#and sokka reminding zuko how to breathe and live and have fun again and reminding zuko what life was about… | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

milf-harrington · 3 years

Note

zukka + 2 and/or 22? 😌

2 - interlocking pinkies

22 - kissing someones cuts/bruises/scratches

i offer: college husbands content

Zuko loved to watch Sokka talk.

He loved his husbands facial expressions, the way his eyebrows rose and furrowed with each word, the way he threw his hands around like just saying the words weren't enough.

It was fun, the lively way he spoke, and Zuko loved it.

Just maybe not when they were walking right next to each other and Sokka's talkative hands kept getting a little too close to Zuko's face for comfort.

Around the fourth time that Zuko had to duck back, he decided to take matters into his own hands, and caught his husbands fingers between his own, gently lowering it back to his side and linking their pinkies together.

It was how they used to walk to class together in high school, so it was less suspicious when they'd let go after seeing teachers looking. (Apparently hand holding counted as PDA, and PDA was generally frowned upon by faculty.)

Sokka faltered, stumbling over his words as he turned to look at Zuko in confused surprise. Zuko just smiled, swinging their hands lightly, before facing forwards again and waiting for Sokka to connect his thoughts back into words.

It didn't take long, the move-by-move run down of Azula's latest scrabble defeat resuming with the mention of a two point loss that had given Sokka the lead he'd needed to beat her.

It was Zuko's fault for bringing it up really.

(Azula had called him the night before, trying to convince him to sabotage Sokka in some way, before he'd calmly reminded her that they'd promised not to involve him in their little feud after Zuko had been the one to suffer from Azula's dirt-instead-of-coffee prank after a particularly brutal 14 point loss.

He'd remembered the call, thought it was funny, and asked Sokka how he'd beaten her this time. That had been around 10 minutes ago, and Sokka was only halfway through the recount of their entire game.

Agni, Zuko loved him.)

And then suddenly Sokka was yanking his hand away and shoving Zuko in the shoulder, making him yelp in surprise as he went careening into a bush.

"SOKKA WHAT THE FUCK-" He yelled, angrily thrashing around and trying to figure out why the fuck he was suddenly surrounded by dry and poky nature.

"Oh my god, baby, I'm so sorry- I panicked-" Sokka's frantic apology was muffled, somewhere to his mid-left, and he kicked his leg out, grinning triumphantly when he felt his foot connect with something followed Sokka swearing.

"Just get me out of this fucking bush." He demanded, wriggling around and trying to get his other foot to touch the ground. Several sharp something's were stabbing into his back where his shirt had ridden up, and there was something jabbing at his ear that was either a twig or the zipper of his jacket. His wrist and hip were stinging, the sharp pain of fresh scratches that had him gritting his teeth.

A hand wrapped around his wrist and heaved, pulling him out of the bush and catching him when he stumbled forward. Briefly, Zuko's head spun from the rush, before he was huffily shoving Sokka away and lifting up his shirt, poking gingerly at the shallow scratches that had reddened the skin.

Sokka made a wounded noise, and pulled Zuko's shirt up further, running his fingers around the injuries gently. "Im so sorry! Let's get you home and we'll put some bedadine on them and then you can yell at me all you like."

- a few minutes later -

Zuko hissed, cringing away from the cool sting of bedadine as Sokka gently sprayed it over his hip and wiped up the drips with a tissue.

"Y'know you could've just let go if you didn't want to hold hands, you didn't have to throw me in a bush-" Zuko started, deciding to return to his previous state of confused anger.

"I saw a dog and panicked." Sokka admitted sheepishly, not looking up as he sprayed bedadine on his wrist as well.

Zuko paused, raising his eyebrow at his husband. "What do you mean you panicked? I thought you liked dogs?"

"Yeah but you're allergic."

Zuko closed his eyes. This sweet, ridiculous man. "I'm not going to have an allergic reaction from a passing dog Sokka. I'd have to shove my face in it's fur and inhale."

"I know that." Sokka groaned, catching more drips with the already stained tissue. "I just saw the dog, and remembered that time you couldn't breathe when we went to visit Aang last week, and panicked and apparently shoving you into random bushes is my panic response."

"Well, get a new panic response you loser." Zuko grumbled, poking at his hip and hissing, and then feeling offended when Sokka slapped his hands away.

"Don't go prodding at them dumbass."

Zuko sat impatiently as Sokka carefully cut off a short length of bandage and pressed it over a folded up tissue, keeping it in place with medical tape from the first-aid kit Katara had given them after the whole tackling-someone-into-the-pavement debacle.

And then Sokka leaned forward, and pressed his lips right over the scratches, gently kissing them over the bandages before moving onto Zuko's wrist and repeating the process, kiss and all.

"All better!" He declared, rolling Zuko's shirt back down and turning to put his supplies away.

Zuko rolled his eyes, feeling his cheeks warming as his heart melted in his chest. "Thanks."

#me? actually kinda proud of this one?? wild #zukka #zukka fluff #asks #fitzroy-maplecourt #my writing #college husbands au

219 notes · View notes

comradekatara · 3 years

Note

ok I love your sokka/mai/toph dynamics and I want to hear your thoughts on the relationship between toph and mai in particular , as rich girls who resent their families I feel like they’d have a lot of common experiences growing up which would be a good start to their friendship, but how would it progress from there ?

yess their friendship would be so fucking good. like they’d just Get each other, and toph’s encouragement & understanding would definitely help mai figure out that she doesn’t need to dedicate her life to pleasing her parents, or anyone, for that matter, and she can go after what she wants without shame. and of course they both think the other is hilarious and badass and awesome. they’re always hanging out and causing chaos together. here are 10 bullet points about their friendship:

they are each other's automatic assumed plus-one to family events. this arrangement begins one day when they're in their teens and mai is bemoaning an upcoming family dinner. toph first suggests that mai simply skip it, because that's what she'd do, but when mai admits she wants to see tom-tom (toph: "ew, why?") they hatch a scheme together. toph will accompany mai, and she'll begin the evening by acting like a perfectly composed young lady, but get steadily weirder and make mai's parents more and more uncomfortable as the night progresses. by the time the dessert course rolls around, toph is fully metalbending the dessert spoons out of their hands and cackling when they reflexively grab for them. this amusing display becomes a tradition – if mai is expected to attend anything, it's assumed that toph will be there as her mischievous date. toph even begins attending her own family events for the first time just so she can take mai, who will obligingly derail dinner by doing knife tricks for the horrified guests. in true theater kid tradition (much like her ex-boyfriend, mai's always had a fondness for live theater), any fancy rich people dinner becomes "dinner and a show."

when they are in their early twenties, there's a brief period of time when mai and ty lee are temporarily "off." it's not important whose fault it was (it was both of theirs) but for weeks on end, neither one can shut up about the drama. while ty lee cries in suki's arms, mai sullenly stays in toph's little hovel, getting high a lot and eating all of toph's snacks. at some point during this period, mai suggests – with deadly seriousness – that she and toph should just hook up. toph is like, "okay, yeah," but by the time they lean in to kiss, they've already thought better of it. they both suffer through a very awkward kiss (and it's not even bad, just terribly self-conscious) and then pretend to get distracted by other topics. they don't mention it again.

neither one has the faintest idea how to do laundry. the first time they go on a trip together just the two of them, they can't figure out why their clothes smell so increasingly… weird. mildew-y. it turns out that you can't simply wave your clothes around in the river without any soap and then leave them out on a rock all balled-up and expect them to be dry in the morning. they wind up having to toss all the clothes they brought with them on that trip. it is a humbling experience.

one day, while staying at the fire nation palace, toph spontaneously decides to prank mai by pretending she and azula kissed last night. she claims the kiss was surprisingly good and then works her way up to shyly "confessing" that she thinks she's developing feelings. mai completely falls for it. she squawks and objects and threatens to tell katara. they cause such a commotion that azula actually wanders downstairs to see what's going on. though toph attempts to nonverbally communicate that azula should just go with it, azula reacts like an absolute space alien, letting loose a stream of nervous giggles and barely managing to fumble out the words, "i-i-i-i've never kissed a girl, actually." afterwards, mai is a little embarrassed for believing in it, but they're both way more embarrassed for azula herself. toph decides that kind of backfired.

for mai's thirtieth birthday, toph metalbends her a knife. engraved into the metal is a perfect image of toph herself, a kind of signature. the more normal thing to do might be to put this logo on the handle, but toph puts it right at the tip of the blade. this overt branding of the knife as an extension of toph herself leads to an inside joke where mai will sometimes ever so casually turn to toph and say "you killed someone last night," and toph will be like, "nice! good for me."

toph gets super offended on mai’s behalf whenever someone refers to her as “lady mai.” it’s an outrage! toph insists. SHE’S NOT A LADY, SHE’S A DYKE!!!! (toph repeats this point so often that at some point, mai realizes she’s gone from quietly resigning herself to the reminder of her nobility to being just as outraged as toph.)

it’s a widely-known fact among mai’s friends that she is really, really jealous of sokka’s hair. toph’s like “so just cut your hair, then?” and mai’s like “but his hair is a cultural thing, it would be weird if i just. had his haircut.” so then toph suggests that they both cut their hair to look like sokka’s (pictured here & here), that way, it can’t be cultural appropriation! and mai’s like “that doesn’t make any sense.....but it sounds hilarious, so i’m in.” they also get glasses similar to his, despite the fact that mai has perfect vision & toph has none at all, and stop wearing shirts with sleeves, just to complete the look. at first sokka is like “okay, haha, very funny,” but like a year into them both sporting wolftails, glasses, and sleeveless tunics, it’s become apparent that they’re actually both deeply attached to these fashion statements. but it would have nothing to do with the hordes of girls who have been hitting on them... nothing at all...

toph thinks it’s extremely funny that mai dated zuko. of course, she has enough tact not to voice this while they’re still in their teens, because it’s still a sore wound, but once they’re in their twenties, toph’s like “hey remember when you dated ZUKO?????” and starts laughing hysterically and then suki’s like “what’s so funny” and toph, between wheezes, is like “i just remembered when MAI dated ZUKO” and then suki starts cracking up too and then ty lee walks by and is like “hey guys whats going on” and stuttering between breaths, crying with laughter, toph and suki are like “remember when MAI??????? DATED?????? ZUKO??????????” and ty lee is like “DO I??????????????” and they’re all just rolling around on the floor trying to breathe through their laughter and mai is just. completely stone-faced, like “yeah that was pretty bad.”

toph, mai, suki, and ty lee almost immediately become a Squad after the war ends. existing on the periphery of this squad are sokka, the other kyoshi warriors, and aang, who is technically invited to any group hangout because his presence is always delightful. they invited zuko once, and they all agreed that it wasn’t fun for him. they invited katara once, and toph was like “watch out guys she’s gonna be such a buzzkill because she HATES FUN like a BORING OLD MOM” but actually katara got wayy too wild and the four of them had to rein her in. well, mai, toph, and suki egged her on; ty lee reined her in. but still, toph and mai definitely got a taste of the Sokka Lifestyle that night.

the first, and last, time toph is forced to babysit tom tom, it is because literally everyone else is absent from the fire nation. even zuko, who would probably agree to hold tom tom while in diplomatic meetings, is currently in the earth kingdom or something, so toph is literally the only option mai has. approximately 15 minutes later, once mai has returned from her errand to both of them, somehow, covered in jam (and possibly blood??) mai’s like “...well?” and toph just says grimly, “i am never having kids.”

#asks #arthoe-iceland #c #well. chell wrote the first 5 points i wrote the last #but still.... i miss her presence on this bloggue :(#these days its all sayid this ben linus that #i dont even know what it means!!!!#mai&toph #mai #toph #not tagging everyone mentioned #anyway #i love lesbians #postwargaang

177 notes · View notes

ragewerthers · 3 years

Text

To Defeat A Dragon

Summary: With the 100 year war behind them and the battles now lying more in the council room then on the battlefield, Sokka and Zuko take a moment to reminisce over the last few years.

However, reminiscing comes with a few surprises for Zuko when he forgets something rather important about the spars he used to have with Sokka. But no worries... Sokka is more than happy to remind him.

A/n: Hello and Merry christmas, my friend!!! I am the secret santa for @calmturquoise for the Squealing Santa 2020! Thank you for giving me the chance to write something so sweet for these two and getting to join in on the fun of ATLA again!

I also want to thank @ticklygiggles for hosting this event again! You're amazing and I’m so happy I got to participate in this once more!

The prompt was for some sweet, platonic Sokka and Zuko and I was so excited to get the chance to write these two!!!

You can also read on AO3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28308495

Enjoy! :)

Word Count: 2941

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

“I think they’re deliberately starting to make those Council meetings longer,” Zuko grumbled, shifting uncomfortably where he now rested. Currently, he was sat at the edge of the small turtleduck pond in the middle of the royal gardens. Attempting to alleviate the ache in his back he went to sit up a little straighter. The result was his back cracking in a way that was probably unhealthy for someone who was only twenty-three, but really he should’ve known this would be par for the course. Growing up a child warrior really isn’t kind to the bones in the long run. Wincing at the dull ache it left behind it wasn’t enough to distract him from the snort of his less than empathetic friend.

“No, buddy. You’re just finally starting to become the cranky old man you always were inside,” Sokka teased, practically laying beside Zuko as he reclined back on his elbows… before promptly collapsing next to the Firelord with a yelp. A charlie ostrihorse had aggressively decided to seize the muscles in his shoulders and neck and all he could do was roll around in the grass like a crazy person. Apparently, Zuko wasn’t the only one starting to feel the effects of those long meetings.

Zuko instantly smirked at the reaction, happy to see Sokka getting a taste of the elderly lifestyle they now lived in apparently.

“First of all, you deserve all of what’s happening to you right now,” Zuko said, waving his hand in the direction of Sokka’s prone form. “Second of all, what do you mean cranky?! I’m a ray of sunshine.”

The words were spoken so deadpan that Sokka instantly snorted with a bit of pained laughter, still clutching the side of his neck as he lay on the ground. “Don’t d-do thahat! Can’t you s-see I’m hurting?!” he whined, though his smile still remained as he looked over at his best friend. “But yes… how could I forget, oh great Firelord, that the sun is literally supposed to shine out of your butt?”

Zuko finally broke into a more open smile, sitting up a little straighter and nodding. “And don’t you forget it,” he joked, getting another ridiculous giggle from Sokka.

After a few more minutes, the pain finally seemed to subside as the water tribesman was able to sit up with a wince. Rolling his shoulder a bit to try and work out the last of the kink he couldn’t stop himself from letting out an almost wistful sigh. “But isn’t it a bit sad? I didn’t think it was possible to get aches and pains from just sitting! Remember the good old days of our youth when we could spar for hours and hours and we wouldn’t even be phased?”

“What do you mean ‘the good old days of our youth’? You’re only a year younger than me,” Zuko said with a little roll of his eyes as he began to remove his crown. With no further meetings scheduled for the day he figured he might as well be comfortable. Setting it beside himself on the grass he settled back against the tree, ignoring the look Sokka was giving him.

“Hey! We’re older than we were back then, right? So… those are the days of our youth! And you ignored the question,” he huffed.

“Oh… you were actually looking for an answer to your ramblings?” Zuko teased, a small smile fighting to quirk up the corners of his lips as he tried to ignore Sokka puffing his cheeks up like a toddler. Oh yeah… the man obviously had matured so much since those days. “Okay, okay. I do remember. I still consider myself proficient with the dual dao, but I think you’re right. With sitting most of our days away, I’m sure it hasn’t done our skills any favors.”

Sokka’s pout instantly retreated, replaced with a light smile as Zuko agreed with him. “Right? Not to mention that it was always super satisfying every time I won which, I mean, was almost always after our first few spars,” he said smugly, causing the Firelord to instantly focus on him.

“I’m sorry… what?” Zuko asked, his eyes narrowed and voice almost dangerously low.

Sadly, enough time and shared moments between them meant that Sokka no longer feared the ‘fire scowl’. Instead, his smug smile only grew. “You heard me. You may have handed my ass to me the first few times we spared, but after that I almost never lost another fight against you.”

“.... did that cramp do something to your memory?” Zuko wondered aloud. “It must’ve because if memory serves, you almost never won against me. You came close a number of times, but I was almost always the victor.”

However, regardless of how insistent his statement, that smug smile still remained on Sokka’s face as the Southern Water Tribesman sat up beside his friend. “Nope. I’m afraid old age has started to rust up those memories of yours, Sifu Hotman. I won almost all of our spars and I can’t believe you’ve forgotten.”

“......... did you drink one of Uncle’s experimental teas again? You know he almost killed himself doing that once!” Zuko warned, because that was the only way that Sokka could possibly think that he had won so many of their duels.

But something akin to worry grew in Zuko’s chest when he saw Sokka’s smile turning from smug to something a little more dangerous.

“Oh my dear Jerkbender. I think you’ve forgotten that while you may have had the upperhand most of the time when we were dueling, I found out a secret move. Because I remembered a universal truth about dragons.”

Oh yeah… Sokka definitely drank the experimental teas. He’d warned uncle that cactus juice wasn’t to be messed with!

Zuko quirked an eyebrow at the comment before closing his eyes to calm his temper. Taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, he turned once more to look at his friend. “Okay, buddy. Let’s get you to the healers,” he began gently, carefully reaching forward to rest his hand on Sokka’s shoulder. “I think they have a remedy for thi-HIHIS?!”

Immediately his arm moved back from Sokka to cover his side as an electric feeling zipped through his veins.

Sokka was only just keeping himself from laughing beside him, his fingers still poised from where they’d managed a small nibbling pinch against the Firelord's lower ribs. “The thing about dragons…,” Sokka continued, ignoring Zuko’s insistence on getting him medical attention. “... is that all of them have a soft spot. Once you find it… you can defeat it. And I was lucky enough to find a dragon with more weak spots then most.”

Suddenly Zuko remembered almost every one of his spars with Sokka… and with it the memory of an evil, horrible truth. Sokka had indeed won most of their spars after the first few. Because that cheating dunderhead had accidentally found out that Zuko… was horrendously ticklish.

And judging from the look Sokka was leveling him with his friend was looking to make sure he definitely remembered this little fact.

“S-Sokka! Sokka, listen to me… don’t you da-AH!” he shouted, rolling away just in time as Sokka attempted to tackle him into the grass. Quickly, Zuko managed to get up onto his knees, trying to get his feet underneath him to stand, but fate decided to deal him a cruel hand once more. His Fire nation robes for all the brilliance and regality they offered him to onlookers were far from practical. Long and flowing silks were seen as traditional and although he’d made many reforms in his time already on the throne, fashion hadn’t quite made it to the table yet. Thus, as he attempted to flee from his friend, his feet only managed to step on the front of his robes, stopping his movements and pausing him just long enough to land himself in Sokka’s clutches.

Before he knew it, two strong arms were already locked around his waist and Zuko attempted to use his words once more to try and plead his case for freedom.

Of course… when had that ever played out in his favor? “Sokka! S-Sokka, I remember, okay? You…. y-you don’t have to do this!” Zuko attempted to sound reasonable and less nervous then he felt, though he realized stuttering over his words lost a little bit of that authoritative tone he was aiming for.

“Oh, I realize I don’t have to do this,” Sokka teased, crooking the fingers of his left hand to press in just a little bit more against Zuko’s side making the young Firelord gasp and bite his lower lip to stay quiet. “But at this point I feel it is my duty to remind Lord Jerkbender about this so he doesn’t forget who the number one spar master is.”

“Spar master isn’t even a thing! You can’t just give yourself titles like th-ahahat! Ah! Nonono!” Zuko’s small diatribe instantly died on his lips as Sokka’s fingers began to wriggle against his side, a few rather unbecoming giggles already breaking free before he reined himself in again.

“What was that? Were you backsassing Sokka the mighty dragon slayer?!” Sokka teased, though he couldn’t help smiling as he already heard the familiar rasp of Zuko’s laughter. This was going to be far too entertaining. How could he pass up this opportunity?

“Dragon slayer?! You’re ridiculous! Let me gohohoahahaha! Stahp it! Stahahahap!” Zuko felt the flutter of Sokka’s other hand where it rested against his lower ribs on the opposite side. Immediately the jolt of ticklish sensations raced through him and he felt his knees already starting to turn to jelly beneath him. Of all of the things he could be weak against, something as silly as tickling was more than enough to sap his strength. Sokka’s smirk came back as he heard that, his fingers, scribbling lightly over both the Firelord’s sides. Working in tandem his fingers lightly brushed along the vulnerable area before massaging quickly into his lower ribs. If memory served, this had been one of the better weak spots of this particular dragon.

“WAHAIT!” Zuko cried out, his laughter finally breaking free from those raspy giggles to something lighter and more carefree. Honestly, it was something Sokka had been so proud to draw out all those years ago when Zuko was still that broody teenager who had joined their gaang. He had been so awkward and to be fair, their dear jerkbender still kinda was, but after attempting through sheer bullheadedness to forge a friendship with him, Sokka honestly couldn’t have been prouder to call him his best friend.

And what kind of best friend would he be if he didn’t tease and taunt Zuko into never forgetting his super awesome new title that he just came up with? A terrible one… and Sokka refused to be a terrible friend.

“Wait? Wait for what? Oh! Were you going to finally call me by my proper title?” Sokka teased as he moved one of his hands down to squeeze along Zuko’s right hip.

Zuko instantly jumped at the sensation, feeling his legs finally starting to cave under him as he attempted to curl up in Sokka’s hold to escape the sensations. He could feel his cheeks and ears heating up as his laugh bubbled up unbidden, the noise still slightly foreign to him even after all these years. However, Sokka had never seemed to have a problem drawing it out of him. He just wished he had remembered that before drawing out the ‘dragon slayer’ once more.

“Nehehehever!” Zuko growled out between his laughter, his hands weakly attempting to push away Sokka’s to no avail. “Ihihit’s a… a stuhupid naha-EHEHEHE! STAHAHP IT Y-YOU AHAHAHASS!” Zuko’s strength finally gave out as his legs buckled beneath him, though with Sokka’s arms around him he was easily lowered to the ground. Sadly this did nothing for his current situation as Sokka had seemed to remember another one of his worst spots.

His stomach.

“Doth my ears deceive me? Did you just call my regal and totally awesome title stupid?! How dare you, good sir!” Sokka teased, his arm braced carefully around Zuko as his other vibrated quickly right against the center of Zuko’s stomach. He’d learned very early on that the easiest way to break Zuko’s concentration and resolve was a nice little attack on this particular area. “You know how to get this to stop, Zuko! Admit that I am the best dragon slayer in the world!”

Zuko snorted as Sokka’s hand began to scribble all around the hyper ticklish spot, trying to shimmy this way and that out of the man's hold to get away from the maddening touch. However, practically sitting on the ground with a tickle monster clung to your back really didn’t leave much wiggle room and Zuko realized his chances of freedom were slim. But his pride just wouldn’t allow for him to admit defeat just yet!

“Thahahaha’ts not e-even a thihihing! I re-refuhuhuse to gihihive in t-to yo-AHAHA! STAHP IT! STAHPSTAHPSTAHAHAHAP!” Zuko instantly broke into the most wild and ridiculous laughter as Sokka snuck one of his hands under his arm, his fingers spidering quickly against Zuko’s underarm in a way that drove the firebender crazy with ticklish laughter. Zuko instantly snapped his arms to his sides, trapping Sokka’s hand against his armpit while the man's other hand continued to scribble and send nibbling pinches all along his stomach.

“Admit it! Admit that I’m the best!” Sokka called over Zuko’s loud laughter, the sound of it making him smile like an idiot even as a few chuckles escaped him. Spirits, it really had been far too long since he’d seen Zuko let loose like this even just a bit. Maybe this was something they needed in their lives a bit more? It definitely wouldn’t hurt after all the droll and intense meetings they were forced to go to day in and day out.

Meanwhile, Zuko was dying. The Kiyoshi warriors were going to show up here to see that their poor Firelord had met his end at the hands of a ridiculous man who had a pension for coming up with truly terrible titles for things! Sadly he couldn’t dwell on his dramatic end as Sokka’s fingers were still attacking two of his worst spots. Zuko knew that there really was only one way out of this. “OKAHAHAY! O-OKAY I AHAHADMIT IHIHIT!” Zuko cried out with unrestrained laughter, feeling the tickling slowing down just a little to keep him giggling ridiculously.

“What was that? Are you trying to tell me something, buddy?” Sokka teased, his fingers wriggling lightly against Zuko’s armpit as the other hand focused on a particularly sensitive spot on the side of the firebenders stomach.

Zuko snorted and kicked his legs out weakly before nodding. “Y-yes! You… you’re the behehehest gah! Not thehehere! Not there plehehease! Agnihihi why-hehehe?!” Zuko giggled hysterically as Sokka found that spot on his stomach. Taking as deep a breath as possible he tried to once more to make his bid for freedom! “Y-You’re the behehehest drahagon slahahahayer! Plehehehase!”

Sokka’s fingers immediately stopped their torment, chuckling a bit to himself. “See? That wasn’t so hard was it?” he teased, patting Zuko’s back as he helped the man sit up, watching the firebender wiping away tears of mirth from his eyes as residual giggles still managed to escape.

“Yes. Y-yes it was,” Zuko shot back, though as he turned to look at his friend, the smile on his face was more relaxed, even after the mini battle he’d just had to endure. “I can’t believe I… forgot what a… giant pain in the ass you were after you figured that out.”

It was Sokka’s turn to laugh as he heard that and he felt his smile growing all the more fond. “It was probably one of my greatest discoveries and I will cherish it forever! Not many people can say they bested the Firelord,” Sokka teased, lightly nudging Zuko with his elbow and getting a chuckle in response.

“That’s fair. But really? Dragon slayer?” Zuko asked, trying to earn back a bit of dignity as he attempted to straighten out his traitorous robes.

“What? It makes me sound so cool!” Sokka cried out dramatically, making it incredibly hard for Zuko not to roll his eyes.

“I’m still not convinced you didn’t try one of uncle’s teas,” Zuko murmured, though he smiled regardless. “And I hope you know that this is the last time the mighty ‘dragon slayer’ is going to win. I won’t be caught with my guard down like that again.”

“Oh? Is that a challenge, Jerkbender?” Sokka teased, leaning closer and wiggling his fingers threateningly.

Zuko couldn’t suppress a snort of laughter as he pushed Sokka’s face away gently with his palm. “I’m too old for your nonsense,” he joked, making Sokka laugh brightly.

“Nah. We’re still young at heart. That’s all that matters,” Sokka said with a fond smile. “And if you ever forget that as well, I’m more than happy to remind you again about the days of our youth.”

Shaking his head, but with a fond smile on his lips, Zuko couldn’t help feeling that familiar warmth build in his chest. The world may be changing. They may still be working to right the wrongs and suffer through countless meetings and council members, but… with friends like Sokka there to remind him it was okay to let loose, laugh and remember that they really were still young at heart, he knew he could face anything.

Even dragon slayers.

#squealingsanta2k20 #tickle fic #my fics #zuko #sokka #atla #fluff #these two are precious #I hope you enjoy this my friend!

165 notes · View notes

flameohotwife · 3 years

Text

'Til We Meet Again

Aang has passed. Katara is heading to the South to start anew without him, and finally begins to process her grief along the way. Written for the @kataang-week 2021 prompt: the sea & the sky

Read on ao3 or ffn

Everyone who remained was gathered outside at the dock on Air Temple Island. Saying goodbye to the gang was always hard, but this time was different. This time they were missing one of their own, and he wouldn’t be coming back. Not as they knew him, anyway.

They’d held a private sky burial almost a week ago, and the public memorial the previous day, so most of the dignitaries had finally gone. Katara looked out to Yue Bay and willed herself to keep it together just a little longer. The low hanging clouds were pale orange in the early morning light, reminding her of when they’d bent the clouds together a lifetime ago. A sob rose in her throat and she hastily swallowed it. Not yet.

Her friends and family huddled around her. Toph, Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and even Mai came in for one of Team Avatar’s notorious group hugs. She closed her eyes when a breeze blew by, trying to pretend it was him. That he was still there. If she could keep pretending, she might be able to make it.

Bumi, Kya and Tenzin came out of the house and down to the dock, bags in hand. “Everybody ready?” Bumi asked. He fidgeted uncomfortably with his bag, unsure what to do with so much negative energy.

“There’s been a change in plans,” Katara said carefully. All eyes sprung to her. She hadn’t mentioned this to anyone, yet. “You all are going on the ship as planned with Sokka and Suki. Tenzin, dear, I’m going to take Oogi. We’ll meet you in the South Pole.”

Tenzin’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open comically. He had inherited the need to intricately plan every detail of their trips from his uncle, and this was surely throwing a wrench into his itinerary. “Mother, please, come on the ship with us,” he begged. “Or at least let one of us come with you. Are you sure you’re…”

“I’m fine,” Katara snapped, cutting Tenzin off and assuring everyone there that she was anything but. Sokka stepped forward to put a strong hand on his nephew’s shoulder.

“She’ll be okay, buddy,” he said. “She needs some time in the sky on her own.”

Katara smiled thankfully at her brother. Of course he would understand her grief. He had been with her throughout all her worst times, after all. She obviously hadn’t taken to the skies when their mother died, but she knew he remembered the nights she spent out by the ocean alone, after the chores were done and the family in bed. She’d often returned to find him waiting up for her, a pot of tea over the fire. And now, after a week of being smothered by friends and family and strangers alike, all bringing condolences, Katara needed some air. She pulled her babies--now so much taller than her--in for a group hug of their own.

“You’re all so strong,” she started, fighting the tears pricking at her eyes. Just a little longer. “We’ll be together again before you know it. And I’m going to make you all go penguin sledding, since your Dad won’t be there to do it.” She pulled back with a twinkle in her shining blue eyes, kissing them each soundly on the forehead in turn before heading over to where Oogi had been patiently waiting to get on the ship with everyone. She nuzzled his face affectionately. “Ready, boy?”

Oogi grunted and licked her and a laugh escaped her throat. “Toph, Zuko, Mai,” she said, turning to face her friends who wouldn’t be joining them in the South Pole, “Thank you. For everything, especially this week. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

“Don’t be so sure about that, Sweetness,” Toph laughed, “I’m going back into hiding. That was too much people-ing for me. Maybe in another 66 years.”

“Well, you’re welcome at the palace anytime,” Zuko said. “We should get back to Izumi, though. Have a safe journey south, okay?”

“Yeah, don’t be a stranger,” Mai added dryly. Katara nodded, but Mai knew she wouldn’t be coming to visit the palace again. She and Aang had shared too many memories there. Maybe they’d see each other at smaller events, but it seemed Katara was going to retire from public view as well. She watched as her friend climbed up onto the giant bison’s head and Tenzin airbent her bags into the saddle for her. Her long hair, drawn up in a bun with her signature loopies, was more white than brown now, and Mai noticed far more wrinkles and worry lines on Katara’s face than she’d had the last time they’d seen each other, only a few months prior. Aang’s illness and subsequent passing had taken a physical toll on her, as well.

“Bye, everyone,” Katara waved one last time, sad eyes sweeping over each cherished face, and the place that had been her home for the majority of her life so far. That she had built with him. She could feel her heart squeezing in her chest, and knew she had to get out of there. “Yip yip!”

Finally, the wind whipped around her as they soared into the sky. It was such a familiar feeling, even though it had been months since she had left Air Temple Island while she tended to Aang, refusing to leave his side. But there was nothing tying her to this place--this home that they had dreamed of together and made so many memories in--anymore. Her children were grown and would be fine on their own, and her tether was gone.

Katara closed her eyes and just listened to the sound of the air moving against her ears. She had never felt as at home in the sky as Aang had, but after traveling with him so much throughout their lives, flying on a bison gave her a warmth in her chest that had been missing since he’d passed. She felt the walls she had built, trying to be strong for her children and friends, begin to crumble, and after keeping them in for so long, let the tears flow freely, sobbing to the sky.

Suddenly, she was 14, bending the clouds atop Appa with her best friend. She remembered being in awe of their ability to combine their elements to make something new, how much fun it had been; how it had felt like dancing, and how he had referenced that moment later, when they began to have children together, calling Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin their little “cloudbabies.”

She was soaring through the sky beside him on his glider to deal with the Harmony Restoration Movement. Learning to fly side-by-side on his glider with him had been something of an adventure, but when they did, it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. They were perfectly in sync, especially when they flew over the ocean. She remembered staring at the horizon, where the sea touched the sky, and the wispy clouds made from both of them coming together, and feeling so at home, like she had always been meant to be there, with him.

She was flying over the ocean with Aang, sitting back in Appa’s saddle and leaning into his warm chest. He was asking her to stay with him forever, and she was telling him she couldn’t live without him. Katara felt her heart shatter for the thousandth time since he passed, and he wasn’t there to glue her pieces back together again, like he always had been.

She knew she was resilient. That she had lost before, and would lose again, and that this pain--though it would never leave her--would become bearable with time. She knew her life didn’t revolve completely around Aang, and it never had, but she had spent so much of her life loving him so completely that now, with nowhere left for that love to go, she felt swallowed by it.

Alone, up in his element, without the people she always felt the need to be strong for (and the one person who had never made her feel that way), Katara let herself break. Again and again, as often as she needed to. The wind was comforting in an aching sort of way, and the crying was cathartic. She hadn’t felt this free since before Aang had fallen ill. Since the last time they’d flown together. She wanted to close her eyes and pretend he was sitting next to her, that the breeze was him teasing her, that this was all a dream. Instead she forced her eyes to the horizon, tears still streaming.

The sun had risen much higher in the sky since she’d left Air Temple Island. There was no more orangish-pink sky, but there was still a string of low-lying clouds that blocked her view of the sky and sea coming together. All of a sudden, that freeness she felt dissipated and an indignant anger rose in her. She was angry at those clouds and angry at the circumstances that caused Aang’s early death and angry that he wasn’t there to comfort her. It wasn’t fair. She felt cheated out of decades more time with him, of the chance to be grandparents together, or to really enjoy their golden years together. She erupted with a mournful wail, slashing at the clouds with her bending until they too exploded in a downpour.

Katara took some time then, to breathe, and to feel. To really, truly, deliberately feel everything she had been trying to avoid in the week since he died. Since he left her. She recalled another time her grief and anger had gotten the better of her, and how he had calmly, gently advised her, “let your anger out. Then let it go.” She could still hear his sweet twelve-year-old voice and see the concern in his grey eyes in the back of her memory. She took another centering breath, like he had taught her to do after the war when they were both haunted by nightmares and panic attacks, and as she exhaled, she tried to push out all the anger with the air. To rid her body and soul of any animosity surrounding her feelings about him.

She resolved to be at peace. To let her waves of anger and frustration flow like water, and let it go. She didn’t have a choice in the situation, after all; the only choice she had was how she responded.

“I love you, Sweetie,” she whispered to the sky. The tears were still tracing paths down her face, but it was calming, again like before. “I know you had to go. And...I know you would have stayed with me if you could. It’s just another Avatar trip--another Spirit World journey, only this time…” Katara paused, closing her eyes to allow the sorrow to pass through her in sobs before continuing. “This time, it seems so permanent. I know you said it’s not goodbye forever, that this will only last ‘til we meet again in the Spirit World, and then we’ll be together for eternity. But it just… it hurts so much more, being without you this time. I know I can be strong. I will be. I just miss you, is all.”

There was a gentle breeze that swirled around her hair and kissed her face. She opened her eyes in shock; it seemed so intentional, like bending, but he wasn’t there, of course. She smiled, though, and then she laughed, because she knew she would always find him. She had been destined to find him in that iceberg, and she would continue to find his spirit now in the playful air currents, or in the beauty of a field of flowers, or in the laughter of children, until she could find him in the Spirit World and they would be united once more.

She knew that as long as she could keep his spirit with her, she could get through this. That she could be happy again, for him, for their children, and for herself. She also understood that her decision to move to the South Pole was the right one, not only because it would be the best place to train the next Avatar in waterbending, like she had promised Aang she would, but because the open space would be perfect for her healing heart. Katara could live out the rest of her days there, surrounded by both their elements; by the sea and the sky.

#kataang week 2021 #the sea & the sky #SORRY for the sad!#katara #aang #kataang #atla #grown up gaang #cloud family #grief/mourning #i can't usually even read aang death fics but here i am writing one #I'M SORRY

28 notes · View notes

welovediaaxx · 3 years

Text

ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏsᴛ ᴅɪᴀʀʏ / / azula x fem!reader

warnings : slight cursing

part four // part five // part six

a/n : you guys already know it takes me a month to write 1500 words but whatever!! enjoy this chapter the next one is gonna be jucier i promise

taglist : @888-rising @firelordazulaaaa @sighsam @theblueslytherin @halcyon-arts @the-paintedlady @sweetcici-123

send me an ask or message me to be tagged 🤍☁️

i wake up abruptly by my alarm, quickly snoozing it as i look around, taking in my surroundings. i rub my sleepy eyes as i glance at all the empty containers of the chinese food left on my poor coffee table from the night before. that’sfor sure gonna be a bitch to clean up later. speaking of last night, why am i on the couch?

my question is quickly answered as i hear a small grunt coming from under the blanket across me. “what time is it?” azula asks as she stretches her arms. i stare at her in awe, how does she look so good mere seconds after waking up? “it’s only nine-thirty, we should go back to sleep” she grunts

my eyes widen at her statement. “nine-thirty? shit, i have class at 10.” now this is when i start panicking “zuko’s supposed to drive me today”

i check my phone and there it was, 3 missed calls from zuko and approximately

17 messages. and just on queue, he calls me again.

“hey zuzu, i’m sorry. i fell asleep, i’ll be down in a minute” i say as i start running around my apartment, grabbing along everything i need. i mutter a sorry to azula who just shrugs.

“uh-okay. why is azula’s car parked in front of your building?” he asks me. i can already hear his stupid smirk over the phone.

“sorry, bad connection. gotta go!” i say as i hang up the phone, making my way over to my bedroom. i put on a pair of grey sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. i put my laptop in my bookbag and run back to the living room.

“i’m so sorry i have to leave like this,” i say to azula who’s sitting on the couch. she looks up at me “i feel really bad. but i’ll make it up to you. i swear”

“don’t worry about it. i had fun last night” she smiles at me.

“i had fun too. i’ll leave the keys on the kitchen counter. you can stay here as long as you’d like, just lock up when you leave” i return the smile “also, don’t open the door if mr chung knocks”

I simply had to ward her about mr chung. he’s a single gay man in his fifties who lives next door to me. he’s the main gossip provider of our building. now, don’t get me wrong, i love mr chung and all the hot gossip he offers. but i just wasn’t ready for all my neighbours to begin talking about ‘the new lady in my life’, as mr chung would probably put it

“uh okay, got it. i’ll just get my things and leave then.” azula says as she starts getting up from the couch.

“don’t worry about it” i bid her one last goodbye and grab my coat after i put on my shoes. i sprint down the 5 flights of stairs, deciding against going by elevator. i spot zuko’s car parked next to azulas and get in the passenger seat. i glance at my phone ‘nine-forty five’

“we can make it in fifteen minutes, right?” i ask as i glance at zuko

“it’s fine, we have mrs feng, she’s always late anyways,” zuko says as he starts backing out my driveway. “so…” zuko starts “azula’s car in your driveway? what’s that about?” he smirks

“it’s nothing you should worry about salami face,” i say as i return the smirk.

“i told you to stop calling me that! and don’t you even try to avoid the topic y/n”

“what? are you jealous i chose your sister over you? i knew that you still weren’t over me!” i tease him as i remember our pathetic eight-month relationship our freshman year of college in which we both realised we definitely don’t prefer the opposite gender. it was awkward, to say the least.

zuko rolls his eyes “no, believe it or not. i’m not jealous. so, she slept over?”

“yeah, we watched a movie and we fell asleep. that’s it.”

“hm… interesting,” he smirks and continues driving.

zuko and i enthusiastically sprinted across campus in hopes of making it on time. since luck was apparently on our side, we arrived right on time. we took a few breaths before opening the classroom door.

i quickly thank god for making it on time, before huffing and making my way through the mob of students who were chatting together. i plop down on the seat next to suki who had her head on the desk, her hair covering her face.

“hey suki” i say, putting my things on the table

suki groans as she lifts her head “hey y/n, is she here yet?”

“no, not yet.” i answer as i look around “where did zuko go?” i mutter to myself. of course the fucker escaped.

“here i am, i bought us some coffee,” zuko says as he sits on the chair by suki’s left.

“thanks zu. you’re and angel. i’ll need it too, i hate econ” suki says as she starts sipping on her coffee

“that’s exactly why literally everyone told you not to sign up for it,” zuko reminds her.

“yeah, i specifically remember us begging you not to do it. we knew you were gonna be miserable” i add.

“shut up, you know i needed the points,” suki says while grabbing her head.

“well, i know something that’s gonna cheer you up,” zuko tells her. suki immediately lifts her head, looking between us waiting for somebody to tell her what she missed. i groan and roll my eyes. of course, zuko can’t keep just one thing to himself.

“azula slept over at y/n’s house”

“you slept with azula?! i knew that the date went well, but not that good!” suki yells

“that’s not what he said!” i try to explain to her. just by my luck, mrs feng arrives just before i get a chance to explain myself. during the whole lesson, i could feel suki’s eyes piercing through my shoulder. despite that, i decided to be productive and pay attention. manly to keep my mind off of suki’s groaning and quiet complaining.

after our lesson, we all decided to go to the jasmine dragon and meet up with the rest of the group. suki, zuko and i all got into zuko’s car and drove there. the car ride was surprisingly quiet although i could feel suki’s tension radiating off of her, ready to bombard me with questions.

we made our way to our usual table, which was already occupied by sokka, aang, katara and toph. “hey guys” aang greets us as we all sit down. as soon as we sat down i could feel all eyes land on me. i knew immediately that zuko talked.

“what?” i say, deciding on playing dumb

“you slept with azula!” toph yells, thank god the whole coffee shop can hear her.

“zuko!” i yell at him. of course he can’t keep his mouth shut at any circumstance.

“hey, don’t look at me! suki texted the group chat, i thought you saw it” zuko defends himself while he lifts his hands up, trying to prove his innocence. after that, muffled arguing took over at the table. everybody voicing their opinion at the same time

“guys!” katara stands up “why don’t we let y/n speak?” she suggests

“finally!” i huff as everybody goes quiet. “i didn’t sleep with azula, she just slept over at my place” i exclaim to our table.

“yeah, right” toph snickers.

“hey!” i yell at her direction, fighting the smile coming onto my face. “you of all people should know i’m not like that”

“yeah, toph. we all know y/n’s the biggest prude here” sokka mocks

i roll my eyes “you guys are the worst friends ever.”

we were all in the middle of a heated debate about whether cereal should be considered soup or not (that sokka started, change my mind) when i felt a tap on my shoulder. when i turn around, i notice azula, wearing her usual casual clothes with a bag in her hand. i quickly excuse my self from the table, getting a few winks as i sit up.

“hey, what are you doing here?” i ask her.

“well, my uncle does own this place.” she raises her sharp eyebrows in amusment.

“right, of course. that was a stupid question” i say as i start playing with my hair. i can already feel my cheeks heating up as i look at the table behind azula for help, only getting a few thumbs up in reply.

“anyway, i brought you the clothes you borrowed me last night. i washed and dried them, don’t worry” she says as she gives me the bag.

“thank you, you didn’t have to go through all the trouble, though��

“don’t worry about it, i’ll take up any excuse i can get to see you” se says while flashing me a smile

“well, in that case, i should lend you my clothes more often” i giggled.

“maybe you should” she agreed “my friends are waiting for me, but i’ll see you around, y/n.” she said before turning around and walking back to two girls who were unfamiliar to me.

“yeah, see you around” i quietly sigh, mentally preparing for the interrogation that will take place back at the table occupied by my friends.

#atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla modern au #azula #azula x reader #azula x femreader #azula x fem!reader #azula modern au #azula x you

99 notes · View notes

backhurtyy · 3 years

Note

ELLEN!!!! zukka with 57 for the prompts please?? 🥺 also congrats on 400!! 💕💖

57. Heart eyes when the other talks, sings, dances, argues, does literally anything- especially things which others make fun of them for or find annoying

so i think this was supposed to be soft and fluffy but uhhhhh it became a little more angsty??? anyways warning for a general making fun of zuko for having a lisp.

When Zuko got rambling on something he liked- something he was really passionate about- he got a lisp. Well, technically he always had a lisp, but years of speech therapy forced on him by his father meant that in normal conversation, he was able to disguise it. But when he got going on a topic he was passionate about- things like art or putting the more bigoted advisors in their place- or was tired, or upset, or on the rare occasion that he sang, he couldn’t hide it.

Sokka knew that Zuko was insecure about it. He could see why, when the advisors leftover from his father’s rule so clearly hated it. They never hid that they saw it as just another weakness of his, just another imperfection in the boy they hated. He knew Zuko tried to hide his passion and enthusiasm so that no one would hear it. He knew Zuko hated it.

He wished he didn’t, though, because Sokka thought it was... Cute? Endearing? Precious? Whatever he thought it was, when he heard Zuko’s lisp, he couldn’t help but melt. Not because of his voice itself, though that was definitely a factor, but because of what came with it. Zuko got this fire in his eyes when he was ranting, something bright and lively that blazed like a thousand suns. His face would become soften and open (unless he was yelling at advisors, in which case it was stormy and angry and a completely different story), his hands would begin waving around, and he’d just... Slip away from being the Fire Lord for a minute, and become Zuko.

It was those moments that reminded Sokka just how gone for him he was.

Today was no exception- they were walking through the palace together on their way to their next meeting, hands brushing occasionally they were so close. Zuko was telling him about the trip to see his uncle he’d just gotten back from and how well Azula was doing, and his enthusiasm was clear in how Azula came out with a soft whistling ‘th’ instead of a hard ‘z’, how he stuttered over Jasmine Dragon ever so slightly, how his face was locked in a carefree smile and his hands gestured freely.

Sokka couldn’t look away or dampen the smile on his face, and he knew that if Zuko were to look over, he’d see all the love and adoration he felt for him clearly written for the world to see.

But Zuko didn’t look over, and Sokka didn’t stop staring- they just continued walking.

As they were rounding the corner, neither of them were paying attention, as absorbed in Zuko’s story as they were, and they didn’t see the group of men walking their way until Zuko had already crashed into one of them.

The man stumbled, spilling the scrolls he was holding, and both Sokka and Zuko dropped to the ground to help pick them up.

“I’m tho thorry,” Zuko exclaimed, head bowed as he scrambled to grab them, his lisp clear. “That wath completely my fault.”

“...No worries, Fire Lord Zuko,” one of the men said, disdain dripping from his words.

Sokka’s heart ached as he realized just who it was, and he glanced at Zuko to see his cheeks burning red as he came to the same realization. General Takashi was the military advisor, an old man who had been very vocal about his disagreement with the end of the war. Since then, he’d continued to fight Zuko on every decision he made, and hadn’t bothered to hide how much he hated the young ruler. Of all the people to hear Zuko’s lisp right now, he was one of the worst.

Sokka opened his mouth to speak for Zuko, but his best friend shook his head minutely. He rose to his feet gracefully, scrolls bundled in his arm, and looked at him evenly, even though Sokka could tell he was panicking slightly.

“General Takathi,” he greeted, before turning to the advisor who’s scrolls he held. “Onthe again, my apologieth. Here are your thcrollth. If you’ll excuthe the ambathador and I, I’m afraid we’re late for a meeting.”

Without waiting for a response, Zuko pushed past them and continued down the hallway.

“Excuse us,” Sokka echoed, following him worriedly.

As they walked away, he heard Takashi say in disdain, “Unbelievable. What sort of Fire Lord can’t even say a general’s name properly?”

Sokka hoped Zuko hadn’t heard it, but when he saw his shoulders tense and his stride lengthen, he knew it was in vein. His heart broke, and as they passed the door to his office, he lunged forward to grab Zuko’s hand and pull him into it.

“Thokka-“ Zuko cut himself off, eyes squeezing shut in annoyance and embarrassment and wrenching his hand away from Sokka. He pretended it didn’t sting as much as it did. “What are you doing? We’re going to be late.”

“They can wait. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine. Now let’th- let’th-” he sighed, turning away as he took a deep breath and carefully said, “Let’s go.”

“Zuko, please. You’re not in any condition to run a meeting right now.”

“I’ll have the lithp under control by then, Thokka. It’th fine,” he snapped, lisp coming back with his broken composure.

His heart broke. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

He sighed again. “I know,” he said tiredly, hanging his head. “I know that’th not what you meant. I juth-“ He groaned. “I’m thorry you have to hear thith, I know it’th annoying.”

“No it’s not, Zuko. I promise you, I don’t mind. I sort of... Well, I sort of prefer it?”

“What?” Zuko’s tone was immediately defensive.

“That’s not a good way to describe it. I just meant that when you’re lisping, it’s usually because you’re happy, or talking about something you love. And I like it when you’re happy, because you get all soft and beautiful and I love it because I want you to be happy. So, yeah... I love hearing the lisp.”

“I-“ Zuko turned to him slowly, eyes watering slightly. “Ith that why you were thtaring? You think I’m beautiful?”

Sokka blushed, realizing just what he’d admitted. “Oh. You noticed I said that. And also... that I was staring.”

“Thorta hard not to,” he laughed shakily, taking a step closer to Sokka. “I hoped you felt that way, though.”

“Oh,” he breathed, suddenly understanding and stepping forward so that they’re were just inches apart, eyes searching each others’. “Uh, yeah... It’s... Well. Yes. I do feel that way, and if you feel that way too...”

Zuko rolled his eyes fondly. “Juth kith me, Thokka.”

Sokka had never heard anything sweeter.

#lol so i didn’t read this over at all really and i kinda feel like i lost the prompt but #lisp zuko makes me very 🥺🥺🥺 so hopefully this is okay????#also not me stopping right before the kiss lmaoooo #local asexual not having the energy to write a kiss today haha #anyways thanks hannah sorry it took a while!!!#zukosadragon ace writes #zukosadragon ace speaks #ellen’s 400 follower celebration #verdanthoney

48 notes · View notes

jaxsteamblog · 3 years

Text

Cherry Blossoms

Click here to read the entire fic on AO3

For dinner, the family stayed in the large estate near to the village. The festival had attracted the Air Nomads for years, and this time they brought along the workers from the oilrig for a well-earned reprieve. All that meant Katara and Zuko couldn’t always be out in public or else they’d be swarmed.

And Katara wasn’t keen on getting attacked or kidnapped again, especially when she was in such a good mood.

“So what do you think of the festivities, Zuko?” Malina asked as she and Hakoda brought out large platters of food. Sokka followed after them with a covered tureen that still couldn’t contain the smell of seaprune stew.

“It’s been amazing. I have a weakness for festivals like this though.” Zuko replied.

“The kind that won’t piss off the spirits if you do them wrong, you mean?” Sokka asked, setting the tureen down on the table.

Katara leaned over and plucked off the lid, breathing in the steam. It smelled right for once.

“Who made this?” She asked, looking around. Hakoda opened his mouth but, looking past her, quickly shut it.

“It’s Gran-Gran’s recipe, Kat. Don’t worry.” Sokka interjected, picking up a ladle and slopping a generous scoop into a bowl. She narrowed her eyes at him but took it.

“Do you have a favorite festival?” Suki asked.

“Does it have to be Fire Nation?” Zuko asked in return.

“No?” Suki looked confused and Zuko leaned over to look in Katara’s bowl.

“I only ask because my favorite is an Earth Kingdom one. But I do have one I like a lot in Caldera.” He said and started pulling the bowl. Katara shoved it over and returned to the tureen.

“Let’s hear the favorite.” Suki said.

“I can’t remember what it’s called because I only got to see it when I was a kid.” Zuko started, picking up a spoon. “I must’ve been really young because my cousin was…”

Zuko smiled sadly and focused on the seaprune stew.

“Anyway, my mother had taken Azula and I to visit my uncle and a festival was going on when we got there. My cousin took my sister and I out to attend, and it was a lot of fun. The cherry blossoms were in peak bloom and there were picnics and tea; I knew it was probably my uncle’s favorite festival too.

“But at night, the town had set up these lights under the trees and you could walk around this garden looking at them. When the sun had fully set, other lights went on and they made sculptures with them. It blew my tiny little mind.” Zuko explained.

“So, a colony.” Hakoda said.

Katara sat up, but Zuko nodded.

“Yes.” He answered and looked back at Hakoda.

“I think,” Malina said slowly, resting her hand on Hakoda’s arm. “We can all appreciate what Zuko went through to end up here with us.”

Hakoda looked at Katara’s face and grumbled.

“My favorite is Avatar Day.” Suki stated, loudly clattering food onto a plate. Katara relaxed, rolling her eyes.

“We’re lucky Thuy’s not here.” Zuko said.

“That’d only be a problem if Katara said it was her favorite.” Sokka corrected.

“Oh for sure.” Suki said, drawing out her accent for effect. “Zuko can never leave Katara or else Thuy will smack him down.”

“Like she did his dad.” Sokka quipped and Zuko burst with a laugh.

“What’s your favorite festival, Sokka?” Malina asked.

“Love Day.” Suki and Katara shouted together and started laughing. Sokka groaned with loud exaggeration and Malina laughed lightly.

“I don’t like most festivals if they have fireworks. Those bug me.” He did say, tearing his flatbread into shreds.

“I like the solstice stuff. I get a kick out of how serious everyone gets when in reality they’re talking about Yue and my bratty sister.” He said finally and Katara launched a seaprune at him.

“What about you, Malina? Hakoda?” Zuko asked.

“Anything with good food is the best in my opinion.” Hakoda answered gruffly.

“Mine is similar to Zuko’s, actually. But I lived in the northern part of the Earth Empire and I think what you were talking about is in the south.” Malina said.

“Cherry blossoms bloom all the way up there?” Zuko questioned.

“Not natively, but for a long time the trees were a common gift the kings would send to each other. You can find them dotted all over capitals but only in the south are they everywhere.” Malina explained.

“They’re really something.” Zuko said.

“Oh yes. They reminded me of the North Pole, or at least, how my parents talked about the North Pole.” Malina said in a rush.

“Flowers?” Zuko asked.

“What about them?” Sokka snapped.

“How are they at all like the North Pole?” Zuko asked, bewildered.

Sokka looked over and met Malina’s eye, making Katara frown.

“I mean, have you actually looked at snow?” Sokka asked, turning to Zuko.

“You are clearly Piandao’s favorite.” Zuko murmured and Sokka scoffed.

“My parents would always talk about the North Pole when it snowed. Maliq and I would go crazy seeing how little it snowed inside Ba Sing Se, and how quickly the snowplows would come through.” Malina laughed and tapped Hakoda’s arm. “We were not prepared for coming back home.”

“Did you know that some places pickle cherry blossoms and make tea out of it?” Sokka asked and Zuko choked on his soup.

“Oh spirits what.” Sokka croaked.

Katara patted Zuko’s back and shrugged.

“Apparently it’s a wedding sort of tea and Iroh gave it to Zuko and me a while back.” She said.

“I was trying so hard not throw myself at you at that point too.” Zuko said, wiping his eyes.

“Excuse me?” Hakoda interrupted sharply and Malina snorted.

“Well, turns out you’re married by swamp standards so we should probably go pick up some more.” Sokka said.

“Excuse me?” Hakoda repeated.

“We have to get married before them, really.” Suki said, looking at Sokka.

“We should probably elope then, because at this rate they’ll be married twice over.” He said.

“Now hold on…” Hakoda leaned over the table and Zuko put his arm around Katara.

“We’re going backwards through the Avatar cycle. We just have to figure out which temple Aang was born at so we can get hitched there.” He said.

“No.” Hakoda said firmly, and everyone turned to him. “Both of my children are getting married in the South Pole.”

“Dad, we were just kidding.” Sokka said.

Hakoda sighed and leaned back.

“I know.” He said.

“And Suki and I are getting married in Kyoshi.” Sokka added.

Hakoda sputtered and even Katara turned to stare at Sokka. Her brother took Suki’s hand and stared down at their rings.

“I hate being in the Poles.” He said softly.

“What?” Hakoda and Katara shouted.

“O-kay.” Zuko stood up, jostling the table. “I’m taking Sokka to show me the penguins.”

“I can fight my own battles!” Sokka protested, but Suki also stood and the two of them grabbed either of his shoulders.

“I love you man, but I am trying to keep my future wife and father-in-law from hating my guts.” Zuko muttered as he and Suki started dragging him out of the room.

“That’s not my problem! Hey wait the stairs guys wai-” Sokka’s voice was cut off by the sound of chaotic thudding.

“So, Katara, what do you want to do for your birthday?” Malina asked.

Katara lowered her face into her hands and groaned.

“Cherry blossoms, huh?” Katara asked, laying on her back and looking up at Zuko.

Zuko’s long hair acted like a curtain as he propped himself over her. He was doing what he normally did when they were able to sleep together; trying to see which parts of her were ticklish as he lightly kissed her.

“They’re pretty.” He said with his lips against her shoulder.

“And very dainty.” Katara added.

“I’m not in love with cherry blossoms, Katara.” Zuko murmured, moving down to her collarbone.

“I’m just saying.”

“And I’m just saying. Though it would be nice to see you in a bath with some cherry blossoms. Seeing them stick to your skin.” Zuko laid himself on her and went back to her neck. “Mmmmm.”

“You just constantly run hot don’t you?” Katara said with a laugh threading through her words.

“You should have seen me as a young man.” Zuko said, pushing himself up to look directly at her. “And when I was plagued with thoughts of a very mysterious spirit.”

“You’re still a young man.” Katara retorted, putting her hands on his chest.

“Did you ever think of me?” Zuko asked.

“The Blue Spirit?”

“Yeah.”

Katara paused then, trying to recollect. Her memory was shoddy at best, and some events were warped by time and trauma.

She remembered her first kiss with Haru before staging a prison break to rescue his father. She remembered seeing Yue in the moonlight and knew love and heartbreak in the same moment as she saw Sokka’s face. She remembered digging her nails into Jet as if she could mold him into something else.

And she remembered the vigilante that she could never figure out.

“I used to dream about running into you over and over again in the war. We’d fight the same villains, we’d tease each other because we are always suspicious, and you would unmask yourself while proclaiming your eternal love for me.” Katara said.

“Funny, I always imagined the same thing.” Zuko said.

“I would never have unmasked.” Katara scoffed.

“There’d be no need.” Zuko said with a smile and then lowered himself again. “I told you that you sweat your stripes off.”

“Zuko!”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

#zutara #fanfiction #jax writes #modern au #the fic that prompts built #zutara month 2021

6 notes · View notes

mycomfortblanket · 3 years

Text

If I Lose Him Like This

Chapter 7

Sitting on the roof of the palace, Aang watches the sun rise. After speaking with Katara and they had decided to end things, he needed time to himself. The conversation between him and Katara plays over and over in his mind and whenever he gets a small break from that heartache, he remembers what Toph had said to him just before Zuko and Katara had walked into the room.

He drops his head into his hands and rubs them along his scalp until he is clutching the back of his neck. How did he manage to screw things up with the both of them? Thinking back on the past few days, he sees little opportunities to fix the whole situation by a simple act or choice of words, if only he had stopped and thought for a moment.

"Well, looks like someone found my hiding spot," a voice comes from behind him. Aang turns around and sees Azula walking carefully down the roof until she can sit next to him.

"Hey, 'Zula."

"So, Katara found out?" she asks.

Aang whips his head over to look at her, but she is carefully avoiding his gaze. "Who told you about that?"

She takes a deep breath and draws her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them. She takes in a deep breath, "During the war, Father would have me interrogate prisoners. Get information out of them about secret bases, battle plans, whatever," she pauses and a shaky breath comes out, "The things I use to do to people..." her voice cracks. She closes her eyes and inhales deeply before exhaling long and slow.

Aang can't take his eyes off of her. The gold in her eyes are illuminated by the rising sun and her skin is so white and clear of any blemish, but he can see the aging the war did to her in the set of her shoulders.

"Anyways, I learned things about people, about how they hide certain aspects of themselves. How they can make the worst parts of themselves completely disappear or cover their worst pain. I learned how to search for these aspects of people without even trying to, to see their worst fear or worst judgement of themselves without even tearing them apart." She visibly swallows but turns to him and smiles, "So, no one told me. You and Toph are just very telling."

Aang draws his knees up to his chest as well and rests his forehead against them, "You're not going to tell Sokka, are you?"

Azula waves her hand in the air as if to disperse the tension, "Of course not, it's not any of my business. Although, I do think you should talk to him about it. He's not going to like it and he's going to be mad, but as his friend, I think it would be better that he hears it from you rather than some of the gossiping maids," her voice is back to the sharp edge he knows so well.

He rolls his head on his knees to look at her. It's still so surprising to see how different she is compared to how she was 6 years ago. He never would have thought they would be friends or have any kind of intimate moment, but he is glad she is here.

"I really messed up with them," he whispers. She doesn't say anything but waits for him to continue. "I love them both so much. But, Katara was right. We had been breaking apart for months, and neither of us had wanted to face that fact. We just stopped working. And Toph, I started messing that up several years ago and I didn't even know."

"You slept with her?"

Aang hesitates, "Yeah. Years ago. I didn't know how she felt about me at the time, I just thought it was..." he trails off, not wanting to say what he thought it was. "We kissed at my wedding and then she disappeared for 3 years. You think I would've put all of this together."

"Ha, yeah, you'd think," Azula laughs a little and wipes at her nose.

"I'm losing them both," he mumbles and hides his head in his knees again.

She looks over at him for a moment and considers his situation, "I think you're being too hard on yourself about it. You're only human. Yeah, you're the avatar, stopper of the Hundred Year War, Master of All Four Elements, but you're still just human." She looks at him for a moment longer. She places a hand on his shoulder before standing up and walking back to the window she came through.

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

Toph feels him meditating in the garden and she mentally steels herself for this conversation. Katara had talked some sense into her and that she needed to talk with Aang about what all has happened between them and the futute. She had reminded Toph time and time again how she didn't blame her or Aang and that she shouldn't ever feel guilty about what happened.

So now, she just needed to talk to Aang. she takes a deep breath and walks over and sits beside him, keeping enough distance between them that they don't touch. Neither of them say anything for a moment, there's just too much to say to each other, that it's hard to find what to talk about first. His heart rate spiked the moment he realized it was her walking into the courtyard and it hasn't slowed at all in the few minutes she's been sitting here.

"I don't really know where to start," Toph mumbles.

"Yeah. I just really fucked up, T." his voice is low and sounds thoroughly exhausted.

She barely nods her head, "Yeah. I talked with Katara," she feels him wince slightly but she presses on, "She told me what happened between the two of you. She also told me that she doesn't blame you. That she doesn't blame either of us," she looks down at her hands and pulls a blade of grass out and twirls it in her fingers.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

Aang looks over at her and takes in the bangs covering most of her face and the dark circles under her eyes from staying up all night, "Do you blame me?"

Toph lifts her face towards the sun and moves the bangs from her face, "Well, you certainly didn't do this on you own."

"The monks taught us to live without regret, and I've done a really great job of doing that so far. I've done really well at now allowing a decision I had made to hang over my head like a knife. But now, the one thing I will forever regret is hurting you," he pauses, willing his voice to steady. "And, I know that I can't make it up to you, at least not right now, I'm just asking for one more chance to earn your forgiveness. Not even your forgiveness, I just want to make it to where you are able to look at me without your heart breaking all over. I want to try and make this better for you, because I'm- I'm so fucking sorry, Toph."

He sees a tear streak down her cheek and he so badly wants to lean over and wipe it from her face, to clear it of existence. "Sometimes, I wish you never taught me seismic sense, because I can feel it. I feel your heartbreak every fucking time you feel me near you."

Toph sniffs and laughs a little, and here she thought she was being slick in hiding her pain, but then, a thought comes to her, "How come you couldn't feel it before?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I didn't feel it or if I didn't want to feel it, but, now... it's just so fucking prominent." She expects her hear to ache at this confession, but it doesn't. Maybe she's reached the limit of her heartbreak for the year.

"Is this what it was like for you, all those years ago?"

She lowers her head and remembers the way his heart would almost skip a beat anytime Katara walked into a room, or the way they both soared their wedding day. It was hell and she wasn't ever able to not feel it. Most people, when they're in love with someone who is in love with someone else, they can look away- they can choose not to see it. But, she felt it every time.

"Yeah. Yeah, it kind of feels like that," Toph whispers.

Aang nods his head and inhales, " I can't even ask you to forgive me, it's not right. But, Spirits. I'm going to try and make this better, I swear to you." He turns to her and her face is as impassive as ever. His heart sinks lower and lower the longer she is silent.

But then, he sees a small smirk come onto her face, "This is going to be fun to watch."

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

Zuko finds her in the library curled up on one of the plus couches with her head down. The slouch of her shoulders is very telling of how upset she is and makes him hesitate just a moment. He doesn't want to go over to her and bother her, not when her whole world just came crashing down.

Straightening himself, he swallows his hesitation and makes his way over to Katara. Just as he is rounding the couch, she looks up at him and smiles. She seems like she is perfectly fine. Her head wasn't hanging down in defeat or heartbreak, but she was reading a book. There's no tear marks on her cheeks and the slump of her shoulders doesn't seem as dramatic up close. The smile on her face even reaches up to her eyes.

"Hey, how'd you know I'd be here?"

"Oh, uh. Lucky guess, I guess," he moves to sit beside her.

They're both quiet for a bit, both of them just staring into the flames. "Please don't ask me if I'm alright," Katara's voice is quiet. Zuko glances over at her from the corner of his eye. She seems okay, and even now, her voice doesn't tremble, and she shows no sign of the heartbreak he thought she would be suffering from.

"Wasn't going to. But, uh. I did want to ask you something," he clears his throat a little, suddenly becoming nervous. She turns to him, an eyebrow raised. "Would you like to be my date to the ball tonight?"

Read the full story on Ao3

#taang #taangst #angst #toph beifong #aang #avatar the last airbender #atla #if i lose him like this

9 notes · View notes

scarletemeterio-thesecond · 3 years

Note

If you don’t mind could I request an Azula x f reader where the reader is a water bender and is with the gaang but leaves them to stay with Azula at the boiling rock and promises to never betray her?

ooh, we've got a corrupt reader over here lmao, thank you so much for requesting! fun fact, azula is one of my favorite characters so i'm glad someone requested something for her! hope you like it!

•••

Changing Sides (Azula x Fem!Reader)

Warnings: none.

Genre: Angst, idk, not really but not fluff either.

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Summary: See request.

Word Count: 1467

You didn't know why, but you just didn't want to be there anymore. You hadn't been with the Avatar for long, but you knew being with him wasn't your destiny.

You were a waterbender that had fled from the Northern Water Tribe, living in one of the many colonies, and ran into the group in the Earth Kingdom right before the fight at the catacombs, but you barely knew how to bend water. You hated the Avatar, he disappeared when he was needed the most, and that darkened your heart from a young age. But there was something else, you didn't know _what_ it was, but deep down you've always felt the urge to see the Fire Nation triumph in the war. Why did you even need different nations? Sure, there had been some damage and mistakes, but the possibility of all being as advanced as the firebenders was greater than any of that. So from the very first time, you were fascinated with the Fire Nation princess and how powerful she was, and the thought of wanting to join her crossed your mind, but you quickly brushed it off. Why would you want to join her? She was from the Fire Nation after all. However, the princess never really left your mind after you saw her that day.

When her brother showed up saying he wanted to join you, you couldn't believe it. You thought that he must've been crazy, why run away? Why leave the greatest place in the whole world? It made no sense to you.

You never said anything out loud about your inner conflict, but you did start acting a little more distant. You were bored in the Air Temple, you needed something exciting in your life, something new; you needed something that gave meaning to your life. You didn't really care what the rest of the group thought, but they did notice your attitude change and were worried about you. But whenever they asked if something was wrong, you just told them that everything was fine, that they had nothing to worry about.

You were a lot closer to Sokka than with the rest of the group. It wasn't _so_ bad to be by his side, even though he talked a lot most of the time. So when he and Zuko went to the Boiling Rock, he asked you to go with them. They couldn't bring Katara, she would most likely refuse due to how dangerous it'd be, so you were the best option since the girl had taught you a lot about waterbending.

You weren't really excited to go and see a bunch of prisoners, but it was better than staying and doing nothing. During your trip, the boys talked a little about their pasts, and then Zuko asked you about yours.

"My life isn't interesting at all," was all you said.

"Come on, I'm pretty sure there has to be something," insisted the boy.

"And what would you even know about interesting?" You snapped. "You're the one who left the Fire Nation after all," you mumbled.

They didn't understand what you'd meant but figured that it would be best to just finish the conversation, plus you had finally arrived, so you had to focus on that. You finally arrived on the shore of the prison and got rid of the balloon.

You all thought it would be best if you pretended to be guards, so you grabbed some uniforms. A lot of things happened while you were there, but nothing that really mattered to you.

Everyone was thinking about how to escape from there. At first, they thought about you using your bending to keep the water from touching you, but that option was dismissed as soon as you realized that you'd obviously end up getting caught while trying to climb the wall; it would draw too much attention, and since you were there as enemies of the Fire Nation, it was the last thing you wanted. You eventually came up with a plan, but you still stayed because there was a chance of finding Sokka's father.

It turned out to be true, he arrived at the prison, and now you had to think about escaping again. Every single moment you spent there was complete torture to you. You felt like the only reason the guys had asked for you to go with that was so they'd be able to have a waterbender nearby. You were sick of it, and you decided that once you were back in the Air Temple you'd leave the group for good. You had no idea of what you'd do but thought that everything would be better than what you had been doing up until that moment.

The new plan consisted of taking the warden as your hostage and using one of the gondolas to escape. It wouldn't be easy, you knew it, but it wasn't impossible. Suki took care of grabbing the warden, and now all you needed to do was leave that place.

However, Azula and Ty Lee appeared out of nowhere. You all got to the ceiling of the gondola, waiting for the two girls, ready to fight them. You mainly just stood there, not really knowing what to do, and protecting yourself whenever you needed to. Zuko and Sokka were fighting against the princess and then suddenly everything moved underneath you. Azula almost fell from the gondola, but you managed to grab her hand and pull her up. You two shared a look, she didn't really know why you'd helped her but there was no time for questions.

"They're about to cut the line!" Yelled Ty Lee.

You saw another gondola that was coming from the outside and then shared another look with the princess. "Then it's time to leave," she said. Azula looked at you before using her bending to land on top of the other gondola.

You saw that another girl was helping you all get away. Once you reached the other side, you began running away, but suddenly you and Zuko stopped.

"Zuko, (Y/N), what are you doing?" Asked Sokka.

"My sister was on that island," said Zuko, as if any of you needed to be reminded of that, especially you.

"Yeah, and she's probably right behind us, so let's not stop!"

"What I mean is that she must've come here somehow."

You all saw a Fire Nation airship and the rest of the group began walking towards it. However, you looked at the two boys a few meters away from you for a moment. You knew what you had to do, what you _wanted_ to do. So you took a deep breath and ran away from them. You used your waterbending to reach the platform that you were escaping from just a few moments ago. Sokka and Zuko looked at you with complete surprise all over their faces, and you could hear their voices from behind you. You didn't look back though, you never would.

Once you touched the ground, you saw that the guards had grabbed both Mai and Ty Lee and that Azula couldn't move her body. "Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again," you heard the princess say. The guards did as she said and the rest of them let them know that you were there. "And what are _you_ doing here?" She asked, anger clear in her voice. "I might not be able to move but I can still beat you."

"I'm not here to fight," you said. She looked at you, waiting for you to continue talking. "I'm here because I want to join you."

"You think I'm going to believe you? How stupid do you think I am? Guards! Take her too!"

"No, wait!" You yelled. "I'm serious, I mean it! I'm on your side, deep down I've always been," you confessed. She kept looking at you and gestured the guards to let go of you.

"So you finally realized," she said. You looked at her with a confused look and she rolled her eyes right before talking. "You think I haven't noticed that you had doubts? I realized from the first time I saw you, but I guess you finally made up your mind."

"I did, I swear I did," you told her. "And I won't be like those two girls," you said. "I won't betray you." She kept looking at you and since you didn't get an answer, you got on your knees, practically bowing in front of her. "I promise I'll never betray you. I pledge my loyalty to you, Princess Azula." You lifted your head to look at her and when you saw her smiling, you knew that there was nothing in the world that could make you change your mind.

•••

TAGLIST:

@noodlesfluffy @just-a-belgian-girl

#azula x reader #azula fanfic #azula fic #azula imagine #atla imagine #atla fanfic #atla fic #atla x reader #avatar imagine #avatar fanfic #avatar fic #avatar x reader #avatar azula #atla azula #avatar the last airbender

69 notes · View notes

mmos-s · 4 years

Text

HIRAETH (zuko x reader) CH.1

Summary: fireman captured and is confused

CH.1 CH.2 CH.3 CH.4 CH.5

Zuko couldn’t remember a thing. All he knows is that it’s dark and cold, extremely cold. Every time he’d draw in a breath he felt like his lungs were being pierced by icicles. The place reminded him of the ‘Cooler’ from the Boiling Rock prison.

He’d wondered how long he’d been here for. Zuko remembered falling in and out of consciousness ever since he’d gotten here so he didn’t really trust the timeline he was trying to construct in his head. This is what he had so far:

Being with Sokka in an odd water tribe village, it was the middle of the day and the sun was out but Zuko remembered still feeling no warmth. That’s the thing he hated about most water tribes.

Sokka had turned around to look at what some merchant was selling.

Sokka started to bargain with the merchant.

Then things started to get foggy and Sokka had brought him to another booth.

Two more booths and everything seemed to get fuzzy.

That’s 5 things.

Great.

Zuko was growing tired of being chained up, his wrists were growing numb. The pole he was tied to was digging into his back. He tried melting them with bending since he thought they might’ve been ice but that didn’t work. Wow the prince of the Fire Nation can’t melt ice, shocking.

Zuko groaned for what felt like the fiftieth time and finally came to the conclusion that bending was not helping.

He decided to do something that could actually help him, look around. From what he could gather the walls were caving in around him. He guessed he was tied up in the middle of the room because he couldn’t see the back of it. There were no windows and it felt stuffy. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark and he began to notice even more things. Piles of papers were strewn on the floor, maps, notes, some were pages ripped out from history books. Used candles were all over the floor and puddles of ink could be found each time Zuko found crumpled up paper and a broken writing brush. Some things were hung onto the walls with ice picks, it took him awhile to make them out but when he finally did his heart sank.

Wanted posters.

There were wanted posters of Aang, Toph, Sokka, Katara, Appa, there was even one of his uncles except it was ripped like the other half was missing or something. And lots of others, though he either couldn’t make them out or didn’t recognize the faces. Zuko looked to the other side of the room and started to feel more dread setting in.

He found the other half of his uncle’s wanted poster. It was his picture, an old one but still his(oh spirits,,, who let him walk around with that haircut). A big circle of ink surrounded it along with a bunch of arrows pointed at his face. If things couldn’t get any shittier another huge arrow pointed towards another picture of him. Well not necessarily of him but the Blue Spirit. In big messy lettering, it read, “THE SAME”.

If it wasn’t so obvious Zuko would have guessed that he probably pissed this person off to a great extent. He got to thinking, who’s he angered lately? He sighed, he hated how long the list was.

He tried turning around to the best of abilities to get a look at the rest of the place. A table sat in the corner of the room. It was the same thing, notes, books, and bottles of ink. It was weird this time though, everything was neatly stacked and put in the right place. It was completely different from what was in front of him. He wondered what was written on the papers, it must have been different than the rest because the handwriting looked much neater. It was such a contrast that Zuko was starting to wonder if more than one person had captured him. If that was true, his luck just got worse.

Did he break a mirror or something? Honestly, what had he done to deserve this? Sure Zuko had hunted the avatar for a while but did something like that deserve this much punishment?

Zuko was sure it’d been hours already, he soon started to realize how weak he was and the cold wasn’t helping. He wouldn’t be able to get out of here even if he tried. He could only hope that when he woke up he’d feel a little bit stronger. Come to think of it, Zuko hadn’t really slept well in a while. Trying to sleep on a flying bison’s back while 1,000 feet above the ground is scarier than it sounds.

And with that Zuko fell asleep.

Y/N didn’t know if it was because she’d lived in the cold for so long but today felt warmer than usual. The marketplace was extremely crowded today, more than usual. She kept looking at the wall of wanted posters and huffed, maybe today would be different.

She never realized how hard catching criminals would be, though like any normal functioning person it wasn’t something she’d thought about frequently before all of this. None of the people on the wall seemed to have a high enough bidding. Once she’d visited General Lee she was sure she had found someone of value, he had a huge bounty over his head and no one had come even close to capturing him. He hadn’t even given her the time of day. The next she’d brought a Fire Nation traitor, accused of aiding the Avatar. Y/N was sure she’d succeeded this time. But, again, nothing. She’d promised herself that she’d never give up on her people but things were getting hopeless.

Then, something changed. She never knew she’d be so happy to have run into a swamp village and had fainted at the sight of an elbow leech. She’d found who she was going to hunt down . . . Prince Zuko. He was perfect. Oldest son of the Firelord, held a high status, and she’d overheard soldiers speak about how he was a traitor and let everyone down (she then found a wanted poster to prove it). There were basically no cons to him, he was flawless.

On the plus side she was sure the General would get his rocks off at even the thought of delivering someone so important. He’d probably get some honor badge too.

Too bad she let him slip through her fingers the first time. That was one of Y/N biggest regrets.

Y/N’s face grew dull. It didn’t matter, she hadn’t made any progress and wasn’t any closer to capturing him.

Capturing a Prince is much easier said than done.

It didn’t make any sense to her, it’s like he'd fallen off the face of the Earth. Usually she’d been hearing about him left and right, from stray Fire Nation soldiers in villages, stories about how once again he’d nearly captured and killed the avatar, but then things just went silent. Y/N hadn’t heard anything from anyone in weeks. Sometimes she’d ask people and their faces would just pull a blank like they’d never heard of him in the first place, other times they’d just straight up get defensive, telling her it wasn’t her place to be asking such things. She didn’t try to think about it too much. A lack of information wasn’t going to bring her down now, she was running out of time.

Hopefully, the general hadn’t flaked out on her yet, it had been a while since she’d brought someone to him.

Now that she thought about it maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to trust a fire nation general to keep his word. Maybe she should just try and jump him and--OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!!

Was Y/N dreaming? She had to be. Things couldn’t be this easy, they just couldn’t be.

There stood Prince Zuko, almost awkwardly might Y/N add, next to a booth with a merchant selling handmade bags. He was just standing there without a care in the world. It almost made her mad how nonchalant he was being. Y/N really doesn’t want to complain but she thought this would just be a little bit more dramatic.

She moved from the alleyway and moved closer to them, luckily enough the booth next to theirs sold mirrors.

“Hey Y/N,” Yao spoke.

“Yeah, uh hey.” Y/N half smiled, not really paying attention.

Yao was the daughter of the merchant who sold the mirrors at the booth, he’d been sick lately so Y/N had been seeing more of her. She didn’t like the circumstances but she did have to admit it was nice seeing a face her age.

“D’you hear about the avatar being here? Guess the rumour about him being dead was bull.”

“Yeah, yeah I heard. Probably why there are so many people out today,” Y/N said.

“Yuppp, not one person wants to buy mirrors though.” Yao crosses her arms and frowns.

Y/N laughs, she knew how much she didn’t like the job but she couldn’t not do it, her father needed her to. That’s one of the things she liked about her, Yao wasn’t very selfish.

She felt guilty about only half listening to her about her day but she had to keep an eye on the Prince and whoever he was with. She kept glancing at them through the mirrors in a way she thought wasn’t too suspicious, but she was obviously proven wrong when Yao spoke up about it.

“He’s cute isn’t he?” Yao smirked, she was whispering now so they wouldn’t overhear.

“Wha-”

“The one with the scar,” She said.

Y/N half nodded, “I guess so.”

“He’s with the avatar too apparently. It’s weird though, he looks so familiar.” Y/N didn’t say anything to that. It’s not like she could tell her she was Fire Lord Ozai’s son.

She was so nervous, he was standing right there, right next to her, barely even five feet away. Though surprisingly Yao didn’t take her nervous silence as the ‘omg I have to kidnap a guy right next to me’ type of silence.

“Don’t worry, Y/N. I’m more into the guy with the ponytail anyway,” She said.

Y/N laughs and rolls her eyes.

They both talked for a few more seconds until Y/N noticed the two leaving the booth. She waved goodbye to Yao and continued following them.

She started to realize the guy with the ponytail really liked to shop. She swore she nearly laughed every time the guy would drag the Prince around to another booth, he looked so out of place.

Before she could make fun of him some more Y/N had found her opening.

Zuko had asked the ponytail boy for a sip of water from his canteen. This was it. Y/N waterbended some of her medicine and went out to walk in front of the booth they were at. She purposely bumped into him rather harshly and slipped a little bit of the medicine into the flask while he was distracted.

“Sorry,” Y/N mumbled.

“It’s--” But she had already gone.

Now all she had to do was wait a little bit longer.

Y/N couldn’t believe things turned out to be this easy. Things went so smoothly it was almost scary.

She’d sedated him successfully, snatched him up from under his friends nose, managed to get out of a crowded village with an unconscious boy hanging on her shoulder and get home in just a couple of hours. Now all she had to do was write to General Lee telling him she’d found someone and give him Prince Zuko.

Yeah, this’ll work.

Y/N put down her writing brush and dragged her hands down her face. If she kept thinking about how well things were going she was sure to jinx herself.

She stepped away from her desk and paced around the room. He had woken up in a while, maybe the dosage she’d given him was too much.

She stopped her pacing and stood in front of him. She pushed away some loose notes and made herself a small spot on the floor to sit on.

His scar was what kept her from looking away from him. You really couldn’t miss it, it was pinkish till around the center, where the hue changed to a deeper red. It looked a little bit rough looking too, like if she were to drag her fingers along it would feel bumpy and coarse.

Whatever caused so much damage must have hurt badly. It didn’t look ugly on him though, surprisingly. It wasn’t repulsing in any way at all, it shocked her how much she kept looking at it. Y/N thought it was a little bit mesmerizing even.

Suddenly, Zuko had stirred.

Y/N had felt a rush of adrenaline, and a sense of hope.

The prince met her eyes and gasped. The chains clattered when his back hit the pole.

“Finally,” she said.

“Uh, hello?” He took a deep breath and scowled when Y/N took a step closer.

“Who are you--” He tried to ask.

“I really don’t think that’s important,” Y/N answered.

Zuko fell silent for a second and kept his eyes on her. He was clearly confused; it was written all over his face, it was almost laughable. Y/N watched him while he furrowed his brows and let his frown grow bigger, she wondered if he was going to try and use his firebending and fight her. Honestly, she was a bit scared. She’d never seen him fight before and she didn’t doubt that the Prince of the Fire Nation wouldn’t be skilled.

“What do you want from me?” He demanded.

“Well there's a lot to it, but I guess I could cut the story short so we don’t waste any more time.”

Y/N waterbended the ice holding Zuko up and turned them back into water.

“You’re my ticket to revenge.”

#atla #zuko #zukoxreader #zuko x reader #avatar the last airbender #toph #aang #katara #sokka #suki #xreader #reader insert

108 notes · View notes

miyuki-scourgeofthefirenation · 4 years

Text

Bop to the Top

Oh boy what have I done? I wrote fanfic, that’s what I done. Basically, I was just chilling, minding my business, when I came across this YouTube video:

youtube

I then had an idea for a fanfic that would not let me go until I wrote it. So I wrote it. Please be nice, this is my first time writing fanfic ever. It also became longer than I anticipated so here it is in all its unedited glory. Enjoy! Story begins under the cut, because yikes, why is this over 2000 words?!?

(Set roughly five years after the end of the war. Zuko brought in a special team to help with Azula and her situation, because Zuko is a sweet boy who still loves his sister and wants her to be okay. The comics? I don’t know her.)

Sokka was spending a perfectly pleasant afternoon strolling around the gardens at the palace when he was unexpectedly tackled by someone sneaking up on him. Actually, make that two someones sneaking up on him.

“Ooof,” he grunts as his body makes contact with the ground. Any hope he might have had for regaining his breath is dashed when the two someones who tackled him promptly fall right on top of him as well.

“Sokka!” a giddy voice shouts, followed by peals of laughter. Sokka opens his eyes to find himself face to face with a chirping lemur. The pressure on his back disappears as his two attackers stand up.

“Sorry, sorry!” another voice rings out, reaching down to help Sokka to his feet. “We were just so excited to surprise you!” Sokka turns around to see his sister Katara, and Aang standing there.

“Guess we got a little carried away!” Aang adds with a sheepish tone in his voice that somehow doesn’t match up with the light in his eyes or wide grin on his face. Sokka doesn’t say anything, just reaches out to scoop Katara and Aang into a hug as Momo scurries up to perch on his shoulder.

“I had no idea you were coming for a visit,” Sokka says, releasing the others from the hug after a few moments.

“It was a last minute decision,” Katara explains. “We were charting our course to the next destination on our itinerary, and realized that it wasn’t that far out of our way to stop by here en route. Thought it would be nice to come see you and Zuko for a day or two.”

“And I thought ‘What would be more fun than making this visit?’ Making this a ‘Surprise visit!’” Aang crowed happily. “Hope that’s okay,” he said then, a bit more tentatively, as if it was just occurring to him that maybe advance warning of their arrival would have been a good thing.

“Of course it is!” Sokka beams, “You know I’m always excited to get to see you two!” A slightly angry chirp comes from the direction of his shoulder. “And you too Momo. I couldn’t forget about my favorite flying lemur.”

It is at this moment that two palace guards come running up to the group out of breath. “Master Sokka,” one pants, “Your sister and the Avatar have arrived unexpectedly and wish to see you immediately.”

Sokka exchanges a brief look with Aang and Katara at this obvious statement, but decides not to comment on it out loud.

“We apologize for not leading them here for a proper greeting,” the other guard says, looking somewhat miffed as well as quite sweaty. “But…” He trails off looking at the two visitors, neatly conveying the hesitance of the guards to attempt to stop the waterbending master and Avatar from going anywhere they might want.

“That’s quite alright,” Sokka states, addressing the red-faced guards. “If you could please see to it that appropriate arrangements are made for my sister and Aang to stay here for the next few days. Thank you.” With that the two guards make their bows to the group and depart.

Katara and Aang loop their arms through Sokka’s as they begin to walk towards the far end of the garden. “So,” Katara begins, “how have you been? How’s that Fire Lord fiancé of yours?”

Sokka grins at this. “I’m good, he’s good. Been keeping busy with Ambassador duties, and Fire Lord duties for him. There have been a couple of small uprising plans discovered recently, but nothing like the turmoil of the early days…” he said trailing off. He still didn’t like to remember those difficult months after Zuko assumed the throne, which featured a steady influx of plots to remove him from power and resume the war. Based on the looks on Katara and Aang’s faces, they didn’t like this reminder either. The three quickly shook themselves out of their momentary gloom, focusing back on the present. “I know he’ll want to see you as well, he’ll be so thrilled you’re here!”

“Where is he?” Aang questions.

“He’s spending some time with Azula,” Sokka explains. “She’s been doing really well recently,” he adds after seeing the dubious expressions on their faces. “Ever since we got those new healers in and the new chambers in the hospital wing set up specially for her she’s been showing a lot of improvement. Way fewer rants about taking back her rightful place as Fire Lord!” Katara and Aang still don’t look convinced, and he supposes he can’t blame them for that. If he didn’t live here and see the daily workings of the situation he probably wouldn’t believe it either. “It’s just about time for Zuko to be finishing up with his visit to her,” Sokka says somewhat hastily, eager to move past this particular subject. “I’ll go over and get him, let him know you’re here. Then we can all have dinner together, properly catch up.”

“Great!” Aang exclaims. “Me and Katara should go see about getting Appa settled in, he can be very picky about how he wants things you know!” Katara gave a slight roll of her eyes as Aang bounded off with Momo flying behind him.

“We’ll see you at dinner!” she calls with a wave as she follows her boyfriend. Sokka smiles at their retreating backs. He’s so happy that they’re here, and he knows Zuko will be as well. With that thought in mind he heads off for the hospital wing of the palace.

As he rounds the corner leading to Azula’s chambers he hears something extremely unexpected. Typical noises that can be found in the hallway are soft talking, loud screams about Azula finally breaking free and reclaiming her place, tears, or silence. This is none of those things. This seems to be… music? Sokka is confused, and quietly pushes open the door to the room. He learned the hard way that making his presence known immediately was not necessarily a smart idea. Who knew a hairbrush could be such a powerful projectile weapon?

Sokka instantly freezes at the sight that meets his eyes. Zuko and Azula are in the center of the room and they seem to be doing some sort of… choreographed dance routine? There is an entirely unnecessary amount of jazz hands and shimmying that seems to be happening and Sokka is absolutely thrilled. He breaks out into an unbelieving and slightly wicked smile. This is good, this is just the sort of low level embarrassing incident he can use to tease Zuko for ages. The two dancing firebenders haven’t yet noticed Sokka’s presence, they’re too focused on the dance. The song continues to play in the background, something about bopping and glory. Sokka isn’t paying close attention to the words of the song, the sight in front of him is far more entertaining and deserves his full attention. The song comes to an end, and Zuko and Azula make their grand finale on a ladder (where did they get a ladder from? Sokka muses briefly). It is only then that Sokka makes his presence known, by beginning to clap. He knew that they would instantly stop dancing if they were aware of him earlier, and he was not about to sacrifice seeing this for anything. The two whirl around at the sound of his clapping, as well as the muffled laughter he’s been holding in this entire time and is starting to lose control of.

Zuko flushes red. “How long have you been standing there?” he asks, a slightly panicked look in his eyes. He knows his fiancé, and he knows full well the amount of teasing he can expect to get from this sort of situation. At this point he can only hope for the damage to be minimal, and that Sokka didn’t see too much of the routine. He knows he’s lost when he sees the evil gleam in Sokka’s eyes.

“Oh,” Sokka laughs, “I’m pretty sure I caught most of that, and let me say I am very happy I did. When can we expect to see performances of it in the theaters around town? Personally, I think all Fire Nation citizens should have a chance to witness that. It would probably be very good for morale.” He crosses his arms and grins at the siblings, who have since come down off of the ladder. Surprisingly Azula hasn’t said anything yet, and has kept her face aimed downwards towards the floor. Both Sokka and Zuko dart their gaze to her, somewhat nervously gauging her reaction.

She looks up abruptly, her gaze moving back and forth between the two. A small smile spread across her lips. “What do you think Zuzu? A couple more months of practice before our grand debut?” Zuko looks shocked for a minute before getting his expression back under control. She turns to Sokka. “You know,” she drawls to him, “I could be ready to perform for the masses tomorrow, but you know Zuzu, he’s not as fast a learner as I am. He needs more time to practice, and I refuse to perform if the routine is not perfected! But, alas, it is now time for dinner, and so perfection shall have to wait another day at least. We can pick up with practice again another day Zuzu,” she states imperiously, laying a hand on his arm as she walks into the small dining area off of the main room. When she gets to the doorway she turns her head slightly to look at him. “Thank you,” she murmurs softly, “I had fun.” Then she sweeps into the other room and out of their sight.

Wordlessly, Zuko and Sokka exit her chambers and begin walking back towards the main part of the palace. “Wow,” Zuko mutters.

“I know,” Sokka says, “She was actually… nice for once. Glad to see the new environment and healers are helping her so much.”

“Me too,” Zuko says quietly, lost in his own thoughts.

“And you,” Sokka blurts out. Zuko looks up at him questioningly. “You’re really helping her too. Clearly,” Sokka rambles. “She seems to be coming around to trusting you a lot more. I know that’s important to you.”

Zuko smiles a bit at that. “Yeah, yeah it is.”

“Sooooooo, about that dance….” Sokka grins at him

“Oh no. No, no, no,” Zuko whines. “I just had a major breakthrough with my sister, can’t I get a pass on the mocking for once?”

Sokka looks vaguely affronted. “Do you know me at all? I am very happy about the whole ‘Breakthrough with formerly evil sister thing,’ but if you think you’re gonna be able to get out of this on the strength of that alone…” he scoffs. “That dance routine is the best material that has fallen into my lap in years, there’s no way I’m about to pass it up!”

Zuko groans affectionately, he knew that was gonna be the answer, and despite his embarrassment he can’t find it in himself to be too upset. He goodnaturedly puts up with Sokka’s shrieking about it as they begin to make their way to dinner. He’s only half paying attention when Sokka says “Oh man, Katara and Aang are gonna love this! Dinner just got so much better!” That snaps Zuko out of his trance right away.

“What do you mean ‘Katara’ and ‘Aang’ and ‘Dinner’?” He demands.

“Oh,” Sokka says slyly, looking at him out of the corner of his eye, “Did I forget to mention? Katara and Aang have dropped in for a surprise visit. We’re headed to dinner with them right now. And trust me, this story, is gonna be the highlight of the evening!” With that Sokka gives him a quick kiss on the cheek, flashes a wicked grin and runs away down the hall and into the dining room. Zuko huffs indignantly, realizing Sokka had run away before he had a chance to respond. Grumbling, but still smiling slightly, he follows his fiancé into the dining room, looking forward to seeing his friends.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #sokka #zuko #zukka #azula #aang #katara #kataang #momo #appa #high school musical #bop to the top #fanfiction #me? writing a 2000 word fanfic over a 1 minute video?#it's more likely than you think

84 notes · View notes

koala-otter · 4 years

Text

oh god this got long and maybe isn’t nearly as light-hearted as we hoped?? but here’s female friendship and bonding--it was honestly really fun to write just the girls all together

thank you so much for the prompt, and I hope you like it @it-is-the-female-federal !!

the girls of the gaang at ember island 2.3k words

“Oh, my gosh, Suki, I’m so excited to see everyone again!”

Suki looks away from the approaching ship to Ty Lee standing next to her on the dock. Or, more accurately, jumping up and down on the dock. The two have traded their heavy Kyoshi uniforms for the light, midriff-baring style popular on Ember Island.

“Me, too,” Suki says warmly. “It’s been so long since we’ve all been together.”

“And I’m so glad they convinced Mai to come, too,” Ty Lee adds. Her eyes widen and she erupts into a squeal as the ship reaches the dock, and a staircase lowers from the shipside to the ground in front of them. After a few seconds, Mai comes down the stairs, followed by Katara guiding and holding Toph’s hand. All are dressed in the bright reds of the Fire Nation in styles similar to Suki and Ty Lee’s.

“It’s so good to see you both!” Katara cries once they reach the bottom, running to hug Suki.

Ty Lee enwraps Mai in a bone-crushing hug, crying, “You have no idea how happy I am to see you!”

“Move over, Sweetness,” Toph says to Katara, “I wanna say hi to Suki, too.”

Suki laughs as she hugs the younger girl, then pulls back, asking, “Wait, where are the guys?”

Toph smirks. “They couldn’t make it,” she says.

Katara smiles sympathetically at the disappointed look on Suki’s face. “There’s some problem with the new Fire Sages temple,” she explains. “Sokka’s overseeing the changes to the construction, so he has to stay behind with Zuko and Aang while they figure it out.” She tilts her head toward the beach. “But we can still have fun without them.”

“If anything,” Ty Lee says energetically, looping her arm through Suki’s, “it just got more fun. Now it’s a girls’ trip!”

“Yeah! Girls’ trip!” Toph yells, throwing her arms in the air. A rock shoots out from the ground beneath them and through the dock, sending the staircase sailing back onto the ship. A moan of dismay sounds out from the deck in response.

“Yay,” Mai says in a monotone.

Katara glances at Mai, almost disapprovingly, before taking Toph’s hand again. “I think a girls’ trip is just what we all need,” she says.

“Well, then what are we waiting for?” Ty Lee says excitedly. “Let’s go to the beach!”

“I thought this was supposed to be the off-season,” Toph says, her face turned down toward the sand and her arms crossed.

The girls look around themselves. The beach is teeming with islanders, from little kids playing in the water to young adults like them playing volleyball. The sounds of lively chatter and playful shrieks pollute the air.

“I can’t even see a space to put our stuff down,” Katara says.

“You were right, Mai,” Suki says, “we should have stayed at the private beach.”

Mai shrugs. “We can always go back,” she says.

“Let’s do it,” Toph says commandingly, “my feet are getting serious sensory overload right now.”

“Can’t we just stay another minute?” Ty Lee begs. “There’s gotta be a spot somewhere.”

Right on time, a young man in swim trunks and a top knot approaches Ty Lee. “My name’s Zang,” he says. He points behind himself at a group of young men lounging a few feet apart on the beach. “Need somewhere to lay your towel out? We’ve got some extra space.”

“Thanks!” Ty Lee beams at him. “There’s room for my friends, too, right?”

Zang notices the other girls all at once and balks, but quickly begins to nod. “Of course,” he says, almost smoothly. “Anything for a group of such lovely ladies.”

Katara grins when she sees Mai roll her eyes.

Once they’ve set out their towels, the girls leave Zang and his friends behind, running for the water’s edge. Katara rushes into the waves, as usual, and Ty Lee follows, Katara creating a board of ice for the two of them to ride together. Suki stands with Mai with the water up to their ankles, watching as Toph bends the sand around them into various figures.

“Wow,” Mai says after another round of creation, “it looks exactly like the old guy staring at us.”

“Down to the tiny shorts,” Suki comments.

Katara and Ty Lee ride back in on another wave, both of them laughing breathlessly.

“That was so much fun!” Ty Lee cries once she’s caught her breath. She turns to the other girls. “You guys have to try it.”

Toph shakes her head. “No way. I wouldn’t be able to see a thing.”

“Yeah, no, thanks,” Mai says disdainfully.

Katara frowns.

“I would, but maybe not here,” Suki says, looking around at the rest of the beachgoers. “There are a lot of eyes on us.”

“All right, all right,” Ty Lee agrees, “let’s go back to Zuko’s beach.”

“Finally,” Mai says.

The girls go back to collect their things and bid farewell to the young men, but Zang stops them.

“Ladies, what’s the rush?” he asks, his arm around one of his friends and a flask in his other hand.

“We’ve got plans somewhere else,” Katara says in explanation.

“Somewhere far away,” Toph continues.

“Aw, don’t be like that!” Liquid splashes out of the flask and onto Zang’s leg. He wipes it away with his hand. “Look, you girls have got everyone’s eyes on you at this beach,” he says.

Mai, Katara, and Suki exchange looks.

“I’m just saying,” Zang continues, “I’m a promoter at this little hot spot in town. It’s called the Dragon’s Lair.”

Katara tries to hold back a laugh.

Zang continues, unfazed, “We’re having an event tonight, ladies drink free. I think you’d all have a lot of fun if you came.”

Ty Lee brightens. “That sounds great!” she says.

“I think we actually have plans tonight,” Mai interrupts.

“What? No, we don’t,” Ty Lee says.

Suki nudges her arm. “I’m pretty sure we have a dinner to go to.”

“Come after dinner,” Zang says casually, “or come whenever. The party’s all night.”

“Come on, girls,” Ty Lee says to her friends, “This sounds like just the right thing for a girls’ trip!”

“I’m in,” Toph says, a mischievous grin on her face, “as long as there are actually free drinks.”

Katara sighs. “Maybe we’ll just go for a little while?” she says, glancing at Suki and Mai.

“An hour,” Suki says sternly.

“At most,” Mai adds.

“Great!” Zang says with seemingly genuine delight. “I’ll get a table for you all. My treat.”

The girls arrive at the Dragon’s Lair in outfits chosen by Ty Lee. Even Toph wears a swipe of eyeliner, courtesy of Katara, on each eyelid.

“One hour,” Suki reminds the group before they enter.

“If that,” says Mai.

They step through the curtain in the doorway to find a crowd of people their own age. Groups of them clump around tables, moving between them and the bar, carrying bottles and trays of drinks. Loud cheers erupt every once in a while, and the general din and low lighting makes it difficult to navigate the space.

“Hey! Over here!”

Zang waves at them from a table nearby, and holds his arms out as they draw near. No one goes to embrace him.

“How nice of you ladies to join us,” he says, looking a little dejected. He claps the shoulder of a young man next to him. “This is Muzu.”

The girls all nod at him politely. He winks at Katara. She avoids looking at him.

“Can I get you all some drinks?” Zang asks. He grins. “Remember, ladies drink free.”

“Yes,” Toph answers immediately.

“But, Toph, you’re not sixteen yet,” Suki hisses.

“Just let her order like the rest of us,” Mai says in a bored tone.

“We’ll each have a rice wine and a beer to start,” Ty Lee says brightly.

“All right,” Zang agrees, getting up to go to the bar.

A worried look crosses Suki’s face. “I’ll go with you,” she offers hurriedly and follows after him.

The rest of them stand in an uncomfortable silence with Muzu. He turns to Katara.

“So, where are you from?” he asks.

“Southern Water Tribe,” she replies.

“Oh, wow,” he says, cocking an eyebrow. “Cold down there?”

“Very,” she replies curtly. She turns to Ty Lee. “Hey, you didn’t finish telling us earlier--how are your chi-blocking lessons going?”

Ty Lee takes over the conversation, gushing about the Kyoshi Warriors and what great students they are, and praising Suki for her leadership and ability to pick up the technique quickly, until Zang and Suki return with the drinks. A look passes between Suki and Mai, and the two pass out the drinks themselves.

The conversation continues easily, floating mostly between the girls. Zang even becomes a decent guy once he has a drink in him, listening actively to Suki explaining the difference between fan and sword-fighting, and even asking Toph to explain her metalbending process.

“I will,” she promises, “as soon as you get me more to drink.” She pulls on his arm. “Let’s go.”

They take off, and Muzu asks the group, “She’s really blind?”

“Yes.” Mai barely looks up from her drink to reply, though when she does, the contempt is clear in her gaze.

Katara feels like her head is swimming after her second drink. She shakes herself. “I’m going to go to the bathroom,” she whispers to Suki.

Suki looks at her, concern clear in her eyes. “Are you okay? Do you need me to go with you?”

Katara shakes her head and smiles. “I’m fine.”

Mai watches her go.

In the bathroom, Katara splashes her face with cool water and looks at herself in the mirror. Her eyes are bright in the dim light, and her cheeks carry a slight flush. She smiles and dries herself off, opening the door to go back out.

Someone is on the other side of it.

“What are you doing?” she demands when she finds Muzu in front of her.

“Don’t worry,” he says sleazily, running his free hand through his hair, “I feel it, too.”

“No,” Katara says forcefully, shoving him away. She feels hot and dizzy as she begins to walk back to the table.

“Are you sure?” Muzu asks, grabbing her wrist.

“Yes,” Katara says, ripping it free from his grasp. “I have a boyfriend.”

Muzu smirks. “He doesn’t have to know,” he says, and steps forward to go after her one more time.

Suddenly, he’s pinned to the wall behind them, his eyes wide with shock. Four knives stick out of his clothing around his shoulders and waist. Katara stares at him, her brain still fuzzy and trying to make sense of what’s just happened.

“She said no.” Mai steps out into the light, another knife glinting in her hand. “I’d take it for an answer, if I were you.”

Mai walks forward and holds the knife to his throat. “We’re going to leave, and you’re going to stay right here until we’re gone, and you’re never going to talk to her, or any of us, ever again.” She twists the knife threateningly. “Understand?”

He gulps and nods desperately.

Mai moves over to Katara and puts her arm around her shoulders, guiding her out of the building. “Are you okay?” she asks quietly.

Katara nods mutely. Once they’re outside, Mai helps her sit down on a curb and squats in front of her. “Just breathe,” she says in a low tone. She looks up and then back to Katara. “Suki’s coming now. We’re all going to go home, and we’re going to get you some water.” She puts her hand on Katara’s arm, and Katara looks up at her with wide eyes.

Suki comes out and puts her hand on Katara’s shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Katara says, though her voice is thick.

Suki nods and looks back at Mai. “Toph’s really drunk. Ty Lee and I are trying to wrangle her, but it’s going to be a couple of minutes.” She squeezes Katara’s shoulder. “But then we’re going to go home right away, okay? I promise.” She runs back inside.

Mai holds Katara’s hand to help her rise, then puts her arm back around her, holding her close. “I’m here,” she says as Katara wipes at her eyes. “Whatever you need.”

A weak smile makes its way across Katara’s face. “Thanks, Mai.”

The girls all drag their mattresses into the largest room in the house and lay them out in a circle, a fan spinning lazily above them. Bowls of snacks fill the empty space in the middle of their mattresses, and they all wear bright green facemasks made from the Southern Water Tribe’s most antioxidant-rich seaweed.

“This is way more my style,” Katara says.

“Mine, too,” Mai says from the mattress next to hers.

They exchange small smiles.

“You said it,” Toph says, kicking her feet up and lying on her back. Her hair has been tied back in an elaborate braid by Ty Lee, her bangs pinned back out of her face to keep clear of the face mask. “My head is killing me.”

“Have more water,” Katara says to her, bending some from a pitcher on the floor into Toph’s glass. “It’ll be even worse tomorrow.”

“Speaking of which, what should we do tomorrow?” Ty Lee asks excitedly, rolling onto her stomach and facing them all.

“Maybe we should take it easy,” Suki says cautiously. “We can sleep in, spend the afternoon on the private beach.”

“Oh, Katara, we’ll have to do more ice-boarding,” Ty Lee says. “I wanna see if we can do more flips.”

Katara nods, smiling lightly at Ty Lee. “Of course.”

“I’d try it again, too,” Suki volunteers, reaching for another sweet rice cake.

Ty Lee beats her to it, and pops the treat in her mouth. She grins mischievously at Suki. “I’d ask you to join, Mai, but I guess we can never expect you to get wet,” she says.

Mai chuckles lightly and reaches for a cream candy. “Not normally,” she says slowly, popping the candy into her mouth and sucking on it for a little while. “But I might be willing tomorrow.”

“Oh, yay!” Ty Lee cheers. “We’ll have so much fun.”

Katara smiles at Mai. “Yeah, we will.”

#my writing #ask #atla fanfic #fanfiction #atla #katara #mai #suki #toph #ty lee #it-is-the-female-federal

30 notes · View notes

waterdeepp · 4 years

Text

☾ indigo night☽ ✧ zutara fic ✧

Soulmate AU: you have a dream about your soulmate \when your soulmate touches you they leave a hand print.

Katara keeps having the same dream of the Blue Spirit visiting her in the night. Until one night, she has a walk by the misty river, that dream becomes a reality.

AN: Okay, this is really bad but it was fun. I have loved ATLA since I was a kid and seeing it on Netflix reminded me how fucking obsessed I am with it (with Zutara). This goddamn show is amazing and I hope I did these characters justice. I stopped writing fic a year ago to focus on original content so pls be nice. should I do another where Zuko dreams of the painted lady? I personally think the Blue Spirit is based off the Chinese Azure Dragon but that’s just me ;)

Katara tossed and turned in her bedroll, flipping to her left side to see her brother and Aang sleeping peacefully. Damn these sleepless nights. For once Sokka wasn’t snoring loud enough to alert the Fire Nation across the globe. She grew agitated, pouting her bottom lip before turning on her other side. The crackling of the fire only got on her nerves, every little sound drove her mad. Even the sound of her own breathing wasn’t all too pleasing. Momo purred gently, sensing her discomfort. She kicked off her blankets and Momo flew down by her feet and nudged her with a concerned look in his eye. She reached down to scratch his head. ‘Get some rest, boy,” she cooed, pulling the edge of the blanket over him. The animal purred deeply as she rubbed the top of his head until he went to sleep. She loved him, she never expected to grow so attached to the animal. Now she shared her dinner with him when there was extra to go around, claiming no one should ever go hungry.

She pulled her arms all the way up and stretched, feeling her muscles ease and shoulders pop gently. She was exhausted but still couldn’t sleep. She got comfortable again, doing her best not to work herself up. The night was cool under the moon’s ray, Katara felt the energy from above her. She inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling. With each breath she began to relax, her muscles no longer felt so tight, so compressed or rigid.

She saw snippets of her dream begin to form, she was sitting by the river close by; letting the water run over her fingertips. It was icy cold but made her feel alive, rejuvenated, and whole with herself. She was the water and the water was her, just as the moon lived in her rib cage and she lived in the moon. Her dream became vivid, it felt more real than ever.

Her fingers picked up strings of water and she glided it through the air. Sometimes she felt insanely blessed to have such magnificent power. She always knew she was born lucky, but when she stopped to think, it was a blessing. Water can heal just as it can destroy, tsunamis and cyclones were perfect evidence of that. Was water so different from its nemesis fire? Fire was famously known for its brutality and water its vitality, but both of them shared the same capabilities. She let the water freeze into razor-sharp daggers on her skin. She shot them back into the water with a splash. Droplets clung to her tanned skin, they glided over her plump cheeks and down to her decolletage.

A mist began to billow around her, it was heavy and almost pulled her down to her knees. Katara looked into the water in front of her, staring back at herself, wondering if she was dreaming or not. Her eyes glimmered in the pool, blue eyes looking back into her. Those blue eyes slowly morphed into the face of the Blue Spirit. She froze, unable to move her limbs to splash the horrifying mask away. It stared into her, still and silent. The mask emerged from the water, a body appeared from the waters as well, cloaked with the darkness. Her curious eyes followed him as he slowly ascended into the air. Water did not cling to him, yet seemed to float around him. His swords were drawn and ready, dazzling silver glinted under the moonlight. Katara was frozen in place. She was not afraid anymore, fascination trumped all fears that lingered inside her mind.

The Spirit sheathed his swords on his back, powerful arms flexed before her eyes. He did not utter a word, barely a breath escaped the mask. Katara extended a hand to touch him, dainty fingers brushing against the gloved hand. The spirit wrapped his entire hand around her wrist, she expected the touch to be harsh but he was surprisingly gentle. She ascended with him, mist wrapping around her legs. The water under their feet sparkled brilliantly, it was almost a replica of the star-lit skies in the North Pole. The spirit brushed his fingers against her brow bone and down to her chin. She shivered. His touch felt like the snow falling on her cheeks; gentle, beautiful, but so ice cold. Katara reached up to touch the eyes of the mask and just like those droplets of snow, he vanished like he was never there. How beauty could be swept away by a gentle touch.

The next morning Katara woke up from a sound sleep. She stretched her arms and legs before promptly standing tall. “Oh, hi Katara! I didn’t know you took on face paint!” Aang said with a cheerful smile. Katara perked a brow. “I didn’t?”

“Huh? You have four lines going down the side of your face.” The boy replied. Katara touched her cheek, feeling the dried paint on her skin. Sokka walked over to her with a curious look on his face. “What’s that?” he inquired, he shared the same curiosity as Aang. Katara looked at her wrist and saw a painted hand print wrapping around her wrist. The hand was large and engulfed her entire wrist. She furrowed her brow before she looked up at her brother. For once he didn’t have a sarcastic remark to throw at her, now he was genuinely confused. She wrapped her hand around her painted wrist and noticed the staggering difference in size. “Let’s uh, go wash this stuff off. I don’t know how you could have gotten that, it wasn’t any of us.” Aang reassured her once he saw the anxious look on her face.

He walked her down to the river and Katara stopped in her tracks. “I was here last night, in my dream,” she exclaimed. “I stood right here, I saw someone but his face was hidden by a mask. I don’t remember what it looked like exactly but I know I was here…” her voice trailed off into a soft whisper. She felt the water pulling her towards it, it was the overwhelming urge to walk through it. “He stood here,” she whispered quietly. She felt his energy in her blood, a tingle in her bones. “What are you talking about Katara?” Aang asked quizzed walking over to where she stood. “I’m talking about my dream, the person I saw. He stood on the water.” she cupped some water in her hand and scrubbed the paint off her skin. It dissolved off but her skin was stained with blue marks. Aang wasn’t sure what to do, even being over 100 years old. He had never experienced or seen anything like it before. Katara scrubbed her cheek as clean as she could but her reflection showed the blue stains on her skin. She admired the hand wrapped around her wrist, the way the ink sunk into her skin was mesmerizing. Deep blue covered her skin, the most beautiful shade she had ever seen. “It won’t come off.”

***

When night fell, Katara was eager to get some rest and perhaps see this mysterious figure again. The air was chilled, an empty sky above her head filled with glimmering stars and the mask of the moon. She felt the river calling her name as she tried to sleep. It called her, it yearned for her. Her attempts to block it out were futile, it continued to call for her. She slowly climbed out of her bedroll. She made sure everyone was asleep before creeping to the river. The walk there was quick, she almost began to run to greet the figure she knew was there. She wasn’t dreaming, she wasn’t crazy, and she knew it was there.

And there he stood.

The Blue Spirit in full form. ‘I knew you’d come.’ he whispered. Katara stopped several feet away from him, wondering if this was a trick being played on her by the mist. He stood tall, proud by the river’s edge. His swords were on his back, he was no threat to her and he had no real desire to bring her harm. “Who are you?” Katara slowly walked towards him, her hand extended out. His footing shifted as she did so. “You’re the… the Blue Spirit, aren’t you? I’ve heard stories of you. You haunt the Fire Nation.”

He nodded one time. Now this time, he walked up to her, his strides were long and melodic. He was clad with the night like before, pitch black wrapping around his frame. She felt a hitch in her throat, a pressure built in her chest as he came for her. It felt like hours before he reached her, she was hypothesized by him. He reached to touch her, his gloved fingers barely touched her arm and paint followed. He stood mere inches from her now, his haunting ripping into her soul. The black eyes pulled her in deeper, she couldn’t resist the rich allure. He took a step back. She followed. He took another and she followed. “Don’t go, I have so much to…” to ask him? He didn’t speak and she knew that, but she felt this pulling in her bones to stay along side him. The spirit stood under the moonlight, raw and radiant before her very eyes. How badly he wanted to speak to her but he knew his voice would blow his cover. His eyes went down to her necklace, he wasn’t sure why he was so drawn to it. He reached slowly for it, his fingers circling the stone. Katara felt the gloves under her chin and a line of paint followed. Her skin was velvet soft and even he could tell through the fabric. He trailed his index finger under her chin and to her cheek. The paint continued to follow his gentle touch.

This was the only way for Zuko to ever touch her without hurting her. He would burn her any other time, she was slash him with sharp ice sickles. But now it was neutral territory, he wasn’t endangered by her and she was safe with him.

Safety. A place to rest soundly on. He wanted to offer her that shelter. For now, she wasn’t his enemy. He could admire her beauty without getting too close to the fire, he could hear how gentle her voice really was, and he could feel just how soft her touch was. Her eyes glanced down at his hand on her cheek. The moon behind him shifted behind his head and now he donned a silver halo, his entire perimeter glowing with light.

It was magical.

She touched his hand against her skin. Euphoria. Bliss. Heaven.

Katara had never seen such a creature before, only the legends told her of this dreaded spirit. He slowly crept away from her, his body slowly fading away in the cold water. “Will I see you again? Will you return tomorrow?” she implored, moving through the water as fast as she could. But the spirit was gone before she knew it. In the blink of an eye he was on the opposite side of the river. He only gave her a nod before disappearing into the woods.

Katara was never alone but she’d never felt more lonely watching the spirit fade away into nothingness.

She only hoped she would see him again the next night.

#jay writes fanfic #atla #avatar the last airbender #katara atla #zuko atla #mutual pining #Zutara #zuko x katara #yes i am a zutarian #soulmate au #this is so bad like omg #but i wanted to write for them so bad #i have work in the morning please god help me shbghrg #atla fanfic

8 notes · View notes

the-fixation-zone · 4 years

Note

zuko thinks his scar makes him super ugly but sokka is there to convince him otherwise and it's just ❤

okay so this one CLEARLY got away from me but i hope you like this anon!!

Sokka really has to pee. Like, knees knocked together, doing the Pee Dance, should’ve gone three hours ago but kept forgetting really has to go. Now that he’s gotten his act together and actually left paused his game of Witcher 3, this shouldn’t be a problem. Except. Except the one bathroom in the apartment is occupied. Has been for the past twenty-five minutes. And Sokka is getting…nervous. He hasn’t had an accident in years (if one wanted to know just how many years, Katara would probably happily share, but Sokka would beg you not to ask) and he isn’t trying to break his streak at the age of twenty-Full-Grown-Man-six, but if Zuko doesn’t get out of the bathroom right this second he may not have a choice in the matter. Sokka’s already knocked once, ten minutes ago, and as far as politeness goes he feels like he can chance another knock now.

So he does.

“Zukoooooo!” Sokka wails says manfully, rapping his knuckles against the wood, “please for the love of our friendship kindly hurry it up. An unstoppable train is about to leave the station, if you get my drift?”

Silence from the other side of the door. Ten minutes ago Zuko had at least given a half-hearted “one minute!” but now, nothing. Sokka’s not going to lie, he’s getting a little nervous. He doesn’t think Zuko would…hurt himself, but sometimes Sokka can’t be too sure. He leans against the door, pushing his ear against it, slowing his breathing so he can hear better. At first he hears nothing, but as his ears adjust, between one breath and the next he catches a faint sound.

Sniffling.

Shit.

Sokka’s known Zuko a long, long time. Long enough to know all about the house he grew up in, the family he had and didn’t have, and certainly long enough to know to play his next cards very, very carefully. Zuko isn’t someone who enjoys crying. Like, no one enjoys crying, not really, but Zuko really hates it; anytime he’s caught at it he’ll call the action gross, try to hide his face in the nearest soft object or run away. Sokka’s only seen it happen a couple of times, but that’s enough for him to know that if Zuko gets called on his tears he gets angry, fast. Sokka’s gotta be careful here.

“Hey, buddy?” he asks, his voice softer than before. “You need anything in there?”

He hears a hiccup, and another sniffle. Not good. Sokka thinks to anything that may have happened before Zuko went to the bathroom that could’ve triggered him but comes up empty. He was watching Sokka kick some monster ass, seemingly having a good time throwing popcorn at the screen and at Sokka in equal measure, egging Sokka on whenever he passed by some guards (“come on Sokka, beat their asses, how bad could it be?”); essentially, being the worst person to play a video game near. It had felt like they were both having a good time. Had Sokka said something in the heat of the moment? Was the graphic nature of the game too much? Sokka starts frantically running through possibilities, his bladder momentarily forgotten. Before he can run his brain into the ground, though, Zuko speaks.

“I don’t know.” Zuko’s voice is so faint that if Sokka’s ear wasn’t practically melded with the door he would have missed it. “I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know…”

Sokka’s eyes widen and he decides now is that time to try the door. When Zuko gets stuck in a loop like this, he can go for a long while. Sokka takes the knob in his hand and turns, surprised to find it goes easily. Opening the door, he’s met with a heartbreaking sight. Zuko’s stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his hands gripping the sink, knuckles white. His face is inches from the glass and as he repeats his phrase the mirror fogs up around his mouth. Sokka strides across the room, definitely worried now.

“What don’t you know, bud? Can you tell me what’s going on?” Sokka doesn’t think twice before his hand is on Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko doesn’t look like he notices. He shakes his head once, pressing his face closing to the glass. Tears are flowing freely from his eyes, catching on his chin before dripping into the sink.

“Okay, that’s okay. Can I guess?” Sokka squeezes his shoulder, trying to ground him. Zuko nods once, his repetitions getting softer. Sokka releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Okay. Progress. Zuko will let him guess what’s wrong, which means he hasn’t gone too deep under. Sokka can work with this. But that means actually figuring out what’s wrong, with little to go on. Luckily for both of them, that’s what Sokka’s best at. And, if he’s being honest, figuring out Zuko has been a pastime of his for a while. The problem was less figuring it out, and more…bringing it up.

“Is it…something in the mirror?”

Zuko’s repetitions slow.

“Something you see? That you don’t like?”

They slow even further.

“Is it…the scar?”

The repetitions stop. Zuko clenches his teeth tight, which is all the answer Sokka needs. Sokka’s heart breaks a little more.

He’s known Zuko a long, long time, so he knows exactly how he got that scar. Thinking about it makes him incandescently angry, which isn’t very productive, so he tries not to. It’s hard, though, knowing that Zuko’s father is out there somewhere, living a peaceful life without his son, while Zuko suffers with the reminder of that asshole’s existence. It’s not fair. It’s not right.

Sokka doesn’t know what to say at first. He never does, really. He wants to comfort Zuko somehow, but he feels like all his words will come out sounding trite, or trivializing. He doesn’t want to hurt Zuko. He never wants that. So he squeezes his shoulder again while he thinks, letting the silence stretch between them.

“It’s so fucking ugly.” Sokka is surprised when Zuko speaks first. Usually he doesn’t like to talk about it, but if he wants to now Sokka will be the last to stop him. “It’s just…did it have to be my face? He took half my fucking face. I look like a monster. Like Geralt should be hunting me down, saving the townspeople from having to look at me.”

Sokka cringes, realizing that maybe the game hadn’t been as fun for Zuko as he had thought. He had no idea Zuko thought himself a monster. Sokka’s feet make the executive decision to move him behind Zuko, and his arms make the choice to wrap around Zuko’s waist. Sokka’s brain was not consulted in the matter but, upon reflection, finds itself okay with the situation. Especially when Zuko relaxes immediately, sagging his weight into Sokka’s chest.

“Zuko. Zuko Zuko Zuko. I don’t know who told you you’re a monster, but they’re a dirty, dirty liar. You are…” Sokka pauses, wanting to choose only the best words for his best friend, feeling Zuko’s body tense. “You are…. There aren’t enough words in the dictionary for what you are, but monstrous is not one of them. Brilliant. Glorious. Shining. Amazing. One of the best people I’ve ever known. No scar can take that away from you. It…I don’t want to sound insensitive, but it can’t be ugly. It’s part of you, and you’re the most beautiful person in my life.” Sokka bites his lip, realizing he may have said too much.

He’s known Zuko a long, long time and has been a little in love with him for most of it.

“Your father is the monster, Zuko, not you.”

Zuko lets out a shuddery breath, tension leaking out of him once again. Sokka takes the opportunity to tuck his face into Zuko’s neck, ignoring his own burning ears. “It’s just the truth. I’ll tell you every day if I have to.”

Zuko is silent for a full minute. And then, “Sokka…”

“Hmm?”

Zuko shakes his head. Sokka can tell, though, it’s not a headshake of negation. “I’m sorry I’m being such a mess about this.”

Sokka tightens his arms around Zuko, burying his face deeper. He frees his mouth to say, “Never. Never apologize for that. You’re not a mess, you’re perfect. You can…you can always come to me, okay? Anytime you start thinking these thoughts, just. I’m here.”

Zuko nods.

“Um, Sokka?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you, uh, still have to go to the bathroom?”

Sokka then remembers his still achingly full bladder.

“Oh shit!”

#he managed to piss in peace don't worry #this got angsty fast oops #asked and answered #fix takes on anon #zukka #zuko #sokka #prince zuko #atla au #fanfic #o shoot also lemme know if u need me to tag snything!!!#made a lil edit bc it didnt translate when i copy-pasted from word lol #and of course i didnt check

6 notes · View notes

justcallmehermione · 4 years

Text

I’m baaaaack!!!!!

Thanks to la cuarentina and life settling down now that I’m in my mid-20s, I started writing fan fiction again. My first goal is to finish all my former WIPs so I can start on new things in all the fandoms I am now part of. In the mean time, here’s chapter 8 of my Linzin piece!

Story: Small Bump Rating: M for some delicious smut Pairings: Linzin, Tokka, and Kataang

FF.net

AO3

Chapter 8: The Announcement “Do you really have to go?” Izumi whined, “I was really looking forward to going through all this pregnancy fun with you.” The pout on her lips grew bigger by the second.

Lin sighed, “Yes, we do. It’s about time we let everyone else in on our secret.”

“Don’t worry Izumi, we can come back before both the babies are born,” Tenzin tried to reassure her.

“I guess I’ll just have to settle for letter writing until then,” Izumi gave up.

“That’s the spirit, turtleduck,” Zuko chimed into the conversation.

“We best be going if we want to be back home before dinner,” Tenzin reminded them.

Lin walked to Izumi and gave her a big hug, and then turned to her uncle and gave one to him, “I’ll miss you both. I look forward to seeing you soon,” she told them. Tenzin did the same, hugging the two and waved goodbye as he ascended to Oogi’s back.

“Let us know you arrive safely!” Zuko called out to the couple.

“We will!” Lin assured her with a shout back. “See you soon!” And with that Tenzin signaled for Oogi to begin the trip back home.

…

Lin was trying to rest on Oogi’s back, but she could not get comfortable. In the past few weeks she had been experiencing some mild back pain, especially as her waist started to expand with the growing baby inside of her. Thoughts were racing through her head about what would happen when she got back home. Lin decided to get up and sit next to Tenzin on Oogi’s neck.

“Hello, love,” Tenzin said as Lin snuggled close to him. She sighed in response. “Would you like to share your thoughts?” he probed.

“Just nervous about telling everyone, I guess. I don’t think I’m ready for the attention we’re going to get,” she confided.

“I understand. I’m sure once the papers hear, we’ll be begged for interviews left and right,” he mentioned. Lin groaned in response. Tenzin sighed and continued, “I know. I’m not looking forward to it either.”

Tears started forming in Lin’s eyes and she managed to get out, “What if she isn’t an air bender? You know that’s what they all want from me! What if I don’t make their hopes and dreams come true?” Tenzin paused for a moment. He hadn’t realized she was putting so much pressure on herself. Sure, he knew that the pressure was there for any and all of their babies to be air benders, but he always pushed that to the back burner. He preferred to focus on the fact that he and Lin, the woman he loved and vowed to spend his entire life with, we’re going to bring their love to fruition in the form of a happy and healthy child.

He tried putting his thoughts to words to comfort his wife, “Lin, stop, please. You’re stressing over something that doesn’t matter as much as you think it does -”

“Doesn’t matter?” she interrupted, “You of all people should know how much it matters! You spent your whole life being the second air bender in the entire world! How are you not stressed?”

He tried to continue, “Because Lin, I love you with every fiber of my being. The only thing that matters to me is that you stay happy and healthy throughout your pregnancy and that when the baby comes he or she is just as happy and healthy. My number one priority is you and it always has been and always will be. Forget about duty and legacy. I love you and want you for you. The fact that you’re carrying our child is all I need to be happy and excited. I will love you and the baby. Forget about what the others think, please!” “Are you sure?” she inquired further, “You’d be happy even if the baby is an earth bender or even a non-bender?”

Tenzin reassured, “As long as that baby is half me and half you, the only thing that matters to me is that you are both happy and healthy and I will love you both until my dying breath.”

Lin started to cry more, “Oh, Tez! I love you. If you of all people can put the pressures aside, I can try to do so as well. Thank you.” She leaned her head on his shoulder while he put an arm around her and kissed her forehead.

“I love you too, Lin. Let’s try to rest, we’ll be landing in Republic City soon enough.”

…

“Lin, we’re home,” he whispered, gently shrugging his shoulder to arouse his snoozing wife. Lin’s eyes blinked open and she lifted her head and looked around. Tenzin had landed Oogi in the park nearby their apartment. He hadn’t taken them to the island like she thought he was going to.

“Why are we here?” she inquired.

“Well, I thought it would be nice to freshen up a bit and spend a little time relaxing before we meet the family at the island,” he explained, “Do you mind?”

She smiled, relieved to have some more time before revealing their secret, “This is perfect,” she assured him.

Tenzin grabbed their things and joined Lin on the ground as the two walked the three blocks to their apartment. The building with the tea shop on the first floor and the two apartments on the second floor wasn’t much, but it was the first place Lin and Tenzin were able to call their own. Well, not entirely, the family who owned and ran the tea shop downstairs and lived in the back part of the second floor were there too, but the studio in the front with the big windows that looked down on the bustling street below was their sanctuary.

Lin smiled as they made their way up the stairs on the side of the building and entered their home. Su Yin had done an excellent job of taking care of the few plants Tenzin had grown from seedlings while they were away. He dropped the bags right in the entryway and flopped down on the mattress that was on the other side of the room.

“I missed this place,” he sighed into the mattress.

Lin walked over and sat down on her side next to him and nodded, “It’s great to be home, with you.”

Tenzin rolled over on his back and pulled Lin’s arm in an effort to get her to join him. She complied and snuggled up next to him, resting her head on his chest. He beamed up at the ceiling. This was his paradise. He was positive that he could be stuck living in a tent for the rest of his life, but the only thing he would need to make it perfect would be for Lin to cuddle up to him just like she was at the moment.

Lin sat up and winced, bringing Tenzin out of his own head and looking her over, trying to assess the problem. “What happened?” he demanded to know.

She waved him off, “It’s nothing, just some back pain. I’ll be fine.”

Tenzin still looked concerned and asked, “Should I phone the island and tell them we can’t make it tonight? I could make something up about having a cold from flying in the winter sky or say that Oogi needs a rest…” Tenzin babbled until Lin put her finger on his lips. She leaned across the bed and kissed him, her lips warm on his.

“I’m fine, Tez. Let’s get cleaned up and head over to the island. I’m starting to get hungry and I’m sure your mom made something tasty for our arrival,” she assured him.

Tenzin nodded, “Okay, but only if I get to watch you bathe and change.” He winked at her and kissed her passionately, tilting her head back so she would open her mouth so he could dart his tongue inside.. Lin allowed it and answered back by nibbling on his bottom lip.

“We’ve been gone for almost two months now, another hour or two won’t make them miss us anymore, right?” Lin asked. Tenzin nodded in agreement and eagerly watched as Lin straddled him and continued to kiss him.

Tenzin’s member started to grow harder and he involuntarily pushed his hips up to rub against Lin, trying to relieve the mounting pressure growing in him. Lin responded by starting to rock slowly back and forth, pausing at the right spot that helped her pleasure build.

Clothes started coming undone and were thrown haphazardly around the bed. Tenzin reached up and cupped Lin’s breasts, giving both nipples a gentle squeeze. A moan escaped Lin and she eased herself on his throbbing member, continuing her rocking motions from earlier. Tenzin kept one hand on her breast and slid the other down to rub the spot he knew would push her over the edge. As he was trying to bring his wife all the pleasure and happiness she deserved, he looked up and watched her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open as her breaths started coming out quicker and quicker. Tenzin felt like the luckiest and happiest man in all Four Nations. He had a beautiful wife and a baby on the way. They had a place to call their own and many adventures ahead of them. Once they both reached their peaks and lay on the bed snuggled in each others’ arms, Tenzin squeezed Lin a little tighter than normal, hoping to never let this moment end.

…

“They’re back!” Katara shrieked when she saw Oogi land with a loud thud outside the main house. “Aang, Sokka, Toph, they’re back!” she yelled again, trying to get everyone’s attention. She ran out of the house, arms wide open waiting to embrace the newlyweds.

“Hello, Mother,” Tenzin said after he jumped off Oogi. He accepted her embrace.

“Hi, Mom,” Lin joined their hug.

Katara gushed, “Two of my babies are home! I’m so glad. I can’t wait to hear all about your adventures and --”

“Quit hogging the kids, and let them give the rest of us love, Sugar Queen,” Toph interrupted as she, Sokka, and Aang came out of the house. They took their turns greeting the newlyweds and welcoming them home.

“We missed you all very much and are happy to be back,” Tenzin informed them.

“Yes, let’s go catch up over the copious amounts of food I’m sure Katara and the acolytes have made for us,” Lin stated.

Toph laughed and patted Katara on the back, “She’s got you pegged, Sugar Queen!”

Sokka agreed, “She’s not wrong, the house has smelled delicious and I haven’t been able to taste test anything, despite many attempts! Let’s eat so my taste buds stop hating me.”

…

“That was delicious!” Lin exclaimed, after finishing the last crumb off her third plate.

“I don’t think I’ve seen someone eat that much since Sokka at our wedding feast!” exclaimed Aang.

Lin blushed, “Well I can’t help it, I’m…” she hesitated, looking to Tenzin for affirmation. He smiled and nodded, urging her to finish what she wanted to say. She smiled back at him and continued, “Well, I am eating for two now, so I’ve been eating more lately.”

Katara gasped, “What did you just say?” Sokka’s and Aang’s mouths dropped and they gaped, looking from each other, to Tenzin, to Lin, and back again.

Toph cried, “That’s right! My baby is having a baby of her own! I’d never thought I’d see the day!”

Ignoring Toph’s blind joke, Sokka turned to her and asked, “How did you know?”

“Heartbeat detector over here,” Toph reminded them, “So it was either Lin was pregnant or they got a pet Turtleduck while visiting Firelord Zuzu.”

Aang got up and went around the table to where Lin and Tenzin were sitting. He put his arms around both of them and gushed, “That is wonderful news, kiddos! I’m so excited to meet the little one!”

Katara joined her husband, “Yes! It is wonderful news! Oh there’s so much to talk about and figure out…” Katara rambled on.

Tenzin slid his hand across the table and Lin grabbed it and squeezed it gently. He was so proud of his beautifully courageous wife and was so happy they finally got to share their news with their extended family. Tenzin couldn’t imagine a more perfect life for himself.

A/N: Yeah so, life happened. Adulting started in full swing. And I basically abandoned anything and everything FanFic related for a while. But thanks to quarantine/life settling down a lot more, I am back. Also, wanted to add that Lin is probably around 3 to 4 months pregnant at this point and it’s winter time in Republic City by now, which means they’ve been married for a good month by now.

#linzin #fan fiction #small bump #lok #atla #justcallmehermione

1 note · View note