#zutaraang ficlet

[my-cabbages-gorl]

Zutaraang ficlet- Spend The Night With Us - T

my-cabbages-gorl

including this pic for reference of correct ages in this fic When Zuko brings Izumi to spend a weekend with Aang, Katara, and the kids on Air Temple Island, the three of them have a private moment to rekindle an old flame.

__

Balancing the last of the dinner dishes in his hands, Zuko approaches Aang and Katara, who are tidying up after Bumi, Kya, and Izumi finish their meal. With a soft clatter, he places the dishes in the basin, a sense of belonging warming his expression as he leans against the counter.  

Katara steals a glance at him, her voice hushed with a hint of uncertainty. "It’s been a while since you've stayed here with us on the island..." She pauses, searching for the right words, hesitant about how her thoughts might be received.  

Sensing her unease, Aang chimes in, a gentle smile dancing on his lips. "Katara means that you don't have to stay in your room alone tonight, Zuko. I mean... If you don’t want to." He focuses on the linen cloth in his hands, methodically tending to the dishes in the basin, while cautiously peeking up to gauge Zuko's reaction, hoping his words convey their genuine invitation.  

Zuko chuckles softly, a playful glint in his eyes as he lifts a hand to his chest. "And what might you be implying? I am the Fire Lord, after all, Aang." 

Aang and Katara pause their washing, sharing an incredulous glance before smirking at Zuko's comment. Their eyes meet in silent understanding, a wordless bond between the three of them a result of many moonlit nights tangled in the sheets together. With a shared breath, a soft, quiet laugh escapes them all. 

Katara flicks her fingers, bending a few droplets of water to playfully splash Zuko's face. "Don’t be an idiot," she teases, their laughter intertwining in the air. Aang, wiping his hands with the linen cloth slung over his shoulder, leans across Katara. Tenderly brushing his hand against Zuko's face to wipe away the droplets from his cheek with his thumb, his touch lingers. 

Zuko's hand reaches up, wrapping Aang's wrist delicately, noticing the subtle movement of muscles and tendons beneath his fingertips. Their eyes meet in a shared moment, a silent exchange of understanding. Softly, Zuko presses a gentle kiss into Aang's palm, his gaze never leaving Aang's. 

A breath hitches in Aang's chest as Zuko's tongue slides from between his pressed lips and delicately brushes against Aang's sensitive flesh, evoking a quiet, sharp inhale. Katara clenches her jaw, a rush of warmth stirring within her at the sight of Zuko's lips on Aang's skin. 

Zuko releases Aang's hand as Izumi toddles up from behind them, her small hand tugging on Zuko's robes, her eyes heavy with sleep. "Time for sleep, my darling?" Zuko coos, his voice carrying a soothing warmth as he gathers Izumi into his arms. With her head resting against his shoulder, she's already drifting off. 

As he carries Izumi toward the children’s room, a glimmer lingers in Zuko's eyes as he steals a glance over his shoulder at Aang and Katara. A silent exchange charged with electricity. He murmurs softly to them, "Good night, you two... for now," the hint of an intimate promise dripping sweetly from every word.

__

[woodlaflababab]

Zutaraang ficlet, featuring Zuko and Katara coming home after a fight and Aang patching them up.

-<>-

Aang's head popped up as the sound of the front door opening reached him. A familiar bloom of soft happiness went through his chest as he stood up to look at the door and the two people returning home.

That happiness lasted about two seconds before it was replaced by the gut dropping feeling that came with seeing his loved ones hurt.

“What happened?” He exclaimed, already rushing over to the two of them.

Katara, who seemed to be in slightly better shape but still sporting the start of a wicked bruise on her cheek and being very slow and easy in her movements with one arm, at least had the good manners to look somewhat sheepish. “We got into a fight.”

Zuko, with a bit of blood smeared near his mouth from a busted lip and a burgeoning black eye, just nodded from next to her, one of his hands, scraped up and bloody, being cradled by the other.

Aang groaned and immediately started shooing his loved ones into the kitchen where he could patch them up. He pulled chairs for the both of them over to the sink next to each other and made a sharp 'sit down’ gesture, to which they thankfully complied.

“Okay so,” Aang started as he retrieved the first aid supplies, “seriously, what happened?”

He heard Katara huff from behind him. “You know Hahn?”

Honestly, that alone told Aang plenty but he nodded and gestured for her to continue as he started setting the supplies down on the counter next to them.

“Well me and Zuko offered to talk to him on Yue's behalf after yesterday. We didn't expect him to be that difficult, but he refused to listen to anything we said.” 

She looked over to Zuko who nodded in affirmation. 

“He was showing off this macho attitude for his friends,” she continued, “but when it became obvious he wasn't going to get what he wanted, he just started throwing insults around, mostly sexists, mostly about Yue. He was asking for it.”

Aang gave her an exasperated look and ran a soft rag under some warm water to start cleaning up Zuko's face and hand.

Katara held her hands up. “In my defense, I didn't throw the first punch.” 

Aang nodded, at least happy to hear they didn't start the- 

“Zuko did.”

Aang cast his look over to Zuko who simply glared back. For a guy currently getting his hand patched up like a kid who fell from his bike, he was incredibly unrepentant.

“If Katara can stand not to punch a guy for being sexist, can't you?” Aang joked, no real heat behind the words.

“I didn't punch him because he was sexist.” Zuko grumbled. When Aang just raised an eyebrow at him, Zuko continued almost petulantly. “He stepped too close to Katara.”

Aang rolled his eyes with a small grin while Katara started cackling beside Zuko. “Really, Zuko,” Aang started, “you have to work on this possessive stuff.”

“Hey.” Zuko protested. “Even if I hadn't punched him first, Katara would have.”

Katara shrugged. “He's right. Hahn was saying some really nasty stuff about Yue.”

Aang just shook his head, too fond of them to be anything other than exasperated. Rather than respond, he just handed Zuko a cold pack for his eye and moved over to Katara.

He gently took her arm in his hands, noticing with a little distress the way she still winced. “What happened here?” 

“One of the guys, I don't even remember which, just yanked on my arm in a bad direction. It's nothing serious, just sore.” She assured him but he still pouted at her.

Aang handed her an ice pack as well and wandered off to get some pain killers and her favorite sweet tea. When he got back and handed them over, Zuko nudged Aang with a foot. 

“You know we would go to war for you, right?”

Aang grinned. “Going to war for someone is easy.” As he turned his back to grab different supplies, he tossed a look over his shoulder. “Would you make friends with your enemies for me?”

Zuko pulled a sour face but Katara straightened up. “I basically did. I was nice to Zuko, wasn't I?”

Zuko scoffed. “Nice? Katara you weren't 'nice’ to me until we almost murdered a guy together.”

“Okay,” Katara ceded, “I was tolerating. It counts.”

“Barely. You threatened to kill me. Quite brutally.”

Katara didn't look sorry in the slightest. “I just wanted to make sure you knew where you stood.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Please, you were just jealous.”

“Jealous?” Katara scoffed in offense but her grin gave her away. “What, of you?”

“Yeah. Of me.” Zuko seethed back. 

Aang, having watched the two of them grow progressively closer as they bickered, his eyes going back and forth like a ping pong ball, stuck his hand in the two inches still remaining between their faces. “No making out while I'm patching you up.”

Both leaned back away from each other, Katara laughing and Zuko looking somehow both chastised and offended.

Aang dropped down to one knee in front of Katara to address the bloody scrape on her knee, wiping it clean but determining it not bad enough to need anything more. Still, wanting to make her feel better, he leaned forward to place a soft reverent kiss above the wound, lingering there as he made eye contact with her. Blue stared back at him and he gloried a little at the flicker of want he saw there.

Then Zuko made a vaguely displeased sound and Aang pulled his lips away, pressing his forehead to her knee instead to hide his amused grin at Zuko's ridiculousness.

“Oh now who's jealous.” He heard Katara taunt as he stood up.

Before Zuko could respond, Aang slid a hand behind Zuko's head, fingers sinking into his hair, so he could pull Zuko forward enough to place a small kiss on his forehead. “Don't be jealous, Zuko.”

“I'm not-,” Zuko said the words on a low grumble but didn't bother finishing the protest.

Aang took a step back to look over the two of them, making sure he wasn't missing anything, and he got caught up in just staring at them, a little lost in how in-love he was with the two trigger-happy idiots. 

“You're at least a little proud of us, right?” Katara asked, her tone joking but Aang could see the small current of worry in her.

“Of course. I'm always proud of you two. I'm sure Yue will love the story when she hears it.”

Both of them beamed up at him, pleased with the praise. 

“But please, for the sake of my sanity, don't do it again.” He added on and enjoyed the laughter it drew from his two favorite people.

[philosopherking1887]

Secrets

Wrote a “tribble” (my new-ish word for a triple drabble, i.e., a 300-word ficlet; I am going to make this word happen) on the Day 2 prompt for Zutaraang Week 2020. @zutaraangtastic

---------

“You know,” said Toph, “I’m frankly astounded that you’ve been able to keep it secret this long.”

“From the kids?” Aang asked.

“From anyone. You two are the worst secret-keepers I’ve ever met,” she announced, pointing at Aang and Zuko in turn.

“I can keep secrets!” Zuko protested. “My uncle didn’t know I was the Blue Spirit… well, until he figured out I’d been stealing from the villages we passed through while on the run.”

“Uh-huh. How much you wanna bet he didn’t know?”

“Excuse me?”

“Bet. How much.”

“What, you’re going to ask him if he knew I’d been sneaking off the ship? How will I know you haven’t tipped him off about the bet?”

“You’ll just have to trust me, Sparky.” Her shark-like grin wasn’t calculated to inspire trust.

“He kept how he got his scar secret from all of us for months,” Katara pointed out.

“That wasn’t a secret,” Zuko said, looking uneasy. “It was just— private.”

“You’re arguing against yourself now?” Toph said, unimpressed.

“What’s the difference?” Katara asked—not a challenge, simply curious.

“Secrets are when you want to hide something, to deceive people. Privacy is just… you don’t want to tell them. Yet.”

“You’re making my point for me,” said Toph. “You’re good at not telling people things, but bad at hiding.”

“If we’re so bad at keeping secrets, how have we managed to stay hidden for so long?” Aang challenged her.

“One of life’s great mysteries. No one suspects you but the conspiracy-theorist kooks.” She cackled delightedly.

“Maybe you’ll just have to admit that we are pretty good at keeping secrets,” said Aang. “Or we’ve gotten better, anyway.”

“Or maybe we were just not telling a lot of people something that was private,” Zuko said triumphantly.

Toph pfffed. “Try telling your kids that…”

[likealittleheartbeat]

In the velvety night, a single spark bursts and then settles its warmth upon the end of an agarbathi, which Aang sets on a bronze dish at the base of the statue. He begins to chant, his voice low and straining past the nerves to pronounce his steady ancient words. Katara and Zuko beside him, support him in chorus, having spent the past month reciting the unfamiliar words until they are hung like prayer flags in their memory. When the refrain ends, they all sit in silence, breathing. Led by Aang, it ends, and they each bow to Gyatso’s stone form.

“They’re honored, Aang, I have to believe it,” Zuko assures him, taking one tattooed hand.

Katara takes the other and adds, “It will keep them remembered, every year, each time you and the acolytes return and say those words.”

Aang pulls them both in closer, smiles gratefully at his two closest friends, and then, though he tries to hold it back, wets their shoulders in the dark with the life the nomads gave to him.

[zutaraangtastic]

Zutaraang Week 2020 Round-Up!

A round up/rec list of everything submitted for Zutaraang Week this year! (You can still make late posts! They will be added to this list which stays pinned on this blog until the end of the month.) 

Week Collections

✏️  Zutaraang Week 2020 by @hesychia7 (13.2k total) // collection of ficlets of different AUs

✏️  Jealousy by @ithinkicanwritesometimes (7.3k total, explicit) // a variety of smutty ficlets 

✏️  Breviary by @spfuzz (0.9k) // A book of hours, 8 drabbles to match the historic canonical hours in Christianity as well as the prompts

✏️  keep the paper lantern lit by @thinkingisadangerouspastime (13.7k total) //  post-series ficlets with Aang in the middle and platonic Zutara

✏️  Flowers Never Pick Themselves by @slpytea (5k) // a soulmate AU comprised of separate but related ficlets 

Day 1: Jealousy

✏️  The Fear of Death Follows by @smallpenguin19 (3.5k, WIP) // Aang reflects on his mortality

🎧  zutaraang with jealous and pining overtones by @jaystrifes

✏️  A Garden You’ll Never Get to See by @philosopherking1887 (6.4k, WIP) // After years of bearing non-airbending children, Katara makes a difficult decision

✏️  epiphany by @kuchee (1.1k) // 11 drabbles, or 10 times Zuko was jealous and one time he realised it, Heartlines verse

✏️  Hit and Run by @moderndaygaang (3.8k) // Katara, Zuko, and Aang go undercover to expose a group trying to overthrow the government in Yu Dao

✏️  Trip to the Beach by @comradegreenbucket (1k) // An elderly Aang, Katara, and Zuko go to the beach

Day 2: Secrets

✏️  The Fear of Death Follows, chapter 2 by @smallpenguin19

✏️  A Mystery of History by @kuchee and @guileheroine (6.7k) // A century after the Hundred Year War, two researchers  make an intriguing discovery about the personal lives of its heroes

✏️  Secrets by @philosopherking1887 // triple drabble ft. Toph 

✏️  Right Foot Left Stomp by @comradegreenbucket (0.6k) // Aang teaches Katara and Zuko a new dance

Day 3: Avatar State

✏️  how light carries on endlessly by @jaystrifes (1k) // 5 double drabbles, four times Katara and Zuko met Aang's past lives, and one time Korra's past life met them.

✏️  Too Close to the Sun by @philosopherking1887 (5k, explicit, WIP) // Zuko gets curious about sex in the Avatar State.

✏️  White and Blue Spirits by @smallpenguin19 // drabble; Aang enters the Avatar state, only to be pulled back by a lover.

Day 4: Tea

🎨 Zuko got whose number? by @kuchee // modern tea shop AU

🎨  To Die At Any Time by @smallpenguin19 // tea leaf art exploring Aang’s death

Day 5: Steam(y)

🎨  [untitled] by @kuchee // kisses and cuddles in the hot springs

Day 6: Worship

✏️  Worship by @philosopherking1887 // double drabble, Zuko and Katara light-heartedly reflect on the spirits

Day 7: Stars

✏️  space for another by @comradegreenbucket (1.9k) // Katara’s sleeping pod gets too cold on sentient spaceship APPA; bed-sharing ensues

🎧 the courage of stars by @kuchee // a post-Aang’s death playlist

✏️  our place in the universe by @jaystrifes (.9k) // headcanons on relaxation and stargazing

Bonus: Beach

✏️  Nightmares by @smallpenguin19, chapter 4 (7.1k, WIP) // Katara and Zuko comfort Aang after a nightmare

✏️ The Cold Will Kill You First by @slpytea​ (5k, WIP) // Aang saves them from a violent storm in the Far North. They learn just how deep their love runs while they await rescue.

(header art by @cottoncandyofterror​)

[kuchee]

✨ masterlist of my atla fics! (2018-20) ✨

All the atla fics I’ve written 2018 - 2020, mostly z/k/a tbh! but a few others too. 

GEN 🌿

Lost and Found (25k) // When Katara befriends a lost toy and brings him home, unlikely friendships are made and each toy must figure out what it means to belong. (Toy Story fusion/AU).

Life's True Delights (4.4k) // After closing up the shop, Iroh takes a rare opportunity to make tea with his nephew and friends.

tell me how this story ends and i'll keep them fires burning (3k) // Zuko tells Aang about how he got his scar. 

Avatar Ascending (2k) // modern-ish indie band AU of the gaang, interview style!

ZUTARAANG 🌸

Kindling (1.8k) // Zuko and friends relax on a cool summer night. If 'friend' was even the right word for people whose current purpose seemed to be annoying him to no end.

Heartlines verse: all the fics below can be read on their own, but are best read along with the main fic, Heartlines. 

Heartlines (41k) // After the news of a catastrophe interrupts Aang and Katara's wedding, they must team up with Zuko to bring aid to the Earth Kingdom. Soon enough they realise that working by old friends reignites old feelings.

Movement (3.5k, explicit) // Epilogue featuring bloodbending “practice,” i.e. smut. 

A Hundred Rumour War (5k) // Pre-poly tabloid shipping wars! Set before the main fic. 

Heatwave (4.2k, explicit) // Firebending smut shenanigans

Perfect Weather (11k+ total) // collection of snippets and ficlets set in the verse of varying moods and lengths.

Crossing Oceans (25k) // After moving in together, Katara and Aang have their first big fight. Each turns to Zuko for counsel as they try to decide what they want from their future. Collab with @jaystrifes

A Mystery of History (6.7k) // Over a century after the Hundred Year War, a curious student teams up with a professor to make an intriguing discovery about the personal lives of its heroes. Collab with @guileheroine

OTHER SHIPS ❄️

A Taste of Treachery  (1.4k, zukaang) // Aang is sure spicy ice cream could be added to the list of Fire Nation atrocities.

Insinuations (2k, kataang, implied sexual content) // Katara and Aang come across some ridiculous insinuations about their relationship in a tabloid. (a cursed fic) 

where'd you get them scars, how blue is your heart? (4.5k, light zutara) // Katara heals Zuko's wound over seven healing sessions following their fight against Azula.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

hey! just popping in to say i love your a:tla takes and your fics so much!! just curious to ask (if you don't mind saying) what wips have you been working on lately? or maybe fic ideas you've had but haven't had a change to sit down and write down yet (ofc in general, not just a:tla fics!)? hope you're doing well, have a great february! :)

anon this is the NICEST ask i've ever gotten 😭 the way to a writer's heart is truly through anything related to their fics!! im so happy you enjoy my writing 💛 and thank you for giving me a chance to gush about my wips!!

being typed/written:

- my kataang oneshot for the upcoming kataang valentine's bash! im typing it tomorrow, i think it'll be around 4k, and the prompt i "followed" was the idea of beginnings and endings. i don't know how effectively that comes across lmao, but it was still a lot of fun to write and it's pretty different to the kataang i've written before!

- my aang week ficlets! they're all typed and im in the process of editing them now. each ficlet is about 1k (i think? lmao) and i can't wait to share them with y'all, i just love aang so much 😭

- my maizutaraang fic! i have handwritten 4.2/10 chapters of this fic so far, and unfortunately i don't know when i'll be able to return to it because of school, but im hoping to have it finished by and posted during this summer 🤞

- my kuzaang oneshot needs to be typed, but it is fully written. hint: there's a first kiss ;)

- my teoaang oneshot has been handwritten since december lmao but there's soooooo many edits that i'll need to make when i type it up,, i just haven't gotten around to it yet 😂

not yet started, but (mostly) being planned:

- my jetko heathers au, which @justoceanmyth is fully responsible for lmao! i've actually had the idea since last year, but ocean encouraged me to actually write it 🥰 i do plan to start it this semester or at least lay down the groundwork so i can start (and hopefully finish) it over the summer

- the final part of my fire lily trilogy! will zuko at last succeed in giving mai a fire lily? he's managed to get the other two burned so far

- maiko theatre kids au. i more have a general vibe for this story than i do a plot lmao, but i love both theatre and maiko so the temptation is too much for me to resist

- possibly some rayllum oneshots that are "outtakes" from No Ordinary Exchange!

stuff i just want to write in general:

- katara week!!

- more mailee, kuzaang, kataang, zukaang, and zutaraang

- more katara- and aang-centric fics (they deserve more love!!)

- maikka content. maybe a modern/college au?? i really don't know what specifically lmao, but i do know i want to write more of their dynamic

- im also tempted to dabble in some tysuki and yueki (and maybe sukitara?), since i haven't written anything about them before!!

okay. i think that's everything 😂 i have too much love for atla characters and not enough time lmao!!

i wish you a lovely february, too, anon! again im so happy you enjoy my writing and thank you so so much for this ask 😭💛

[ao3feed-zukaang]

Breviary

by spfuzz

The Fire Lord, The Avatar, and the Last Southern Waterbender are objects of mystery, of contemplation, of adoration, even of worship - for no one more than for each other.

A book of hours for Zuko, Katara, and Aang. 8 drabbles or drabble-based ficlets to match the historic canonical hours as well as the 2020 Zutaraang Week prompts:

0: Monday 08/31 - Jealousy (Isaiah 32:2)

1. Monday 08/31 – Jealousy (Sext: Shadows at Noon)

2. Tuesday 09/01 – Secrets (Terce: Zooms, Booms, and Unlocked Rooms) Terce

3. Wednesday 09/02 - Avatar State (Compline: More Than One Lifetime)

4. Thursday 09/03 – Tea (Vespers: Love and Lamplight in the Lower Ring)

5. Friday 09/04 – Steam(y) (None: At The End of A Summer Storm, Epilogue to “Fast and Free, Then It’s Quiet Again.”)

6. Saturday 09/05 – Worship (Lauds: As Our Lady Commands)

7. Sunday 09/06 – Stars (Vigil: The Stars Do Not Tell Tales)

8. Bonus prompt: Beach (Matins: From “In The Bleak Midwinter”)

Post-ATLA, extending Korra, compliant with "Three Loves, Four Seasons."

Words: 100, Chapters: 1/9, Language: English

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: Legend of Korra

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Aang (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Izumi (Avatar), Bumi II (Avatar), Korra (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Suki (Avatar), Mai (Avatar)

Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Sokka/Suki, Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Mai (Avatar), Korra & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Korra (Avatar), Jet/Jin (Avatar)

Additional Tags: Smut, Fluff, Angst, Inappropriate Use of Bending (Avatar), Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Canon Character of Color, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character, Bending (Avatar), Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar State, Bloodbending (Avatar)

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/26132290

[guileheroine]

a ficlet for zutaraang week, day 7 (sunlight/moonlight)! 💌 ao3 

It’s unclear who roped who into this. It may have been Aang (let���s face it - it probably was), who goaded Zuko into acknowledging that he’d overworked on his stupid address for tomorrow’s stupid council to the point of complete inefficiency; and there was nothing more to do about it whether he remained at his desk or not. It might actually have been Zuko, who doubled Aang’s request for drinks the second the porter delivered his order from the brewery down the street. 

It’s also horrifically unclear whether the deal they’re going to pitch to the Southern Water Tribe’s envoy for trade tomorrow is going to be a total non-starter. Aang, Zuko, and the rest of the council have been unable to gain the cooperation of Republic City's ‘burgeoning industrialist class’ (their words) for an agreement to abolish colonial-era tariffs for southern manufactured goods. The Southern Water Tribe, meanwhile, are pretty adamant that - new nation or no - the United Republic’s industries have burgeoned quite enough from all the investment that the Fire Nation had pumped in over the decades; and had threatened to pull fur apparel exports altogether unless the UR cut some of the taxes within three months. 

And three months, Zuko and Aang have learnt the hard way, is not nearly enough time to hammer out a satisfying trade deal. Luckily, having learnt this, they’ve also found the fine brew necessary to live with their new knowledge. 

Aang thinks as much as he tilts the beer in his hand sideways to scrutinise the seal on the bottom. It swims briefly like a floater before his vision, before he straightens the bottle just fast enough for it not to slosh all over his lungi. Distracted, Zuko throws him a look of vague, irritated warning. 

Then he slips right back into deep thought. Miles deep - his free hand clutched on his knee in concentration, muttering vaguely under his breath. Sheepish, Aang takes it as a reminder to call his own fuzzy mind to task.

“As sharp as a spider snake’s bite… Her...” He thinks very hard. There’s so much he could say. In his present state the mere thought makes his throat tight, eyes shine. “Her smile like… pure..”

What is clear - if little is, at this point in the night - is that tomorrow’s untouchable high point is going to be Katara’s arrival on the Water Tribe delegation boat. No diplomatic disaster could possibly mar that. It almost makes the rest worth it, or at least that’s what they’re telling themselves. That’s what Zuko was telling himself, and telling Aang, prompting Aang to drunkenly declare that they should write Katara a poem; and since then the ensuing pursuit has consumed all of their pretty unstable faculties. 

“...Ugh! We’re so close, c’mon, Zuko!” 

“I know, I know,” Zuko snaps. “What rhymes with bite - what rhymes with bite -” He keeps repeating, like a riddle that will solve itself if repeated with enough verve.

The urgency vibrates between them; Aang’s bottle is forgotten as he stands. This - well, they have to succeed at something tonight, right? And it has to be this. That is clearest of all, as Aang finds himself on the precipice of an answer, looking to Zuko searchingly to push him over to victory. Their eyes manage to meet in shared determination. Aang burps and puffs his chest, clearing his throat. “Her tongue is as sharp as a spider snake’s bite, her smile is as pure as -”

“Moonlight!”

“Sunlight!”

“No -”

“Wait!”

“Moonlight,” Zuko repeats again with grave certainty, cutting quite the contrast from the last half hour, from his general countenance these last few days.

But Aang isn’t sure. He rocks on his heels, shrugging. “But, Zuko... don’t you think sunlight’s like… sunnier, though?” Buoyed with enthusiasm from his little light bulb moment, he grasps behind blankly for his bottle.

Zuko does the same, his own drink on the patterned rug between his legs. He gives a rapid shake of the head. “No, no. You know - water…” he says slowly, “moon.”

Oh, good point. Aang nods sagely, feeling his own point of view enlightened by the clarity of Zuko’s perception. 

But then Zuko’s eyes pop - like a sudden insight has pierced clear into his brain, blistering amongst all the stewing thought. “Didn’t Sokka’s girlfriend turn into the moon?” He grimaces. “That’s kind of weird now,” he says, tasting the thought. “...Sunlight.”

Aang deflates. “No, moonlight. You were right, Zuko, it’s gotta be moonlight.” He reseats himself with a sweep of finality. 

Zuko gives a sigh, then holds his fist in the air before him. “Think about it. Let’s just think about it.”

“Moonlight - that’s how it feels,” Aang says in a heartsick haze, “it’s cool like moonlight.” Katara’s smile settles him, grounds him when he’s given to flight; how else could he say that?

When he glances expectantly to Zuko, however, he’s lost in thought again. Aang’s own reflection seems to have spurred him.

“Sunlight,” Zuko insists. The feeling in that fist more tender now, clutched - guarded - a little self consciously below his chest. “Like... opening the curtains in a dark room after ages.” Aang catches the impression of a slight daze much like his own. Somehow it just lends more weight to his words.

Wow, Zuko really is a poet. And there are a lot of dark rooms in the palace at the Fire Nation, so, like, he would definitely know. But still. Aang’s sure in his gut about this one, in his heart.

“I like moonlight.”

“Well, I like sunlight.”

-

Katara unlocks the door to her study here in their Republic City quarters and pushes it open with the weight of her side, heaving a sigh as she drags her feet in. So that meeting was an unmitigated disaster. 

She’s exhausted from her trip, and she can’t pretend that this let down just concluded hasn’t added considerably to her dejection. Granted, the Southern Water Tribe delegation weren’t the easiest guests to please, but she hadn’t anticipated that UR Council were going to run into such a dead end trying to negotiate with business here (Katara has a mind to go give them all a dressing down herself, if she knew which fancy club to find them in.) The entire time this afternoon, she had been caught between moments of acute sympathy for Aang, Zuko and the others (and were they - hungover?); and cringing and wincing for her life as they stumbled through the awkward negotiations.

She stops - her thought arrested, probably for the best - when she treads on something uneven beneath her thin slippers. She bends to pick the little envelope up. It’s unsealed - the memo paper they have downstairs, gifted to the Avatar’s residence from some new stationer’s, peeking out. 

Katara flops on the bed and pulls the square out. Zuko’s hasty scrawl, followed by a couple of lines in Aang’s hand. Both cruder than usual.

Her head is strong, her hair is long.  She’s sweeter than a lyrelark’s songs Nothing compares to her bending power  She makes all the other waterbenders cower Her mind’s as sharp as a spider snake’s bite Her smile as pure as sunlight/moonlight

So they are hungover. Katara clutches the paper to her chest, and bursts into laughter.

[woodlaflababab]

Someone suggested I make a Meta Masterpost, so I've gathered all my metas or general ramblings and the ficlets I've written. Hopefully I'll remember to update this as I go

Zukaang Metas:

The Northern Water Tribe Cave Scene

Parallels Between Aang and Iroh

Zuko's Unique Perspective on Aang

Zuko Encouraging Aang

Aang's Forgiveness

"Now I Know You Understand How Easy It Is To Hurt The People You Love."

Zuko being Aang's Hope

Symbolism of the Blue Dragon

Zuko Saving Zhao

Aang's Light in the First Episode

Small Zukaang Metas:

Zuko's Ba Sing Se Betrayal

Elements

Zukaang Meta Additions to Other Posts:

Aang and Zuko's Reactions To The Dragons

Roku Vs Aang in Saving Zuko

Sokkaang Metas:

General Sokkang Overview

Sokka's Unique Treatment of Aang

Kataang Metas:

"At My Back" Kataang

General Atla Metas:

Appa Trauma

Aang Being Fed

Aang's Trauma Response

Aang In The Western Air Temple

The Lion Turtle

Fics:

Zutaraang Fic

Zukaang Denial Ficlet

Zukaang Laughter Ficlet

Zukaang Dancing

[eirstohter]

I wanted to post at least one nice-ish drawing for @zutaramonth and now it's probably a bit too late, but here's a smooch from my Zutara/Pre-Zutaraang ficlet Three.

Before he can lose himself in his thoughts Katara tilts her head backwards until she faces him upside down. When he meets her eyes, she gives him a cheeky smile.

“Sooo…?”

“All right, fine.” He bends down to kiss the tip of her nose. “If he didn't have a boyfriend and if I wasn't married to the smartest, most beautiful and most fearsome woman in the world, I would absolutely tap that.”

“Hah. I knew it.”

“What? That my taste in men is as questionable as yours?”

“It can't be that bad. Just look at who I married.”

[likealittleheartbeat]

It’s not that Aang wouldn’t confide his feelings to Zuko. He always tried to be open about his emotions with everyone. But this wasn’t his world anymore. Time didn’t bring any of the ghosts back into their skin, and all the forgotten love was not suddenly remembered by everyone. So Aang knew the feelings he had for Zuko—they’d be completely foreign to his friend. Aang could imagine the shocked look in Zuko’s eyes, the words he might whisper back, things like “depraved” or “unnatural.” Aang knew better and tried to realize that those words weren’t in Zuko’s heart, just ways he was taught to think, but it didn’t resolve the pain.

Sometimes, when he was flying alone on Appa, he would weep and wonder how everyone’s hearts hardened. How did so much get lost? Was he really so alone with this feeling? He leaned down and asked Appa, who bellowed sympathetically. Whenever he visited Zuko, he watched him contented with his royal trappings including his royal wife. Aang tried to appreciate the ways ignorance and secrecy allowed him so much closeness with his friend, how they opened up their soul’s to one another on long walks and reclined next to one another in the royal baths. Aang could even, in front of the whole council, flirt forthrightly with the Firelord, and it was chalked up to his culture rather than any kind of romantic attachments. Imagine bending the whisps of hair behind someone’s ear and being accused of nothing more than a foreign disposition! But flirting was supposed to bring warmth and smiles. Each day spent with Zuko brought Aang only melancholic nights, and dreams of things they’d never do, lines they wouldn’t cross.

When it finally became too much for Aang to hold in, he brought the weight of his heart to Katara. Despite his absolute trust in her, the anticipation of confiding his feelings to her was utter agony. And for reason enough. She was hurt when she first took it all in. Days of shortened conversations and tense silences followed. Yes, Aang remembered during that time, I really am alone, aren’t I? At that moment Momo nuzzled into his neck and looked up at him with sad eyes. Alright, if you’re really so adamant, we can go talk to her. He thought about taking it back and saying he was just confused, but he couldn’t bring himself to. When he met Katara, he bowed to her and looked up to her with a smile and held back tears. They both erupted into sobs at the same time, laughed about their stubbornness and apologized before reconciling with each other. Katara couldn’t say she fully understood it all, but she loved Aang and trusted him, trusted that the things he felt didn’t need to affect their relationship. But, she also confessed, she wasn’t sure Zuko would reach the same conclusion.

So Aang kept holding it in. And it pained Katara to sometimes observe the slight shift of Aang’s face when he felt the fracture in his heart, like when he visited the palace, or when he played with Zuko and Mai’s kids, or as the sun set on them returning arm and arm from whichever winding path they’d taken, or as the stars came out and the dreams of Zuko came like tear-stained love letters again and again and again.

[zutaraangtastic]

Zutaraang Drabble Challenge Roundup!

We originally started this event to celebrate our 150 follower milestone, and now we’ve reached 200 more than that! Thank you all so much for sharing our love for this ship and sending in amazing prompts.

All the drabbles/ficlets we’ve written can be found in the tag on this blog and are also available on AO3; for your convenience, they are organized here by author, collection, and prompt.

Mod K (@kuchee​): Perfect Weather (chapters 6-7)

prompt: capture the avatar roleplay | Aang is compelled to watch his captors | blog | AO3

prompt: accidentally married in a local ritual | Katara, Aang and Zuko make a stop on a lively island of plantbenders | blog | AO3

Mod J (@jaystrifes): the law of three (chapters 1-6) & In Reverie (oneshot)

prompt: inappropriate use of bending | Katara and Aang tag along with Zuko to a Fire Nation gala | blog | AO3

prompt: Iroh’s relationship advice & prompt: Katara's jealousy | Katara works through her feelings at the Jasmine Dragon | blog | AO3

prompt: cat adoption | A ferret-cat in distress interrupts Zuko’s lunch with Aang, Katara and their children | blog | AO3

prompt: temperature play & prompt: dominant Katara & prompt: bloodbending | Katara shows off a new trick while sparring with Zuko and Aang | blog | AO3

prompt: dream-sharing | Aang and Zuko share a dance in a dream that feels too good to be true | blog | AO3

prompt: nightmares and comfort | Katara watches Zuko and Aang meet the same fate as her mother and wakes up in tears | blog | AO3

prompt: drunk Katara fluff & prompt: little spoon Zuko | Aang, Katara and Zuko share a bed for the first time in Daoshu | blog | AO3

Mod M (@comradegreenbucket​): see the same stars (chapter 1-2, & 4)

prompt: babysitting | Aang and Katara discover Zuko’s awkwardness with babies | blog | AO3

prompt: Zuko and Katara, after Aang | Katara buys three egg custard tarts | blog | AO3

prompt: teaching each other dances | Katara and Aang obliviously cha cha slide their way into Zuko’s heart | blog | AO3

Mod G (@guileheroine​): An Equation Heaven Sent (chapters 4-5)

prompt: favorite childhood music | Zuko and Aang encounter a lost melody at a Culture Day festival | blog | AO3

prompt: borrowed clothes & prompt: birthday gift | Zuko reluctantly gives up his favorite robe to his favorite people | blog | AO3

Back when we started this, we also planned to expand the drabble challenge for everyone else to participate. It took longer than anticipated to get through all our own drabbles first, but keep an eye out for a prompt masterlist coming soon!

In the meantime, there are some other awesome events in progress you can check out, like our zutaraang holiday gift exchange and the zutaraang zine!

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

dear amy; last week, you helped me a lot with my eye dryness. how? because of your sweet zutaraang fic. i adore it so much that i cried and my eyes got moistened. the dynamic of zutara as love rival to aang is completely my taste--and your aang week fics, especially the love prompt? beyond perfection. you always hit the right feels in me. i adore your writings so much ; - ;

😭 thank you so so much!! writing those zutaraang ficlets were such a delight, especially with how zuko and katara have such an energetic dynamic in the "rivalry" over aang (since ofc it wasn't really a rivalry, they just love to tease 😌). im so happy you enjoyed my aang week ficlets, too!! the love prompt was an absolute joy to write, oml.

this was such a sweet ask!! i really appreciate you taking the time to send it in 😭💛

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

Which of your fics…

i was tagged by @praetorqueenreyna! thank you!! 💛

Did you think would get a bigger reaction/audience than it got: hmm maybe banished? but it’s a definitely a more niche and darker sort of maiko/mai-centric ficlet, so i probably shouldn’t have had such high hopes 😂

Is your funniest: uhhhhh almost a tie but probably see you again! it’s the first (and probably will be the only) modern atla fic i’ve ever written, and i had a lot of fun developing platonic zutara and the kataang meet-cute with plenty of comedic beats. i mean,, it’s funny to me at least 😂 i still laugh at the mental image of aang sprinting towards zuko and zuko having to drop everything to catch him, what can i say?

Is your darkest/angstiest: probably banished (for now 👀). i mean,, it’s automatically impossible to write a “mai learns zuko was banished” fic without angst, and i kinda pushed to see just how far that wound might cut her, wink wink nudge nudge if you’ve read the fic (i swear i love mai y’all 😂 i don’t know why i make her suffer so 🤧)

Is your absolute favorite: yes i’ve talked about them a hundred times,, yes i will do it again!! There’s a Fine, Fine Line (my Flash Thompson introspection) and all i know is gone (but i am not alone) (my aang-centric fic revolving around his grief as seen through his friends’ eyes) were fics i put my entire soul into and the fandom reception was wonderful,, i wouldn’t be who i am today if i hadn’t written those stories!

Is your least favorite: hahahahahaha anything from middle school,, bye (none of which is on my ao3 thank goodness)

Was the easiest to write: honestly?? probably keep the paper lantern lit (my zutaraang week 2020 collection of oneshots) because i’d been DYING to write some zutaraang and every prompt sparked an idea right away except for like one which i still eventually figured out. aang having two hands for zuko and katara OWNS me (as it should)

Was the hardest to write: oh my god Sigh No More (my maiko much ado au) was SO hard to write,, adjusting the language while still keeping the rhythm of Shakespeare’s lines was the most difficult thing i’ve ever tried to do 🤦 fanfic truly is a labor of love 😂

Has your favorite line/exchange/paragraph (share it): bruh,, my memory is not that good,, i forget everything i write once i post it. uhhhhh,, okay. this is one of my favorite snippets i’ve written from a recent fic, because i feel wrong calling it my Favorite when there’s probably other things i’m just as proud of but can’t recall lmao:

And then he was kissing Mai, his hand resting at the curve of her neck atop her collarbone as he pressed her back against the trunk of the tree. She wrapped her arms around his waist in response, pulling him into her body to deepen the kiss before one of her hands rose up to entangle itself in his hair. Zuko regretted nothing more than when he had to pull away to breathe.

“Don’t think this means you’re off the hook,” Mai whispered, her chest rising and falling with a rapid speed that told Zuko she’d enjoyed the moment as much as he had. She touched their foreheads together. “Just because we’re on kissing terms again doesn’t mean my expectations have lowered.”

Zuko was simply grateful she was willing to give him another chance. He pressed a gentle kiss to her jaw. “Ask me to do anything for you.”

There was a long pause. The air seemed to grow heavier in the silence.

“Kill my parents.”

(from Sigh No More, my maiko much ado au)

shakespeare aus just hit different, what can i say?

Have you re-read the most: mmmmm i guess There’s a Fine, Fine Line? i like rereading those comments bc they’re all the sweetest so sometimes i reread the fic too bc im there lmao (generally speaking i don’t reread my fics once they’re posted 😂)

Would you recommend to someone reading your work for the first time: probably meeting mai! it’s just a soft little ficlet of the gaang all welcoming mai into their friend group like she deserves 💛

Are you most proud of: i mean,, it’s gotta be No Ordinary Exchange (my rayllum college!au). it’s the longest fic i’ve ever completed (it’ll be around 175k when fully posted!!) and honestly i just had so much FUN writing it. i was able to write pretty much every scene i’d ever dreamed of for rayllum in a college!au, of course, but i also ended up diving into subjects i never thought i’d approach, like soren’s relationship with viren and even introducing a few OCs. it was a massive undertaking, lmao; i wrote it over the course of 8 months and a lot of it was completed in early quarantine and my last summer before college. so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart for helping keep me motivated and happy even after so many things i’d been looking forward to senior year were cancelled, yk?

tagging: @drowning-in-cacophony, @ambivalentmarvel, @korvidaee, @penguinsledder, and @itsmoonpeaches if any of you are interested! no pressure 💛

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

📓

in my heart of hearts, i have a continuation of this zutaraang week 2020 ficlet where aang Confesses to zuko, zuko has a Crisis (bc what's love without a crisis along the way) and mai probably talks to him about it (bc she is still his closest confidante imo), cue a happy zutaraang ending - with some communication lmfao - where katara, aang, and zuko decide the relationship is worth a try 💛