#neurodiverse zukka

[rolandtowen]

i raise you this: adhd!sokka MAKING autistic!zuko a weighted turtleduck plush as a fidget for himself… like crocheting it or something from that heavy layered cotton yarn and he’s lugging it around in his backpack for weeks working on it as a surprise but it’s literally So Heavy and zuko hands him his backpack at one point and asks why it’s so heavy and sokka is like “NOTHING!!! NOT!! DONT WORRY ABOUT IT!!!”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! Absolutely! I can totally see Sokka doing this. He has to run into JoAnn Fabrics at some point and tells Zuko to stay in the car and comes back all secretive and Zuko is just like ?????

Anon, I love you for giving me this headcanon. Bless thee.

#zuko #sokka #zukka #atla #avatar #ask box #asks #neurodiverse zukka #neurodivergent zukka #autistic zuko #adhd sokka #autistic headcanon #headcanon #anon

[zukkaoru]

zukka + music

sokka listens to music all the time. he needs background noise to focus, so he's almost always got at least one of his earbuds in playing something. and he gets wireless earbuds bc they're easier for when he's moving around while working on something

eventually, he takes to giving zuko one of the earbuds so they can both listen to music, and it works out perfectly bc sokka likes having only one earbud in in case something happens, and zuko can only use one earbud anyway bc he can only hear out of one ear

send me a ship + a word and i’ll give you a headcanon

#adhd sokka #<3 #sokka also has noise cancelling headphones for sensory overload #actually zuko has a pair of those two #they're neurodiverse boyfriends wbk #zukka #atla #ask game #anon asks

[sparkle-fiend]

So sometimes hyperfixation is awesome. It’s like I have the intensity and focus of a laser. I feel unstoppable- powering through sleepless nights, impervious to distraction like fucking Superman deflecting bullets.

And then other times it’s not so great. Like... I’m happily working on my next Zukka comic, when all of a sudden my brain just hijacks me- hits me over the head with a crowbar and locks me in the trunk of a car speeding away. It’s like I’ve been kidnapped. Now I’m huddled up in the basement of my brain reading The Old Guard fanfiction until my eyes bleed. 😭 I literally cannot stop.

Like damn, what is it like to be neurotypical and have steady, even engagement with your interests? I wish I knew.

#neurodiverse artist #personal #sparkle speaks #if you followed me strictly for the zukka content #i apologize #and i hope to return to it soon #until then #old guard fanart incoming lol

[ironwilledfuckup]

partner with adhd who cannot focus without a body double + partner who makes up projects to work on to be an effective body double

#two neurodiverse people in a relationship is something that can be so personal #sukka #but also zukka

[atla18reversebang]

[ID: Screencap redraw by @fixationsbigandsmall of the Fire family. Sokka, Katara and Aang are dressed in fire nation clothes. Katara has a fake pregnancy belly. They are all sitting in chairs. Sokka  with  cocky confidence in his dad roll, Aang' with faux innocence, Katara with 'I would rather be anywhere else but I'm pretending otherwise'  /End Id]

MOD INTRODUCTIONS:

Hey, I'm Jay (he/they) @raininginthestreets on tumblr and ao3. Feel free to contact me on whenever for literally anything I do not care what it is. Im excited as hell for this event and am so looking forward to everything that's gonna come out of it.

I'm Sabe (they/them) and @zukos-firebending on Tumblr; follow for my lighthearted-to-shitposty a:tla art! Though I might not respond right away, my ask box is always open.

@fixationsbigandsmall, Magdalena, she/they I do atla fan art, with a lot of poly content. Feel free to contact me 24/7 if you have any questions you'd rather ask in PM.

Hey I'm aphie, @aceraphaelsantiagos on Tumblr and @aphelius on ao3. I'm a massive language nerd, in a euro friendly timezone and I'm super pumped to see what everyone creates! Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions or need to to chat

heyy i'm kiran, @bookedforevermore and @kiranwrites on tumblr, and @kiranwrites on ao3. i'm very much into all things science and math (both academically), and am interested in history as a social narrative and social histories in general (non academically). i'm excited to see what everyone creates and look forward to this reverse bang!

hey, friends:) i’m corey ( @that-was-anticlimactic​ ) and my ao3 is that same: thatwasanticlimactic ! i write a lot, especially about neurodiverse zukka (okay, well, mostly sokka with tourette’s but that’s my brand) ! i love reading and writing and making crappy doodles in my notebooks and i am so excited to see all the wonderful art created <3

[link to sign ups / rules / schedule post]

#atla18reversebang #mod post #has id

[ao3feed-zukka]

kiss it better

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3v5DuYY

by rolandtowen

"Sokka?"

A mess of brown hair and blue eyes peers out from underneath a carefully constructed cocoon of blankets. Zuko's standing in their bedroom doorway, holding Sokka's medication organizer. "When was the last time you remember taking your meds?"

"Hmm... Thursday?" Comes Sokka's voice, muffled by the blankets.

Zuko flipped through the pill pockets. "No, looks like Tuesday."

"How bad is that? What day is today?"

Zuko sits on the edge of their bed, close enough to hold Sokka's hand but not close enough to disrupt his carefully crafted fort. "Well firstly, today is Sunday." Sokka groans and brings his free hand to his forehead. Zuko presses on, squeezing his other hand. "Secondly, taking your meds is morally neutral. Forgetting doesn't make you a bad person, it just means we need to find a routine that works better for you." ------ Sokka builds a blanket fort. Zuko info-dumps about ADHD and chronic pain. Fluff ensues.

Words: 1521, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Neurodiverse Zukka AU

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)

Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)

Additional Tags: med student zuko, med school zukka au, neurodiverse zukka, Neurodiversity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Sokka, Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Autism, sokka has chronic pain, Chronic Pain, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Established Relationship, Established Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Cuddling & Snuggling, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Forehead Kisses, come over here and get yall domestic zukka, Gentle Kissing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Domestic Boyfriends, Soft Zuko (Avatar), Hurt Sokka (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar)-centric, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Fluff and Humor

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3v5DuYY

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #zukka #avatar: the last airbender #atla #zuko #sokka

[rolandtowen]

three times Zuko comes into the Jasmine Dragon coffee shop, and one time Sokka leaves with him. Set in the Neurodiverse Zukka AU, but can read as a standalone.

*banging pots and pans together* "Come over here and get yall Neurodiverse Zukka!"

Read it on Ao3 or under the cut!

TW: discussions of skin picking and implied child abuse

i.

When Sokka pulls into the parking lot of the Jasmine Dragon, he is unsurprisingly the first car there. Being a freshman in town means getting the worst pick of shifts at local businesses. Sokka was hired on to work the opening shift, which means he wakes up at the ungodly hour of 5am to open the shop before the first round of sleep-deprived college students comes in. The pay isn't bad, Mr. Iroh is an incredibly fair man,

The bell on the door jingles on his way in, and he flips several light switches on, watching as the coffee shop slowly comes to life. He busies himself with getting the beans for the day grinding, pulling his first shot and dialing in the expresso. When he takes a sip, the espresso is spot on for the day, which is a relief. Having to make adjustments as customers start filing in is a nightmare.

Today's brew is floral and citrusy, so he decides to make himself and iced lavender latte - with oat milk, of course, because he's gotta do it for the gays - and he spends the next 20 minutes setting out pastries and fiddling with the display cases, making everything look perfect.

At 6am sharp, Sokka unlocks the front door and flips their sign to open, before retreating behind the bar to nurse his latte. Not even five minutes later, the door bell jingles, and Sokka sees a flash of dark hair, face obscured by a pile of textbooks and binders. The figure runs into one table, and then another, and Sokka is rushing out from behind the counter. He gets there just before textbooks go toppling everywhere, his hands taking a firm hold of the top bundle. As he pulls the books into his arms, he sees the face behind them.

Breathtaking golden eyes.

And.. a massive burn scar.

"Hi!" Sokka says, "I'm the barista on shift today - my name's Sokka." He would reach his hand for the other man to shake, but for the stack of textbooks in them.

Golden Eyes smiles.

"I'm Zuko, Zuko Sozin," he says, setting his remaining textbooks on the table by his side. Sokka follows suit.

"Hey, I think I've seen you before - are you taking Piandao's Intro to Biology class?"

"Uh, yeah - yeah! You sit a few rows in front of me." Zuko laughs. "Your doodles are uh, something alright."

Sokka knocks him good-naturedly on the shoulder. "I gotta keep my hands busy for my brain to focus." He looks down at the stack of books on the table. "What on earth are you studying, to have that many books?"

"Uh, Biology and Chemistry double-major, Pre-Med track." Sokka's eyes widen. "It's really not that much! I got a bunch of stuff out of the way with AP credits."

Sokka raises an eyebrow.

"Okay, it is a lot - but I'm really passionate about it. I want to be a doctor."

"Well, Dr. Sozin, what can I get started for you today?"

"Can I get a iced matcha, with a lot of honey?"

Sokka raises his other eyebrow. "A doctor with a sweet tooth?"

"Kind of?"

"Don't worry, I won't rat you out to your dentist. An iced matcha with extra honey?" Zuko nods and Sokka smiles. "You got it, doc."

ii.

Sokka falls into a routine at the Jasmine Dragon. He opens the shop every morning, and every morning of the fall semester so far, Zuko Sozin comes in at precisely 6:05am. Zuko will order an iced matcha with honey, and sits at a table by the window with his laptop and at least two textbooks open at all times. Then, at 11:50am - Sokka guess he has a class that starts at noon - Zuko leaves the shop, always making sure to throw his spare change into Sokka's tip jar.

He's so beautiful.

On a slow day, Sokka comes out from behind the safety of the counter and works up the courage to ask Zuko if he can study with him. Zuko looks shocked at first, but his lips quirk up in a smile as he gestures for Sokka to sit in the chair across from him, moving his textbooks to make room for Sokka's one book and laptop.

"What are you studying, Sokka?" Zuko appears to be genuinely interested.

"Oh, uh, social work, with a concentration in mental health." Sokka waits for Zuko to laugh at him. It never comes. He looks up at him over their laptops.

"That's really cool."

"You think so?"

"Yeah! I mean, some pre-med majors can be really pretentious, really dismissive of mental illness, but um - not me. I don't really have that luxury." Zuko laughs, as though at a joke with himself. "What's the Intro to Biology for, then?"

"Not all of us got our common core out of the way with AP credits, like some nerd I know." Zuko smiles at that, and looks back down at his laptop screen.

Sokka pulls his keys from his pocket and starts fidgeting with the stim toy he keeps on his keychain as he reads through his latest assignment for his Mental Illness and Society class. He bought it on Etsy, relieved to find a neurodivergent-owned shop after scrolling through a lot of stores that just seemed to be hopping on the 'trend' of selling fidget toys. He flips to the next page in his textbook, popping the buttons back and forth in a steady rhythm. He remembers Zuko's sitting across from him and stops abruptly.

"Is this annoying? Do you want me to stop?"

Zuko just cocks his head. "Why would I get a say in what you do? It's kind of your shop, right?"

"Um, to be polite?" Sokka laughs. "And you would be surprised how many customers I get who think they get to tell me what to do." His eyes settle on the half drunk latte in front of him. "It's not really my shop either, I just work the early morning shifts so Mr. Iroh can sleep in. If you ever get to stay past noon sometime, you'll see him come in. You can't miss him, short guy, talks in riddles. He's older, a war vet I think - I just get that impression from some of the stories he tells me. But anyway, did you want me to stop fidgeting?" Sokka looks back up to meet those golden eyes.

Zuko glitches for a second. "Oh! No, no, go for it - if it helps you to study, I'm all for it."

Sokka smiles, and looking at the way Zuko keeps picking at his cuticles gives him an idea. He digs into his backpack and pulls out another stim toy, an acupressure ring. ""Do you want to try this instead of maiming your hands?"

Zuko hesitantly holds out a hand and Sokka drops it into his palm. "You don't have to."

Sokka scoffs. "I know I don't have to - I want to. Come on, I wear it on my thumb sometimes -" and suddenly he's taking Zuko's hands into his and getting very close to Zuko's face. Zuko can smell espresso on his clothes and Sokka's hands are so warm against his. Calloused, sure, but warm. He holds Zuko's right hand gently, pressing the spiky ring onto his thumb. "And you can rub it back and forth with your pointer finger and it gives you that kind of prickly sensation that you get from skin picking, just without the skin picking." Sokka pulls his hands away and Zuko immediately misses them. "Give it a shot, tell me what you think."

Zuko tentatively rolls the ring over his thumb. Huh. The cute barista's right, the acupressure gives him that same prickly, scratchy feeling that picking at his nails and cuticles does. "Wow," he says, "I think you've converted me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Then keep it, I've got a thousand more where that came from, ADHD perks."

Zuko instinctively opens his mouth to protest but the words die in his throat.

"You, you have ADHD?" He stops rolling the ring across his thumb.

"Yup." Sokka's lips popped on the 'p', and he turned to the next page in his textbook. "And I'm pretty sure you've got some spicy stuff happening your brain, too. But you don't have to tell me."

"How are you so open about it?"

Sokka's hand stills around the fidget. "My parents never treated me like I was deficient in any way - my brain just works differently, which means I have trouble with some 'normal' stuff. But I also strengths in areas that others don't have naturally. Accommodations aren't anything to be ashamed of."

"Sounds nice." All of the levity drops out of Zuko's voice.

Sokka levels a look at Zuko. He lets his eyes flit to the right side of Zuko's face and the scar there. He's seen it so many times, and the burns look so concentrated, almost... intentional. His stomach churns at the thought. The scar's old... and Zuko's at college now, he has to be safe - he has to be.

"Like I said, you don't have to tell me." Sokka's hand starts to fidget with the buttons again. "But I have it on good authority that I am a good listener."

"I'll... I'll keep that in mind." Zuko looks down at his hands, fingers rolling the ring back and forth against his thumb. "Thank you."

"Anytime, doc."

iii.

Somehow, fumbling through their collective social awkwardness, they manage to swap numbers.

At the end of the fall semester, Sokka texts Zuko for the first time.

S: hey, im gonna be a few minutes later. don't worry, im still coming.

Z: okay. thank you.

When Sokka finally pulls into the parking lot fifteen minutes late, he sees Zuko waiting outside the door, sitting on a bench, head buried in one of his chemistry textbooks.

"Hey," he puts his keys in the door. "You can just come in while I open, it won't take too long."

Zuko follows him inside, and he closes the door against the chill.

"You didn't have to text me," Zuko says, like it's a question.

"I wanted to," Sokka starts flipping on light switches. "I know you've got your routine, and I didn't want to stress you out when it got messed up."

"Why would that matter to you?"

"Um, I don't want you to be stressed? I kind of care about you."

"You... you care about me?" Zuko stands in the middle of the coffee shop, unmoving.

Sokka smiles. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Why?"

"I think we could be friends?"

"Oh." Zuko's face falls for a second - what Sokka has come to understand is his 'processing' face - and he looks back up a second later. "I think we could be friends too."

"Friendship with a barista has great perks, you know." Sokka laughs as he starts up the grinder. "Although the perks of a social worker friend aren't too bad either."

"How's that going? With your first semester ending?" Zuko sits on a stool at the bar and watches Sokka putter around behind it.

"Well, I'm going to pass Intro to Biology, not for lack of trying on Piandao's part - I swear he's trying to weed out all the humanities kids. It isn't even a weed out course!" He polishes an espresso glass furiously. "How are you doing?"

Zuko chokes. "Oh, I'm - I'm fine, you know it's a hard class and all -"

"You're getting an A, aren't you?" Sokka squints at him from behind a bag of coffee beans. "Curve breaker," he scoffs.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm, what did you call it? A 'burnt-out gifted kid with people pleasing tendencies'." Zuko crosses his arms and huffs at the memory of that conversation. Sokka had read him like a picture book. And it was not fair for one person to be that good at emotions.

"You are correct, I did indeed call you that." Sokka pulls the first shot of the morning. "And it looks like I was right."

"You know what you said the other week, about being a good listener?"

"Sure do," Sokka takes a sip of the espresso, swishing it around in his mouth before spitting it out. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, if we're going to be... friends, I just think you'd want to know that - I'm autistic." Zuko stares at Sokka searching his face for any cues about what the next words out of his mouth will be, waiting for the facade of friendship to drop. He furiously rolls the acupressure ring up and down his thumb.

"Okay, that's great!"

"...what."

Zuko's hands freeze and he squeezes the ring against his skin, feeling the pressure increase.

"That's great, I'm glad you felt safe enough to tell me that. I kind of guessed your parents weren't as accommodating as mine?"

Zuko laughs something sour. "No, no they were not." He looks up in surprise as Sokka puts an iced matcha, extra honey, in front of him. "You're right though, I do feel safe here. I feel safe with you." Zuko looks down at the acupressure ring on his thumb, softening his grip. "You could have totally ignored me, but you didn't. Or you could've been mean about my quirks - but you weren't. Why?"

"Well, for starters, you tip well." Sokka smiles and leans across the counter, bracketing Zuko's elbows in with his own. "But you're also a really great guy - you're passionate, you want to make people's lives better, and you're also like, really beautiful."

Zuko feels his cheeks flush. "You really think that?" His fingers still against the fidget again, but he doesn't feel the need to press it into his skin. He's captivated by Sokka's words. Surely, Sokka couldn't actually mean -

"Oh, yeah. Every bit." Sokka brushes his hand against one of Zuko's, the one with the fidget ring. "Can I hold your hand?"

"Yes, please, yes." After weeks, Sokka's hand is back in his, and Zuko thinks he's going to implode. "Can, can you hold both of my hands? With both of your hands?"

"Of course," Sokka's positively beaming, grabbing Zuko's hands and running his thumbs across his knuckles. "Now you're absolutely allowed to say no to my next question, and there are no hard feelings."

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Fuck yes."

The iced matcha is forgotten.

+ i

Sokka's feet hurt like hell. Mr. Iroh had called in him to work a double on Friday, and since he doesn't have any classes on Fridays, he foolishly agreed.

It won't seem so foolish once you see the paycheck, he reminds himself. He and Zuko have a deal. Zuko pays for his medical school with his job shelving books at the University library, and Sokka pays for their tiny apartment by caffeinating all of the other broke college kids in town. By some miracle, they seem to be able to make it work. Zuko graduated into the medical college a year early, which helps with tuition costs, and of course his brilliant boyfriend got all kinds of scholarships.

Sokka is indescribably proud of him.

The door bell jangles just as Sokka is wiping the crumbs off the last cafe table. "Hey, we're starting to close up for the night, so it'd better be a to-go order," he calls over his shoulder.

"Even for me?"

"Zuko!" Sokka drops his cloth immediately and spins around, pulling Zuko into a hug. Zuko taps the small of his back when he's ready to let go, and Sokka lets him go, beaming. "You came to visit me at work?"

"More like I picked up your favorite soup dumplings from Haru's across the street and thought we could walk home together?" Zuko shrugs, gesturing to the brown paper bag in his arms. "How's that sound to you?"

"Baby, that's just what I needed today." Sokka picks up his cleaning supplies. "Okay, I just need to put all of this away and then we can lock up and go home, how's that?"

"Great," Zuko smiles at him. "I may have also picked up some more Doctor Who DVDs from the library," he smirks.

"Oh, you trickster!" Sokka yells from the kitchen, before appearing again. "You used my one weakness, pork soup dumplings, against me in order to get your nerdy way."

"Oh, big talk coming from the guy who watches astronomy documentaries for fun," Zuko laughs as Sokka leads him out of the shop, switching off the lights and locking the door behind him. "If it were up to you, we'd be watching Cosmos all weekend, and I can only take so much of Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining the peculiarities of the moon."

"Hey, the moon is cool!"

"You are correct, the moon is very cool. It's freezing, because it's a rock. In space. With no atmosphere. Or life." Zuko deadpans, earning a light punch on the shoulder from Sokka.

"Fine, you get Doctor Who tonight, but Saturday is going to be all PBS Nova, baby. Brace yourself." Sokka takes Zuko's free hand into his as they start the walk home.

"Well, as long as you're there, I'm happy."

Notes:

fidgets in this work were inspired by those from shop StimBox

#neurodiverse au #neurodiverse zukka #neurodivergent zukka #autistic zuko #adhd sokka #coffee shop #modern au #college au #med school au #bisexual sokka #asexual zuko #gay zuko #zukka #first kiss #zuko is an awkward turtleduck #pre relationship #developing relationship #sokka is a nerd #zuko is also a nerd #touch starved zuko #stim toys #fidget toys #fluff #romantic fluff #how many tags can char fit on a post #rolandtowen #my fic #atla #avatar #the last airbender

[rolandtowen]

come hither, come hither, some Zukka I'll blither

The second installment in the Neurodiverse Zukka AU! In which Sokka builds a blanket fort, Zuko info-dumps, and they share some soft kisses.

#zukka #my fic #rolandtowen #mine #zuko #sokka #zuko x sokka #autistic zuko #adhd sokka #neurodiverse zukka #autism #adhd #med school au #my biology unit this week was bones can you tell #domestic fluff #zukka fluff #modern au #coffee shop au

[rolandtowen]

Kiss It Better

Sokka builds a blanket fort. Zuko info-dumps about ADHD and chronic pain. Fluff ensues.

Read it under the cut!

"Sokka?"

A mess of brown hair and blue eyes peers out from underneath a carefully constructed cocoon of blankets. Zuko's standing in their bedroom doorway, holding Sokka's medication organizer.

"When was the last time you remember taking your meds?"

"Hmm... Thursday?" Comes Sokka's voice, muffled by the blankets.

Zuko flipped through the pill pockets. "No, looks like Tuesday."

"How bad is that? What day is today?"

Zuko sits on the edge of their bed, close enough to hold Sokka's hand but not close enough to disrupt his carefully crafted fort. "Well firstly, today is Sunday." Sokka groans and brings his free hand to his forehead. Zuko presses on, squeezing his other hand. "Secondly, taking your meds is morally neutral. Forgetting doesn't make you a bad person, it just means we need to find a routine that works better for you."

Sokka nods and Zuko can see the gears turning in his brain.

"Can I ask why you're in a blanket fort? Is it your knee?"

As a kid with ADHD, Sokka played a lot of sports: hockey, basketball, even tennis. But football is what did him in - in his senior year in high school, an unfortunate tackle tore his ACL, dislocated his left knee, and created hairline fractures in his calf bones. The Dancing Dragons won the game, but Sokka spent the rest of his senior year recovering. After almost five years, all it takes is one bad twist during a rush in the coffee shop and Sokka's down for the count.

"What gave it away?" Zuko looks up from their joined hands to see Sokka smiling at him, his bitterness at his body softened by Zuko's presence.

"Well, for one, the heating pad was mysteriously absent from our med drawer - and you're also in a blanket fort." Zuko squeezes Sokka's hand. "May I join you?"

"But of course, my love," Sokka pulls back the comforter, slapping the empty mattress beside him. "By all means, come on into Fort Chronic Pain."

Zuko laughs, settling next to his boyfriend and curling into him. "You're ridiculous."

"That's why you love me." Sokka starts combing his fingers through Zuko's long hair. "How were your classes today?"

Sokka knows that if he can get Zuko talking about school, he won't be so worried about Sokka's knee.

"Are you trying to get me to stop worrying about you? It won't work." Sokka sighs.

"Maybe, I think your med school classes are interesting."

Zuko, for all his worrying, had passed the MCAT, graduated summa cum laude, and was now studying for his M. D. at the prestigious Beifong Medical School. Sokka hadn't doubted him for a second. Zuko never gave up and never backed down. The man could grapple with the Sun and win unscathed.

"-oned?" Zuko's voice comes from below him.

"Huh?"

"I asked, 'are you zoned'?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I-"

Zuko waves him off. "What's the last thing you remember? I can start over."

"I remember asking you about classes, and you wrongfully accusing me of trying to distract you."

Zuko snorts. "My favorite class by far has been Mental Health and Physiology. I think it's highly admirable that med schools are starting to integrate mental and physical health, and not teaching them separately."

"What kind of things have you learned?"

"Like, people with anxiety may present with back pain that doesn't correlate to an injury; the excess stress can really do strange things to your muscles - and we should still holistically treat patients without just dismissing them and telling them to relax."

Sokka nods. "That makes a lot of sense, baby. You're so smart."

"Oh, shut up." Zuko can feel his cheeks warm at the compliment. "But, we also talked about ADHD and chronic pain, which I thought you might like to hear?"

"Of course, turtleduck. Amaze me." Sokka rests his hand on Zuko's hair, running his thumb across the curve of his head. "Info-dump away."

Zuko takes a deep breath in. "Okay, so, there are significant studies that show that people with ADHD experience chronic pain at a higher level than the average population - there are a few theories as to why this might be. Many people with ADHD experience hypertonia, or muscle overactivity. This can make it really difficult to fully relax tense muscles, and increases chance of injury. Additionally, low dopamine is considered to be one of the causes of ADHD, and dopamine regulates chronic pain signals. Most of the research has only been done in the last decade, so it's going to be really exciting to see what new treatments develop - previously, dopamine wasn't really known to be connected to pain regulation at all." Zuko turns to look up at Sokka. "You never know, there might be an effective treatment for your leg in the next decade."

Sokka wants to be hopeful, he does, but he's been trying to treat his chronic pain for five years, and he's had limited success. Going to a chiropractor helped a little, the physical therapist gave him some great exercises for strengthening the tendons supporting his knee, and cutting back on inflammatory foods lessened the pain level whenever he entered a flare - but he still got flares. A hike could knock him off his feet for weeks; a rainy day could be agonizing. He just wishes there was a simple solution - but as much as homeopathic Karens in the coffee shop try to convince him, there's no one-step solution. No, Janet, as good as your essential oil blend smells, it isn't going to take the place of physical therapy, preventative care, and lifestyle changes. Just like for his ADHD. It takes dedication to a process of self-care to make improvement in either arena.

And if the off-schedule pill organizer in Zuko's hands is any indication, dedication to a process can feel fucking impossible with ADHD. 

"Can I do anything to help?" Sokka looks down to see Zuko's amber eyes staring up at him, offering comfort no blanket fort could provide. 

"Can you..."

"Yeah?"

Sokka swallows. "Could you, maybe... kiss it better?"

Zuko's eyes practically sing his answer: "Of course I can."

Zuko gingerly moves the heating pad from its spot on Sokka's left knee. He tips his head down, pressing a featherlight kiss to Sokka's kneecap. He murmurs something under his breath. 

"Sorry, what was that?"

Zuko looks at him sheepishly. "I said, 'the patella'. 

Sokka can't hold back the laughter that bubbles out of his chest. "You're using me for anatomy study?"

"Seems like a fair trade. You get kisses and I get to study at the same time." Zuko drops another kiss to Sokka's knee. "Both the elbows and the knees are constructed with hinge joints." Zuko presses a firmer kiss to Sokka's thigh. "This is the femur, the thighbone - the longest and strongest bone in your body."

Sokka opens his mouth to make a joke, but Zuko beats him to it: "If you make a joke about your dick, I'm donating you to my cadaver class." Sokka's jaw snaps shut. 

Zuko drops another two kisses on either side of Sokka's calf. "Tibia and fibula," he whispers. "These are the ones you broke senior year."

"Only hairline fractures," Sokka corrects.

"Can you still feel it?"

Sokka shakes his head. "It's the ACL that still bothers me the most."

"Do you want some lidocaine?"

"Spirits, yes." 

Zuko rummages through their nightstand, pulling the blessed tub of Icy Hot out of the top drawer, and spreading a thin layer over Sokka's knee. He traces soft patterns into his knee as they wait for the lidocaine to kick in. 

"If you say 'patella' again, I'm going to smack you." Sokka eyes him from where he's leaning against the headboard. 

"Of course not," Zuko takes Sokka's right hand into his and presses a kiss to the back of it. "Metacarpals."

"You fucker-"

"Don't get riled up and undo all my hard work." Zuko massages the palm of Sokka's hand. "Is the leg better?"

"Much better."

"So we still have the original problem."

"The meds?"

Zuko nods. "So I know you've been trying to take them as soon as you wake up..."

"But?"

"I think you should task-stack it," Zuko says, running his thumb absent-mindedly over Sokka's knee. "You should pair with something you do everyday."

"Like what?"

"You make yourself a wicked pour-over every morning. What if you kept your meds by the kettle and then took them while you waited for the water to get hot?" 

Sokka face pauses, processing. "Huh."

"Would... would that work?"

Sokka smiles, beaming at him. "That's a brilliant idea, turtleduck." He opens his arms up, patting the space underneath him. "Come up here?"

"If you insist," Zuko quips. "Do you want me to make fried rice tonight? I can even bring it to you if you want."

"You're literally the light of my life."

Zuko laughs. "I'll take that to heart." He snuggles up under Sokka's chin. "Do you feel better?"

"So much better." Sokka pushes back Zuko's hair from his face and presses a soft kiss to his forehead. "Thanks to you."

"Frontal bone," Zuko murmurs. 

"Seriously?!"

Zuko cackles. 

#mine #zuko #atla #sokka #rolandtowen #zukka #avatar #avatar: tla #autistic zuko #sokka has adhd #med school au #neurodiverse zukka #neurodivergent zukka #neurodiverse au #tw: medication #tw: medical

[rolandtowen]

me: Sokka loves Zuko a normal amount

*how Sokka thinks about Zuko in my upcoming fanfic*

#mine #atla #sokka #zukka #zuko #rolandtowen #avatar #avatar: tla #zukka med school au #neurodiverse zukka

[rolandtowen]

renegade featuring taylor swift is rattling around in my brain as inspiration for a neurodiverse zukka update

#char talks #char writes #neurodiverse zukka #zuko #sokka

[rolandtowen]

me to me: go on, you can write a zukka fic about sokka showing zuko stim toys. as a treat.

#neurodiverse au #neurodivergent zukka #zuko #sokka #fic writing #aka now I want to buy all of the stim toys I'm using as reference from etsy #autistic zuko #adhd sokka

[zukkaoru]

written for day one of @atlagenweek2021: animal companions/pets and inspired by this ask from @that-was-anticlimactic

Rating: G Relationships: Mai & Sokka (Avatar) Characters: Mai (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Druk (Avatar) Additional Tags: Autistic Mai (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Sokka (Avatar) Has Tourette's, Snakes, Animals, Post-Canon, Ambassador Sokka (Avatar), give mai a snake 2k21 Word Count: 4535

Summary:

The scales on its head and back have an iridescent shimmer, which Mai recognizes as belonging to the Surya snake, named for the spirit of light. It must be a baby one, and if Mai had to guess, she’d say it’s lost.

She holds her hand out towards the snake, and it slithers up her arm, twisting around her wrist.

She stands up and turns back to Sokka. “It’s just a baby; it won’t hurt you.

or, sometimes friendships are formed via snakes and infodumping

#atlagenweek2021 #i have been struggling to finish this for so long but it's FINALLY DONE #also i forgot to tag it but obviously there's a smidge of background zukka bc that's just Who I Am #anyway neurodiverse mai and sokka friendship rights!! #adhd sokka #sokka with tourette's #autistic mai #atla #mai #sokka #atla mai #atla sokka #grace's writing tag #atla fic #atla fanfic #avatar: the last airbender

[rolandtowen]

fuck writing normal body language, writing stimming body language is where it's AT.

#char talks #fic writing #it makes so much more sense to my brain #yes this is for the neurodiverse zukka au

[rolandtowen]

"Hey I'm home!" Sokka pulls the key from the front door, kicking it closed while balancing a bag of groceries on his hip. "I brought you Brain Food!"

Getting no response, Sokka sets his keys and bags on the counter, looking around their apartment. It's a small thing, but it works for him and Zuko until Sokka finishes his degree and can pick up more hours at the coffee shop. Striding into their bedroom, Sokka sees Zuko, face down into a medical textbook.

"You good, babe?"

Not even looking up, Zuko mumbles into the pages: "I pray for the sweet relief of death."

Would yall care for some neurodiverse zukka?

#zukka #med school au #autistic zuko #adhd sokka #med school zukka #mine #rolandtowen #fic #zukka fic #tw: implied child abuse #zuko #sokka #also sokka is a barista #so #coffee shop au #modern au

[ao3feed-zukka]

good doctors stop hearts

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3hL7syC

by rolandtowen

"Hey I'm home!" Sokka pulls the key from the front door, kicking it closed while balancing a bag of groceries on his hip. "I brought you Brain Food!" Getting no response, Sokka sets his keys and bags on the counter, looking around their apartment. It's a small thing, but it works for him and Zuko until Sokka finishes his degree and can pick up more hours at the coffee shop. Striding into their bedroom, Sokka sees Zuko, face down into a medical textbook. "You good, babe?" Not even looking up, Zuko mumbles into the pages: "I pray for the sweet relief of death."

Words: 1509, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Neurodiverse Zukka AU

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)

Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)

Additional Tags: med student zuko, med school zukka au, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Barista Sokka, Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, i guess?, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Autism, Neurodiversity, Eating Disorders, Ableism

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3hL7syC

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #zukka #avatar: the last airbender #atla #zuko #sokka