – there’s a panel of him holding a burrito for fuck’s sake. This caricature of a villain is both lazily written, but also serves to reduce the impact he has on Simon. This man is supposed to be the primary antagonist, above Simon’s abusive father. He is the reason that Ghost exists, the reason the Riley family are dead, and can be considered the primary catalyst for most of the comics’ plot. And yet this man, and all that he represents in Simon’s suffering, is reduced to the fat ‘El Gordo’ with dialogue lines that are ultimately meaningless, a personal motivation that is only said in his dying breath without further exploration, and ultimately is a villain without any teeth. I think Roba has the potential to be a terrifying figure, one this kind of dark story needs in order to ensure that Simon’s suffering isn’t made a joke when compared to the one at the source of it all.

There are moments of competency and personality that shine through here and there. The pink deck chair in the sensory overload room, the ‘plant flowers over [the grave]’ line, as well as Roba choosing to make himself appear as the grim reaper himself as a way to express ultimate power over his captives’ lives (and, in turn, Simon killing Roba and choosing to don the skull-face could be seen as him taking that control back).

There is a set of panels, one from issue 5 and another from issue 6, that piques my attention when placed together (seen below). Simon has tried so hard to convince himself and others that he is fine, that Roba’s brainwashing failed, that he is not deeply affected by the seven months of torture and humiliation and dehumanisation. But then he comes back from the dead wearing the same face-paint as Roba. He refers to himself as death, as does Roba. That man has his claws deep in Simon, and Roba knew this, and he died with a smile on his face because of it. As quoted by his final words: in the end Roba is just one man. Killing him won’t bring back the Rileys and it won’t stop the pain Ghost is in (but by god is it Ghost’s right to put that man down for what he did to him.).

The following paragraphs will discuss the torture Simon was subjected to in Roba’s captivity and features discussion of the sexual assault he experienced, as well as being him drugged + detailed acts of dehumanisation. The section itself will be bracketed with a ‘-’, feel free to skip to the final paragraph marked of this section if you’d prefer.

-

In my writing I want to show a competent, terrifying Roba. He should be purposeful in how he goes about breaking these men down in order to build them up into the dutiful hounds Roba so obviously wanted. That’s part of why I think, and wrote, Roba having never touched Simon, he made sure it was his men assaulting Simon while he watched (for one reason or another). And when they were finished Roba would try to manipulate the situation into one being Simon’s fault and that Roba, and only Roba, could fix for him. Simon needed to see Roba as the one with the power to control all these awful things happening to him, and that his own obstinance is the reason he’s suffering. Roba would make an offer – if you listen to me, follow what I say, I can make this stop. I can stop them from touching you ever again. It’s purposefully and insidiously phrased, he’s trying to make all this seem like Simon’s fault for not ‘giving in’. In turn, the prolonged torture and dehumanisation would best be served as well-thought-out tactics.

I’m not a fan of how every other captive was noted as too ‘weak’ or whatever to hold out against all that Roba was doing to them, only for Vernon to say that his methods were ‘genius’ – not with a near 100% mortality rate it fucking isn’t. It would be interesting to explore a fic where Roba was actually competent enough for those aforementioned super soldiers to be a real thing (and we’ll make death proud of us touches on this very well I recommend this fic). But, regardless, I find exploring the ways Simon could have been dehumanised/tortured without succumbing to infection or shock or a sudden heart attack from the sheer amount of stress and trauma to be morbidly interesting. I’m a morbid person, so this tracks lmao (it’s regardless a matter of balance, though, because we’re trying not to fall into that Edge the comics loved so much). I also want to note that Roba rarely, if ever, called Simon by his real name. It’s always ‘English’ or ‘Mr. Death’. A name is a powerful thing to control, stripping a person of their name is a common dehumanisation tactic, one that even the military has been known to use in order to get all these individuals into acting as one mass. It’s also a sign of non-acknowledgement, in my eyes. Simon was not a person to Roba, not really, just a dog that needed moulding. In a way, Ghost referring to himself as ‘Ghost’ may also be a tactic to distance himself from Simon in order to cope with the Everything that’s happened to him.

The next point is just as important as the prior ones: what kind of effect would all this have on Simon in different stages of the comics? And what kind of inner monologue and mindset would he have in order to endure these awful, awful things? And how would he heal from it, considering how the events of the comics went down? He has no control over the situation as a whole, but I imagine that Simon is the kind of person to try and grasp for anything to have control over regardless – he’s exhausted but he still might try to lay in a way that keeps him protected or stills his roiling gut, he’ll occasionally still try to lash out against the narcos, he’ll try and joke with Sparks and Washington in order to help them cling to their humanity (as well as preserve his own identity as a protector, which I want to get into later). He especially utilises dissociation as a ‘tool’ developed from living under the same roof as Nigel Fucking Riley. It provided a very necessary reprieve, and Simon probably believes he’d been ‘broken’ by his father long before Roba ever got his hands on him. Simon at this point probably (maladaptively, in the long run) perceives his ability to dissociate from the body to be a way to control what he truly feels. He can get some kind of control over experiencing multiple instances of sexual assault, over MONTHS, by creating a clear delineation between the body and the person. I wonder if this laid the groundworks for the self-perceived split between Simon Riley and Ghost.

He’s out of that place, Roba is dead and whatever was left of the Zaragoza cartel is hopefully long gone. But where does that leave Simon, whose primary coping mechanisms are either feeling horrific, yawning numbness, or forcing all that pain and fear and humiliation into over-powering anger? All these things kept him alive then… but now what? He has been subjected to a horrific slew of experiences in seven months, over two-hundred days. How do you approach that kind of deal and unpackaging and addressing of that trauma? It’s something in and of itself would be a compelling story to tell, especially with his childhood trauma informing how he processes those experiences. Simon has been physically and psychologically changed by Roba, even if he tried to ‘resist’ – even though interrogation resistance training only lasts for so long.

Sometimes I wonder at what point did Simon realise they weren’t torturing him for information, but to make him into something that wasn’t human. At what point did he realise that there was a reason they made him crawl down the hallways on his hands and knees with a collar around his neck, or that they fed him dog food off the ground, or that he might have been kept in retrofitted dog kennels, in a long-abandoned dog fighting pit.

I wonder if there were times he wished he’d just let go and listen to Roba, and kill the people the latter wanted him to kill; just so that the pain would stop, and he could be more than this thing surviving on the concrete floor. Very interesting to consider, what with the comics implying that Sparks and potentially Washington were also drugged in order to force a dependence on them, as a way to further exert control over them. I’m not sure why Simon didn’t also experience this. Yet another Comics Cringe Moment.

-

Ultimately, when I see Roba I think of a Judge Holden-esque figure: an intelligent man who has taken a step back, looked at the violence of the world, and ultimately came to the conclusion that, 1.) It is in man’s nature to wage war and be violent, and 2.) It is Roba’s right to control that flow of violence. He had Simon, Sparks, and Washington, and others who came before them, tortured, brutalised, dehumanised, starved, assaulted, and vivisected with intents to brainwash them into his own personal soldiers/bodyguards. He wanted to perverse nature and control something that was never his to control, and I think a character like that should ooze calculated cruelty and a disdain for the optimistic/what he perceives as weak. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, in Roba’s eyes, and he wants to be the one holding the leash.

Dogs and Hounds

Speaking of dogs, let’s get into hound-coding. Dog/hound/wolf metaphors are used for characters in a plethora of ways: dogs and other canines are embedded deeply in a lot of cultures and that can be seen in how disparate a dog can be used in symbolism. The rabid dog that requires put down, versus the loyal-to-a-fault dog whose diligence will be its downfall. The dog that hunts you down relentlessly against the dog that protects and nurtures. Vicious and borderline obsessed, pursuing a singular goal with tunnel-vision; dangerous predator stalking you from the shadows; wholly dedicated to a sole purpose in life; kicked to the point where anger lines their teeth and they meet the world with a bite, because they’ll never let anyone hurt them again; a caregiver and teacher, sometimes even a leader that will look out for who they see as family.

With Simon Riley, I feel he is a hound, the kind that’s been kicked enough times to know to bite first and ask questions later – but can someone please be gentle? Please, can’t someone let him rest? Then the narrative slaps his muzzle and tells him the story isn’t done yet. Simon, off the coattails of escaping his childhood home as a teenager, finds purpose in the military and clings to it. So much of Simon’s identity can be tied to him being a protector, as well as a soldier; he’s proud of his achievements within the SAS, cocky, even. He is well trained in violence and well experienced, too; he’s risen above to make a reputation for himself as a tough sonofabitch within the SAS, which is pretty famously full of that type of person.

The dog can be moulded into a lot of different things in fiction, just as it has in real life. So can Simon, so can Ghost: he’s a character that has been subjected to extreme kinds of change, with some very clear distinctions between Pre-Roba Simon, During-Roba, Post-Roba, Post-Family Massacre, and Post-Jungle Raid. That’s one of the reasons why I think the dog metaphor, and its imagery, can provide very impactful parallels for Simon. What is a dog, if not loyal and loving? Didn’t we make it that way? And what is a dog, if not defined by the job it can fulfil. We made it that way. What use is Simon to the military, if he won’t do what he was trained to do. I wonder if he worries about that in between missions: losing his purpose and identity one way or another.

Ghost is a good leader; he knows how to direct a team and how to keep Soap calm during the chaos in Las Almas. I imagine he found sanctuary in the camaraderie that can be found in a military environment, compared to his chaotic homelife. He doesn’t necessarily have to be open about it, or all that externally happy. But it’s regardless a community that has provided Ghost with some form of support (ironic, again, considering it’s the military, but that is how it works). Like a pack animal, one might say.

His potential relationship with Soap, if people take it that way (I do and will be talking about it more later #peaceandlove), reminds me of the poem ‘bait dog’ among others, here's an excerpt from the end of it: “And she still flinches / When I reach to pet her / but she smiles / once I get behind the ears / you will not heal from everything / that does not mean / you will stop being loved.”, and I feel that’s a very lovely image when applied to Soapghost, y’know? Simon has been through a lot, and Soap is emotionally mature enough to recognise that and give him space, while still putting in that necessary work to bridge certain gaps. Kind of like the slow burn of getting a rescue dog to trust you, except it’s your human superior officer with CPTSD and an edgy comic book backstory. They will doubtless have issues and bumps in the road, but they’ll also have shitty jokes and a lot of patience to keep things buoyed. Love wins or WHATEVER.

Roba tried to make Simon into an attack dog, too. Treated him like one, and I imagine there was a point where Simon was starting to believe it. Then he gets buried alive and has to dig his way out. He has to drag himself through the desert (more to come on that) and survive months of recovery until he has a chance to return to the state he physically was. I imagine this time of injury was awful for Simon: he felt incompetent on top of the other churning emotions one would have after surviving so many months of All That. Simon, I imagine, has always defined himself by his ability to provide, protection or otherwise, as well as his own physical prowess. It’s what kept him and his family safe all this time. It also led to him being picked for that fateful mission. I think Simon is a man shown to be capable of that single-minded focus of a hound that’s caught the scent, especially when he spent months tracking down Roba in the jungle.

Simon is a dog constantly having to remember its teeth. There is a lot to be said about dogs that learn to bite back.

I have reached a character limit here but still have a lot to talk about, please hold (and tysm, again, for the ask)

[pfirsichspritzer]

make a poll with five of your all time favorite characters and then tag five people to do the same. see which character is everyone's favorite

Thank you @alphacrone for the tag <3

Tagging: @cate-deriana, @dangerously-human, @eatsleepandsing, @adeptnenyim, @onesingularbean

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Have you named pets after fandoms? When I was 11 I convinced my parents to name our, at the time new puppy, Duchess after the cat Duchess in Aristocats. We currently have Sherlock, a 10 yr old bull terrier mix who is actually quite a smart dog, Bofur, a 7yr old who knows what terrier dog, and Zuko, who is at least one year old, a red betta fish. We have other pets but none named after fandoms.

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Sorry I've just been hoarding these asks it seems! 😂 I love your pet names, especially Zuko the red betta.

No, I actually name my pets human names and I don't quite know the reason for that other than it feels right. I have Millie, a 3 year old German Shorthair, and Cody, a 9 mo. old Aussie shepherd and Border Collie mix.

But I do fandom things with them like have caricatures made with them as Disney villains 😂.

[ultimateheadcanontournament]

Ultimate Headcanon Tournament

Here is the full bracket! I did the best I could to make it a proper bracket! Good luck to all of the participants!

Genderqueer Manifred von Karma (Ace Attorney) vs Gay trans man Ao Ohtori (I am Magicami)

Narrator Chara (Undertale) vs Trans male Yentl (Yentl the Yeshiva Boy)

Trans Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom) vs Captain John Hart has multiple mothers (Torchwood)

Trans Guy Gardener (DC Comics) vs Aroace Kaladin (Stormlight Archive)

Steve Rogers/Captain America likes men (Marvel Comics) vs Fletcher took Tanner’s folder when Andrew wasn’t looking (Whiplash)

Trans male Zelda/Sheik (The Legend of Zelda) vs Aroace autistic Mira (Sekko Boys)

Aroace Hunter (The Owl House) vs Dyslexic Wallabee/Numbah 4 (Codename: Kids Next Door)

ADHD Todd Chavez (BoJack Horseman) vs Trans girl Plum Puddin' (Strawberry Shortcake)

Phone Guy survived (Five Nights at Freddy's) vs Grayromantic Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows)

Transmasc MK (Lego Monkie Kid) vs Autistic Mark Grayson (Invincible)

Autistic Elle Woods (Legally Blonde) vs Mafia Town was called Mustache Town (A Hat in Time)

Bennett has eczema on his hands (Genshin Impact) vs Autistic Tobias (Animorphs)

Autistic N (Pokémon) vs Ben Tennyson forgot to remake his other cousin (Ben 10)

Mario and Peach hold no ill will towards Bowser (Super Mario) vs Autistic Reagan Ridley (Inside Job)

Autistic Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs Affogato Cookie is part snake (Cookie Run: Kingdom)

Autistic Adora (She-Ra) vs Hank Schrader forgave Walter White before Jack Welker killed him (Breaking Bad)

Kylo Ren's full name is Ben Chewbacca Alderaan Organa Solo (Staar Wars) vs Commander Shepherd is a terrible driver (Mass Effect)

ADHD Dave (Homestuck) vs Trans male Kurapika (Hunter x Hunter)

Transfem Larry Daley (Night at the Museum) vs Trans male Mafuyu Asahina (Project Sekai)

Autistic Gregory Eddie (Abbott Elementary) vs Autistic Eddie Kaspbrak (IT)

Trans Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) vs Autistic hyperverbal Cecil Gershwin Palmer (Welcome to Night Vale)

Juggalo Remus Sanders (Sanders Sides) vs Aroace Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Autistic Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia) vs Autistic Keith Kogane (Voltron)

Shrek came up with his name on the spot when Donkey asked him (Shrek) vs Autistic trans man Elliott (Stardew Valley)

Autistic Peridot (Steven Universe) vs Kathryn Janeway is aroaspec, Captain Chakotay is twospirit, and they are in a QPR (Star Trek)

Nonbinary Lake (Infinity Train) vs Jason Mendoza has the highest emotional intelligence of all the characters (The Good Place)

Transfem Big Macintosh/Orchard Blossom (My Little Pony) vs Monika was following a script until she deleted herself (Doki Doki Literature Club)

Autistic trans lesbian Samus Aran (Metroid) vs Firestar and Sandstorm are queerplatonic mutual beards (Warriors)

Autistic Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) vs Trans Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)

Transfem Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) vs Kermit caused 9/11 (Muppets)

Diabetic Sniper (Team Fortress 2) vs Gay Jousuke Higashikata (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Trans woman Cinderella (Cinderella) vs Aroace Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

[seyaryminamoto]

The Shadows in her Reflection: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

Day 5: Fire

Rated: M

On FF.net//On AO3

A/N:

Recent developments in ATLA's canon have basically decreed that this canon/comics-compliant fic is, of course, no longer canon/comics-compliant. This is no surprise to anyone, I'm sure. It's not even that the changes were huge, they weren't, but there's certainly one important difference between this story and the comic that I'd like to... talk about, I guess?

Azula's Kemurikage group, the Fire Warriors, what have you, have always been an awkward team due to the absolute lack of personality, development and fleshing out of how, exactly, they ever ended up working together. Azula broke them out of the asylum: why did they follow her afterwards? No one knows. Did she get along with any of them? No one knows. Everything is a huge question mark and, unfortunately, the new comic basically did nothing to answer these questions. Instead, it twists them even more by featuring the team being perfectly normal, adjusted, decent individuals while Azula is the only one who is a terrible, no-good person. This invites new questions: why were they in the asylum at all if there's no sign of mental illness or any unusual behavior in these people? Were they locked up under false pretenses of mental illness? If so, that should be fleshed out a bit more, right? Maybe being sent to an asylum when they were 100% okay, mentally speaking, is what makes people like them crave vengeance against the system!

... But that's not really how it reads, and it ends up proposing an interpretation of these characters that I frankly can't describe as anything but shrugworthy. Somehow they're not competent enough to avoid capture but they're competent enough to break free their imprisoned member, without Azula's help...? It's all too convenient, I'd say.

Point of all this is... the Zirin I wrote in this chapter was very much written over a month ago, probably two months ago instead. The character I decided to portray was not going to be a perfectly normal cute girl who loves her friends, because someone with that kind of personality doesn't make a lot of sense joining rogue Azula's terrorist group, if you ask me. I've constantly used Zirin's only line at Yang's hands to decide how to portray her, in which she comes off as brash, harsh, impatient, goal-oriented and willing to defy Azula. In this story, I've granted her a certain unique danger as a firebender that clearly is of my invention and has nothing to do with her canon portrayal. I'm saying all this to make it very clear that I understand how different this character turned out to be in the newest comic, and I acknowledge those differences... but I'm not rewriting this chapter, or this whole story, just to make a terrorist gang look like innocent little lambs who were just guided by a bad shepherd. If they could walk away as easily as they did, I don't understand what was keeping them with Azula in the first place.

Anyway. That would be that, as far as author's notes are concerned here. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

A tense silence hung in the air as Azula's placid mood shifted rapidly: she glared at her brother, whose golden gaze carried a mercilessness in it that starkly reminded her of someone else… someone he would do best not to try to imitate in any way.

That cruelty diminished when he turned his attention towards Ursa: his brow drew together slightly, puzzled by her presence around Azula, but he stepped towards her, reaching a protective hand to his mother's shoulder, as though to reel her to safety, away from his sister.

"I didn't know you were here…" Zuko said, his voice softer now. "Are you okay? Did she do anything to you?"

"She… no! Of course not!" Ursa exclaimed, startling Azula by her vehement, firm response. Zuko froze, eyes wide – the last thing he'd known about their bond, of course, was that Azula wanted to kill her own mother…

"W-well… good, then," Zuko said, still urging Ursa to pull away from the table she had been sitting at with Azula…

She didn't move.

"Mom?" Zuko frowned, glancing at Azula with eyes that turned from confused to accusatory in a heartbeat – he thought she'd done something to twist his beloved mother's mind, did he? As usual…

"What is the meaning of this?" Ursa huffed, shaking Zuko's hand off and folding her arms across her chest. "What do you think you're doing, Zuko?"

"What…?" Zuko scowled. "Mom, it's Azula! She's a hazard to your safety, to everyone's safety! You knew that, you've known that for years, she's been causing unnecessary trouble and chaos all across the Fire Nation and…!"

He faltered, frowning more heavily as the utterly confusing situation started to sink in: Azula… sitting placidly at a table with their mother. No screaming, no crying, no accusations, no murder attempts…

He froze on the spot, staring at Azula as though she'd suddenly twist herself into some manner of wicked spirit that could shapeshift as it pleased. Naturally, no such thing happened.

"And she's your sister. My daughter," Ursa said, firmly. Azula's heart jolted upon hearing her speak those words with such confidence. "And you? As far as I've understood, you issued out actual wanted posters asking for her death, Zuko? Did you, truly?"

For once, Zuko paled and backed down. It was almost amusing to see the Fire Lord balking over his mother's fury… but Azula couldn't help but dread whatever Zuko's ultimate reaction to this apparent betrayal might be.

"I… look, I've learned since then that I was wrong in some of my assumptions, but I only did that because it looked like she had kidnapped Sokka!" Zuko exclaimed. "Which… damn it. Guards! Search for Sokka in the rest of the house. Is he here, or did you ditch him somewhere when you had no use for him anymore?"

His snarl towards Azula displeased Ursa, but Azula wouldn't simply hide behind her mother throughout this conversation. Instead, she smirked at his words.

"What makes you think I'd find no more use for him?" she said. "He's a rather helpful ally…"

"What the hell did you do to him? How did you get into his head?" Zuko huffed, glaring at her. "Sokka wouldn't have teamed up with you willingly, leaving his sister to think you'd have kidnapped or killed him…!"

"I was led to believe that he'd written a letter to explain he was leaving. If she overreacted to it? That's no fault of his…" Azula shrugged. Zuko scoffed.

"Everything about Sokka's disappearance was fishy as hell! And then I find out that the two of you have been traveling all over the place, trying to shake off pursuit…!"

"That's not what we were doing," Azula said, hands on her hips. "At least, not at first. We certainly had to put more effort into shaking it off once you and your unhelpful guards turned up, but we weren't always shaking off annoyances, that's for sure…"

"None of this makes a smidge of sense," Zuko said, glaring at her. "But whatever you've deceived him with, whatever nonsense you've done to manipulate him, it's over now: we either do this the good way or the bad way, Azula."

Azula scowled: the guards near Zuko were ready to chain her down, were they? Never again. Whatever she had to do to stop them from…

"Absolutely not!"

Azula froze: again, Ursa's demeanor and determination to protect her caught her off guard, much as it did Zuko.

Then, that surprise increased all the more when her mother clasped her hand, urging her to stand behind her… offering herself as a shield to the disbelieving Azula, as a wall to overcome for the utterly aghast Zuko.

"Mom! W-what are you doing?!" Zuko exclaimed: the guards behind him, whether brandishing weapons or shackles, hesitated to move now.

"I'm doing what I have to do! What you're making me do, I'd dare say!" Ursa declared. "What do you think you're doing, treating your sister this way? I don't care what terrible things you think she has done, she's your sister! Stand down and tell those guards to put aside those horrible shackles!"

"Mom… come to your senses. Whatever she's told you…!" Zuko said, pleadingly. Ursa snarled.

"She has told me the truth! She has been honest, human, real, in ways most people refuse to be around me, these days!" Ursa exclaimed, startling Zuko. "I… I have a chance, for once, to do right by Azula and you will never persuade me not to take it! Whatever you intend to do to her, you'll do it to me first! Be it imprisonment, or moreover, execution!"

"Mom!" Zuko's eyes were struck with utter horror… whereas Azula's widened with amazement: could her mother truly be that courageous when she wanted to be? That was a rather pleasant surprise. If Zuko had been Ozai, he would have laughed in her face and subjected her to the exact treatment she had demanded…

"You are a better man than this," Ursa declared, firmly. "I know you are. So either you listen to me now and stand down… or you're losing me, just as much as you're willing to lose Azula."

That threat, evidently, didn't sit well with the Fire Lord: he glared at Azula in confusion, in horror… did he think Azula had taken Ursa from him? If he hadn't grown up at all, he might just believe that. Azula truly wondered if he might conclude something like that…

"You don't have to…" Zuko said, staring at Ursa in chagrin. "Why are you doing this? Mom…"

"Because it was about time I did," Ursa said, fists tight. "I've never been the mother she deserves. I never have been the one you deserve, either… but even if she doesn't truly need me, it won't change that I finally know what I want to do, and who I want to be, now that I can be part of her life anew. I never imagined the first person I'd have to defend her from would be you, Zuko… but I'm not afraid to do it."

Zuko stepped back, confused betrayal plain across his features: to this day, he prized the approval of those he admired and loved far more than would ever be healthy, Azula suspected. He didn't know what to do, or how to react to the possibility that his sister would have anyone on her side anymore… let alone that the person standing with her would be none other than his mother.

But the gravity of the situation didn't sink in properly for him. No, it couldn't possibly do that… not after a rather unflattering scream pierced their ears, drifting from the direction of Sokka's room.

"Sokka…!" Azula gasped: had he still been resting? Oh, she hoped he had at least been about to come out for breakfast by the time the soldiers stormed the room…

Naturally, Sokka's luck wouldn't favor him: he pulled the covers up to his chest, bashful and confused when several guards barged into the room, hands raised in defensive katas until they flinched out of form over what they found.

"W-what the hell is this?!" Sokka squealed. "Get out! Go away! W-where did all of you even come from, what…?!"

Heavier footsteps down the corridor marched straight to the room: Sokka had no time to prepare himself, or hide better under the bed, when Zuko marched in, unceremoniously.

He froze on the spot, face paling, upon finding Sokka's upper body appeared to be bare.

"W-what…? Sokka?!" Zuko squealed.

"Zuko! You… you can't just invade someone's privacy this way!" Sokka squealed, cheeks flushed as he struggled to find any way out of this predicament.

"Y-you're just… asleep? You didn't even notice we were raiding the place…?!" Zuko exclaimed… eyes drifting around the room warily to find clothing items scattered all around. His eyebrow twitched at the sight of a very evident male undergarment… "Sokka?"

"Yes?" Sokka said, with a small voice.

"Are you naked under that sheet?" Zuko asked, a dangerous glint in the harshness of his glare. Sokka winced. "You… you were naked, in a house with my mother and my sister?! That's what's going on, you idiot?!"

"I…! I…!" Sokka struggled to come up with anything to say, anything at all: he couldn't possibly fight Zuko off like this, he had no weapons at hand, for they were in his actual room… for this was Azula's, actually. Half the clothes scattered around were hers…

Zuko might notice that sooner than later. If he did, he'd realize he had slept with Azula, and then Sokka would be dragged out of here and paraded as a heathen all across town for inappropriate behavior… well, perhaps the townsfolk wouldn't really judge him for that, considering the previous day's festival, but Zuko would certainly judge him non-stop for it. He might even declare him a criminal in the Fire Nation for desecrating the Princess's virtue, as estranged as she might be from her family…

Said Princess, however, suddenly burst into the room, pushing past her brother and startling Sokka with her arrival, welcome as it might be, even if it terrified him too. It suddenly crossed his mind that she would have been better off running away, out of Zuko's reach, out of sight… he would capture her otherwise. She wouldn't be safe…

And yet she seemed to be here to protect him, instead.

"No need… to kick up a ruckus," Azula said, spreading her arms in a defensive gesture as she stood between Sokka and Zuko, without sparing even a glance over her shoulder at her lover. "Sokka is just… unrefined that way!"

"He… you're not telling me that you two have been traveling together for months and he's been constantly sleeping naked near you, are you?!" Zuko squealed, his face a mask of disgust. Azula gritted her teeth as she sought to spin her lie far better than she had…

"I only do it in the Fire Nation!" Sokka suddenly exclaimed, picking up her slack when she faltered briefly. "It's… way too hot around here! So, I just wanted to sleep comfortably and I did it this way! Nothing more to it!"

"Oh, really? And my sister and my mother being here didn't deter you from acting like a creep?!" Zuko asked. Azula scoffed as Sokka processed now that Ursa was back already…

"How do you know that neither me nor Mother do the same thing in the privacy of our rooms?" Azula asked. Zuko yelped. "The three of us might just have a perfect understanding when it comes to preferences in attire, or lack thereof, during nighttime, and we can very well keep… proper, respectful boundaries, in those instances. Such as not barging into other people's rooms without at least knocking first."

"Y-you…" Zuko grimaced, glaring at Sokka with disgust again. Sokka smiled, waving at him, still holding the sheet to his chest. "You have a lot to answer for, Sokka. I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah, well, unless you want me to answer it with my business hanging out in plain sight, I suggest we discuss that later," Sokka smiled awkwardly. Zuko winced, shaking his head in disgust as he turned around.

"Everyone, out! Sokka, get dressed, and come out here to answer for this mess!" Zuko bellowed. "And if you try to run away, I'll… I'll hunt you down all over again! Understood?"

"Geez, fine, damn it, so loud and authoritarian…" Sokka sighed, shaking his head: Zuko shot him one last glare over his shoulder before stepping out of the room. The guards followed… and Azula lingered behind, even though they kept watching her from the corridor, in case either one did anything dangerous. Sokka smiled sadly at her, and Azula responded in kind.

"He just barged in a while ago. Don't even know how he found us yet, but…" Azula said. Sokka sighed. "Go on, get dressed. I have no idea what's going to happen next, but… at least Mom seems to be keeping Zuko at bay, mostly."

"Heh. Come to think of it, he's one hell of a momma's boy, isn't he?" Sokka smirked. Azula smiled at his statement. "You have a reliable ally in Ursa, if she meant what she said yesterday… though I'm surprised she's already here."

"She came by early. Tried to cook. Didn't really go so well," Azula explained. "Anyway, so far she's on our side, and we might just be safe, to a fault, for as long as she is. So… dress up and get ready for anything. I don't know what Zuko's going to react like, going forward."

"Okay… okay," Sokka nodded. Azula nodded back, wistfully gazing at him before walking through the doorway and marching away – she would have gladly kissed him, helped him dress up, but not under those guards' watchful glares.

They hadn't really talked about keeping their relationship secret, but it seemed an obvious decision to do so, particularly when they hadn't truly settled the terms of their dynamic yet. It was difficult to label it as anything specific, after all. By the time they decided on those things, they'd also decide on whether to keep matters quiet still, or be entirely open about what they meant to each other…

After around ten minutes – Sokka had to dress in his same clothes from the previous night, to then return to his actual room and change into a proper, clean outfit there –, the Water Tribesman returned to the kitchen area, where the Fire Nation Royals remained at a standstill. The guards had backed off out of the room, providing them with more privacy than before. Zuko glared pointedly at Sokka, who held his hands up defensively.

"No need to be so cranky, Zuko. Curses, you'd think I took a dump on your favorite portrait or something," Sokka huffed.

"Heh. Might as well do it if he keeps treating you that way, at least you'd earn the scowls fair and square," Azula smirked at him. Sokka snorted, shaking his head as he laughed at her remark.

"You two…" Zuko snarled, as Sokka fastened his hair into its proper wolf's tail.

Azula bit her lip as she watched him, probably more shamelessly than she should have. The way his muscles flexed… and curses, as used as she had become to seeing him with his hair down as they traveled, as shocked as she had been by how well it complemented his features, now she realized the attraction she had experienced towards him hadn't diminished in the least now that his hair was tied up again.

"What?" Sokka pouted, hands on his hips once he was done fixing his hair. "Got a problem with my, uh, partnership with Azula?"

"What the hell are you even partners for?!" Zuko squealed. "Sokka, come back to your senses, can you? Mom, well, she's Mom! She's protecting her kid, but you? What do you get out of all of this?"

"Me?" Sokka started: the immediate, obvious answer could not be spoken. He felt Azula's keen stare on him, and his cheeks flushed as he struggled how to convey something that wouldn't set off Zuko any more than he already was…

"And you!" Zuko scoffed, glaring at Azula next. "Of all people, you… joined up with Sokka. Sokka! You two are… well, not the biggest mismatched pair of all time because you clearly are thrilled to be terrible influences on each other, as your last exchange proved…!"

"Come on, now, I'm far worse for him than he ever could hope to be for me…" Azula said, bringing Sokka to smile fondly at her.

"Point is, you two used to not want anything to do with each other and I'm not exactly aware of when the hell that changed," Zuko growled. "Or why, for that matter."

"Uh… you wouldn't believe it, I think, if we explained," Sokka swallowed hard, glancing at Azula with uncertainty. She sighed.

"Promise you won't drag me by the hair to the asylum or anywhere of the sort if we do explain…?" Azula said. Ursa, beside her, winced.

"He won't do any such thing to you. He can't. And if he ever tries to take you elsewhere, I'll see to stopping him," Ursa said. Zuko flinched: Ursa being on his sister's side was devastating, infuriating, even…

"Mom…" he said, pleadingly.

"The thing is, I… have been seeing visions of someone," Azula said, with a dry grin. "Someone Sokka was close to. And it's not just random visions, but a strange, mysterious, deeper connection than that…"

"The hell are you talking about?" Zuko grimaced. Sokka sighed.

"Azula is connected to Yue," he said. Zuko's eyes widened, and he turned his attention to Sokka again.

"What? Yue? The girlfriend who turned into the moon?" Zuko asked, confused. "Wait. Azula? What the hell did you do?! Is that weird thing with the moon darkening or fading from the sky your fault?!"

"Right! Because I'm so damn powerful that I can annihilate the moon altogether, isn't that right?" Azula said, with a sardonic smile. Sokka stepped forward, placing a placating hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Azula didn't do anything intentionally. We don't actually understand what happened to the moon. As far as Yue explained to her, a comet crashed into it somehow and maybe that's what started all this," Sokka said. Zuko scoffed.

"And how do you know it's really Yue?" Zuko nearly squealed. "She could be tricking you!"

"Right! Let's see: did you ever tell your sister about Yue?" Sokka asked. Zuko frowned. "My relationship with Yue wasn't exactly public knowledge, you know? Only a handful of people were aware of it, mostly people close to me, and the only one among those people who has frequently crossed paths with Azula is you. How did she know Yue and I had anything going on if none of you told her, huh?"

"I… don't know! Azula has ways of figuring things out! She's smart in… messed up ways!" Zuko huffed, shaking a hand in Azula's direction. The Princess rolled her eyes and drew the mirror from her pocket.

"No doubt I'm smart enough to know exact details about how Sokka flirted by asking to do 'an activity' with Yue, huh?" Azula said. Sokka blushed a little, though he smiled fondly at the embarrassing memory.

"An activity?" Zuko repeated. "Is that some kind of… innuendo?"

"What? No! Get your head out of the gutter!" Sokka winced, lightly shoving Zuko for his remark. "Seriously, dude, we were just kids! I had no idea what I was doing, so I said something dumb and silly and… it's endearing, damn you! That's all it was!"

"Yue certainly agrees," Azula smiled. Sokka grinned back at her, and Zuko brought a hand to his forehead.

"All I'm getting out of this is… she figured out your weakness. And she's manipulating you through it," Zuko said, with a dry grin: both Sokka and Azula glared at him, unamused by his assumption.

"You really underestimate Sokka's mind that much?" Azula said. "Tell me again, why are you friends with my brother, exactly, Sokka?"

"If he keeps that up, maybe I won't be one for much longer," Sokka grumbled. "You know what? Azula! Did I ever tell you about what Zuko did in the North Pole?"

"Uh… no. I kind of forgot he was there for the siege, come to think of it," Azula said, raising an eyebrow. "Mustn't have been very impactful if I can't remember any reports of anything noteworthy he did…"

"More like he did something incredibly stupid that he most likely doesn't want us to bring up…" Sokka said, staring at Zuko sternly. Zuko grimaced.

"Look, I was another person back then…!"

"Ask Yue to tell you, Azula. Go on," Sokka said.

Azula blinked blankly, glancing at the mirror. Yue grimaced.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. My brother's on the verge of a nervous breakdown, maybe, but I'm alright," Azula said. Yue smiled warmly. "Did you hear the question?"

"I did, and I… I do remember what happened. It's not very flattering for your brother, though…"

"Any unflattering stories about Zuzu are worth his weight in gold," Azula declared. Zuko snarled at her, but her attention remained on the mirror. "Go on, tell me."

With that, Yue began her retelling. Zuko glared at her as Azula raised her eyebrows slowly.

"She says… she was with Katara when the Avatar started meditating in the oasis," Azula began. Zuko's eyes widened. "Says she panicked about Aang crossing over suddenly, he was glowing and all… and that's when Zuko showed up. Huh. Apparently, you mocked Katara and said she was a 'big girl now' because she was confident that she could protect the Avatar by herself?"

"Woah, woah, woah… you said WHAT to my sister?!" Sokka squeaked. "I didn't know that part!"

"I…!" Zuko's cheeks reddened: Sokka hadn't been there to hear that, it was true…

"That is incredibly inappropriate. Shame on you, Zuzu," Azula said, before focusing on the mirror again. Sokka's eyebrow twitched as he stared down his friend ruthlessly. "Alright, then… Yue says she left, but Katara explained later that you defeated her once the sun rose and then took Aang forcibly even though they weren't supposed to move his body at all, so he'd know where to return once he came back. Why was he going to the Spirit World to begin with…? Uh… oh. Huh. He wanted to get help from spirits to defeat the Fire Nation forces, then. Anyway, after that… Katara, Yue and Sokka flew on Appa to find you, because you ran off through the tundra. They found you by some cave and… heh. Yue says Katara beat you in a single move. Nicely done."

"That was very gratifying to see," Sokka said, with a dry grin. Zuko groaned, covering his face with a hand.

"And after that… you and Katara wanted to leave Zuko to freeze to death?" Azula asked, glancing at Sokka in disbelief. "Yue… apparently had no opinion on the matter. Aang's the only reason why Zuko didn't actually just… wow."

"Let's just say, months of being chased by someone makes you very unfriendly towards them," Sokka said. "But you know what's funny, Zuko? I actually regret having said that nowadays. Even if I know why I did it, and I don't think there was any way I wouldn't have, under those circumstances… ultimately, I'm glad you survived. I'm glad you're here, and that we became friends when we did."

Zuko eyed him with uncertainty, aware already that Sokka was going down a rather unpleasant road with that particular reasoning…

"So, as hard as it can be for you to fathom that maybe someday you'll look back on your relationship with your sister and feel the same way about it? I can guarantee that I already reached that stage," Sokka said, arms folded over his chest. "She's the real deal. She's not lying to me, I know she's not. That's Yue in her mirror, in her reflections, in her dreams… it is her. And we're traveling together so we can help Yue see all the sights and places she never could while she was alive, so she can experience the cycle of the seasons, all those things!"

"Right," Zuko grunted, his eyebrow twitching. "And what happens after Yue's had her fill? Do we go back to terrorism, Azula?"

"I…" Azula gritted her teeth, and Sokka scoffed. "I know it's hard to believe I don't intend to do that, but I… won't do that. Not anymore."

"You really don't need to talk to her that way, damn you," Sokka huffed.

"It's going to take a while to convince you of anything, I know it will, but…" Azula said, breathing deeply. "I don't feel the need to do that sort of stuff nowadays. And yes, that doesn't fix all the chaos I caused…"

"You messed with Uncle Iroh not that long ago!" Zuko exclaimed. Azula winced, and Sokka snorted.

"Come on, now. What she did there wasn't terrorism, it was… a prank," he said, with a shrug.

"A surprisingly tame and yet amusing one, at that," Ursa agreed. Azula grimaced, eyeing her mother with uncertainty.

"Here I thought you'd found it terrible too…" she said. Ursa huffed, shaking her head with certainty.

"Zuko is concerned, or should be, about things that endanger the Fire Nation," she said. "I hardly see how a playful, if ill-spirited prank, could achieve that."

"Don't make excuses for her!" Zuko groaned. "Mom…!"

"Making excuses?" Ursa asked, raising her eyebrows. "Do tell… what did you do, exactly, when I told you about how my terrible, no-good choices had resulted in your father treating you as poorly as he did?"

Zuko froze. Ursa smiled sardonically.

"I told you I was unforgivable. You said you disagreed. You made excuses. You said I had no choice," she said.

"But that's different…!"

"Yes: what I did to you and your sister was far worse than what Azula did to Iroh," Ursa finished. Zuko groaned. "So, for that matter…"

"Why the hell are you both so determined to protect her from me?" Zuko exclaimed, looking at them helplessly. "When did I become the bad guy in this situation?"

"Why, I would gladly say you're not… but you certainly pushed your tiles to that corner when you issued out wanted posters calling for her to be caught dead or alive," Ursa said. Zuko winced.

"Well, I don't really want her dead! I just don't want her endangering anyone, simple as that!"

"You just saw she's not doing that right now, so for that matter, you can just as well leave the way you came," Sokka said. Zuko scoffed.

"Your sister's worried sick about you," Zuko said. Sokka winced. "And you have a lot of answers to give her too. Me? I'd rather focus on my own sister, but if you would be so kind and go back to Republic City, talk to Katara and Aang, and tell them what's going on…"

"Yeah, no. I'm not leaving Azula," Sokka said, firmly. Her cheeks flushed upon hearing his certainty. Zuko snarled.

"If you don't trust me to be reasonable with her, at least trust that my mother will keep me in check!" Zuko exclaimed. "Besides…! Why the hell are you standing up for her like this? Why are you so sure that you're making the right choice here? Sokka…"

"Do you really think you know the first thing about Azula?" Sokka asked. Azula scowled.

"If he doesn't, you're not about to start giving things away, now, are you?" Azula scoffed. Sokka shrugged.

"Nah, but… I'm just saying, he doesn't understand how I spent months with you, does he?" Sokka said. "And not only do we not hate each other after all that, we're getting along great! At least, on the most part."

"What's that supposed to mean? In what regards do you not get along…?" Zuko scowled. Sokka ignored him.

"My point is, if your own brother has no idea why I'm protective of you, maybe that's the very reason why I should be," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I'm not letting anything bad happen to you."

"Nor will I," Ursa said. Zuko snarled, rubbing his brow in frustration.

"What makes anyone think I'm going to…? Ugh!" he growled, shaking his head in disbelief. "I still don't understand how exactly I'm the bad guy here, but have it your way!"

"Zuko…" Azula called him, earning herself a resentful glare. "If I agree to go with you for questioning, or whatever you want from me… what would my status be, exactly? Would you deem me your prisoner, or…?"

"I…" Zuko gritted his teeth: evidently, affirming that last question would be utterly stupid. But what would she be, if not a prisoner? He sighed, shaking his head. "You'd be… an honored guest. That's what."

He spoke the words with poorly contained bitterness. Azula sighed, hands on her hips as Ursa scrutinized her son intently.

"Whatever you intend to inflict upon her, you'll subject me to it first," Ursa said. Zuko pouted. "I figured I'd remind you of that. But if Azula is an honored guest, I'll probably be pleased with my own treatment too."

Zuko snarled, rubbing his brow with his fingertips and shaking his head. Even the sight of her son in apparent distress didn't change Ursa's tune.

"Whatever. I… I'll wait for you outside. Get your things, if you have any. You're coming back to the Palace with me. Guests," Zuko reiterated, with a dry grin, before turning on his heels and leaving the room – clearly, he needed some time to himself to stew over the shocking betrayal of seeing his mother taking Azula's side to that extent.

"Well, that wasn't a total disaster. Almost, but not in the end," Sokka said, smiling awkwardly before turning towards Azula. "You okay?"

"I'm… I'm fine. Which is not what I expected to say after being face-to-face with Zuko again," Azula admitted, raising her eyebrows. She turned towards her mother, who still seemed slightly displeased… "You didn't have to go that far…"

"What, you mean by telling him he'd have to do to me anything he did to you?" Ursa asked. "Considering that was what it took for him to restrain that hostility… I suspect I did have to."

"Heh," Azula said, with a weak grin. "You might just have lost your mind slightly, then."

"Maybe it's Zuko who did," Sokka said. "We're, uh, going with him? You sure? I mean, even if I know it wouldn't be the nicest thing to do, we could run away now…"

"No. I think running now would seal my fate, who knows if yours too, as an enemy of the Fire Nation," Azula said. "If this is the first and only time that I'll have a chance to settle things with Zuko, I'd do best to take it."

"Well, if you say so. But I'm standing by you through and through," Sokka said, stubbornly. Azula smiled at those words, perhaps more fondly than she should have.

"You'd better hold some of that back. He's going to start, well… suspecting that you weren't sleeping like that just because the weather is too warm," Azula said, cheeks flushing. Sokka winced, eyes flickering towards Ursa warily. She eyed them with a knowing grin.

"Well, that's for the two of you to discuss. I'm sure you'll figure out a plan on what to do, going forward," Ursa said. "I'll keep an eye on Zuko and make certain that he's not combusting over this. Go gather your things. Mine are at the inn, after all… oh, but finish the mochi at least before we go, Azula. They're edible, if nothing else is…"

"And Zuko cut me off just as I was having them… that's a bigger crime than any I ever committed," Azula groaned, eyeing her guilty pleasure sweets with longing.

"What about you?" Sokka asked Ursa. "You'll eat something, or…?"

"I'll make Zuko's staff feed me, why not?" Ursa smirked. "It's still early anyway. I'll have them set up proper breakfasts for the two of you later. Maybe I'll even stay and watch how they make the meals, that way, once we're on the road again after Zuko lets us go, I'll be able to cook some food…"

"You… w-wait, what?" Sokka blinked blankly. Ursa raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Uh. Well, you'll have to discuss that first," she said, with an awkward grin. "I'm sure you'll want to have a say upon that. I'll just… go now."

"Right…?" Sokka watched Ursa walk away with confusion… but he turned his eyes on the blushing Azula before the woman was out of sight. "I guessed I'd missed a lot of things, but that's a bit more than I expected. What was that?"

"Well… we talked. It's probably the best conversation I've ever had with her," Azula said. "I never really thought she might be plagued by her own set of troubles, truth be told. It seems she's a little lost in life, too. Might be expected for someone to feel that way, after having two lives to conciliate into one…"

"Might be," Sokka agreed, nodding. "And after getting to understand her better, does she understand you a little better too?"

"I think my outburst from last night saw to that," Azula sighed, leading Sokka back to the corridors where the rooms were. "I, uh… I'm sorry I blew up as I did. I may have inflicted a lot more strife upon you both than I should have."

"I wouldn't call it that," Sokka said, eyeing her with heartfelt compassion. "I'm sorry too, I kind of antagonized you and pushed too hard when we were alone later too…"

"I'm glad you did," Azula said. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Though you're starting to grow a little too good at understanding whatever I need, whenever I need it. It's, uh… disconcerting."

"Heh. It's always nice to know I'm surprising you in a good way," Sokka grinned. Azula smiled back at him. "But… you really seem calmer now. Was it Ursa, or…?"

"Actually… it was Yue."

Sokka froze, uncertain of what those words meant. Azula, however, smiled as she shook her head in his direction.

"Does it ever bother you, being right about things as often as you are?" she asked. Sokka blushed slightly.

"About… which things?" he asked.

"She doesn't hate me for… well, us. She actually… asked me what sleeping with you had been like, the utter weirdo," Azula laughed. Sokka smiled, cheeks flushing further upon hearing that. "I apologized, but she… she didn't need apologies. She didn't feel betrayed. She said she loved you… and that she loved me, too."

Sokka's eyes widened, though his heart soared upon hearing that: of course Yue would love Azula. Of course she would have grown to see what he had, surely far earlier too…

"Seems like she really just wants us to be happy together, so… guess we'll have to figure out how to achieve that, huh?" Azula smiled teasingly at him. Sokka chuckled, shrugging.

"I'm sure we have an idea or two on how to start," he said, stepping closer and taking her face into his hands.

This time, Azula was aware of the weight of Yue's mirror in her pocket. She didn't draw back from Sokka's kiss regardless, hand upon his chest as they pecked each other multiple times, relishing in a moment of privacy that they weren't likely to find anew once their journey to the Capital began.

And they might not have much of that even after they left, either.

"But the thing is, I… may have extended an offer to my mom to come with us," Azula whispered against his lips. Sokka raised an eyebrow, puzzled, and Azula kissed him softly once more, as though to coerce him into accepting that. "I know it'd mean more restraint for us, and we wouldn't be able to be crazy as much as we were yesterday, but…"

"Heh. That side of it is a shame, no lie, but… I'm fine with it," Sokka smiled warmly, brushing her hair with his fingers. Azula sighed in relief.

"If you're sure… go get your things. We're damn lucky that my brother isn't smart enough to realize half the clothes scattered in the room you were naked in were mine…"

"I think he was too appalled to stop and confirm who they belonged to," Sokka smiled awkwardly. "I'm not sure he'll ever be ready to know that we, uh… canoodled a little too much."

"That's the word you're going to use?" Azula asked, amused. Sokka chuckled and shrugged. "You're a goofball. Go, pick up your things, I'll get mine… and I'll pick up the mochi on my way out too. Let's get ready to face Zuko and his nonsense, shall we?"

Sokka nodded enthusiastically: they shared another thorough kiss, one in which Sokka dared sneak a few bold caresses, and Azula wound up entering her room in a perfectly blissful mood afterwards, as though she weren't about to march into a likely tricky situation in a matter of moments…

Zuko was upset, but he couldn't be too upset, could he? She hadn't done anything wrong right now. Ursa's support had been a shocker, but it might just be the best possible defense from her brother's wrath. Resolving her conflicts with Ursa certainly was one thing… figuring anything out with Zuko would be much more difficult, if just because of his disposition. Merely a few weeks ago, Azula would have told herself that she'd rather deal with her brother's hostility than her mother's emotional manipulation, her sad doe eyes, and her meaningless apologies… but Ursa's reaction to her rant, as well as the conversation they had shared just that morning, had caught her by surprise. She never imagined she might be able to start over with Ursa, and there truly would be no erasing their past… but it was about time to ensure that whatever troubled history they shared would not preclude the possibility of a better future.

The liveliness of Ember Island appeared slightly stunted, as most its population watched in confusion when their Fire Lord led a march towards the largest, grandest ship docked in their harbor: his Royal Barge would rush through the internal waters of the Fire Nation fast enough to bring them to the Capital in a couple of hours, at most. Thus, neither Sokka nor Azula bothered choosing cabins or even asking where they would stay for now: after enjoying their breakfast aboard the ship, sharing the mochi Ursa had found for Azula, they chose to wait on the deck instead of finding any private cabins, sitting together by the ship's railing… meanwhile, Ursa had dragged Zuko inside the ship's tower in order to have a thorough conversation about many things that Zuko appeared to need to hear.

"Well, despite it all, looks like we're going to end up in the Fire Nation Capital," Sokka reasoned, with a slight grimace. "Did he ever explain how he found us?"

"Not really," Azula said, relaxing against the ship's railing. "I suppose we were seen at some point. I'll try to ask later, or maybe you can… but Mom appears to be quite busy scolding him right now. Never thought I'd see the day…"

"A nice surprise, huh?" Sokka smirked. "Guess your mother wasn't as far gone as we thought she was…"

"We? You thought so too?" Azula asked. Sokka shrugged.

"No offense intended to her, but… she sounded like the exact opposite of my mother," Sokka said. Azula hummed, eyeing him with interest. "My mom sacrificed herself, lying to some piece of shit from the Southern Raiders to tell him that she was the last waterbender, rather than Katara. He… he killed her because of that."

Azula's stomach clenched. A swirling fear gripped her chest, with misplaced guilt that might not be as far out of place as she wished it were… for the ideology, the regime, responsible for the death of Sokka's mother was the one she had fought for, across all those years. She knew there were plenty of deaths and sacrifices throughout the war… but she hadn't known Sokka had faced one quite as close as that of his own mother.

"Katara's still working through it to this day. I didn't realize that was why it had happened until she told me, and she didn't even explain until a few years after she confronted the killer directly," Sokka explained. "Anyway… I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like, if my mother had been married to a bastard like your father, she would have never forsaken her kids, just as she didn't forsake Katara. Meanwhile, your mother…"

"She left us and forgot about us, yes," Azula said. Sokka shrugged.

"Even back when we found her, in Hira'a, I didn't really know how to feel about that," he said. "I kind of convinced myself to stay in my lane because it wasn't my business, you know? Who cared how I felt about something like this? But… as time goes by, I've realized I can't really help myself. It's just not fair, Azula. It never has been fair on you."

"No, I suppose not," Azula whispered, glancing at Sokka with uncertainty. "But a mother who would forsake her kids is… is probably less painful to lose than one who loved them with everything she had."

Sokka grimaced, glancing at her with uncertainty: Azula reached out to take his hand, careless about the sailors and soldiers who might see her.

"I'm sorry. Doesn't count for a damn thing, I had no real say upon what happened to your mother, but…" Azula said, gritting her teeth. "It was a lot easier to support the Fire Nation's war by closing our eyes to the rest of the world. That's what everyone seemed to learn how to do. Your mother should have never died that way."

"No, she definitely shouldn't have," Sokka said, with a fragile smile. "But… well, nothing can be done to bring her back, I guess. Though… huh. Wait a second! Ask Yue about the Spirit World! Ask her if the spirits of our people actually go there…!"

Azula blinked blankly, pulling out the mirror. Yue seemed as perplexed by the question as she was, and she offered her a sad smile along with a shake of her head.

"Looks like she doesn't know much about that," Azula said.

"Most souls don't really make it into the Spirit World that way, I think. They tend to be, well… sent back to the real world? Until the soul achieves enlightenment, I guess…"

"Says only the souls that achieve enlightenment would enter the Spirit World," Azula concluded. Sokka sighed and shrugged.

"Worth a shot," he said. "Anyway, your nation's soldiers are nasty, yeah, but… it was a long time ago. We were as good as babies back then. Don't feel responsible for it."

"So, it doesn't really matter that I wouldn't have cared about this one bit if I'd learned about it a year ago?" Azula probed him. Sokka snorted.

"Matters to you now. That's enough for me," he said, smiling at her. Azula shook her head.

"You're too nice for your own good. Still… I'm sorry you that didn't have a mother while growing up either," Azula said.

"If this subject had come up any sooner across our journey, I would've told you not to worry if yours never tried to do better for you," Sokka pointed out. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I mean… if she hadn't done anything but piss you off, the way it sounded like when you confronted her when she first turned up? Well, I would've understood if you hadn't wanted to give her another chance. Though… I suppose you do now, huh?"

"I don't know what's gotten into all of you," Azula said, startling Sokka. "Starting with you and Yue, having it in you to see more to me than anyone else did… and suddenly my mother is taking stands against Zuko for my sake?"

"Don't forget that Toph let you out of prison and handled Kuei and Zuko for us, though I have no idea how that turned out. One more thing to ask Zuko about," Sokka reasoned, tapping his chin with a finger. Azula sighed.

"None of you make any sense. How is it possible that the person who sees things and hears voices has a clearer understanding of reality compared to all of you?" Azula asked. Sokka laughed and shrugged.

"Guess you're special that way," he said. Azula's heart somersaulted in her chest at the sight of his affectionate smile. "Anyway… it's good that your mom wants to help you. Definitely improves my opinion of her so far. Honestly, it was about time someone in your family came through for you. Though I'm still a little surprised that we'll go as far as traveling with her…"

"I know that means we'll have a lot more pressure, and less privacy, and, well… it's going to be awkward. But to be fair, she already walked in on us once so, not much left to the imagination there anymore…" Azula sighed, cheeks flushing at the memory. "How the hell did I manage to talk to her or look her in the eye after that nonsense, exactly?"

"I can't say I know, but I'm glad you did," Sokka said, squeezing her hand gently.

"Of course you are," Azula sighed, glancing at him uneasily. "You sure you're fine with this? With… traveling with her?"

"Might be a bit awkward, sure… but she'd be more likely to keep us in check than Yue was," Sokka smiled awkwardly.

"The sneaky little troublemaker said she caught a few glimpses of us in the bathroom, through the mirror there…" Azula said, with a grimace. Sokka's cheeks flushed slightly. "She said she looked away after a while, but I'm starting to worry that she might not have. Naughty brat. Teenagers do have an inappropriate interest in these matters…"

"Well, I'd like to think she… has better sense than that. Restraint? I don't know," Sokka laughed. Azula scoffed as she pulled the mirror out, startling Sokka. "What, are you going to ask her if she'll behave herself right now?"

"Might as well," Azula said, glaring into the reflection. Yue smiled at her, cheeks slightly flushed, clearly having overheard their conversation. "You wouldn't look intentionally, or hear intentionally, whenever he and I are up to no good together, would you?"

"… Nooooo?"

"That's the most convincing negative answer I've heard in my life! Your lies are getting a lot worse now, mind you," Azula smirked.

"I wasn't lying as much as you think I was before! Maybe I am now, though… but Azula, I'm curious!"

"Well, that's unsettling. Tone down that curiosity," Azula huffed, shaking her head and staring at Sokka. "You're not wrong, my mother's definitely going to be a good asset. Otherwise, this one would get corrupted by how filthy we are, too."

"The Filthy Royals," Sokka said, proudly. Azula snorted and laughed. "It's not that bad, is it?"

"Sounds terrible," Azula as good as cackled. Sokka scoffed, shaking his head.

"Always so judgmental. We still don't have a team name and that's not very nice, mind you. Now that your mother's joining in too, it's going to be even harder to find a unifying factor."

"How about 'Sokka and the women he can't keep up with'? Sounds like a good name to me…"

"Very accurate, but too extensive. You'll have to be more concise," Sokka smirked. Azula laughed again, glancing at him sideways.

"Say…" she breathed in, holding his gaze briefly before tearing her eyes away. It wasn't easy opening up to people, but it was easier when it was Sokka. "I… thanks for not running out on me over my outburst from last night. I mean, you're probably the one person who has every chance to leave me and yet you've chosen to stay without fail. I might not deserve it, but I… I'm glad you chose to do that. I'm glad you didn't run away."

"I'm afraid I'm not the type to run from beautiful women. Instead, I chase them all over the world and fall head over heels for them without even trying," Sokka said. Azula snorted, staring at him skeptically. "I know we have a lot to figure out still, there might be more bumps along the way… but we'll do it, in time. Don't fret about it right now, okay?"

"Well… we should figure out what to do about Zuko, though," Azula pointed out, raising her eyebrows. Sokka blinked blankly. "By which I mean… that absurd nonsense we fed him about why you were sleeping naked apparently worked. He has no idea you and I, well…"

"Yeah, you know, he's very gullible sometimes," Sokka smiled awkwardly. Azula laughed and nodded. "But I guess what you mean is… do we keep it quiet still? Or do we talk things over, so we decide whether to come clean about it or not?"

"Thing is… do any of them even know that you and Suki are done?" Azula asked. Sokka shrugged.

"Toph knows. Don't know if she told Zuko, though," he said. "Though, frankly… is that a big cause for concern?"

"I'd rather they don't give you shit for cheating on her with me. You have to know what this looks like," Azula said, staring at him skeptically. "A hopeless man clinging to his past love has too many clashes and conflicts with his would-be wife, and as a consequence runs off to start an affair with the dangerous, deadly but apparently beautiful woman who's so very bad, absolutely no-good for him…"

"So, what, I'm having a midlife crisis at twenty-seven?" Sokka snorted. Azula laughed, dropping her head against the railing. "Well, guess when your life is as weird as mine has been, it's kind of justified for it to start earlier. Didn't you say that's what's going on with Yue too, as a spirit? Then… the Midlife Crisis Royals! Ha! That actually bonds all of us together, why not?"

"That's awful… most of all because you're not wrong," Azula snorted, bending over forward as she laughed harder. Sokka smirked proudly, arms folded across his chest.

"Gotcha with that one! We have a team name now, like it or not!"

"No, we don't! There's no way we're keeping that one, Sokka, anything but that!"

"C'mon, bet Yue agrees with me," Sokka said, taking the mirror from her and pointing it at Azula. "Hey, Yue, tell her! My idea is the best idea!"

"… I actually don't like it at all. Don't let him use that one, Azula."

Her negative broke Azula with further laughter – so used as she was to hearing Yue agreeing with Sokka on most accounts, she certainly didn't anticipate the opposite happening now.

"Well, well? Bet she thinks it's great! I'm sure she does!" Sokka snickered, waving the mirror proudly in front of Azula.

Standing by a window, in the ship tower's second level, Zuko scowled at the sight of his sister laughing quite so vividly at whatever Sokka was saying. Even in their younger years, he couldn't remember anyone, not even Aang, laughing that way at Sokka's nonsense. An uneasy feeling spread in his gut, one he wasn't sure how to interpret, or what to make of… for it had been quite a long time since he had experienced it over Azula.

Was she a better fit, a more fun companion, than he ever had been? If given a chance, would she mesh perfectly with his friends, better than he ever had? Would he lose everything he had gained to her, if she was granted the chance to heal that their mother was asking him to offer her?

"You didn't send her to the asylum when you did because you thought she was a lost cause, or did you?" Ursa huffed. Zuko gritted his teeth, tearing his gaze away from the pair by the deck. "Otherwise, you would have chosen prison. Even if you didn't understand the full extent of what they did to her in the institute, you had to have believed it was a better choice for her health than a fate as bleak as your father's."

"Had better conversations with my father in prison than I did with her, though," Zuko said.

"Maybe that's more of a reflection of what that asylum could do to a person, rather than anything that determines whether your father or your sister are better people," Ursa said. "Truly, Zuko… as difficult as this may be for you to wrap your head around, it shouldn't be. I'm not going to change my mind about her. She's not manipulating me."

"Right, because this initiative to go travel the world with those two isn't their doing?" Zuko asked. "Say what you will, Mom, but she could have guilted you into wanting something you actually don't…"

"And what if I do want it?" Ursa asked. Zuko gritted his teeth. "What if I need time away from home?"

"But…" Zuko said. Ursa raised an eyebrow.

"But what?" she said. "You forgave me when I abandoned you and your sister all those years ago. This time, I'd be choosing to travel with her and hopefully help her find peace…"

"It's not the same," Zuko said: his heart churned upon realizing the real reason why it wasn't, but he bottled it in for now. "She's dangerous, Mom. Right now, she's saying she sees Yue, but what if she goes off the rails in some worse way later too? You can't know what you're going to get with her."

"You think she's going to kill me and Sokka eventually?" Ursa asked. Zuko winced. "I'm not sure I believe that would happen. Fact is, I… I would even argue that it wouldn't. She has been with Sokka for a long time, and if anything, it seems they're getting along marvelously right now."

"That doesn't mean much. Sokka, Aang and Toph didn't give me a hard time when I joined their group. Only Katara did," Zuko said.

"So, you'd only learn to trust her if Katara did?" Ursa asked. Zuko winced.

"No, I'm just saying…"

"You wouldn't trust her at all, not even if your friends do."

Zuko shivered, lowering his gaze. Ursa folded her arms over her chest.

"Zuko, dear… I love you. You know I do. I've done terrible things, I've made awful mistakes… and I haven't made up for many, if any of them, so far. You forgave me regardless because you loved me. Because you prized me. Because your need for my wellbeing, my safety, my happiness, was paramount to finding justice. Am I wrong?"

"Well… no? But you're you, and she's her!" Zuko scoffed.

"And what if you could heal your bond?" Ursa asked. "What if you could sit with those two and laugh alongside them, too?"

Zuko froze. Ursa shook her head slowly.

"You've been poisoned terribly by your father, Zuko. In ways you never truly understood," Ursa said. Zuko winced.

"That's not… I'm not my father. I'm not!"

"I never said you were. But treating your sister as a wanted criminal, to be hunted all across the world? Isn't that the same thing your father did to his brother? To you?"

Zuko yelped. Ursa sighed, taking his hands in hers.

"No, Azula didn't do things so terrible that she cannot be forgiven for them. By all means, Iroh's death toll will always be far greater than either yours or Azula's could have been," Ursa said. "And yet you can accept him, while turning your back on her. I don't blame you, dear, for your uncertainties and your fear, for not wanting your sister to be around you constantly… but there comes a point in life where we need to stop running away from the harder truths we don't want to face. Azula brought me to realize that. She told me many things I didn't want to hear, but that I had to. And maybe that's what you need to prepare yourself for: listen. Don't just talk back, don't just defend yourself… listen. You have good intentions, dear… but you cannot do anything with them if you refuse to open your heart to other people's needs. More so when you're actually trying to help them."

"Well… I wasn't really trying to help Azula," Zuko confessed, frowning. "And I'm not even sure I want to. I keep thinking she'll just spit it all right back at me if I try."

"Is that any reason not to try at all?" Ursa asked. Zuko flinched. "Your uncle didn't give up on you even when you didn't make matters easy for him, he's told me so, as did you. It wasn't until you opened your heart to him, until his needs mattered as much as your own, that you learned to appreciate him properly. Azula? I think she's at that stage with Sokka, and maybe with Yue, too. Your sister isn't some nightmare to fend off, or merely a terrorist to fight against: she's your family. And you're one of the most powerful people in the world right now, dear. This nation is full of people who believed in the same things she did, and if they'd had the power she held, they wouldn't have acted any differently than she did. You're their Fire Lord: you're her Fire Lord. Wouldn't it be suitable for you to do right by your every subject, no matter how difficult it might be?"

"It's different when you're talking about Azula," Zuko scowled. "She's… not my subject. I haven't thought of her as that ever before."

"Then maybe it's time for you to start," Ursa said. Zuko winced, uncertain. "You're her older brother. And you cannot hope to heal this world, this nation, if you'll give up on members of your own family just because it's hard. In her case, half the work, more of it, even, was already done by others. If she could reach an understanding with me, she surely can with you too. All you have to do is… try."

Zuko gritted his teeth, a fist tightened: that sounded like a taller order than he was ready to commit to… even though, objectively, it shouldn't have been. Trying something didn't necessarily translate to sticking with a set course for good. If Azula went off the rails again, as she often did, Zuko very well could prove to everyone how wrong they had been about his sister.

But if she didn't… then maybe he could be a better brother, starting here and now. It was difficult to fathom, it made him deeply uncomfortable… but if Sokka and Ursa were right to stand by Azula, if she truly was seeing Yue and changing in more ways than he knew? Perhaps… they'd have a chance to be a real family one day. Perhaps.

"I'll talk to her once we get to the Palace," Zuko said. Ursa raised her eyebrows. "I… will try to mend fences. But she does have things to answer for… and I hope she's ready to do it."

"I'm sure she will be," Ursa said, with a genuine smile. "Thank you, Zuko. Your sister needs this, so much more than she realizes. Her heart is finally on the mend, thanks to Sokka and Yue… we could be part of that too. Wouldn't you like to have a positive impact on her life, lead her on a better path…?"

"I… guess I might not mind that. But we'll see," Zuko said. Ursa sighed, smiling still as she approached Zuko.

"Thank you for trying, dear. Thank you."

He hugged her back, uneasy, unsteady. A part of him wondered if Ursa would regret her earlier harshness… but he didn't dare ask. If she didn't, she might just be upset at him for so much as suggesting that she should…

Would she stand up to Azula similarly, if their roles were reversed? The realization that she would, that she might just have gone further for his sake, chilled Zuko's heart as he held his mother closely. He was a fool, wasn't he? Envying his sister for having their mother's attention, if just briefly… she was Azula's mother too. Just as she was Kiyi's. As special as his bond with Ursa might be… he would be an utter bastard if he tried to keep Ursa to himself when she had other children to watch over, too.

He sighed as he glanced through the window anew: their destination approached. His conversation with Azula wouldn't wait for much longer.

The Princess was visibly unsettled upon being in the Fire Nation Capital as herself this time. Her attire, far too casual, suited Ember Island so much better than the grand seat of power of her people. She'd change into something else as soon as she had the chance, maybe ask Sokka to fix her hair too…

But Zuko wouldn't give her that chance: as soon as they crossed the threshold into the Palace, the Fire Lord turned towards her with a stern frown.

"We'll talk privately," he said. Sokka huffed. "And I don't know why that bothers you so much, Sokka, but this doesn't concern you."

"It… doesn't," Sokka said, begrudgingly – he couldn't claim to be concerned over Azula's safety to that extent, not unless they were ready to set off Zuko's alarms regarding their relationship.

Still, he sighed as Azula shrugged – clearly, she wasn't all that pleased for this outcome, but she wasn't about to run away from her brother either.

"See you when I get out, I guess," she said, simply. Sokka sighed.

"Hey… wait."

Azula had merely taken one step forward when Sokka took her hand, placing the mirror carefully in her palm.

"I'd taken it earlier, before we arrived, remember?" Sokka smiled a little. "You won't be alone if Yue's with you."

"Heh. Sabotaging Zuzu's attempt to speak privately with me, I see," Azula said, though she couldn't hide her genuine, fond smile. "Thank you."

Sokka grinned brightly: Zuko scowled upon realizing he hadn't seen Sokka in such a good mood in… years, at least. Perhaps since around the years of the end of the war…

How, exactly, had Azula brought him to be that happy? Was it Azula at all, or was it Yue? It was much easier to believe it'd be the latter… but the fond smiles between them left an awkward feeling nestling in his gut.

He tried to ignore that sensation as he led his sister into a private sitting room. There'd be no pleasantries, no shared tea… they'd just talk. Hopefully, Sokka and Ursa would know better than to try to eavesdrop as they spoke.

"Well… looks like things are looking up for you," Zuko said, turning towards her with a prominent scowl on his face. Azula raised an eyebrow as she stood across him, arms folded over her chest. "Mom's… defending you without hesitation. I'd never seen her do that."

"It's hard to believe for me too, so you're not alone if you're confused," Azula said.

"I feel like I don't understand any of it," Zuko said, shaking his head and staring at her in confusion. "You're having new hallucinations, visions, whatever they are… and yet you sound more like yourself than you have in ages. You have people standing up for you and defending you to this extent, it's… weird."

"It's quite alright, I don't know how it happened even though I was there the whole time," Azula admitted, with a shrug. "Though… you're not the only one confused about certain things regarding each other. How, exactly, did you find us in Ember Island?"

"Oh. It took us a while to pick up on your trail," Zuko said, bitterly. "My guards eventually sought the Mechanist, he told them he'd given Sokka a hot-air balloon. After that, it was just a matter of waiting for sightings of unregistered, non-military hot-air balloons anywhere. Someone caught sight of you by the western Earth Kingdom, so we traveled there… once the next military sightings report claimed the balloon was sighted landing in Ember Island, I didn't hesitate to go there as soon as possible."

"So, you had all your soldiers looking for me, huh?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "I almost feel important and everything now…"

"Yeah, well… sure," Zuko huffed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry that I misunderstood that you'd kidnapped Sokka, but I hope you realize you… you don't make it exactly easy to think any better of you."

"Well, I didn't for all these years, that's certainly true. Do you expect me to throw a tantrum over how you don't trust me, or like me, or treat me with respect?" Azula asked, with a slight smirk. "Though I suppose that last one might be a fair one to protest against, come to think of it…"

"I don't want you to throw anything, I just… I want to understand what exactly is going on," Zuko scowled. "You abandoned your group, you traveled to the north, you're ride-or-die with Sokka suddenly… you have to realize it makes no sense. And after showing up in Ba Sing Se and causing unnecessary trouble…"

"Did you only hear about Ba Sing Se?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "That wasn't our first stop, actually. Didn't Suki reach out to you?"

"Was she supposed to?" Zuko asked, frowning.

"That's… odd," Azula blinked blankly. "Here I thought she was that mad at Sokka once they broke up, threatening that she'd only give us one day to leave before alerting everyone that we were there. Maybe she actually had a soft spot for him still. The truth is we went to Kyoshi Island first, they had the break-up of the century, then we left again. That's where I found out that you were hunting for me, dead or alive…"

"I… I'll rescind that order," Zuko said, self-aware and uncomfortable. "I thought… you'd crossed a line. Turned out Sokka joined you willingly, though…"

"There really was no sign that he hadn't done that," Azula pointed out, raising an eyebrow. Zuko winced. "Whichever one of you lot decided I could only have kidnapped him, well… you'd have to give me a smidge of credit after this and admit that at least one weirdo in the world would travel with me willingly rather than dragged into it kicking and screaming."

"We jumped to conclusions and we shouldn't have. But… you do have to admit it looked weird. And like I said, you really…"

"I don't make it easy? No, I don't. Did I say otherwise?" Azula said, with a slight smirk. "I don't pity you at all, Zuzu, you have it pretty damn hard, being my brother. I don't know what you brought me here for, if what you want is an apology you might as well wait forever…"

"You're not sorry for any of what you've done over the last decade?" Zuko asked. Azula winced.

"I… didn't exactly say that," Azula said. "Just said I wouldn't apologize for it."

"So, you're not."

"I'm sorry enough for a lot of things," Azula said, glaring at him. "But… I was vindictive. I was angry, bitter and frustrated and I wanted to hurt you so you'd suffer as much as I was suffering. That's the truth. If you don't like it, that's not my business. I wanted vindication, revenge, what-have-you… and nothing I did actually got me any closer to attaining any of it. So, I failed at my quest to piss you off, and I joined Sokka in a weird journey to please a spirit that only I can see. It's… strange how different it is, living life that way. It wasn't all that comfortable at the start, but it is now. I can't fathom going back to what I was doing before."

"Because Sokka is… more fun?" Zuko asked. Azula shrugged.

"Would it be a problem for you, if that were the sole reason for it?" she asked. Zuko scowled. "Still would mean you're free from being tormented by me…"

"Until you get bored of him," Zuko finished. Azula laughed.

"I'm afraid that's not very likely. He's… a surprisingly resourceful man," Azula said. "Always has something to say that catches me off guard. Like Yue put it once… we're two master strategists in a battlefield of words, somehow. He's far more interesting than you or any of his other friends likely realize…"

"Or maybe you're both just weird in similar ways. Which I'd never have expected, but frankly, his sense of humor is about as strange as yours," Zuko pointed out. Azula laughed.

"I've noticed. I hate laughing at his jokes, but he makes it too easy sometimes," Azula admitted.

"Then… all this stuff about Yue?" Zuko said, eyeing her warily. "Sokka and her were a thing once. You said your entire purpose is to get her to see the world and experience the seasons and so on? I'm not going to say it's a bad purpose, I mean, it's by far the most harmless thing I've ever heard you want to do. But it sounds like a temporary diversion or so. Once she's satisfied, what will you do?"

"I suppose… that's something I'll figure out once we get there," Azula said, with a shrug. "Though if it makes you feel any better, I…"

The words got stuck in her throat at first, and Azula actually smiled a little as something deep inside her seemed to snap. Something she didn't really know nestled inside her broke off, leaving her untethered… forsaken, somehow. Her hand trembled, and she glanced at Yue in the mirror briefly as she processed what a treacherous thought had crossed her mind… a thought she couldn't help but feel keenly, acutely, in her heart. She breathed deeply, and Zuko frowned at the strange sincerity in her voice.

"I actually never imagined I'd come back to the Fire Nation peacefully… and I certainly have no plans of staying here forever."

Zuko's eyes widened. Azula gritted her teeth: those might just have been the most painful words she had ever spoken. She offered Zuko a dry grin then, covering up her vulnerability as best she could.

"So… that," she said. "I think I'd just wait and see what Sokka has in mind. He's weird, sure, but he's the most reliable ally I've ever traveled with. Seems like he wants to stick with me for the foreseeable future too, so…"

"You think he'd stay even after Yue is gone?" Zuko asked. Azula's heart clenched.

"I… hope so," Azula said. "He's said he would, at least."

"Really?" Zuko blinked blankly. "W-wait. Why?"

"Why?" Azula repeated, slightly affronted.

"I'm… not sure I follow," Zuko said, blinking blankly. "You two are, uh… best friends now?"

"Huh. I'm not sure that we are. Which one of them might be my best friend, come to think of it?" Azula said, glancing at Yue in the mirror. She giggled and waved in her direction, and Azula smiled at her.

"Sokka. Say it's Sokka," Zuko said, with a wild grin. Azula crooked an eyebrow.

"What's it to you, exactly…?"

"Toph said weird shit and I would like to confirm that she's wrong about it, is all," Zuko said, bitterly. Azula raised her eyebrows. "She said you'd… seduced Sokka and that's why he was completely wrapped around your finger, basically."

Azula snorted, then cackled by throwing her head back – a slight relief to Zuko, who smiled awkwardly at her reaction.

"Seduced Sokka? She sure gives me too much credit if she thinks I'd have the first clue of how to do such a thing," Azula laughed, shaking her head. "If Sokka fell in love with me, it'd be his fault entirely. I sure as hell did nothing to make it happen, I can guarantee that much."

"Huh. You know, that's not very tranquilizing either," Zuko grimaced. "Sokka's… weird. Suki was too normal for him, I guess…"

"Oh? So you're saying he needed an abnormal kind of partner instead?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Zuko winced, raising a hand as though to stop her.

"I didn't mean… I just mean I'm not really sure how Sokka was having a good time by dating her! If anything, I'd think he wasn't. Which is possibly why they broke up."

"Sounds like it," Azula said, stubbornly. "Believe me, if he dated me, I'd give him far more interesting and entertaining reasons to break up with me."

"I'm not sure he'd choose to date you just so you can break up with him by… ugh! Could you not entangle my head with nonsense?" Zuko groaned. Azula smirked. "Look… I get that I can't change you or make you become the perfect sister for me…"

"Do you?" Azula asked, eyeing him skeptically. Zuko frowned. "Worth noting I can't do that to you, either. You're far too set in your ways for you to be my dream brother too."

"You… you'd change me?" Zuko asked, frowning. Azula smirked.

"I just said I wouldn't. But I'm not the one who replaced the two unpalatable members of my family with new, pleasant ones instead," she said. Zuko's eyes widened.

"I… Kiyi isn't a replacement for you! And I'm not even close to Noren…"

"Your little sister who loves and gushes over you isn't a replacement for the one who made your life a nightmare, apparently?" Azula smiled sadly. "As for Noren and father… if you're not close to him, then he's gotten the fundamentals of the job right, wouldn't you say?"

Zuko gritted his teeth: Azula's words hurt… but he couldn't help but notice that Azula, too, was hurt. He didn't usually notice as much… but this time, he raised his gaze to find that she appeared mournful of the fate they were facing as siblings.

"Point is… you haven't been optimal yourself. I've tried, yes, to mess with you and cause you grief… but I never really imagined you'd ever conform to being the brother I'd want you to be. Doesn't seem logical for you to start trying now."

"Why not?" Zuko asked. Azula laughed.

"I'm not challenging you, Dum-Dum. You're so ridiculous when you get like this," she said. "I'm fine, Zuko. I have no… no right to ask anything of you. That's not what this ever was, I… I admit it's pathetic to say it, but I just wanted to matter and I knew I never would if I went about it in any other way. Or, at least, I've never learned how. Point is… I fucked up, purposefully and intentionally. I'm not here to apologize because I don't think you have any real reason to forgive me, no matter if I'll never do it again. If that's what you were waiting for…"

"I… I don't know what I was expecting," Zuko said, frowning. "But probably more along the lines of you admitting that you're only traveling with Sokka out of convenience, and that you don't actually want him around much but he's useful so far…?"

"You really think I can only manipulate my way through life, don't you?" Azula said. "Granted, I know why you think so, but that's not the case. Sokka joined me, Yue roped me into this journey in the first place… the few times I've tried to do anything mischievous in this trip, it hasn't gone all that well. And somehow… they keep me busy enough that I can't really focus on doing anything to trouble you. Which, then, translates to me losing my taste for messing with you."

Zuko sighed, lowering his gaze.

"Would you get that taste back if I'm not paying attention?" he asked. Azula rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. You say that you weren't really trying to do anything that terrible with your actions… but the thing is, you did cause trouble and when it wasn't you, it was them. Your allies."

"Right, but…" Azula said, frowning. "While we certainly destabilized your rule, caused chaos whenever we cared to, we never did anything quite as bad as to truly hamper your efforts to fix the Fire Nation, did we? If anything, I've been a perfect villain for you to show the whole populace just why things need to change, or am I wrong? It was either you or me on that throne, and the more irresponsible behavior I display, the happier they'll be that it's you. Isn't it at least slightly beneficial to you?"

"You're acting like none of what you did had lasting consequences that could harm the nation…" Zuko said, gritting his teeth. "And you know what? Maybe you didn't. Even if you might have tried, maybe you actually showed some restraint I never truly registered as such before, and you never did something that devastating. But them? You have no idea what they did while you were gone, do you?"

Azula frowned. Zuko gritted his teeth, fists tight by his hips.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice unsteady: she had a feeling she knew what Zuko would say, but even so…

"They burned down the asylum."

Silence.

Azula's heart thumped with triumph… and fear.

"Did… did they get them out?" Azula asked. "The other patients, even the staff…"

Zuko's frown spoke for itself. Azula's sinking dread hit square in her gut, and she snarled as she tore her eyes away from him.

"I thought it was your final move," Zuko said. "Your full-blown act of war. By the time we got there, it was too late. Whole place… burned. Fifty-seven casualties. Some, family visitors. Most of them, patients. The rest, staff. Everyone dead… and not by any mistake. No, everyone in the building died because the people responsible for that crime ensured to shut the doors, the windows, every single exit…!"

"You can't be…" Azula snarled: even if she wanted to deny it, she knew she couldn't do it. Zirin… she would have done it. Azula knew as much.

"Everyone in the premises died… and we tracked down the culprits shortly afterwards. That's when I caught Zirin, and when she told me where you were," Zuko said. "They're in the Prison Tower right now. Awaiting their sentences."

"What are you going to…?" Azula asked, glancing at Zuko with uncertainty.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I'm struggling to figure out how to show them any mercy."

"Zuko, you… you don't understand what the asylum was like," Azula said, staring at him warily. Zuko scowled. "You never were there as a patient…"

"That doesn't justify what they did!"

"I agree!" Azula exclaimed, startling Zuko. "But… they unleashed the pent-up rage and wrath that place stirred inside them. That place, their families, everyone who played a role in putting them there… do you understand what it feels like, being forsaken in a place that constantly demeans you, dehumanizes you, subjects you to every kind of humiliation whenever you try to fight back, and affords you no dignity anyway, even when you don't fight at all? To be treated like a beast more than a person, to be spoken to as though you were some inferior kind of being…!"

"I don't think I get it, no, but it's not like I haven't been through dehumanizing, cruel things myself," Zuko said.

"The difference is the man who subjected you to the worst of yours is rotting in jail. The one who did it to me is standing right in front of me."

Zuko froze. Azula's accusatory glare caught him in an uncomfortable spot, and she shook her head.

"I… I understand why you did it. I'm not stupid. I know you had no time for me, I know you had no idea how to help me, you had a nation to run… but you don't know what it's like to be truly forsaken. Say what you will… you had Iroh. If you didn't have him, you had Mai. You had our mother. I… I had our father? Do you think he would have ever visited me, if he had been free to do so? He would have denounced me as unworthy of being his heir, if anything… imperfect, broken, damaged as I am. And even if I'm wrong… he was in prison. How could he check on me? But it wasn't just him… it was you. Iroh. Mai, Ty Lee… not a single one of you ever thought that reaching out to me while I was locked in that blasted place was a good idea. And you know what that looks like? It looks like you just want me out of the way. Like I was someone else's problem now, not yours. Like you just needed me to stop being a hazard to your goals and maybe then you'll try to be my brother… and that's a big 'maybe' anyhow. And you're none other than the Fire Lord, with all the resources and power at your disposal… and you couldn't even hire personal physicians to look after me in your home. You threw me out to a distant institution… so I wouldn't be a bother. Even if that wasn't your intention, that's what it looked like.

"And that's what they went through, too, with their own families. Every woman who didn't conform, every girl who dared have ideas different to what their relatives wanted them to follow, anyone who didn't behave exactly as they were expected to. Their own families and loved ones did it to them just as you did it to me. They were angry. They hated that place, more than I did even, and that's saying something. It was a glorified prison, where you could be subjected to the worst of alleged treatments only to be told that you hadn't been through enough of it yet and you needed some more still. I probably didn't even get it as bad as the others… I was only there for a year. Point is… it's not that I don't understand your position. I do. But I don't think the answer to what they did is… killing them. All you'd do is add to the catastrophe's death toll."

"They're more than just casualties of an accident: they instigated it. They're dangerous, Azula," Zuko said. Azula shrugged.

"I'm dangerous too," she said. "And in case you forgot? So are you."

Zuko winced. Azula wasn't accusatory, even if she could have been.

"You're not as healthy as you'd like to think you are," Azula said. "You're not okay, Zuzu. Maybe you never have been, to begin with. But as messed up as your choices were… you got out of being locked up in a place like that and then managed to join the winning team before the war ended. You could have very well ended up in a place like the asylum, by Father's orders, if I had brought you back as he wanted me to, at first. As a prisoner."

Zuko shuddered: he didn't want to think of that possibility. But Azula appeared determined to make him do exactly that.

"Would you have shown restraint?" Azula asked, frowning. "If you had been told you were not human, incapable of love, a rare case of madness, an intriguing subject to study… if you had heard them laugh off your misfortunes, talk about how loaded they'd be because you were of the Royal Family and they'd finally fill the institution's coffers that way, thinking you were too badly out of it with the medicine to overhear what they were saying? If they'd forced you to swallow food, herbs, unknown remedies that would make you feel numb and close to death? If they had… had messed up their dosage to the point where they killed someone in the stretcher near yours?"

Zuko flinched: the picture Azula painted for him clearly was taking a toll on him. Azula shook her head.

"I'm not saying Zirin and the others deserve to be forgiven. As much as every bastard working in that place was unforgivable, I had no intentions of killing them if we ever decided on taking revenge. Zirin made me design a revenge strategy, you see… I did it, and she kept asking for more violence. For a stronger revenge than just sabotaging the place or burning it once everyone was out safely. I refused to do it, I constantly told her we wouldn't make any moves on the asylum until we could get all the remaining patients out safely…"

"And she never listened," Zuko finished. Azula gritted her teeth.

"I was the leader. She listened solely because of that. It's no surprise that the first thing she did, once I wasn't there to keep an eye on her, was destroying that place recklessly."

"You would have saved the other patients?" Zuko asked. "Granted, the most dangerous ones would have been the ones you brought with you, but…"

"That's not necessarily true," Azula said. Zuko frowned. "You don't understand, do you? We were the family pests that nobody wanted to deal with. I had hallucinations? No doubt. But half of them had no conditions of any kind. I don't know how many people were admitted in the asylum without being mentally ill or disturbed in any way to begin with. It felt like… like they force-fed them alleged medicine that caused unwanted, unacceptable behaviors in people, just to justify keeping them there. That's what that place was like. That's why I'm not sorry to learn it was destroyed… and that's why I can't help but be furious that Zirin would decide not to save anyone who still could be helped."

"Would you have saved them?" Zuko asked. Azula shrugged.

"I tried when I broke out my allies in the first place," she said. Zuko's eyes widened. "I offered them the chance to leave. Over half the patients were too scared to try. They wanted to stay because they hoped… maybe by putting up with all of it, they'd get to go home one day. I won't pretend any of them trusted me, no doubt several must have thought I was more dangerous than the asylum staff and that must be why they didn't join me… but I never thought they should have died the way you say they did. They were no different from the rest of us."

Azula scowled: that this would afflict her quite so strongly came as a surprise to her, too. Initially, she had told Zirin they wouldn't destroy the asylum altogether because it would be deemed an act of war. Their team didn't need that kind of publicity, most of all when they were about to begin their act as the Kemurikage. But then she asked again, and again, and again… Azula didn't overlook the extent of the damage Zirin had suffered, but their group couldn't afford, couldn't field, a mission quite so dangerous. Zuko was never going to let that one go… just as he didn't. Massively murdering everyone in that building was not a laughing matter: Azula had asked Zirin if she was ready to pay the price for that destruction, and Zirin never failed to scoff at her sentimentality. Only practicality had kept her at bay for some time: they'd get too much attention otherwise, they couldn't afford that. But now… now, after putting so much distance between herself and that place, after seeing the world through different eyes, Azula's heart grieved for the people who weren't saved. She snarled, fists tight.

"Are you going to execute them?" she asked. Zuko sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe not," he said. Azula glanced at him in confusion. "But you have to understand this kind of chaos cannot go unpunished."

"I don't disagree. I just… don't know if I want you to kill them for it," Azula admitted. Zuko sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't even know what I'd do anymore. When I captured them, I was ready to do something final. Right now… I don't know," Zuko admitted. "Truthfully, I don't want them in prison. The Boiling Rock might sound like the best choice, going forward, but… it's not, is it? They could escape just as well, set it on fire, kill everyone there…"

"They'll always be a hazard, is what you're thinking," Azula said. Zuko shrugged.

"You don't expect that to be different now just because I caught them, do you?" he asked. "The only way they won't cause chaos is if I keep them contained, chi-blocked, fully restrained…"

"And then you'll just give them further reason to cause chaos as soon as there's any weakness, any leniency for them," Azula said. Zuko frowned. "That's the thing about hurting people, holding them against their will… it tends to breed resentment and grudges strong enough to last a lifetime. You wouldn't ask anyone who was a prisoner of war to forgive our father for what he did to them, would you?"

"It's different," Zuko said.

"Not where the imprisoned person is standing, it's not," Azula said. "The way they see it, you're complicit in the hell we faced in the asylum. You even left your own inconvenient relative there, too. They'd see it as no reason to change their ways."

"And yet you want me to believe you did change yorus?" Zuko asked. Azula shrugged, raising the mirror in his direction.

"Not that I was looking to change in any way, I certainly didn't care to at first. Took well over a year for Yue's influence to start gaining ground on me," Azula said, glancing at the mirror. Yue smiled wistfully. "But… I think the main thing that helped was having something in common, a goal that all three of us were striving for. We had to work together, and that meant each other's struggles and problems were everyone's concern. I don't know how anything like that could be achieved with Zirin."

"You could talk to her," Zuko said, simply. Azula sighed.

"You'd let me?" she asked. "I wouldn't even know what to say."

"Tell her you're not doing any of your destabilizing efforts anymore," Zuko said. "Tell her you're done with that, and that she'd better be done too unless she wants to deal with…"

"Then… heh. You want me to control her with fear?"

Zuko froze. Azula eyed him with a compassionate smile that turned mirthful shortly.

"As far as my personal experiences go, controlling others with fear can be terribly effective until it's not. People have ways of finding more courage than they ever held inside their hearts and turn on you when you don't expect it," Azula said. "Sounds easy enough at first… but it means you'll most likely end up living in fear your whole life, too. Can't advise it if you don't want to face more hardships than you'd be comfortable with."

Zuko snarled. He knew Azula was making sense, perhaps too much of it. He sighed, covering his face with his hand before shaking his head.

"What's your idea, then?" he asked. "What would you do to fix this?"

"Why are you asking me?" Azula said.

"Because you're making too much sense, so maybe you know how to make this better," Zuko asked. Azula grimaced. "What made you change was… Sokka and Yue? How do we give your allies anything of the sort?"

"You can't force something like that," Azula warned him. Zuko scoffed. "I mean it. They'd be more likely to set an olive branch on fire than to ever accept it smoothly if you hand it to them with the obvious intent of making them change and adapt to a life they don't care to live. If you'd personally showed up in front of me and entrusted me with Yue, somehow, I would have never listened to a single word she said, let alone would I have treated Sokka as anything but a would-be jailor following me everywhere. You had nothing to do with that, hence why I had a much easier time learning to… trust them."

"Then what do we do?" Zuko huffed. "I don't think keeping them in jail forever is going to be fine, or that they'd even stay there forever, they're likely to find a way to escape. Right now? I think… I think they're waiting for you."

"They expect me to break them out," Azula concluded.

"They wouldn't take it well if you show up as newly pardoned and allowed to be part of the family again, though, would they?" Zuko asked. Azula scoffed.

"But I'm not those things… am I?" Azula stared at him skeptically. Zuko winced.

"I… I guess it remains to be seen," he admitted. "But the point is, if I'm the one sending you… they're not going to take it well."

"They'd take it far worse if I pretend not to be your ally and it's inevitably discovered that I was talking to them by your command," Azula pointed out. Zuko sighed.

"Is there no solution to this damn madness?" he asked. "I don't even know what I was expecting from you, but it definitely wasn't… that you couldn't help me deal with them."

"I don't know that I can. But what, exactly, did you hope for me to accomplish?" Azula inquired, crooking an eyebrow. Zuko sighed.

"I don't even know. Talk things over with them. You understand what they did. Say… that I won't execute them for the asylum, even though a lot of people are demanding that I do. Say that I won't take it that far, and I mean it. What you've explained is… alarming. I don't know why I never thought…"

"You had no time for it. It's not really a defense… just a fact," Azula said. "Besides, you had very little cause for concern, right? I'm the problem and if someone's causing chaos, it's most likely me rather than my captor – or, rather, the physician attempting to control my every move…"

"Did they… make it worse?" Zuko asked. Azula frowned. "I mean, whether for you or the others. Your breakdown… was it a sign of something bigger, deeper, or did they just take advantage of my belief that it was, when it wasn't?"

"That's hard to say," Azula admitted. "I don't have the most accurate memories, frankly, when it comes to what happened. But it's possible, yes, that they weren't trying to help anyone heal. I'm not sure if it takes a year to recover from what I went through, but their grand treatments typically only made my mind more chaotic, and their therapy attempts didn't help matters either. They convinced me of… of the worst things I believed of myself, I suppose. I'm only realizing that they might have been wrong now."

"Then… could you talk to them from that angle?" Zuko asked. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Tell them the truth about what they did, and whatever they convinced them of. Make them understand that… well, the point should have never been to treat anyone interned in the asylum as a criminal. You're not undesirables in society… you were people who needed help, not to be tossed aside. And I… I did exactly that to you."

Azula frowned: it wasn't every day that Zuko seemed so torn up about whatever mistakes he had made… more so, when those mistakes concerned her. Azula waited patiently as he composed himself, and he raised his gaze towards her.

"I don't know where we'll go after this. I don't know what to offer you. I can't make up for my mistakes," he said. "But… I can try to break the cycle. To stop treating you as I have. To… to be a better brother, even if I barely know where to start with that."

"You'll have to figure that one out yourself. I have no expectations and no demands," Azula said. "But I do believe I should clarify one thing, Zuzu… I already said it earlier, but I'll say it again: I'm not back to stay."

Zuko eyed her with uncertainty upon hearing those words anew. Azula swallowed hard.

"Maybe I will do that one day, I don't know, but… I haven't finished my duties to Yue. And once I do, I might still not end up here again later anyhow," Azula said.

"You say that, but going to the Earth Kingdom would be very dangerous for you," Zuko said. "The manhunt for you in the Fire Nation will end, but…"

"And that's good to know, but I might not need to stay here forever even so," Azula shrugged. Zuko's eyes widened. "Did you hope I would?"

"Well… after what you've said, I figured you might go on the road for a while longer. But this is your home, isn't it?" he asked. Azula smiled.

"Did it still feel that way, once you returned from your banishment? I was under the impression it didn't," she pointed out. Zuko gritted his teeth, fists tight.

"If that's how you feel right now, well… it's bound to be my fault. But that was never my intent," Zuko said. "If I can…"

"I don't know that you can, and I don't know that you should have to," Azula said, shaking her head. "We're having a productive conversation right now, and you're finally listening to me, which I appreciate a lot, Zuzu… but I don't think this should be for the sake of ensuring that I stay at your beck and call constantly. If you've been running this nation without my help, you can carry on doing it too. If you want my aid, it's still up to me to decide that I'll give it. But for now… life has enough things left to offer me, even though I figured it didn't. If all signs point to the Fire Nation, I'll come back, but… I'm enjoying everything else far more than I thought I would."

"Dad would be cross if he knew that. Which is always a good thing," Zuko said. Azula smiled a little.

"You never really did get to see the world just for the sake of it," Azula said. Zuko shrugged. "You were on a mission, and just surviving eventually… but you didn't see the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes for what they were, with no pressures. I suppose… I recommend it. Maybe you'll want to abdicate by then, though I'm not sure who you'd hand the throne to if you did. I… I really don't want it."

She said the words casually… but a stronger smile spread over her face after she did. A soft laugh left her lips and she smiled brightly. Zuko's heart clenched at the sight of it… of such clarity and certainty in his usually troubled sister's visage.

"I don't want to be Fire Lord," Azula said, closing her eyes. "And that's probably the most liberating thing I've ever come to realize."

Zuko nodded, accepting her decision: it was different than him claiming she'd never take the title for herself. Azula had reached that point without him pushing her to it, even if not necessarily by herself… it wasn't a struggle anymore. It wasn't some chaotic, unnerving conflict. Azula didn't want the throne… she finally had accepted that. Zuko would be free from the chaos she could unleash with her antics until something else inevitably rose to take her place.

He just hoped it wouldn't be Zirin.

"Alright. That's… good to know. But… can I ask you to talk to them, then? To your old allies? At least, to Zirin?" he said. Azula's smile waned… but she shrugged.

"Might as well try. Though I don't think the outcome is going to be any more positive than it would have been if you'd tried this approach with me a year ago," Azula said. Zuko nodded.

"I'll try to brace myself for it. Azula… thank you," he said. The Princess smiled as she rose to her full height.

"For finally giving you a break? I'll find some other way to make you lose your temper, Zuko, don't you worry about that," Azula smirked.

"Heh. I won't lower my guard a lot, then," Zuko said. "Look… maybe I should've said something else first. I just… I wasn't ready to accept I've failed you in more ways than I thought. As far as I could tell, you were a problem indeed, you were someone I had to keep at a distance because you'd only ever hurt me…"

"And I was," Azula acknowledged, with a shrug.

"You weren't," Zuko countered. Azula scoffed. "You were my sister. And I never really thought about what that actually meant until… until I realized you had a whole group of people who had found your value and were helping you shine, and I wasn't one of them. It's not that I feel like I have to be there too… but it feels like I failed you anyway. Like maybe you could have reached this stage if I had tried a little harder… if I had been there for you in ways I wasn't. I kept seeing you as an enemy to defeat, no matter if I already had this crown on my head and… and I was wrong to do that. I can't help but think your life might have been a lot different if I had been less impulsive and stupid over some things. I'm… I'm sorry, Azula. I'm really sorry."

Azula's heart clenched, her throat thickening with tears that seemed to bloom out of nowhere. That wasn't what she had expected from Zuko… wasn't what she would have demanded from him, either. He didn't have to apologize to her… but he had. It was difficult to know what to say to that… though perhaps, it wasn't all that different from how she had responded to Yue, upon hearing her say she loved her.

She hadn't intended to say the words at all, regardless of how she felt. She hadn't thought they'd change anything… but regardless of her reasoning, her instincts pushed her to speak unlikely words to her brother all the same:

"I'm sorry too," Azula whispered, at last. Zuko gazed at her in astounded silence. "I did a lot of things just to make you suffer, I won't sugarcoat that. I wasn't ready to reason with what was going on in my own head, and I took it out on you. Before all this, well, yes, I certainly teased you a lot and I did hunt you down under Father's orders…"

"You don't have to apologize for that," Zuko admitted, with a small grin. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Well, we were kids. It looks a lot simpler now than it did before. I just couldn't seem to make sense of it back then… I was more troubled than I thought, too. Maybe I still am… but I'll try to reason with myself a little more than I always do. Without just… thinking everything's someone else's fault, every time."

"That'd be a good life choice," Azula said, with a slight grin.

Zuko sighed, stepping towards the doorway as Azula glanced down at the mirror: Yue smiled giddily, no doubt thrilled over having witnessed what appeared to be an unexpected reconciliation between Azula and her brother. The Fire Nation Princess smirked a little, shaking her head at her friend's excitement.

"Well, then… ready to go see Zirin?" Zuko asked.

Azula's heart clenched again… but she nodded, steeling herself for a reunion that promised to be a lot more chaotic and unpleasant than this one had turned out to be.

__________________________________

Prison Tower wasn't meant to be a friendly place. Azula's heart clenched as she approached it about an hour later, a foreboding feeling lingering in her heart: her father was there, but she wasn't here to see him today. Maybe one day she would be ready to face him… but the way her mother had explained her own visits to Ozai, it sounded like Azula wasn't remotely prepared to meet her father yet. He had expectations of her that she hadn't fulfilled… and that she never would.

She didn't really know what her future would look like, but she clenched her mirror tightly and let herself bask in the peace, the freedom, of knowing she would no longer serve the purposes that had damn near destroyed her. At the very least, Yue had died but succeeded at saving her people by doing so: Azula's sacrifices had amounted to nothing. Her vindictiveness had achieved nothing, too. She was tired… and ready to move on, now that she finally had a chance to imagine a future, vague and confusing as it might be, by Sokka's side…

Who, of course, stood right beside her at the moment, arms folded over his chest as he frowned at the prison ahead.

"You really had to come?" Zuko asked him, an eyebrow twitching. "You could have stayed with my mom…"

"You could have stayed with her too," Sokka scoffed. Zuko gritted his teeth and glared at him.

"I'm the Fire Lord! Azula can't talk to Zirin if I'm not here to authorize it!" he said. Sokka pouted.

"Then you'll have to put up with me being here too, nothing more to it," he said.

Azula smiled as they marched into the tower: Sokka's devotion to her hardly seemed real most times, and yet she knew it was. She had a baseline as to what his lies looked like, and it certainly wasn't the confident, strong front he was showing Zuko right now.

"You okay? Ready for this?" Sokka asked her, once Zuko took to speaking with the warden, who appeared alarmed to see Azula as a visitor rather than another prisoner.

"I doubt it," Azula admitted. "You didn't have to come, Zuko isn't wrong about that… but I'm glad you did."

"Oh. Uh, heh," Sokka smiled, cheeks flushing slightly as he ran a hand over his hair. "I'm glad you're glad! Though, you know, if you need anything…"

"I'd reach out, but… I don't know if I will be able to do it," Azula said, frowning sternly again. "You'll be right outside?"

"Yeah. And you can handle this Zirin, right?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged.

"I'd better. She's usually not enough of a bender to be a cause for concern for me, I'd dare say," Azula mused, frowning slightly. Sokka smiled and nodded.

"You're the strongest firebender there is, after all. Nothing she can do should faze you… but in case it does, I'll stay nearby and even cheer you on."

"Well, I've never really fought with a supportive audience like that, but fair enough," Azula said. "Besides… we shouldn't need to fight at all. It's… a conversation."

She said the words while knowing they weren't entirely true: Zirin would make this a battlefield if she had reason to. And if Azula told her what Zuko would expect her to? It might just be a guarantee that they'd wind up in conflict indeed.

The warden led them to the room where Zirin had been brought moments before they arrived. Zuko and Sokka remained tense by the door, and Azula breathed deeply as she readied herself to enter…

"Good luck," Sokka whispered.

"If you need any help, let us know," Zuko said, frowning. "You don't have to face her alone."

"I'm not sure about that last thing… and I'll try not to make it come to the first thing, too," Azula said.

She stepped between them: she gripped Sokka's hand gently as she passed beside him before pushing the door open. Sokka gritted his teeth, gazing after her hopelessly, his anguish increasing once the door closed, leaving Azula alone with her previous second-in-command.

Zirin sat in a slovenly position on a chair, in the center of the room. She appeared to have been bound to it. Azula frowned as she stopped before her… and Zirin scowled as she raised her gaze, gradually astounded upon realizing this wasn't just another visit by Fire Lord Zuko.

"You… you're back," Zirin said, a spark of hope in her gaze… one that went away quickly, replaced by distrust. "How? Who the hell allowed you to visit me officially? Or did you kill your brother and took his appointment instead?"

"I didn't do that," Azula said. Zirin scoffed.

"Of course not. You don't have the spine for it. Had the spine to get rid of your inconvenient friend yet, or was that too much to ask too?" Zirin asked, spitefully. "You were gone long enough. I thought… did it work? Are you yourself again, or…?"

"It didn't," Azula said. Zirin snarled. "She's still with me. Nothing has worked so far… and I don't think anything has to, either."

"Oh, right, so you're just going to keep botching up operations and messing up our objectives by being completely swept up by stupid arguments with the damn girl in your reflection?" Zirin asked. "You're unbelievable."

"I have no intentions of letting that happen because… there will be no more operations or objectives for us," Azula said. Zirin froze. "Which is your fault in no small part. If you hadn't gotten caught, the whole lot of you could have gone on to cause chaos without me. Begs the question of why you were so eager to be the leader when you botched it up so badly as soon as I was out of the way. Isn't that what you were always looking forward to? Isn't it exactly what you wanted?"

"I…!" Zirin snarled, shaking her head. "What's it to you, what I wanted? You…! You kept us chained down, locked to your whims! You saved us and broke us out of that hellhole, and we owed you because of that…!"

"The hellhole you finally burned to the ground, or so I hear," Azula said: Zirin had the gall to smirk. "With all the remaining patients still inside."

"They were as bad as the physicians," Zirin said, shrugging. "Content to live in their chains, emboldening them to do it to others, like us. Don't like it? Not my problem. They got what they deserved."

Azula scowled. Zirin's demeanor didn't change for it.

"I've prided myself in being a terrible person, you know?" Azula said. "In not particularly caring who I hurt and who I didn't… but I guess I overestimated myself. Compared to you, apparently I still have boundaries and sense…"

"You mean you're a coward. Spineless and weak when you should take action… always been in your damn brother's pocket even when you acted like you weren't," Zirin hissed. "Did he offer to pardon you because you weren't part of the destruction, maybe? Might have offered you the chance to execute us by your own hand too. Was that why you were allowed to come here?"

"I'm here… as your final salvation," Azula said. Zirin snorted in disbelief. "If you won't listen to me, if you won't forsake what you're doing, the way I did…"

"Ha! You're done, then? All done destabilizing the Fire Lord's pathetic rule?" Zirin cackled. "You're quitting now? And why's that, exactly?! Who's caught your leash now, Azula? Who's pulling at it?!"

"I don't have one anymore. You, on the other hand…" Azula said. Zirin laughed, shaking her head.

"Don't give me that. I'm no one's beast," Zirin said, her eyes growing colder as all mirth fled from her face as quickly as it arrived. "What was it? The Fire Lord…? Nah, you'd need a stronger incentive than that. Maybe… heh. The pest in your reflection? Is that who?"

"Shut up," Azula hissed impulsively: Zirin laughed again.

"Controlled by that thing, just as you were by your mother. Funny," Zirin said, coldly again. "You're so weak. So spineless…"

"I have more than enough strength and spine to stand here and see you for what you are," Azula snapped. Zirin raised her eyebrows.

"And what's that?" she asked.

Azula breathed deeply, glaring into Zirin's dark eyes… before giving her an answer:

"A lost, helpless, desperate fool looking for purpose and drive and finding none," Azula said. Zirin scoffed. "You've convinced yourself that destroying the asylum was the right choice but it wasn't: all you achieved was proving them right in fearing you… in wanting you out of their way. You've never imagined a way out, a chance to become something different, to start anew elsewhere. You don't even know the value of that kind of opportunity… because no one has ever granted it to you."

"And someone granted it to you?" Zirin asked, derisively. Azula gritted her teeth. "What? Pfft. Your brother?"

"It's not him," Azula said, gripping the mirror in her pocket. "It's someone I never thought would have any manner of compassion for me and yet he did. So…"

"Ah, don't tell me… you found a boyfriend," Zirin said. "No doubt you're thrilled, what you always wanted…"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Azula scoffed.

"You're so sad and anguished by loneliness, aren't you? I guess you're clinging to the first moron who overlooked… well, all the crazy shit and just latched onto how pretty you were?" Zirin asked, with a sarcastic smile. Azula smirked.

"If that would make you feel any better, go on ahead and believe that. But he's… he wasn't part of this because of me. Not at first. We haven't been journeying together just because he's craving me. He's the one who's helping me fix what's wrong with Yue…"

"And you love him, do you?" Zirin smirked. "Well, wait a few months after the novelty wears off and see how he likes you once you become the harpy that screams at him over anything and everything, just as it goes in all fucked-up marriages. You can't exactly expect to do better than that, can you? Either way… this is stupid. Someone who caved in to something as pathetic as falling for some stupid guy, lecturing me on what to do with my life…"

"I've said I'm your last chance at something better than staying locked inside this building for however long you have left to live," Azula said. Zirin rolled her eyes. "Zuko will kill you if no one stops him. Is that what you want?"

"I want the old Azula back. The one who would break us out of here in a heartbeat," Zirin snapped.

"Oh, you mean the one who laughed when she heard you'd gotten yourselves locked up in jail?" Azula smirked. Zirin tensed up. "I did exactly that, you know? I thought it was a beautiful irony: so much badgering me and pestering me about how you were such a better leader, all your plotting, all your talk behind my back… and you were an even bigger failure than I ever was, in the end. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

"Shut up," Zirin snarled. Azula glared at her coldly.

"That's the Azula you were asking for, though. The one who would walk away and let you get crushed under my brother's boot out of vindictiveness alone," she continued. "I'm here to tell you to turn over a new leaf and set aside your intent, or you're only going to continue paying the price for it. And I won't be paying it with you."

"So that's it, then? You're forsaking me and running off with… with that fool in your head, with the idiot who somehow wants to date you or whatever?" Zirin scoffed.

"I wouldn't be forsaking anything… provided you and the others agree to stop, for good," Azula said. "Zuko is an idiot in many ways, and he didn't truly understand the gravity of what happened in that place. What you did to the other patients is unforgivable, Zirin… were the circumstances any different, I would be advocating for your death myself. But I know why you did it… I just cannot accept that you found no way to spare them. Even so, you can rot in this cell forever or you can make something of yourself…"

"Something to aid this wretched nation?" Zirin asked. "I'd pick the pyre."

"Really?" Azula asked. Zirin scoffed.

"The Fire Nation should go down in flames… and I don't care for it to be reborn from its ashes," she hissed. "You, your accursed family… you all just prove there's no saving this nation. And maybe I'm the one who can do it… by laying waste upon it all. That… that's my fate. There was no Phoenix King, in the end… but I could be the Queen."

"The fuck are you…?" Azula frowned, but she froze: she had seen that look on Zirin's face before.

It was a sudden burst of vacancy that preceded a storm.

The reason why she had been sent to the asylum in the first place.

"Zirin. Zirin!" Azula called her, stepping closer to the woman. "Snap back here! Zirin!"

She was tempted to slap her, but she held back out of knowing that violence might just unleash the very worst of reactions from the firebender even faster than Zirin intended: heat began rising within the room, and Zirin continued not to react… but something seemed to be instants away from boiling over inside her. It was as though she had grown comatose… focusing her power so much that every shred of her energy would become firebending.

"Zirin!" Azula snapped. "I will do it! I will chi-block you!"

It was the only way in which she had been stopped once, when she had withdrawn into that state at night, setting their campsite on fire as a consequence. The others had hidden away from Zirin, and only Azula had reduced her. She had spent hours writhing furiously afterwards, sputtering flames out of her throat all the same…

But this time, Zirin was faster.

This time, Azula raised her hand to stop her just as Zirin screamed.

A violent burst of flames caught Azula just as she had been about to prevent it from rushing out: she was flung back, falling hard against the closed door, as the flames pouring over Zirin's body, charring at her skin, burned and melted the chains and restraints, destroying the chair where she had been perched…

She stood up, fire still alight over her body. Azula snarled, rubbing her back as she felt the door shifting behind her.

"Azula?! Azula! What's going on?! Azula?!" Sokka's voice reached her, and Azula snarled as she pushed herself away from the door.

"YOU'LL NEVER BREAK ME! THERE WON'T EVEN BE ASHES LEFT WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!" Zirin shrieked: her hand rose towards Azula, and she leveled a new firebending blast in her direction.

Azula snarled: the door swung open violently once her weight no longer kept it shut, for Sokka shoved it. He had a perfect view of how his princess caught an onslaught of pouring flames in one hand, brandishing it in her control, stealing it from the woman before her…

How? How was Zirin unleashing that kind of power? The room was as good as an inferno, one that Azula was restraining with every ounce of her strength…

Her left leg was unsteady.

There was something dark trickling down her trousers.

"Azula!" Sokka roared.

"GET BACK!" Azula rebuffed, building her power over the flames and wrestling them out of Zirin's control.

This wasn't new, even if it was far more potent than whenever it had happened during their previous mishaps on the road: Zirin's firebending was a threat to anyone around her, even herself. Long ago, Zirin had learned to channel her body's energy in ways completely unknown to Azula until then, as good as shutting down as she gathered her energy in a single point. Even her heart would stop beating for that small moment… and then everything would bloom again, unleashing from her body as an explosion, a storm of flames for which her body was the conduit.

It was more akin to a phoenix than anything Ozai had been. Zirin died for a blink of a moment only to return shrouded by flames. She had hurt herself with her own fire with these stunts in the past, destroyed her childhood home, she had always been restrained with chi-blocking when she had dared do it in the asylum… and chi-blocking was how Azula would keep her in check whenever Zirin's temper got the better of her while they were part of the same group.

She had surely used that technique to lay waste upon the asylum. She had gathered her power and unleashed all of it in one violent, suspended burst that would last for as long as she could sustain it.

And now, Azula struggled against the onslaught of fire that Zirin unleashed through her throat, her body seemingly burning alive as she unleashed her flames into the small room.

She couldn't scream forever, Sokka counted on that: he stood beside Azula, behind her, worried about the wound she had most likely sustained in her left leg… then, Zirin finally slowed her outburst, even as sparks poured from her closed mouth.

"Had enough yet?!" Azula roared: the room turned blue, as Azula brandished Zirin's remaining flames…

She could very well return them at her former ally.

But she didn't do it.

The fire diminished in size and strength, stifled gradually by Azula's expert bending: Zirin laughed, though, raising a hand menacingly.

"You will pay for all your broken promises!" Zirin shouted. "Your cursed family… I will destroy it at all costs! You… the Fire Lord!"

Azula had never understood Zirin's particular hatred towards Zuko: her brother hadn't even entered the room, but Zirin knew he was out there, somewhere. That, alone, would suffice to motivate her into destroying him at once.

She geared up to roar again, and Azula tensed up…

Her left leg buckled.

She gasped: why had she lost her grip? Why had she…?

She reached down to touch it, and only then did she realize her thigh hurt: blood. Her hand was stained with blood.

She shuddered at the sight of it, failing to understand the implications, only realizing now that there was something painfully imbedded in her skin. She couldn't rise back up. She couldn't stand. She couldn't…

Zirin unleashed a new burst of flames.

Azula wouldn't be fast enough to stop them.

A projectile flew violently through the flames, spinning fast in the direction where Zirin stood... but Azula didn't see it strike her.

She couldn't, for she was wrapped in protective arms as the remaining flames of that inferno fell upon the back of the person holding her.

Sokka cried out in pain as the flames charred his body: Azula yelped…

And just as suddenly as it had arisen, the fire extinguished.

"Sokka! Sokka, why would you…?!" Azula gasped, struggling to push herself back upright: Sokka weighed heavily on her, and he snarled with pain under the damage he had sustained. "Sokka!"

"Azula!" Zuko's voice reached them: the Princess turned towards him in anguish, seeing he had retrieved help, but not fast enough to stop Zirin from hurting Sokka.

Zuko's eyes widened at the sight of Sokka's burnt back: his shirt's back had been charred, leaving solely blackened fabric at the edges of the hole across the extension of his spine. Redness underneath betrayed that he had sustained a strong burn… even if the person bending the flames that had hurt him now lay unconscious, bleeding from the forehead.

Sokka's boomerang had spun awkwardly back to him, landing a few steps away, after he struck Zirin down before she could destroy the room, the Prison Tower, everything around them.

"Help…" Azula gasped, gripping Sokka firmly. She looked to Zuko with vulnerability most unlike her… uttering a word she most likely had never spoken to him. "Zuko…!"

The Fire Lord frowned with determination: he gave orders to his soldiers, and he stepped up to take charge of the situation. The guilt inside his chest would be resolved later: for now, Zirin would be contained anew, and Sokka and Azula would be taken to safety.

____________________________________

Sokka sighed, smiling sadly at Azula as she sat by his bedside, her brow furrowed:

The shards of the mirror nestled in a pouch, in her hand.

The mirror had broken against the door in the impact when she had been flung back with Zirin's initial outburst. She hadn't realized it, at first. She hadn't wanted to believe it was true, either, when she understood that her first gift by Sokka had been destroyed by Zirin's attack.

"I know she can show up elsewhere, I do, but… this sucks," Azula huffed, shaking her head and setting the mirror aside, trying to ignore her bandaged thigh. The damage hadn't been that deep, certainly not enough to endanger her, but she wasn't supposed to move around much for the next few days while her body amended the damage.

"We'll get you a new mirror. A prettier one," Sokka said. "One more suitable for you."

"That one was fine," Azula said, sighing as she set the pouch down on Sokka's nightstand. "But I shouldn't complain. You… you matter more than a broken mirror."

"Do I?" Sokka smirked. Azula scoffed. "What?"

"Are you really going to twist my concern for you into some weird flirting or something…?" Azula asked. Sokka laughed, nodding awkwardly as he lay on his back, head turned towards her. Azula scoffed, amused nonetheless. "You're so ridiculous."

"You like that I am, though," he said. Azula lowered her gaze.

"You know… Zuko once did what you just did, too. For your sister," Azula said. Sokka's smile waned slightly. "I was the one on the offensive that time. It's rare enough that I was the one trying to defend others this time… that I was the target of someone out of control, rather than being the one who was out of control or out of line. But it's weirder still that someone would jump into the fire for me."

She raised her gaze towards him, and Sokka smiled a little. Azula shook her head.

"No laughing matter. No smiling matter, either. You could have been burned far worse than you were. It's fortunate that they think you'll recover safely," Azula said. Sokka scoffed.

"Your fire's definitely stronger than hers," he said. Azula rolled her eyes, though she smiled a little. "You overestimated her strength."

"I'm quite sure I did no such thing," Azula said, shaking her head and reaching out a hand to stroke his hair gently. Sokka grinned giddily. "You didn't have to do that, is my point."

"Azula… I love you," Sokka said, earnestly. Her heart jolted to hear the words from his lips again. "I'm sorry to say that's what love means to me. Maybe you don't like it… but I'm going to jump into the fire for you. I'm going to stand between you and any knife that comes your way. If I get hurt… well, it's fine if you won't be."

"That's… you're an idiot," Azula said, frowning. Sokka shrugged.

"Most people think so too…"

"Well, most of them are wrong because they're saying it for the wrong reasons," Azula said. Sokka snorted. "You… you can't go around pretending your life and your safety matter less than that of everyone you care about."

"So… am I supposed to protect myself instead?" Sokka asked, puzzled. Azula gritted her teeth…

A most confusing, surprising epiphany hit her as consequence of his question. Sokka appeared to await an answer… and she was surprised to find she actually had one:

"You're supposed to fight by my side," Azula decided. Sokka's eyes widened. "We're… we're a team. Successful strategies don't require the sacrifice of your own allies. If you need to discard them as you progress towards your goal, you're probably not that good a strategist. More capable and able-bodied allies mean you have more resources at your disposal. It's simple and obvious."

"Heh. So… a practical, reasonable point of view encourages you to believe that I shouldn't jump into danger," Sokka smirked. "You know what? That's exactly why I like you. Love to hear it."

Azula smirked back at him, shaking her head: she couldn't help but grow fonder of him for that reaction. She suspected anyone lesser would have been cross with her for responding with practicality rather than sentimentality after a sacrifice that great… but not Sokka. They certainly saw eye to eye when it came to strategic matters, if nothing else.

"The next time we're in danger, if we are… and we most likely will be, considering who I am, and what your luck in life has been like," Azula pointed out, to Sokka's amusement. "Please… work with me. Don't jump into danger that way. It… it means a lot, that you would. But I'm not exactly eager to lose you. It was good thinking to knock Zirin out with your boomerang, you sure threw it hard for it to cut across her fire that way…"

"Well, these muscles aren't just for show," Sokka said, tightening his biceps to her amusement. Azula laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "See? See?"

"Dork," Azula smiled. He snickered proudly. "I'm grateful anyway. Just… don't do that again, will you?"

"I'll try not to," Sokka smiled warmly, reaching up to clasp her hand, pressing a soft kiss to her palm.

The tingling feeling of being treasured by someone to the point where he might sacrifice himself for her sake hadn't receded. It almost brought her to tears. Her throat tightened as she pondered it, as she realized that perhaps love did look a little bit like what Sokka had described for her before, even if it shouldn't be as self-sacrificial as that…

She leaned closer to him on his bed, pressing her lips to his cheek. Sokka grinned mischievously at the feeling.

"That's nice…" he said.

"You do realize… that we're not going to sleep together until your back recovers?"

"What?!"

Sokka yelped, and Azula laughed at his extreme reaction: he even seemed to rise from the bed, and she had to reel him in so he'd stop being so careless.

"Come on, you won't be able to lie on your back…"

"Well, I won't lie on it. I don't need to. You'll have to put up with being under me more often!" Sokka pouted.

"You really are that eager to get back to it, are you?" Azula smiled, stroking his hair and kissing his cheek again. Sokka groaned needily.

"When you're being this nice, it's hard to help it," he said. "C'mon, I could just lie on top and even as we sleep, I'll just rest on, uh, the best pillow in the world…"

"You like my breasts far too much for your own good," Azula said: Sokka smiled wildly, glancing at her chest even if her clothes covered her bosom fully.

"What's not to like?" he said. "You're delightful. And delicious, too."

"I'm… ugh, you don't have to be so crude, Sokka," Azula blushed, shaking her head as she pushed him slightly on his mattress. Sokka snorted at her remark.

"If it disgusts you so much, why are you climbing up here right after I said something stupid?" he asked: Azula was halfway on the mattress by then, and she shot him a fierce glare.

"Because I… had already meant to do this before you started being embarrassing," she huffed, lying down fully beside him. Sokka giggled, and Azula rolled her eyes before reaching towards him. "Come here, you annoying jerk, you…"

"Woah, wait…!"

His request was not heeded: thus, before he knew it, Sokka was left to lie his head down happily, comfortably, atop Azula's chest.

"I hope this will help you recover. At least, might brighten your spirits," Azula said, unsure of why she felt bashful after what she'd done. Sokka, of course, beamed with delight.

"Sure brightens them," he said. "Though I hope it won't help much because that means I'd recover too quickly. If I don't, then I'll get to do this even more often, and…"

"If you recover faster I'll sit on your face sooner than you know," Azula declared, boldly: Sokka smiled wildly, raising his head from her chest eagerly.

"You will?!" he exclaimed. Azula snorted and laughed.

"Guess you're happy when I'm the one who's crude. You know, you're delightful too. And ridiculous," she said, cupping his face with her hands before kissing his eager lips softly.

It was a tender, meaningful kiss for the two of them, and they extended it for as long as they dared with sweet, gentle pecks, as well as deeper, thorough explorations of each other, interspersed between the chaste kisses. His hands dared touch her with desire, even if he wasn't about to act on it… and Azula let him. She felt his fingers trailing her weak spots and she thrived in it, quietly, letting her lover trigger her pleasure at his leisure.

"You didn't need to do this either, you know?" Sokka smiled a little, raising his head to gaze at her. "Could've just left me to rest quietly while withholding yourself from me…"

"Why would I want to do that?" Azula asked, stroking his hair gently. Sokka chuckled.

"Don't know. Because I'm the annoying guy who put himself in danger for your sake when he should have been fighting alongside you?" he said.

"Well, lesson learned now, I hope. You're… a little forgiven," Azula said, with a smirk. Sokka laughed, his brow pressed against hers.

"Good to know," he said. Azula bit her lip.

"Maybe we're not so different, you and I. You jumped in front of an inferno to protect me because you love me… and I let you rest on my chest because I…"

"Azula?" Sokka raised an eyebrow, looking at her with surprise.

Azula breathed deeply before meeting his eyes: it felt like the biggest risk she had ever taken. She didn't know what was so frightening about uttering those words, she had already spoken them to someone else…

But doing it with Sokka felt like a greater commitment. Like deciding she was throwing her lot with him for the rest of their lives, if he could stand her for that long.

The way he gazed at her suggested he was capable of that, and so much more.

So she had to do it. She just had to jump… and wait for gravity to claim her, or for her wings to burst from her back and help her take to the skies.

"I love you."

Sokka's eyes gleamed with emotion, reflected by the tears that were born in the corners of his eyes. He laughed softly, and Azula smiled warmly too, if tearfully: he kissed her sweetly, and her arms locked around his neck as she kept him close.

"Azula…" he managed to say, with a broken voice. Azula shook her head.

"It's okay. We'll… talk things over later," she said, caressing his cheek. "We'll decide whatever we need to decide, alright? For now, just… just live in the here and now. Just… just let me love you even if I barely know how, okay?"

"You know more than you realize you do," Sokka smiled warmly: the affection in his eyes caught her so off guard she nearly melted into his next kiss, into his warm, loving embrace…

Yes, there were many things for them to work through still. Yes, perhaps she'd regret having said those words once it sunk in that she had done it, whenever she lost her mind to anguish over not being good enough for him… but right now, everything felt just right. His kisses were as warm as sunlight, setting her inner flame afire with potent emotions she never knew she could experience.

Fire could be so deadly, so devastating. It could lay waste upon everything, just as Zirin had tried to… but it could be warm and gentle, too. It could embody passion… it could embody life. The dark shadows fire cast around itself were intricately connected with its light. The hand of the bender wielding it would determine the true purpose of flames: destruction or creation, hatred or love, life or death…

And right now, the fire in her heart burned with unequivocal devotion for the man whose brow pressed to hers, as they basked in their newfound peace. A part of Azula wickedly wished to ask if this was exactly what he had been missing with Suki… but she didn't dare mar a perfect moment of shared tenderness with any matters besides the two of them. All teasing could wait for later.

Though they would be forced to interrupt that crystallized moment of happiness rather quickly, too, once they heard footsteps approaching Sokka's room, as well as the quelled voices of Zuko and his physicians, who no doubt were informing him of Sokka's state.

"Uuuh…" Sokka grimaced: Azula flushed as she squirmed clumsily, awkwardly, out of Sokka's embrace.

"Lie down quietly there. Nothing happened here," she said, bashful, carefully moving so her leg wouldn't hurt.

"Right. Right. I'll… pretend I was asleep, yep. That's it," Sokka smiled, closing his eyes and relaxing.

Azula's heart raced as she took her seat: Zuko barged in moments later, without knocking.

"Still can't bother announcing yourself before entering any rooms?" Azula asked. Zuko grimaced, slowing down at first before stepping closer to Azula, sitting beside her.

"I guess I ought to work on that," he said. "How is he?"

"He's… asleep. As you can see," Azula said, trying not to show her bashfulness too overtly – while there was much they would need to work on and decide, one of such things was settling on whether to keep matters quiet a little longer or blatantly sharing the truth of what their relationship was with everyone around them… such as Zuko.

"Well… yeah. I can," Zuko sighed. "The physicians say he might… might have light marks left. Fortunately, the fire receded fast enough so it isn't as severe as, well… my face."

"It wasn't a third-degree burn," Azula concluded. Zuko nodded.

"Still… I don't feel like this is the right choice," Zuko said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I mean… my physicians are the best the Fire Nation can offer. But is Fire Nation medicine going to be enough?"

"I have no idea. I hope so?" Azula said. Zuko sighed.

"I think we should get him to someone who could alleviate his pain much faster. Maybe even heal him enough so his skin isn't damaged forever," Zuko said. "Not even with light marks."

"Is that even possible?" Azula asked.

"Waterbending healing is impressive. You'll see," Zuko said, reassuringly.

"You're bringing a waterbender here?" Azula asked. "Or… do you want us to go to the Northern Water Tribe again?"

"I, uh… didn't mean for us to travel that far. A little less far, frankly," Zuko said, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly. Azula frowned.

"What?"

"There's… a really great waterbending healer who would gladly look after Sokka and make sure he's okay. And I think we should trust her to take good care of him. I know I do… though I'm not sure you do. Sokka would, though, I mean, she's… uh, well… his sister."

Azula had started to suspect what Zuko was getting at right before he arrived at his destination: her jaw dropped, and she inched away from him before blurting out the one answer she could give her brother's suggestion:

"Absolutely not."

"Azula, he's her brother. She'll kill us if we don't tell her he was in danger, if we don't take him to her…!"

"She'll kill you for harboring me at all, and then kill me for being, well, me! So as far as I can tell, the casualties will be minimal provided we just… avoid her. Forever."

Zuko snorted, slightly amused by the panic Katara elicited in Azula's heart. The Princess glared at her brother in displeasure, and he shook his head.

"I'll go too and make sure she understands that none of this is your fault. If anything… it's mine," Zuko said. Azula winced…

"As touching as it is to hear you admit that? I still don't want to go. Nope. Not a chance," Azula said, eyes wide.

"You might just like Air Temple Island…"

"What does that even matter?! I'm not going to jump right into their hands when they thought I'd kidnapped Sokka to begin with!"

"Well, I'll clear that up too! It'll be fine! Maybe we can call Toph too, I bet she'd help clear your name! Maybe she even told Aang and Katara that you're not a hazard to Sokka already…!"

"Right, and you think they believed her, if she did? You're as gullible as…"

"If you guys argued any louder, maybe you'd finally make sure that no one gets any rest around these parts, you know?"

Both Azula and Zuko froze up at Sokka's accusatory tone and deadpan glare – evidently, his attempt to pretend that he was sleeping had ended very quickly. Their apologetic grimaces brought a smirk to his face, and he shook his head at them.

"We can go to Air Temple Island. I'll handle Katara… and I'll make sure to have a loud argument with her just as you two are trying to fall asleep, too."

"Haha. You're hilarious," Zuko scoffed. Azula chuckled, shaking her head at Sokka's promise. "But then… once you're okay to travel? We'll… we'll get going. We'll get you some more healing, Sokka. You'll make a full recovery."

"As noisy as you may be… that's nice of you, buddy. Thanks," Sokka grinned.

Zuko didn't stay for much longer, busy as he was: Azula's nervousness over the next leg of their journey didn't diminish at all… but once Zuko was gone, she reached out to take Sokka's hand in hers: he smiled as he fell asleep holding it, and just by the sight of that gentle smile upon his face, Azula allowed herself to believe wistfully that everything would work out for the best…

They were gone. No light. No reflections. Nowhere for her to peer through and understand what had happened. The mirror was shattered, stained with her host's blood.

"You see? You hurt her! And you keep hurting her! Your meddling ruined her bonds with her allies, and you couldn't save her from another betrayal!"

Yue gritted her teeth, closing her eyes as she tried not to listen to the cackling cruelty of her captor. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't need to…

"Yue… Yue… Yue…"

A second voice. The one she heard at times, a familiar voice… it was kind, it was reaching out for her…

The dark restraints around her body tightened. She closed her eyes and hoped they'd hold. She needed them to hold. Otherwise…

"It won't be long now. It won't be long," her captor giggled with cruelty: she refused to look at him. She wouldn't meet his gaze. She had always refused… and he would never stop pushing her. "It won't be long before you're mine forever… once no one needs you anymore. Once you're well and truly gone from that world. Once every memory of your existence vanishes…

"Once they forget you. The Princess, the warrior… they will give their hearts to each other, and you will be forgotten for good."

A tear escaped Yue's cheeks: she might never be free again… but so long as they were, she would endure this nightmare and face the dark fate that swirled closer and closer around her, threatening to fulfill the dark promise of Oblivion.

[palmviewfm]

any most wanted counterparts?

there's so many options you could go with ! but  here's  some  examples  of  a  few  that  we'd  love  to  see  for  counterparts  !  i'd  suggest: rachel  green,  phoebe  buffay,  joey  tribbiani,  and  monica  geller  from  friends.  olivia  baker,  layla  keating, jordan baker, asher adams,  and  spencer  james  from  all  american.  danny zuko,  sandy, jan, marty, sonny, and frenchy  from  grease.  regina  george,  aaron  samuels,  cady  heron,  janis ian and  damian  from  mean  girls.  emily  fields,  aria  montgomery,  alison dilaurentis, mona  vanderwaal,  and toby  cavanaugh  from  pretty  little  liars.  elena  gilbert,  katherine  pierce,  stefan  salvatore,  liv  parker,  bonnie  bennett,  enzo  st  john, caroline forbes,  vicki donovan, jeremy gilbert, and jenna sommers from  the  vampire  diaries.  kat  stratford, patrick verona,   and  bianca  stratford  from  10  things  i  hate  about  you.  logan  huntzberger,  jess  mariano,  luke  danes,  lorelai  gilmore,  paris  geller  from  gilmore  girls.  blair  waldorf,  serena  van  der  woodsen,  nate  archibald,  dan  humphrey,  and  georgina  sparks  from  gossip  girl.  luna  la,  audrey  hope,  zoya  lott,  and  monet  de  haan  from  the  gossip  girl  reboot.  imogen  adams,  noa  olivar,  tabitha  hawthorne,  faran  bryant  and  mouse  honrada  from  the  pll  reboot.  phoebe  halliwell,  prue  halliwell,  leo  wyatt,  chris  halliwell  and  piper  halliwell  from  charmed.  topanga  lawrence,  jack hunter, eric matthews, angela  moore,  and  cory  matthews  from  boy  meets  world.  callie adams foster and mariana foster from the fosters / good trouble. eloise  bridgerton,  penelope  featherington,  daphne  bridgerton,  and  francesca  bridgerton  from  bridgerton.  cheryl  blossom,  betty  cooper,  veronica  lodge,  archie  andrews,  reggie  mantle,  toni  topaz  and  kevin  keller,  from  riverdale.  samantha  jones  and  carrie  bradshaw  from  sex  and  the  city.  annie  edison  and  troy  barnes  from  community.  jo  wilson,  atticus  lincoln,  lexie  grey,  arizona  robbins,  addison  montgomery,  meredith  grey,  cristina  yang,  derek  shepherd,  callie  torres  and  jackson  avery  from  grey's  anatomy.  brooke davis, haley james, lucas scott, and nathan scott from one tree hill. if  you'd  like  anymore,  then  feel  free  to  send  in  another  ask  and  we'd  be  happy  to  help  give  more  possible  suggestions  !

[hclfgoddess]

So, my muse list link isn’t working. Until I fix it/update it, here is a list of my muses:

GREY’s ANATOMY/STATION 19

Meredith Grey

Arizona Robbins

Mark Sloan

Teddy Altman

Amelia Shepherd

Carina Deluca

RIZZOLI & ISLES

Maura Isles

ONCE UPON A TIME

Emma Swan

Regina Mills

Henry Mills

Belle French

Ruby Lucas

YELLOWSTONE:

Beth Dutton

SUPERGIRL:

Kara Danvers

Lena Luthor

KILLING EVE:

Villanelle

CARMILLA:

Laura Hollis

GHOST WHISPERER:

Melinda Gordon

GILMORE GIRLS:

Lorelai Gilmore

Rory Gilmore

——

(animated muses)

ATLA/LOK

Azula

Zuko

Katara

Toph Beifong

Asami Sato

Kya

SHE-RA:

Adora

Catra

THE OWL HOUSE:

Amity Blight

Luz Noceda

Edalyn Clawthorne

Lilith Clawthorne

THE DRAGON PRINCE:

Claudia

Callum

Rayla

[thebirdwhodoesart]

Lover Boy - Modern Au, Astarion x Named! Tav (1/5)

Tws for this chapter: sex work, threatening texts, stalking, 5+ year age gap (22 & 31), weed/drugs, blood/biting, trauma.

Pairing: Tav/Astarion

Word count: 8,252

MDNI (MINORS DO NOT INTERACT)

@/mmadeinheavenn for the credit for the dividers

Zuko opened his eyes, rubbing them as he rolled on his side. Looking at the clock with a small groan. "God... What's up with that weird dream?" The man with tawny beige skin mumbled to himself as he forced himself out of his bed, his hand through his raven locks as he walked into the bathroom to start up his morning routine. Though while he brushed his teeth, his mind couldn't help but go to the dream, he looked almost demonic - probably from that tabletop game his co worker always blabbed about all the time. He finished up his teeth before he quickly changed into something comfortable.

He put on a baggy sweaters that had one of his favorite fictional killers on the front of the piece of clothing, a thick hoodie to shield him from the early spring cold, better then the bitter cold of last month but still frightfully cold,a layer or two of pj pants under some black cargo pants, and some boots he got a while ago. He stepped out of his bathroom and grabbed a scarf off his desk to wrap it around his neck to make sure he was warm before he even thought about going outside.

Zuko stepped out of his room, and as soon as he stepped into the rest of the house he was bombarded by his dog— a wonderful good swiss shepherd named Scratch. The white coated shepherd dog jumped up on his knee, licking the man’s clothes as Zuko tried to move so he could head towards the door so he could go to work— albeit he only worked so he could have something to do during the day but the little hole in the wall bookstore was nice.

“No, scratch.. Dude, come on.” The man with tawny beige skin spoke as his dog ran to his door, knowing scratch was lonely during the days he was gone at work. Zuko went into his kitchen to grab his lunch for the day, some instant ramen and rice balls with pork belly that was leftover from last night’s dinner in his favorite insulated lunch bag, his Kiki’s delivery service lunch bag. “I’ll play with you later, I need to get to work.” Zuko said as he put his reusable lunch sack in the Tomie messenger bag that he got from the coat rack near the door.

“I’ll have Bee. your best buddy, to come over to give you a puppy puzzle bowl. And take you on a walk in the dog park” Zuko added as he guided Scratch away from the door so the man could get to the shelf with his car and house keys. Once he got to the door and got his keys, he opened the front door of his apartment and quickly stepped out into the complex to close the apartment door then outside into a sunny early spring day.

He slid into his nice car and started up his car, waiting for the engine to heat up as he sent his friend a text to come over to take care of scratch whenever she got off of work then set his bag in the empty seat next to him. Once the engine was warm enough he started to back out of the parking space then drove out of the lot to head towards the hole in the wall bookstore, which was thankfully only a few minutes away from the apartments that he lived in.

He hummed as he drove, admiring the park that was near the bookstore before he turned into the parking lot of the hole in the wall store. Zuko took a deep breath as he parked within the white lines, grabbed his bag, turned off his car then stepped out to lock the expensive car and threw his car keys in his bag as he entered the store.

The bell above the door rang, making the blonde who was at the young adult section at the front look up at the door. “Hey Zuko!!” His coworker, Alice, greeted with a smile, her hands full with the newest fantasy romance novels though the only one Zuko could read the title of the book was “Wisteria in Waterdeep”.

“Heya Alice, Sam, Cass, Zillia” Zuko greeted, acknowledging the rest of them while he walked to the back of the shop to clock in. He clocked in then set his lunch sack in the shared fridge before he went to his post at the front register. Looking at the stack of books he owned, seeing anne rice, stephen king and his signed junji ito but nothing in his collection quite interested him at the moment.

He could read Photograph from Junji Ito for the thousandth time this week…

Though before he could think about it more he was ripped from his thoughts by Sam, a tubby man that he worked alongside saying something, "Hey Taveri!" his co-worker piped up, seeing the man. "It's Takahashi.." Zuko muttered, sinking into his chair, finding the other man's insistence on calling him a fictional name, more then kind of annoying.

Outside of the store a pale man in his early thirties sat in his shitty little car that was barely warm, seeming to be building up the confidence to go inside of the store that he could only look at when he was in a relationship with.. He didn’t even want to think about him, he wasted his life, wasted his twenties with a controlling piece of shit but now the man with dyed white hair was finally rid of that abusive waste of air— at least for now, but since he was free, he was going places he wanted to go but was never able to because of Cazador.

Astarion, the man in the car, took a deep breath before stepping out and locking his car, fixing his coat as he started heading towards the door of the bookstore. The inviting warmth wafted out into the bitter cold as he walked into the shop, hearing the bell ring above him.

“Welcome and good morning!” Zuko called from the register, his gaze not on the man who entered the shop but on his books behind the counter.

Astarion looked over at Zuko then looked back at the shelves of books, he let out a hum before he started to look for the horror section as he wanted to find a new book on vampires that interested him, and since he had spending money now that he wasn’t keeping up someone else’s lifestyle, he wanted that book.

Zuko finally looked up and it felt like his heart skipped a beat, about to say something before Astarion turned the corner, “Fuck” he hissed as he tried to look around the bookshelf from where he was.

“Damn…” Zuko mumbled, slumping on the counter as he looked at his stack of books before letting out a quiet groan of boredom. His head turned as he saw Cassandra, a rather bulky blonde woman with a neck tattoo walk up to her register so Zuko could at least sneak away and grab a new book to read.

And he did just that, sneaking off with a cart of books to go ‘sort’— his excuse to go browse titles and hopefully to bump into the man who entered the store that he found.. Rather cute…

Zuko rolled the cart right to the horror section— though unbeknownst to the tawny beige skinned man he was being followed by Astarion who figured he would find the section if he followed the man with the scream sweater.

Once the two were in the horror aisle, Zuko looked around on the shelves before he looked in the cart, trying to give the illusion that he was doing his job as he grabbed one of the Anne rice books and just set it near the As, his auburn eyes flickering to a book, not noticing himself reaching for the book until his hand collided with a pale one.

Zuko looked up in shock, “a-ah! I’m sorry!” he said, moving back from Astarion and gesturing for him to grab the book, a small smile on his face as he stepped a foot or two back.

“No no, you're quite alright” Astarion spoke in a hushed tone, almost as if he didn’t want to speak too loud. He grabbed the book from the shelf and put it to his chest.

“Have you read it and comin’ in to get a physical copy?” Zuko asked, curious and wanting to strike up a conversation with Astarion since he never got to talk to the customers— let alone ones he found really cute.

“Actually I haven't yet.. I just havent had the money but nowadays I hope to come by more- you all have a quite impressive treasure trove of the written word especially for the prices” Astarion started, about to go on talking about the prices in other bookstores being horrendous but he figured Zuko didn’t want to hear about any competitors as an employee of this store.

“Well, tell me what you think of it whenever you come back” Zuko said, a smile on his face as he spoke before he realized he didn’t introduce himself, “u-uh- by the way, I’m Zuko- like the uh cartoon character.”

“Would you like me to ring you up?” Zuko asked, his face a tad flushed as he scratched the back of his neck.

Astarion looked at him with his auburn eyes, quite curious about the young man who wanted to talk to him. “Since I will be making the effort to read a lot more, I should get to know the staff. I’m Astarion Ancunin”spoke the man with the white dyed hair as he looked at Zuko. Finding it quite amusing that he looked like he belonged in the horror aisle with what he wore.

“I would yes,as much as I would like to get another book I can’t quite afford it yet” He added, not wanting to go too into detail with the drama that was Caz with an employee trying to get through the day. Zuko nodded and smiled a little brighter, leading him to the register so Astarion could get checked out quickly so he could get going to his errands for the rest of the day since it would have to be quite the book for someone to just drop by without going to a supermarket afterwards.

Zuko got behind the counter before grabbing the book from Astarion and then ringing it up. Though before he asked if he wanted to use cash or card, Zuko typed in his employee discount, taking at least a few dollars off of his book. “Cash or card?” Zuko asked, leaning on the counter as he put his book in a reusable bag.

Astarion thought it was a tad weird that the book was less then it initially said but he certainly wasn’t going to complain as this was a book he was wanting since it was first announced, “Cash” he said simply, pulling out his coin purse he set ten dollars and an assortment of coins on the counter.

Zuko quickly put the money in the cash register, printed his receipt and wrote something on it before he put it in the vampire themed tote that came free with every purchase of the book and held it out to Astarion. “Thank you for shopping at The Articles, we hope to see you again” Zuko said with a gentle smile as he handed the bag to Astarion.

“Have a nice rest of your day too” Zuko added, handing the bag over to the older man. “Thank you. I hope you have a nice rest of your day” Astarion simply said, taking the bag from the man right before he headed out the front to his car to warm it up so he could go home.

Once Astarion got in the car, put his key in the ignition then started it up so he got his book out and looked at the cover, a slight smile as his auburn eyes scanned the front of the book— looking at every inch of the cover art but when his eyes flickered to the author’s name he saw the receipt in the tote. He bent over and grabbed it, curious as to what Zuko wrote there.

‘Hey! I know that this is sudden but I think you’re pretty and I’d like to take you out on a date at this cafe I frequent’

‘Call me too @ XXX-XXX-XXXX’

As flattered as Astarion felt, he wasn’t ready for another relationship so soon but.. He did think the young man was cute but not right now…

-A Week Later-

Astarion sat on his red faux velvet couch in his shabby little apartment that he shared with his friend, just scrolling on his phone. Grumbling as he just continued to thumb through pictures of his friends with their significant others, about to throw his phone onto his roommate’s bean bag but found a photo of the man from the bookstore at the gym flexing at the mirror.

“Ooo” Astarion hummed, tapping on his profile to scroll around on Zuko’s Faestagram as he sank into the couch. Though as soon as he started to focus on his phone the front door swung open with a happy Karlach that threw her giggling girlfriend, Orirel into the couch next to Astarion.

The blonde woman sat up with a laugh, moving her hair as she looked over at Astarion, “What’cha looking at, Starion?” Orirel asked as she moved her head closer to him to see what the thirty year old man was looking at. “Oh Sunshine, leave em be” Karlach laughed at her girlfriend, though curiosity overtook her and decided to look over Astarion’s shoulder. “Good for you!! You need to move on from he who shall not be named” Karlach cheered, nudging Astarion with excitement, the woman with the raven and red hair obviously under the impression they were dating.

“We’re not dating..Actually I got his number but I never called him.”

“YOU GOT HIS NUMBER BUT NEVER?!- ASTARION!”

“What? It’s not like I walked back in and tore the receipt in front of him” Astarion said, as his hairless cat in a black and red sweater jumped up on his lap to get Astarion's attention, “besides I wanted a break before I got with another guy” Astarion added, scratching his hairless cat as he looked at more photos of the twenty two year old.

“That's fair, but I would still call him up to at least try to see if he'll take you on a date after you ghostin em, no harm in that now is there?” Karlach asked, smiling widely at Astarion as she threw herself into the couch in-between Oriel and the white haired man. “Aaaand it’s almost valentine's, maybe you and that guy could spend valentine’s day together.” She added, trying to help her friend get a man who would hopefully treat him right.

“No harm there” Astarion said, not believing that it would end without any kind of harm done to Astarion— especially when Zuko was nine years younger then he was and Astarion was.. Hesitant to date younger but with how Karlach put it, he definitely wasn’t going to pass up a few dates, even more so when he knew the young man had money.

Astarion put his hairless cat on the arm of the couch with a pat on his hairless butt before the man stood up from the couch, “Well you’ve convinced me” he muttered, not having to look at the light sepia brown skinned woman to know she had a big grin on her face. Astarion headed out of the shared apartment being met with the two neighbors that fought too much for the price of this flat to be what it was, Jenevelle and Lae’zel once again fighting, this time over the my little pony blanket in Lae’zel’s window.

Astarion couldn’t be bothered with the drama in his apartment complex so he paid them no mind after his auburn eyes flicked over to the bickering pair. Once he got in his car, he popped the glove box and got out that receipt. Leaning back into the driver’s seat as he put Zuko's phone number into his phone with a grin, ringing him as soon as Astarion put in the digits. Astarion put the phone up against his ear, hearing the phone ring a couple of times before Zuko picked up on the other end.

“Hello?” Zuko from the other side asked, sounding a tad confused. “Hey~ It’s the guy from the bookstore- Astarion. Sorry for not calling sooner, I needed to do something for myself but if it’s not too late, I’d like to take you up on that coffee date?” Astarion asked as he twirled a bit of his hair around his finger.

Zuko, who was enjoying his day off, leaned into his couch with a grin. “Oh it’s definitely not too late, so are you thinking here in a bit or do you want to wait til tomorrow?” Zuko asked, his eyes flickering over to the clock he had near him, seeing that it was still early enough for coffee.

Astarion sat there, batting the idea of them going now around his head— he’d certainly have to change out of his pjs and take a quick shower. “In a little bit? Sounds wonderful, just let me get freshened up. What coffee place should I be at?”

“The Firefly’s Delight, on Emerald Grove Ave. And good, gives me some time to freshen up too. So 11:30?”

Astarion almost dropped his phone hearing that Zuko was taking him to the Firefly’s Delight as he’d heard so many good things about them but they were quite expensive and never got to go. “That sounds good~ Well, I’ll let you go so we can get ready.” Astarion said, a grin on his face as he got out of his car and locked it again. “Bye cutie~” Astarion purred as he walked back into the complex paying no mind to Lae’zel and Jenevelle.

Zuko only chuckled softly at the name, his face aflame as he bit his inner lip, “Alrighty, see you there, handsome” Zuko purred before hanging up then quickly texted him the address to the coffee shop so he could put it in his gps.

Astarion went back up to his apartment, a small smile on his face as he walked into the shared flat. “Someone’s chipper, did you get a date later?” Karlach asked, now laying on the couch with her head propped up by the arm of the shitty faux velvet couch and her arms around the blonde woman who was laying on her

“I actually have one in a little bit” He confidently said as he walked to his room to get some clothes so he could take a quick shower. Though when he got his stuff to get in the shower, he got bombarded by his two cats, His Majesty, the sphinx with the red and black sweater that Orirel made for him, since he was cold these winter months and Salem, a cornish rex that looked dopey, who worked on a single brain cell, and wouldn’t go through the house without the bat wings he got at the pet department store, started to block his way out of his room as they meow for attention.

“Not now darlings, daddy has a date with someone new and that date is paying for a very expensive cafe and I want to look a little nice.” Astarion said as he stepped over his cats to get to the bathroom, “maybe if this goes well, you two will get to meet him but for now I need to get in the shower” Astarion added, a smile on his face as he looked at his cats while he walked into the bathroom, making the two cats follow him into the bathroom since they couldn’t care less about if he needed to do something. They wanted his attention and that’s all that really mattered to them.

Astarion shut the door before they could slip into the room, wanting a moment to himself in the shower. He took a deep breath as he sat his clothes on the top of the toilet seat so he could access his clothes once he got out.

Stripping off his clothes before stepping into the standing shower and turning on the hot water, this place was just shitty, especially with how much Karlach and he paid for the place, but he did have to admit that he liked how the water got hot quickly.

Astarion stood in the hot water for a few moments till he grabbed his shampoo, a pomegranate, guava and mango scented soap that did wonders for his hair, mainly his curls and then his body wash, strawberry and watermelon that made his skin feel so smooth, lathering himself in both soaps and quickly shaving what he needed to, so he could look nice in his fishnets without thick leg hair poking out of the tights.

Once he was done, he stepped out of the shower and dried his hair and the rest of himself off with his deep red towel then threw the damp towel over the glass door.

He softly hummed as he quickly made sure his hair was fully dry then speedlily got on his white tank top, a pair of fishnets under his black ripped up jeans, socks and his black and red jacket that was the warmest hoodie he had.

Astarion walked out of the bathroom with a slight shiver since it was a tad chilly after hot boxing himself in the restroom with steam. “Lookin’ good!!” Karlach complemented as she put her bong down for Orirel to hit it, exhaling the smoke in her lungs.

“I know,” Astarion said with a smirk, looking at himself in the mirror to make sure he got everything he needed in the shower, then getting his boots on. “Alright, I'll see you two in an hour or so” he added, doing a mental once over to make sure he had everything he needed, keys to his car and the flat, his phone and the cash if he needed to pay ten dollars for a large coffee then stepped out of the apartment and right back down to go get in his car.

He slid into his car, turning it on then getting his phone, just to scroll to wait for the car to heat up, but when he looked at his notifications he saw he got a text from Zuko not too long ago.

‘Hey!! Started heading there. Though, my buddy wanted to join us’

Buddy? Astarion was confused until he looked at the photo that he just sent, seeing the white dog. Letting out a very quiet ‘ah’, Astarion definitely wasn't a dog person but he was cute, not the dog, Zuko so he'd give the dog a chance.

Astarion tapped the bar to reply but instead he just shut his off before he started to back out of the parking lot and drove out of the parking lot for the apartments and out into the main road. Not needing a GPS since he'd been in Emerald Grove Ave. Albeit it was for Karlach to get an expensive gift for Orirel despite her birthday being a month away but he knew where that cafe was.

Once he was at a red light, he picked up his phone, tapped and held the voice message then held it up to his mouth. “I'm heading there now, I'll be wearing fishnets and a hoodie” he purred into the mic in his phone, quickly sending it once he was done then putting his phone back in the cubby in the middle of his car.

His auburn eyes flickering back to the road when the light turned green, which made the white haired man press on the gas pedal of his red 2005 Chevy Malibu.

After a few minutes of driving he finally got to Emerald Grove Ave, greeted by the little shops that cost a small fortune to buy something at— though he did have to admit they did look nice, some even looked quite classy where he would be happy spending that small fortune but at the moment he didn’t have that kind of money, he barely had the money to pay for his coffee if Zuko wasn’t planning to pay.

Astarion looked up to see the sign for the Firefly’s Delight then turned into the small parking lot, quickly parking into one of the spaces before it was taken by anyone else. He took a small deep breath then he stepped out and locked his car, fixing his hoodie as he started heading towards the door of the place. His eyes flickered from car to car to look for Zuko’s vehicle before feeling someone tap his shoulder, he whipped his head around to see Zuko in another horror sweater, this one depicting a young woman whose face was hidden under her long black hair and wearing a white gown.

“Hey” Zuko greeted with a smile, gently scratching the back of his neck as he kept a grip on the red leash he had for the dog beside him. “The day treating you well so far?” Zuko asked as he grabbed the door to let Astarion in first.

“Hello there” Astarion purred as he smirked at the other man, walking inside the cafe with a pep in his step being followed by the man with black hair and his white furred dog, though when he got through the doors a large tanned brunette man with a thorny vine tattoo on his face stepped in front of them. The pale man would’ve found him quite intimidating if it wasn't for the apron he was wearing, a light green apron with yellow ducklings and ‘Snuggle me duckling’ in big bold yellow letters.

“Ah! Zuko, Welcome back, and I see you brought two friends but as you know the rules, all canine or feline companions go to the pet room with Twiggy and Bee” The man with the name tag ‘Halsin’ reminded him with a smile and as soon as he mentioned this Bee, the swiss shepherd started to wag his tail with excitement.

“Yes. Here, Astarion, find us a table and once I get Scratch here in the pet room, I’ll meet you there” Zuko said, quickly moving to put Scratch in the doggy daycare since he wanted to go play with his friend Bee and Twiggy and Zuko wanted to be able to just talk with Astarion.

Astarion nodded as he headed to one of the tables near the window, he wanted to enjoy the nice day— well it was gloomy but he wouldn���t have it any other way. He looked around, his eyes flickering from table to table until he saw Zuko heading towards the table

Gods… He seemed so familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it but as he thought about it he lost Zuko until the other man sat down with a smile. “So you never answered my question” he started,leaning back into the frankly uncomfortable chair. “The day treating you well so far?” He asked as he leaned a tad closer and propped his head on his hand.

“It was a quiet morning, quite nice too, I had some time to myself then I remembered your note and called you, now I’m here so I would saay..” Astarion started, wanting to drag it out to make him a tad nervous, “a pretty good day so far” he concluded, as he slightly moved his hair out of his eyes.

“Well I hope you’re hungry because we’re going to be staying here until lunch is over”

“But they’re serving breakfast right now,” Astarion said, his head tilting slightly, leaning in as his curiosity was certainly piqued with this one.

“And? I was gonna pay for breakfast, lunch and whatever drinks” Zuko answered, smiling as he saw a waiter come up to them with menus in his hands.

“Hello folks, I’m Gale but I’m only here to give you the menus and get in your drink orders out, your server this morning is our wonderful Wyll Ravengard” The pale man with medium brown hair that was half in a ponytail said as he handed Astarion and Zuko the menus then pulled out a notebook from the starry—almost magical looking purple apron that was frankly ruined by the phrase ‘shadow wizard money gang’ on the front of the apron in light purple wording in a similar rounded font like the other employee they met at the front. “So what can I get you two?” Gale asked, his pen readied to jot down notes as soon as they were ready.

Astarion looked over the coffees, even though he was more then set on a certain coffee they only had around valentines, a Persephone’s iced espresso latte and a large one at that. “May I have the number six on the ice latte?” Astarion asked, pointing at the item he wanted.

“Size and any substitutions for the whole milk? We have oat, soy and almond milk.”

“Large and no substitutions for the whole milk, please”

“Alrighty, and you sir?” Gale asked as he turned to Zuko, quickly writing down Astarion's order so he wouldn't forget.

“I would like my regular, a large strawberry graham cracker latte please” Zuko said, not even looking at the drinks since he knew what he wanted and didn't want to waste the employee's time. Gently setting the menu down on the table so he could look at it later when the other waiter could attend to them.

“Whole milk?” Gale asked, playing with the pen after he wrote down the first half, only getting a nod and a quiet yes when he asked if he wanted whole milk in his drink. Once Gale wrote down what kind of milk Zuko wanted, he looked at the two before he spoke again, “well I'll get these made for you two”.

“So how was that book?” Zuko asked, his auburn eyes focused on Astarion while Gale went behind the counter to start on the lattes the two wanted. “I really like it, I'm halfway since work always has a grip on my schedule as of late, today I'm off, thankfully-” Astarion said before he started to gush about the book to the man that sat across from him— though trying not to spoil it for him since there was quite the twist in the middle of the book and they talked until Gale came back up with their drinks then set the iced coffee and the latte in front of the men who ordered the respective beverages.

“One large Persephone’s iced espresso latte and one large Strawberry S'more latte, both with whole milk! And with that I shall leave you two under the service of our wonderful Wyll” Gale said before he stepped away so the man with deep sepia brown skin could step in. Wyll stepped up to the table with a smile on his scarred face as he gave them a small wave.

“Good morning!” Wyll chirped as he quickly made sure that his red apron with “Open up my eager eyes.'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside” in that rounded font near the pocket was comfortably tight around his waist before he grabbed his notepad to jot down what the two wanted.

“Would you like to start? Or do you want me to?” Zuko asked, looking up from the menu since he had a few things he wanted to order for his breakfast. “Could you begin?” Astarion asked as he set his drink down after taking a good swig of the pomegranate iced coffee, savoring every note of the tart but sweet fruit in the coffee.

Zuko smiled, glad that Astarion was enjoying himself, he set his menu down then his eyes flickered back to Wyll. “May I have the limited strawberry pancakes with a creme filled croissant with three regular ones, and hashbrowns?” he asked, setting his hands on the menu so he could keep it for deciding lunch.

Wyll wrote what Zuko said down before looking over to Astarion, gently flicking his pen in between his fingers as he waited for the white haired male to order something. Astarion hummed in curiosity, though he wasn’t quite interested in the pancakes but the creme filled croissant did sound really good. “I’ll have the english breakfast, but instead of hashbrowns could I get wedges? And two of those creme filled croissants and a piece of your red velvet cake?” Astarion asked, keeping his menu as well.

“Got it!” Wyll said as he wrote Astarion’s order near Zuko’s before he tallied it up so he could get Gale’s book and get the rest of the amount for the bill since he didn't recognize Zuko despite him being a regular at the cafe, “would you like me to get you your bill, sir?”

Zuko shook his head, “no thank you, I'll be here until lunch with my guest. Oh and, could you get me a pup cup and pumpkin puree for my friend in the playroom?” He asked as he pointed to the room where a tall woman with face tattoos played with Scratch.

“Of course, small, medium or large for the pup cup?” Wyll asked as he played with the pen in-between his fingers while he waited for Zuko’s reply

“Small please,I don't want Scratch to get sick all over my carpet”

“Alrighty, I'll get that order out to ya!” Wyll nodded, quickly going back into the kitchen to put the note on the ticket rack so the cook could get the two their orders out and Wyll could focus on his job so the man could help his mother with bills.

“So, Zuko- since you throw around all this money, it has me wondering, what do you do for work? Other than an underpaid cashier at a tacky bookstore?” Astarion asked as he propped his head on his hand, interested in whether it was some sugar baby benefits with an open relationship with some miserly old man or some work he did other than just a cashier.

“OnlyFae?” The white haired man added, even more curious about what he did.

Zuko laughed nervously, a lock of his long black hair twirled around his finger as he was more then hesitant to tell the man how he got the money but if he wanted a relationship with this cute guy that he sat right across from. “Well… My father is a CEO and since we had a.. Falling out, my mother has been funneling money to make sure I’m taken care of, a nice fifteen thousand when I need it, pocket change for people like my pop. The whole cashier thing is a thing I do so I can pass the time in the day” Zuko said as he shrugged before he took a drink of his latte.

“Since you brought it up, what do you do, Star?” Zuko asked with a smile as he saw Astarion cross his legs when he asked the pale man.

“I’m working on becoming a judge and I’m, well- almost there” Astarion started, trying to find a way to explain that he was stuck taking the bar… For years, due to being preoccupied with something else but as soon as he paused to try and gather his words, Zuko piped up.

“A judge on Rupaul’s?”

Astarion couldn’t help but laugh at his comment, honestly appreciating the joke as it was something original for once, for all his years being in school he always got compared to a certain 2001 movie with Reese Witherspoon or just mocked but he never heard a decent joke until now. “Such wit, I should’ve rang you up sooner” Astarion purred before trying to remember what he was about to say.

“Oh that’s where I was” Astarion started, going into describing his time at law school which strangely interested the tawny beige male before their conversation turned to their lives then stuff they both liked. As they talked Astarion couldn’t help but find the man familiar despite being sure that he’s only met him one other time— the bookstore.

While Astarion thought about it, images of him with deep crimson eyes and sharp fangs sinking deep into a man who resembled Zuko but with more… Demonic features flashed into his head. Only creating more questions for the pale man then answering them but as soon as he tried not to blush deeply as he thought of the image again the food came out, held by Wyll.

Thankfully getting Zuko’s attention first, since Astarion wasn’t sure how to explain what he was blushing at.

They quickly went back to talking, now over the food they wanted.

After a while, around two in the afternoon later, Astarion sat back in his seat, absolutely stuffed from the outing despite being half finished with his Italian sandwich on baguette bread. “Do they have takeout boxes?” The white haired man asked, waving down Wyll so he could ask directly.

“They do- in fact do you want something more then half a sandwich to take home?” Zuko offered, stuffed from his big breakfast and his lunch, only taking drinks from his dragon fruit lemonade before he looked over at Wyll who had several tickets in hand. Astarion nodded as he definitely wasn't going to knock the offer since he was quite pleased with the food and being able to binge Twilight in his mean girls shirt with a snack tonight sounded like heaven.

“Could I get the bill- but before I get the full check, could I get some more of those creme filled croissants, the italian sandwich, and a large Persephone’s iced espresso latte. And four pieces of chocolate cake and four pieces of red velvet cake. In to-go boxes for my date here” Zuko said, smiling at Astarion as he set his card down for Wyll to go take to the register so he could pay for the stuff and get out so Astarion could get on with his day.

Wyll nodded, taking his card to the register so he could swipe his card in the reader and pay for the hundreds of dollars in food for this afternoon right after he put the order on the little rack for the cook and into the computer so it was the exact amount he owed, the man with deep sepia skin finished up with the payment, then he sent Halsin to give Zuko his card back with a receipt.

Though when he heard the ding, Halsin took a small detour, grabbing the large brown branded take out sack filled with food and the largest to-go iced coffee cup they sold right on top of what looked like the eight-piece cake take out box.

Halsin held the tiny tray with the long receipt, and set the bag on the table with a smile. “Thank you again, Mr Takahashi.” the tall man with the duck apron said, his brunette hair now in a low ponytail so he could keep it out of his face. Halsin set the drink in front of the two, unsure which one ordered the drink— though he leaned towards the man with white wavy hair.

Zuko stood up and held his hand out to Astarion. “Can I walk you to your car?” Zuko asked, smiling as he watched Astarion slipped the rest of his sandwich into the takeout box with the full sandwich before he looked over then took the other man’s hand with the bag and his drink.

“How could I refuse?” The pale man cooed, though he was curious why he was taking him to his car and not getting his dog from the doggy daycare first— Scratch if the white haired male remembered correctly but he was sure that Zuko was taking him out to the car before he did anything. Zuko and Astarion exited the cafe, hand in hand as they talked but when they got to Astarion’s car, Zuko opened his door for him with a slight smirk. “Do you wanna maaaybee do something like this- not exactly this, I was thinking about taking you to the mall but what do you think?”.

Astarion gently leaned on his steering wheel after he slid into the driver’s seat once Zuko opened his car door then set the bag of food on the seat next to himself. “Mmm..” Astarion hummed as he tried to drag out his yes, wanting to make him nervous even though Astarion knew this was going to be the start of something.. Interesting to say the least. “I’d love to, I’ll text you tonight and tell you my next day off” He finished, winking at Zuko as he spun the keyring around his finger before putting his key into the ignition then started it up

“Perfect” Zuko said as he shut the door to his car so the man could start heading home with a big smirk. “Well, sadly, I have to go get my dog and I’m sure you have something to do after this. So I don’t want to take up more of your time, but I’ll definitely text you tonight” Zuko crowed as he moved back onto the sidewalk, waving the man goodbye as Astarion pulled out of the parking spot and out the cafe parking lot and into the street.

Zuko watched him leave before he went back into the cafe to get his dog so he could get home.

—

Once Astarion got back to his apartment complex, he pulled into his parking space and leaned back into the driver seat, he took a drink of his iced coffee but as soon as he swallowed, his eyes flickered to the side and his stomach dropped, seeing his car pull up near the gate of the apartment complex. Astarion quickly got out of the car with his food and drink, locking it hastily before he ran up to the apartment.

Astarion bursted into the apartment which made Karlach stand in attention before the man slammed the door behind him, locking it quickly. Karlach quickly ran to him, checking him for any wounds, “what's up, soldier?” She questioned as she held the man by the shoulders.

“I saw his car pull up when I got home” Astarion shuddered, his eyes flickering to the blonde woman who walked up to Astarion to try and comfort him. Karlach growled under her breath— she wanted to beat the man who caused Astarion this much grief but she had to have a cool head. “Damn Cazador, how the hell does he think it's ok to just stalk his ex! You have nothing to do with anything he does!!” Karlach hissed, under the impression that the two were just exes without any ties.

Astarion's auburn eyes flickered to the wall, an overwhelming feeling of guilt flooding his body for not telling the whole truth to his friend. He was still under the employment of Cazador, he tried getting out of his contract with Cazador without having to go through the legal system since that would take money he didn't have and put prostitution on his record, taking away his opportunity of being a judge but the man ten years older then he was would just, laugh at him then dismiss him to go make pornos or have him do his time in the damp and dim streets downtown. Pimping Astarion out to just take his money in the end.

“Just head to your room, turn on something and I'll have Orirel come in and check up on you.” Karlach cooed before she gave Astarion a tight hug, almost lifting him off the ground. Astarion nodded then quickly retreated into his room when Karlach finally let go of him.

Once the man was in his room, he put the stuff from the wonderful morning and afternoon out in his mini fridge then he stripped down to his underwear, only putting on a white shirt with ‘a little bit dramatic’ in red lettering before he turned on his small TV and flopping onto his bed to cuddle up his pillowy comforter. He grabbed the remote so he could go through the streaming services he had to turn on his favorite movie, Twilight. When he found it, he turned on the movie then rolled over with his phone. He scrunched his nose once he opened his phone and saw several texts.

‘Whore’

‘Going off with someone who's not gonna pay? Knew you were a fugly slut’

‘Worthless’

‘I hope I find you dead in a ditch with your holes resized and jizzed in’

‘You going to pay for your little vacation, slut? You better’

‘Reply, hooker!’

‘I’m going to make you pay for this’

Astarion only let out a sigh as he rolled over on his bed, muting his texts from Caz before he went to the text chat with Zuko. Moving a hand through his white hair to calm himself down from reading the texts from Cazador.

‘Hey thank you for today’ Astarion simply texted, leaning his phone on the bed while he was on his side texting. Not thinking he'd get a quick reply so he shut his phone off right before the ping of a new message.

‘You're more then welcome, Astarion” Zuko texted back, though before Astarion could turn on his phone to reply, his phone lit up with an incoming call from Zuko which he answered.

“Heya- sorry I know you said text but I was wanting to hear your voice again- already, I know” Zuko chuckled as he flopped onto his couch, setting one of his feet up on the coffee table. He wanted to relax after eating all that food.

Astarion hummed with interest and almost chuckled when Zuko talked about wanting to hear his voice again so soon. “My, I must have some luring effect if you're already craving to hear my voice” the pale man purred, pausing his movie and putting the other man on speaker so he could pretend that he was looking at a schedule from his job even though he knew that he needed to make Caz money or he'd have to move again and he barely could pay for a ten dollar coffee.

“I thankfully have three more days off and I may.. I may have Valentine's off so if you would like to go on a date, I'll all in” Astarion purred as he rolled over to his stomach, kicking his feet in the air as he spoke to Zuko and twirling a piece of his hair around his finger.

Not seeing the door slightly open, nor hearing it softly squeak before the blonde woman with amber eyes put her head in the room to check on Astarion. She smiled, then left once she shut the door as quietly as she could.

“Oh fuck yeah- though, if you're off, I'd like to just hang out and chill on Valentine's Day. Maybe dinner and watch some vampire flicks at my place if you're up for it?” Zuko asked before the dog got up onto the couch and put his paw on Zuko's shoulder since Scratch wanted to play with the man but he was on the phone with Astarion, and to the tawny beige man, talking to Astarion was more important at the moment.

“That sounds wonderful” Astarion cooed, a smile on his face as he kicked his feet back and forth, his dyed white hair wrapped around his finger while he spoke— unsure if five days without working would fly with Cazador but he would at least try as he— he actually felt something for this man and he didn't want to ruin this.

“So tomorrow, you think you'd be up to go to this smoothie stand in the mall? I'll buy you whatever you want”

“Mmm, aren't we a little too young to be a sugar daddy? If anything I should be the sugar daddy” Astarion joked, not noticing Karlach and Orirel looking at him similar to proud mothers watching their child flourish. The woman with the burn scars had a big smile on her face while she held her freckled lover as she watched her friend actually be happy.

“Don't you think they're going a little too fast?” Orirel asked, looking at her girlfriend with a hand on Karlach’s chest, which was met with a shrug by the woman with light sepia brown skin. *Eh- I mean we talked about moving a month after we got together” Karlach chuckled quietly, her amber eyes fixed onto her friend who talked and laughed with who she assumed was the man who she hoped was the man who took him out on a date earlier today.

Orirel laughed quietly at what Karlach said then gently hit her girlfriend’s chest, “that's true” she admitted, not being able to argue with what Karlach said but it did make both women happy that their friend was starting a better chapter in his life.

-End Of Chapter One-

[tilmyworldfadesaway]

MALE CHARACTER LIST

2D & 3D

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko

Banana Fish

Ash Lynx

Yue-Lung Lee

BLEACH

Byakuya Kuchiki

Ichigo Kurosaki

Renji Abarai

Ulquiorra Cifer

Uryū Ishida

Bungō Stray Dogs

Chūya Nakahara

Castlevania

Alucard

Chainsaw Man

Aki Hayakawa

Cobra Kai

Robby Keene

Code Geass

Lelouch vi Britannia

Suzaku Kururugi

Cowboy Bebop

Spike Spiegel

D.Gray-man

Alllen Walker

Yū Kanda

DC Comics

Albert Rothstein

Barry Allen

Bruce Wayne

Clark Kent

Dick Grayson

Death Note

L Lawliet

Light Yagami

Detroit: Become Human

Markus

Devilman Crybaby

Ryo Asuka

Devil May Cry

Dante

Nero

V

Vergil

Diabolik Lovers

Shū Sakamaki

Dororo

Hyakkimaru

Double Decker! Doug & Kirill

Kirill Vrubel

Dr. Stone

Gen Asagiri

Ukyo Saionji

Dragon Ball

Androide 17

Trunks

Zamas

DRAMAtical Murder

Aoba Seragaki

Koujaku

Durarara!!

Izaya Orihara

Ennead

Seth

Euphoria

Nate Jacobs

Fairy Tail

Zeref

Fate

Arjuna

Cú Chulainn

Enkidu

Fujimaru Ritsuka

Gilgamesh

Karna

Ozymandias

Final Fantasy

Cloud Strife

Free!

Haruka Nanase

Ikuya Kirishima

Rin Matsuoka

Fullmetal Alchemist

Edward Elric

Envy

Roy Mustang

Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon

Aemond Targaryen

Daemon Targaryen

Jaime Lannister

Jon Snow

Robb Stark

Grey's Anatomy

Derek Shepherd

Jackson Avery

Mark Sloan

Haikyuu!!

Atsumu Miya

Shōyō Hinata

Tobio Kageyama

Harry Potter

Cedric Diggory

Draco Malfoy

Gellert Grindelwald

Harry Potter

Tom Riddle

Heaven Official's Blessing

Hua Cheng

Xie Lian

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl

Hunter x Hunter

Chrollo Lucilfer

Hisoka Morow

Illumi Zoldyck

Killua Zoldyck

Kurapika

InuYasha

Bankotsu

Inuyasha

Kōga

Sesshōmaru

Jujutsu Kaisen

Mahito

Megumi Fushiguro

Satoru Gojō

Yūji Itadori

Kimetsu no Yaiba

Giyū Tomioka

League of Legends

Ekko

Ezreal

Kayn

Lucian

Rakan

Viego

Yone

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Judal

MARVEL

Billy Russo

Loki Laufeyson

Miles Morales

Peter Parker

Pietro Maximoff

Steve Rogers

Metal Gear Solid

Big Boss

Raiden

Solid Snake

Venom Snake

Mo Dao Zu Shi

Jiang Cheng

Jin GuangYao

Jin ZiXuan

Lan WangJi

Wei WuXian

Xue Yang

My Hero Academia

Izuku Midoriya

Katsuki Bakugō

Shōto Todoroki

Tōya Todoroki

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED/Destiny

Athrun Zala

Shinn Asuka

Naruto/Boruto

Boruto Uzumaki

Kawaki

Mitsuki

Naruto Uzumaki

Neji Hyūga

Sasuke Uchiha

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Shinji Ikari

Kaworu Nagisa

Noragami

Yato

One Piece

Sabo

Trafalgar D. Law

Zoro Roronoa

One Punch-Man

Speed-o'-Sound Sonic

Owari no Seraph

Mikaela Hyakuya

Ranma ½

Ranma Saotome

Ryōga Hibiki

Resident Evil

Albert Wesker

Chris Redfield

Jake Muller

Leon S. Kennedy

Rurouni Kenshin

Enishi Yukishiro

Kenshin Himura

Shinomori Aoshi

Sōjirō Seta

Shaman King

Hao Asakura

Shingeki no Kyojin

Eren Jaeger

Levi Ackerman

Star Wars

Anakin Skywalker

Kylo Ren

Tenjō Tenge

Shin Natsume

Mitsuomi Takayanagi

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Liu Qingge

Luo Binghe

Shen Qingqiu

The King of Fighters

Kyo Kusanagi

Iori Yagami

Terry Bogard

Rock Howard

The Legend of Zelda

Link (TP, SS, BOTW-TOTK)

The Lord of the Rings

Arondir

Legolas

Sauron

The Vampire Diaries

Damon Salvatore

The Walking Dead

Daryl Dixon

Negan

The Witcher

Geralt de Rivia

Tokyo Ghoul

Ken Kaneki

Kuki Urie

Tokyo Revengers

Hajime Kokonoi

Izana Kurokawa

Kakuchou Hitto

Kazutora Hanemiya

Keisuke Baji

Ken Ryūguji

Ryusei Satō

Taijū Shiba

Wolfs Rain

Kiba

Yū Yū Hakusho

Hiei

Yōko Kurama

Yūsuke Urameshi

Yuri on Ice

Yuri Plisetsky

Viktor Nikiforov

Faceclaims asiáticos para diversas tramas

G-Dragon

Jackson Wang

Kim JongIn

Song Kang

Tae Min Lee

[neva-borne]

What dog breeds are your OTPs? (Across all of your fandoms if you have more than one)

Oh man. I assume you mean the characters within my OTPs?

Zutara:

Zuko: I keep going back and forth between Chihuahua and Rottweiler. He's hot-headed but he's also very protective and sweet to those he loves.

Katara: Great Pyrenees. She's the mom of the group, keeping her family safe and together, and fully prepared to rip some heads off if her family is threatened.

Jursa:

Jee: German Shepherd. Specifically an old, grizzled, battle-worn one who's very grumpy but will protect those he loves without hesitation, even if they irritate him (think Brutus from the Pixie and Brutus comics).

Ursa: Irish Setter (specifically a show dog). Idk why, it just seems to fit her.

Dramione:

Draco: Miniature Pinscher/Doberman Pinscher. He's a little shit at first, but once he gets an attitude adjustment he's a great companion who will protect himself and those he loves.

Hermione: Standard Poodle. She's wickedly smart, loyal, and has a protective streak.

[stavromulabetaaa]

(Only if you want to answer because you reblogged this post like 4 days ago lol) 1-3 for the asks?

hey A! i forgot about these asks but i scrolled back to them for you :)

1. who is/are your comfort character(s)?

obvious ones aside (johnlock and drarry), i would say amelia shepherd, the tenth and eleventh doctors, prince zuko, and spitfyre the dragon

2. lighter or matches?

matches are much more satisfying but i don’t think i’ve had any around in years??

3. do you leave the window open at night?

anytime the weather permits! my kitties enjoy sitting in my window at night plus i love the cool air coming into my room. Masudi usually can’t decide if he wants to sit directly on top of me or look for critters in the night, so he goes back and forth between the bed and the window every 15min until i fall asleep.

p.s. i haven’t forgotten about your voice messages, i just haven’t found the energy to respond yet 😩 tonight i’m finally done with a three week long work gig so i should have more free time!

[ivycovehq]

Mw at this time?

here are some of them! tolkien: legolas, fili durin, gandalf, galadriel, elrond, thorin oakenshield, gimli, thranduil, boromir, pippin took, merry brandybuck, eowyn, faramir, eomer. twilight: jacob black, carlisle cullen, jane, esme cullen, leah clearwater, charlie swan. marvel: pietro maximoff, billy kaplan, tommy shepherd, america chavez, matt murdock, emma frost, clint barton, jessica jones, scott lang, cassie lang, wolverine, storm, bucky barnes, carol danvers, scott summers. genshin impact: alhaitham, ayato, childe, cyno, kazuha, raiden, neuvillette, lisa, kaeya, ninguang, xiangling, zhongli. shadowhunters: jace wayland, simon lewis, jocelyn fray, raphael santiago, luke garroway, lydia branwell, cleophas garroway, aline penhallow. the last of us: abby, tommy, marlene, tess, jesse, levi. once upon a time: alice, will scarlet, anastasia, cyrus, snow white, regina mills. winx club: bloom, aisha, tecna, stella, sky, brandon, darcy. critical role: yasha nydoorin, grog strongjaw, beauregard lionette, mollymauk tealeaf, dorian storm, caduceaus clay, taryon darrington, kashaw vesh, reami, zahra, hydris, cassandra de rolo, kima of vord, fjord, veth brenatto, essek thelyss. the hunger games: haymitch abernathy, effie trinket, gale hawthorne, rue, boggs. avatar the last airbender: zuko, yue, iroh, mei, bolin, mako, tenzin, kya, jinora, lin beifong, ikki, suyin beifong. arcane: jinx, vander, ekko. shadow & bone: maylen, kaz brekker, jesper fahey, mattias, genya safin, wylan hendricks, inej ghafa, nikolai lantsov, tamar kir bataar. stranger things: mike wheeler, steve harrington, eddie munson, robin buckley, jim hopper, jonthan byers. phantom of the opera: meg giry. castlevania: hector, carmilla. star wars: luke skywalker, general hux, zeb, lando. disney: gaston, kristof, hercules. assassians creed: conner kenway, jennifer scott. robin hood: sheriff, merry men. doctor who: river song. stardust: tristan, yvainne, primus, secondus. bridgerton: colin bridgerton, daphine bridgerton, eloise bridgerton, hyacinth bridgerton, gregory bridgerton, violet bridgerton, simon basset. both of them: sorsha, kit, aric. willow: willow, elora.