#zutara recs

[rain-brown]

ZUTARA FIC RECS but wip

So i was really into some wips

The Horizon by @romilley

Delicate by @jasmine-tea-latte

Child of the stars

It is tradition

Collide

Salt and scale

Kisses of fire and ice

When lightning meets water

Forgetting is a kind of mercy @nerdylizj

What a privilege it is to love @fireflaked (zutara + fire siblings 🔥)

All changed, Utterly changed (completed and so good too!)

[justkeepshippingg]

50 Shades of Honor: Chapter 21

50 Shades of Honor: A Zutara Smutfic

Rated: M

Pairing: Zutara Length: 1929

AU

Author’s note: In which Zuko is sick of pretending and Katara rips the truth into their reality. Or, they don't fuck in an alley, but DO find an abandoned tea shop instead... Chapter 20 for ref.

Twenty-One: Burning

“Take me,” she said. “Anywhere you want.”

Now his gaze dragged from her eyes to her mouth to the whole of her body, pupils dilating, distracted, before his good eye locked on something in the distance and widened.

“I have an idea,” he said.

“I trust you,” she said, and the words were true, even as her thoughts were marred by the needing heat that needled at her core. Just the thought of him pressing inside of her, his hands holding her thighs far and wide, his body shaking with the urge to just rail her, made her want to just do it here, passersby be damned. But he still had his wits about him.

“Come with me,” he said.

Zuko held out his palm, and there in the rain and the cold and the dark, she took it. 

The only sign that the small, dark shop was abandoned was a sign out front that read, “For sale,” in poorly written red script. It was made of dark wood and had a stone facade that was probably once beautiful but was now, simply, sad. It could have been something wonderful, but it sat here alone and waiting for someone to make something of it. Zuko tried not to think that hard about that and tore at the lock on the door and it knocked to the ground, the lock plunk plunk plunking and rolling into a puddle.

Katara peaked around the corner, but no one seemed to notice – or care – that the lovers were so visibly breaking into a would-be shop. For a moment she felt bad, guilt spiraling down her spine, but then Zuko reached for her hand, his palms warm and soft and stepped into the building.

What, was she not going to follow?

Guilt gave way to need and she held his hand in hers, letting herself be led inside.

Here, a few tables scattered about the place, ratty tablecloths atop them. Empty shelves. Large windows covered in dusty drapes. Somehow, the space smelled spicy, like cardamom and ginger and something similar. Tea shop. Katara watched Zuko as he entered the space, his hand still in hers, long fingers tangled in her smaller ones. He paused, his back to her, and leaned his palms on either side of the table at the center of the room. She took him in: his long, lean body, draped in black; the way his shoulders formed a near-perfect pyramid, wide at the top and narrow near his waist; the curve of his spine as his head dropped forward, his dark hair longer than it had been the last time she saw him. She could see his body moving with the fierceness of his breath. He seemed nervous, or maybe even afraid.

Frozen, and waiting. He was waiting for her.

Katara took one step, and another, and another, her footsteps hushed against the soft floor beneath her feet. In another world, visitors and locals alike would be sipping tea in the space, laughing over steaming cups and blowing away the heat.

Now, here, they would build their own heat instead.

He didn’t move. Just stood in silence, hair draping over his sharp jaw, masking the features she once memorized with her fingertips. She wanted to memorize them, now. To get to know this Zuko.

Who would he be, now?

She paused at his back, and let her hands settle on his back. She could feel his shoulder blades draw down his spine, tightening at her touch. She focused in on the musculature at his back. One hand drew down, nearer his hip. Her other, up toward his shoulder, his neck, his throat. She drew her palms opposite each other, feeling the fabric of his cloak bunch in her fingertips. His body was scorching beneath her fingertips. When she flexed her fingertips against his throat, she felt the tender skin rumble as she ripped a moan from his lips.

Katara snapped.

She pressed her entire body against his back, keeping one hand at his throat as she pulled him back against her, his body arching against hers. Her other drifted down, down, down, past the sash at his waist and where she craved him most. He shuddered as he hardened in her palm, and she wrapped her fingertips more tightly against him. He was just so… solid. Heavy in her hand. Keeping him close, unable to move lest her fingernails dig into the thick column of his throat, she jacked him off in earnest, each moan, each grunt, each pant against her ears spurring her on. She wanted, in this moment, to own him. To force his pleasure upon him. To remind him that he deserved to feel this good, to have her entirely focused on him.

“Katara,” he moaned, his voice desperate, and she sank her teeth into his neck, tightening her grip on him further still. He thrusted into her palm, giving himself over to her, to her touch, to her hot breath against the scarred flesh of his neck, the cold and rain outside a distant memory, each drop absorbed now by the heat they spilled over each other like a heady glaze. 

“I want it all, Zuko,” she whispered in his ear, her lips wet on the skin.

Her words struck him in a flash, and Zuko yanked her hand away, grabbing her by the wrists and spinning her around, shoving her hips against the table.

She stared up at him. He stood between her hips, his stance far from afraid, now.

“Zuko, wha-”

“I want it all, Katara,” he murmured, his teeth skimming her neck. He pushed his hands into her knees, spreading her wide for him until it almost hurt.

“Spirits,” she sighed, leaning back on her elbows. You can have whatever you want.

Somewhere, thunder rolled. Katara felt deep in her body that it was raining harder still, the water speaking to her, calling to her. The only thing that could keep her away from the power that reached out in search of her soul was this man and his palms and his devotion to her body. Zuko’s eyes raked over her, his gold eyes pausing on hers, and his lip curved up in a smirk. Still, he didn’t look cocky; if anything, gratitude graced his lips as he continued to drink her in with his gaze, roaming from her wide, blue eyes to her high, round forehead to her soft cheeks and her mouth, open in a pout as she waited, patiently, for his kiss. Her heart skipped a beat.

When it came, it was like a slap. His lips pressed against hers, hard, his tongue restrained but his power undeniable, the heat of his mouth overwhelming the cool of hers. Her hips jerked, but he held her back, hands against her knees maintaining her seat on the table in front of him. His palms slid up the crux of her hip, squeezing there, the flesh of her hips, bunching her skirts, and made their way up to her waist, thumbs sweeping her breasts and leaving her shuddering as she kissed him, growing more and more needy as he had his way with her wanting mouth.

Her patience pulled thin, she began to tug at her own clothes, stripping layer by layer until only her bindings remained, drenched at her center. “Zuko,” she said. “I need…”

Zuko’s good eye widened at the new skin available to his stare. He swallowed, his throat bobbing. He looked like he wanted to dig his teeth into her flesh and take a bite. He leaned in. “What do you need?” he whispered against her lips, the words shaping against the sensitive skin of her mouth. His tongue lapped at her bottom lip, once, twice, until she sucked it into her mouth. He grunted, his hips jutting forward.

“Do I even need to say it?” she huffed, reaching behind her back to unwind her bindings. The moment was too serious. She needed something light. She was choking on her feelings for him. They rose up in her mouth like something inky and heavy and dangerous. I love him. Spirits, I love him. It repeated and repeated and she nearly finished removing her bindings, needing their fuck to distract from her adoration of the dark haired, lanky, soft-hearted man between her thighs.

He caught the move and grabbed both of her hands in one of his. “Don’t play coy,” he grinned, now.

“I’m too…” She began. Finally, she admitted it. “I don’t care to play coy anymore, Zuko. So hurry up. And fuck me.”

His mouth dropped open, and she took advantage, tossing herself forward and catching his lips in hers. She wanted to bask in this moment: his hot, warm mouth shaping around hers, pushing and pulling, light scrapes of his teeth against her bottom lip. He held steady on her wrists, forcing her back to arch as she sought him. “And do it well,” she whispered.

Zuko began to unwind her chest, her waist, her hips, eyes locked on each new inch of skin like he couldn’t decide what to sink his teeth into first. She felt fleshy and strong and powerful. She felt wild in her need.  Katara reached for him, feeling as if she might burst if they didn’t get on with it, but he shook his head. His eyes hardened. And he tugged her wrists even further back, shoving her onto her forearms.

She locked her thighs around his hips and squeezed. His eyes fluttered closed and he took a deep breath before parting her thighs again.

He dropped to his knees.

His eyes locked on her cunt, hot and waiting.

“Show me,” he said, more to it than to her.

“What?” she whispered.

“Show me,” he said. “How you fucked yourself while we were apart.”

“Zuko,” she whined.

“I know you did,” he said, his voice almost clipped with how close he was to the edge. “I want to see it. I want to know every single thing you did for every single stupid second I let you be away from me. I never want to be apart from you again,” he promised. “I want to know. I want to know for myself how you made yourself feel good while you were away.”

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice quiet, shy.

“Was there someone else?” he asked now, as if it just occurred to him. Gold eyes locked on hers, still gentle in their curiosity.

“No,” she said.

“So you did,” he confirmed. “Touch yourself. I know you, Katara,” he said, and chuckled. “You haven’t spent all this time just sitting there, waiting. Someone has fucked you. And if it wasn’t some other man, I know it must have been you.”

On his last word, he released her palms, allowing her to lift back onto her hands. She shivered as he guided her right hand down her body, her own nails passing over her nipple. She pinched it automatically and he jolted, nodding. “Good,” he said. “Good girl, Katara.” 

She was too needing to hold out anymore. She let him guide her hand between her thighs. “Show me,” he begged, his words coated with his desperation. She gazed at the thick bulge between his thighs where he knelt in front of her. She could give him this.

She would.

She shifted her hips to let her bindings fall entirely to the tea shop floor. 

[pugetprincess]

does anyone have any currently in progress zutara recs?

(shout out to all the love in the zutara community, but please no recs that are your own or your bestie's)

[nerdylizj]

Links to favorite fics you’ve read for Zutara?

i've been sick all weekend so apologies for the late response & lack of ratings, descriptions, et cetera.. i fear this is the best i can do rn. these are random fics from my bookmarks that i like for one reason or another, in no particular order. there are many, many, many that i am missing. i recommend checking out these writers' tumblrs/ao3 profiles for other works too <3

the crevasse by @iamnotthemilkman

delicate by @jasmine-tea-latte

nessun dorma by @sproutingliliums

the worst prisoner series by @emletish-fish

those who remain bt @arctik-fox

partner in learning by @forever--rain

lost in you still

for the spirits by @demaparbat-hp

like gold by @sproutingliliums

salt and scale by @mzladybird

for pride and honor by @neincraff

such selfish prayers

celestial motion

modern love by @grapefruittwostep

i'm still here

everything i am

they call you refugee

didn't know my heart

playing with fire by @spacelattesao3

vengeance is like gold

[thursdays-adult]

You know I never shipped Zutara back in the day. But I've been thinking lately about how it would have looked for the disgraced prince that's been banished for three years; who briefly returned only to become a traitor again; helped the avatar topple the current regime; and then ended the 100 year war to also start courting a girl from the water tribe. I mean yeah Zuko is likely cleaning house of all the Ozai loyalists and many people were likely exhausted by the war and glad to see it end. But still that's a populace who's been fed propaganda for over 100 years on the righteousness of the war and the superiority of the fire nation and who now has a fire lord speaking against all of it. A fire lord who seems more comfortable with earth nation and water tribe dignitaries than his own people, including his choice of a bride . In a way Mai seems like the more politically sound choice. A way to reassure the fire nation that they're still a priority and that not too much will change. Fire Lady Katara could possibly only stoke the flames of civil war. But then as Iroh said water is the element of change with a deep sense of community that holds them together through anything, and I think it'd actually be really interesting to see Katara step into all of that political upheaval and change because she might actually be the perfect person to lead them through it. And now I'm really fascinated by that concept.

[bluespirlt]

the blue spider chapter 10 is out!

now if you'll excuse me, i'll go cry in my pillow

[five-flavor-soup]

Zuko during ‘The Waterbending Scroll’: It’s a white flag and you might as well start waving right now, waterbender—

Katara, still tied up: The ONLY thing I will be waving is your decapitated head on a stick in front of your weeping mother!

Zuko:

His soldiers:

The pirates:

Iroh:

Yue:

Zuko: Good spirits,

[cobraonthecob]

one of the reasons why i love zutara so much is that it forces me to think about how it will affect the world. we know katara cares for the entirety of the world, and i think that's such an interesting concept to play with, but there's also the heavy topics of having to undo all the imperialism, racism, and colonialism that comes with the fire nation

zuko would also be a wonderful partner and he would stay be her side, and that's also why it appeals to me so much. zuko is not going to leave her when times get tough, and i feel like the only reason why they might break up is if the fire nation is unable to let go of their bigotry (which is why i personally don't write katara and zuko getting together until years after the war, because zuko would already be bearing the brunt of undoing all the ideals his forefathers installed so that it doesn't all fall on katara)

and because many zk fans don't like the canon ships, that's often their first steps into examining atla as a whole. being able to criticize a show is a wonderful thing, and we should be allowed to criticize the show even through a zk lens

[sproutingliliums]

What are some Zutara fanfics you like?

thank you for asking anon! rubbing my hands together and laughing diabolically rn. most of these fics are completed, but i have a few incomplete or ongoing ones listed at the bottom.

The Color of the Stars by bluenebulae this is my zutara bible... i have read this 3 times, and i think it's still my favorite zutara fic. it diverges from canon during the day of black sun. katara and zuko are both captured and thrown into prison and after breaking out together, they become reluctant allies and travel the world in search of the gaang while also trying to warn the other nations about ozai's plans.

they call you refugee by akaiiko

an arranged marriage alternate universe where when zuko is banished, he leaves the fire nation with—actually, the summary does a pretty good job of explaining it: "Zuko goes into exile with a scar, a mission, and a wife." i think i cried the first time i read this.

refraction by caroes3725

this one's my post-war zutara bible. it is maybe the post-war swt ambassador/politician katara slow burn of all time. it is 200k+ words and it's all worth it, i promise! i prommy!!! read it now!!!! <- this along with The Color of the Stars are maybe my favorite zutara longfics. period.

Mending Wounds by FictionIsSocialInquiry

canon divergent fic where katara sees visions of zuko in the foggy swamp. except in these visions he is older, the fire lord, her husband, and he is gentle and loving, and katara feels sick to her stomach! one of my favs!!!!

lost and found by Smediterranea

hakoda discovers a young zuko, injured, and takes him in. beautiful alternate universe fic where zuko grows up in the southern water tribe with sokka and katara.

The Things We Hide by Lykegenia

katara is held in the fire nation as a political prisoner following the southern water tribe's defeat after an assault launched by fire lord ozai during sozin's comet. the swt, however, will not go down with a fight. love, love, love this one! it has painted lady katara, blue spirit zuko, a sweet romance, political intrigue, and betrayal!!! it's a fun time. also i love hama's inclusion in this :)

The Blackfish and the Dragon by ama

during the day of black sun, iroh takes matters into his own hands and becomes fire lord. shortly after, a marriage is arranged between zuko and katara in order to secure the peace. it's a beautiful arranged marriage au where everyone is so perfectly in character. i really think this fic is one of the best zutara fics out there with a natural and rewarding slow burn romance. and azula is there and she's perfect.

Smoke & Mirrors by sansonnets

blutara bible!!!!!!! that's all i got... blutara go CRAZYYY

so i can die where i met you by irridescence

canon compliant. zuko and katara, eighty years later. the fic is centered around major character death(s), so don't read if you can't handle it but i was sobbing like a fucking baby by the end of it. such a beautiful gorgeous fic that will haunt me forever.

if you don't mind incomplete or ongoing fics:

But Who's Counting? by halfhoursonearth

katara thinks zuko's going to need at least 100 healing sessions after the agni kai. lovely prose and characterization and it's so tender and sweet. just read it!!!

so let us melt, and make no noise by LittleLostStar

zuko is sent on a mission to bring back the heart of the last waterbender so he can restore his honor and return home. but when he nearly dies while in the south pole, a healer named katara saves him and nurses him back to health. (the author describes this as a kinda-sorta frozen AU, and i think it's a pretty good description haha). it's an incredible AU with so much mystery and intrigue and tension!

forgetting is a kind of mercy by nerdylizj

"Five years after Katara and Zuko go missing in Ba Sing Se, Kya and Lee are found living peacefully in the Earth Kingdom countryside." finally, i gotta plug liz's silly n goofy dai li brainwashing fic. it's so good. so painfully angsty. it's about the pain of remembering and about making hard choices and identity and parenthood!!!

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Sometimes I read a Zutara fic classic and I want to scream “WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS, THIS IS SO UNDERRATED” even though it’s on like a million rec lists and everyone has already read it??? Like nobody told me Once Around The Sun or Southern Lights are THIS good, even though EVERYONE said they’re good, does that make sense. I didn’t know they’d give me book hangovers and possibly change my brain chemistry

[demaparbat-hp]

First, omg YOUR ZUTARA ART! It's so so beautiful I want to weep.

Do you have any Zutara fic recs? I need some more Zutara in my life lol

Hi! That's so sweet, thank you ❤️

Most of my free time is spent reading, but I almost never save the links...and can never seem to remember the names and/or authors of the fics.

Luckily I saved the links for some of my absolute favorite fics! There are a lot of truly breathtaking works out there and, sadly, I can't mention them all. These are some names in a very long list of favorites. I hope you enjoy them ❤️

Vermillion Seas, Cardinal Skies by @geothewriter

New directions and re-imagined canon events race toward a different endgame. From lighting bending to bloodbending and deal-making in the Spirit World, this canon-divergent/adjacent AU travels a new road, where unforeseen experiences shape who our heroes are, and who they will become. A Zutara slowburn.

Forgetting is a kind of mercy by @nerdylizj

It's death by a thousand cuts, Katara thinks. Saying goodbye to their old lives, forging ahead with whatever amalgamation of reality once they both fully remember everything, whatever reality that may be. Yet, two tethers between them will remain. Or, Five years after Katara and Zuko go missing in Ba Sing Se, Kya and Lee are found living peacefully in the Earth Kingdom countryside.

Eight Years Later by @starlight-tea-writing

Eight years after Sozin’s Comet, everyone’s lives have begun to take shape, their responsibilities pulling them further and further apart. The last three years have been broken up with infrequent and hurried meetings and get togethers, but by happenstance, things play out a little differently for the eighth anniversary of the End of War. Follow what happens in the year after all of Team Avatar gets together again and the found family re-finds each other and grows even larger. Zutara centric, Sukka, Toph/OC, Aang/OC Irregular updates, Saturdays only.

The White Lotus Zuko series by @calcliffbas

Zuko becomes one of the good guys a little earlier than usual, and joins Aang, Sokka and Katara in Omashu. A canon-adjacent series featuring friendship, humor, and romance.

The Spirit Trap by @leradny

In the Southern Water Tribe, Hakoda teaches his second son Katara to channel the grief over the death of his mother in a healthy way. In the Fire Nation Capital, Ozai tries to betroth his eldest daughter Princess Zuko to Iroh's son, and Ursa has to explain why that's not a good idea. [AU: Switched Genders, but just for Zuko and Katara]

Everything I Am by we-were-angels(untilwefallinlove)

There is something inevitable about them; like the certainty of the sun in the morning and the moon and all her stars at night. After all is said in done, how will history tell their stories? (Set after the One Hundred Year War and the years following.)

[halfhoursonearth-writes]

Can you recommend fanfiction that you personally really like?

Yes! Love this ask. I’ve never made a Zutara fic rec list partially because I’ve read so many wonderful stories over time that I find the prospect daunting! 

But there are absolutely certain stories that I have a personal soft spot for, that I return to again and again. And that’s my criteria for what’s included below. This is a sampling of fics that I find myself coming back to, in no particular order. I may come back and add more, because this list is so far from exhaustive. A mix of ratings (marked), so keep that in mind.

Wish I Was the Moon by Like a Dove (T), post-canon: There’s so much that I love about the way this one-shot explores Katara’s character and what she faces post-canon, how she frees herself, strikes out in the world and finds her way home. Her feelings for Zuko, and her inner-conflict around them, are rendered tangibly, both through scene and subtext. A really good example of how an author can show a character’s lack of/journey to self-knowledge without breaking voice.

Refraction by caroes3725 (E), post-canon: When I started reading Zutara fanfic (for me this was in 2020), this was the fic I was looking for—a deep, realistic-to-canon, in-character exploration of how Zutara could unfold after the events of ATLA in a way that gives Katara in particular the arc she deserves. Really well-done development of the Fire Nation court world, well-developed characters, shining dialogue. An amazingly well-worth-it slow burn.

Wildfire by rainstormdragon (E), post-canon: To me this story is kind of a steamy Zutara thesis. The characters are so spot on and alive, their flaws are on full display in a way that feels realistic, and their chemistry is powered by their compatibility—matched in passion and stubbornness, and also in what they want from life. And I think it really gets Aang, too, which is something that can be hard to find in ZK fic. Also really hot, but that's only part of what makes it really shine.

Partners in Learning by evergreenonthehorizon (T), Modern AU: One of the things I love in modern AUs is watching an author weave that invisible string between these characters. Sometimes, it’s by writing narrative arcs that parallel the series, and sometimes it’s by drawing out the personality traits that make the characters both lovable to readers and such a compelling match and watching that spark bloom into flame. This beautifully written story does that so, so well in a really compelling Modern AU setting. Zuko and Katara here are so wonderfully lovable, and it’s a joy to watch them fall for one another, too.

Journeys by Smediterranea (E), Modern AU: In real life, I want to see my friends in relationships with people who can recognize why they’re so particularly amazing. That potential, I think, part of the appeal of ZK as a ship, and that’s part of the special magic of this fic. Watching these two characters get to know one another—really see one another—and fall in love deliciously sweeps the reader up. Plus, really fun, in character cameos from the rest of the Gaang along the way.

Spark, set fire by marijayne (T), Modern AU: literary fanfic, and I mean that in the best way. This story is beautiful and bittersweet, the latter is not often something I seek out in fanfic (where I hide from life), but here it’s gorgeous and worth it. The world building here is really cool—allows the author to explore some of a set of cultural issues/interactions that both echo the ATLA world and ours. The characters are so tenderly drawn (dadko especially)—and the connection between them builds beautifully and tangibly—and the longing is…chef’s kiss. 

Wrong when it's right by nire (T), Book 1 Canon Divergence: Before I read this, I couldn't imagine wanting to read a Book 1 Zutara. After, I wanted more. Bickering, bed-roll sharing, shared heat, tenderness and common ground. A delight from start to finish.

Anyway, thanks for asking and happy reading! <3 And if you want more recs, let me know.

[skeptic-hecate]

AU Zutara x Parc and Rec fanart I made 3 years ago, forgot to post it here, I love the golden retriever / black cat type of ships

[oceanview15]

Sokka: I used to think that there was no one on earth good enough for Katara.

Zuko: *smiles*

Sokka: I still think that.

Zuko: right

Sokka: But if there is no one actually good enough for her, you’re pretty damn close.

[jasmine-tea-latte]

Do you know what I haven’t done in a hot minute? A Zutara fic recommendation list.

Below are some of the Zutara fics I’ve gotten into over the last several months that have me in a chokehold. FYI, these all have higher ratings for mature readers, so make a judgement call for yourself if that’s content you should see or not.

Enjoy!

The Silent Garden (COMPLETE) by romilley

"The right kind of love, the kind that’s real, the kind that sacrifices…that kind of love doesn’t blind you. It forces your eyes wide open."

As the final confrontation of the war looms, Katara and Zuko's relationship evolves.

Caldera: The City of Ghosts (WIP) by spacelattes

Katara strikes a deal with a Spirit to help find out his unfinished business after he saves her from a demon. Easy, right? Only, Zuko isn't sure what his unfinished business is. Zuko's not even sure how he became a spirit. The longer that they get to know each other, the more Katara is uncertain if she can handle finding out.

Love & War (WIP) by mielemare

Katara has escaped her imprisonment in the Fire Nation. Prince Zuko has defected.

Now they must navigate their muddled relationship while traveling through treacherous enemy territory, and find Katara's friends if they are to defeat the Fire Lord once and for all.

Sequel to Smoke & Mirrors.

Playing with Fire (WIP) by spacelattes

The first time that Firefighter Sozin gets called to her apartment is an accident. Katara's not so sure about every other time after.

Crown of Flames (WIP) by miranda_writes97

“The Fire Lord proposes a marriage between his son, Crown Prince Zuko, and Princess Katara,” Iroh said, turning to face her.

If she wasn’t already sitting, she would have collapsed given how light headed she was at his words. Her mouth went dry. Her fingers went numb. A marriage? To the Fire Lord’s son?

The Horizon (WIP) by romilley

After the Agni Kai, Katara flees the capital with Zuko and takes him to the safety of Ember Island to await news from the others.

Zuko's lightning damage is extensive, and it is decided that he should stay there to heal, away from the stress and dangers of the palace.

Katara remains with him as his healer, and during his recovery, they grow even closer.

[quillthrillswriting]

i think that by far, the most common zutara trope i've seen is zuko freeing katara from her unhappy marriage with the clingy, unappreciative aang.

i've always felt that that aang would genuinely worship the ground katara walked on and be exceedingly kind and respectful, and so i've always thought that this trope would make a lot more sense flipped, with aang in the position of being katara's safe space after zukko reverts back to his angry, sullen, lashing out persona that he was before uncle iroh & the gaang's involvement.

this fic is the result of me having the thought "might f around and write a kataang fic that flips the usual zutara trope of "zuko helps katara escape a failing relationship with aang" 😳"

---

Zuko was all alone, heading an entire empire and facilitating the transition of his nation from a war-bringer to a force for peace. At first, she told herself that it was only because he had needed help that she chose to stay with him, but that wasn’t being entirely honest. After that play on Ember Island, all of the scenes where the two of them were in love had opened Katara’s eyes to the possibility, and try as she might, she couldn’t shut them again. And Zuko, after all that he’d sacrificed to help them, after redeeming himself in her eyes, even fighting alongside her, he had seemed like her best chance at home. 

So she had stayed with him. 

---

Zuko proposed, after just six months, but Katara thought little of the brief timeline. When you know, you know, right? He had given her his mother’s ring, and had her dress in Fire Nation colours for the ceremony. She had been under the impression that the wedding would be a welding of cultures, and so she had spent weeks painstakingly carving a traditional water tribe proposal necklace. 

When she had presented it to him, Zuko had only said that a Fire Lord couldn’t be seen wearing another nation’s trinkets . She had quietly dabbed away her tears when he wasn’t looking.

---

The moon rose and set six more nights before Katara rose with it, slipping outside of the castle during the changing of the guard, draped in traditional water tribe colours for the first night in years. Before anyone had seen her, she had made it, slipping between Fire Nation homes almost silently. She only paused to pull clothes and a cloth head covering from a clothesline, silently apologizing to whatever family she had just stolen from. She tucked a couple of coins and a piece of gold jewellery into one of the pockets of the pants still on the clothesline, an attempt at making amends for her crime, then blended into the night again. 

She hadn’t stopped moving until she’d finally found a small forest, then she’d made herself a bed of moss and curled up as if she was a child back on the tundra, pretending to be a sleeping snow fox alongside Sokka.

She missed her brother. She missed her home.

---

She knew where she would go once the cargo ship reached the land. The last location Aang had been in was the Western Air temple. So that was where she would go. If she needed to, to find Aang, she’d scour every inch of the mainland. She knew he would do the same for her. Which begged the question- why hadn’t he come to her when he began to feel that something was off?

It was that question that Katara started with, as she settled into a comfortable position on Aang’s woven rug, a cup of hot tea curling steam around her body that she absent-mindedly bent into shapes around her.

---

Aang sighed, looking away. “Katara, I hate to give you more reasons to feel distressed, but in case you hadn’t remembered, you told me to stay away. Told me my “juvenile crush” was ridiculous and made you uncomfortable. I felt awful, and so, I backed off. I kept sending letters every couple months, trying to make sure you were okay, but you told me you were too busy, and I respected that.”

Katara’s tone was unsettlingly neutral when she responded. “...What?”

Aang titled his head, confused. “You said, in your letters, that-”

She responded in that same tone. “What letters , Aang?”

♥ the rest of the (completed) fic can be found here!! ->