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the-badger-mole · 5 months

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The Volunteer: Part 3

The next time Zuko went to volunteer, he took his own car. When his sister demanded to know why, Zuko made up some excuse about going to the library afterwards to work on his midterm paper. It was enough to keep Azula from asking him for a ride, thankfully. Zuko arrived a few minutes early, hoping to be able to check in with Hakoda before his sister and her friends showed up.

"Don't tell me your friends dropped out," Hakoda said when Zuko walked in alone.

"No, we just came in separate cars," Zuko explained. "They should be here soon." Hakoda nodded and gave him his assignment for the day, then Zuko went to find Due and the rest of the maintenance crew to paint stairs again.

"Hey! Splotchy!" the men greeted him. Zuko smiled slightly and said his hellos. They handed him a paintbrush and set to work.

The men were far more talkative than Zuko, but none of them seemed to hold it against him. He answered questions politely when asked, steering away from anything too personal. The men were content to tell him all about themselves. Two of them had attended the school before it shut down.

"It was a shame, too," said Due. "Spent some of the best years of my life causing a ruckus in this school. Me and Tho here." Due jabbed his thumb in the direction of the short, stocky man holding the base of the ladder Zuko was standing on.

"Oh we wasn't so bad," Tho insisted. "Only caused a little mischief. And mostly to impress the ladies." He looked up at Zuko and wriggled his brows. "Bet you don't have to work nearly as hard and Due and I did."

"Sure," Zuko scoffed. He turned back to his work and scrambled to find a change of topic. He looked at the third man on the team, a younger guy named Kuyan. "You went to this school, too?"

"How old do you think I am?" Kuyan laughed. "I'm only 23. I was a toddler when this school shut down."

"Sorry," Zuko said. "I didn't mean to offend." Kuyan just waved him off.

"Forget about it." Then he sighed and looked around the stairwell with a distant look. "I do have history with this place, though. I lived here for a year with my mom and sisters when I was in high school. She had left my dad and the people here...they were great. They helped my mom find a job so she could afford to move us. They had counselors for me and my sisters. They helped me find scholarships for college. We would've been just another statistic if it wasn't for this place."

"Wow...that's, great," Zuko said awkwardly, uncertain of what else to say to that. "It-it's great your mom was able to find help getting out of..." He gestured stiffly at nothing in particular.

"It is," Kuyan agreed with a chuckle. "Everyone is thriving, too. My sisters and I have volunteered here for years, but this is going to be my last year."

"Why?" Zuko looked down at Kuyan curiously.

"Kuyan just got accepted to law school," Tho laughed, ruffling Kuyan's hair. "We're all real proud of ya, boy!"

"The school I'm going to is ten hours away," Kuyan told Zuko. "My sisters are at schools that are pretty far, too."

"But you'll stop in to see us from time to time," Due said. "We'll make sure we'll have some work for ya, too. Just for old time's sake."

"You'd better," Kuyan laughed. Zuko found himself smiling with the rest of them.

The door opened a few doors down, and Katara leaned into the stairwell. She was grinning, the first time Zuko had seen looking happy since he'd walked into Hama's Haven.

"Hey, guys!" She called up to them. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good!" Due called back. "We might actually get this done by the end of Splotchy's shift."

"Splotchy?" Katara repeated raising her eyebrow.

"He means Zuko," Kuyan told her.

"Oh. Well, just letting you know, Dad ordered pizza for the staff. It's in the community room. Better hurry up. Sokka's here today."

"I don't need telling twice," Tho said, tossing his paint brush into bucket of water. Everyone dunked their brushes and rollers in and trampled down the stairs to the ground floor. Katara held the door open for them, and she watched Zuko in particular with an impossible to read expression.

Ty Lee was in the community room getting pizza with some of the other workers, and was having what seemed to be a lively talk with boy with long hair and an unfortunate mustache. She spotted Zuko and waved him over.

"Hey, Zuko!" she said cheerily. "This is Haru. He's in the kitchen today, too! Haru, this is Zuko, one of my oldest friends." Zuko smirked to himself. Calling him and Ty Lee friends was a bit of a stretch, but he would never dare tell her that.

"Nice to meet you," Zuko said, shaking Haru's hand.

"Same! So, you and Ty are friends? That's great! She's been amazing in the kitchen."

Zuko kept a polite smile on his face and he blinked. Ty?

"Yep," Zuko "Ty here is a master chef. And she's great with desserts. You should try her cheesecake sometime." Ty Lee preened under Zuko's praise.

"I'll have to," Haru agreed enthusiastically. "Very soon." Ty Lee blushed and giggled, turning her focus on Haru in a way that Zuko interpreted as a polite request that he make himself scarce.

"I'm going to go grab some pizza," he said. "Good talk."

Katara was standing by the table where the food was set out, talking with Due. They stopped when Zuko approached, and Due waved him over warmly.

"Come on over, Splotch!" he said. "I was just telling Kata what a great addition to the team you've been. Ah, he's such a good sport this one. Not much of a talker, but every group needs a good listener, too."

"Thanks," Zuko mumbled. He looked at Katara and was surprised to find her smiling at him.

"Have you eaten yet?" she asked.

"No, I was talking with Ty Lee." Zuko gestured over to where Ty Lee and Haru were deep in conversation.

"Oh!" Due chortled. "I think Haru likes her." He waved his hand trying to get Haru's attention, but Katara jabbed him with her elbow.

"Mind your business, Due," she chided him, jokingly. "He's got it."

"I'm just having some fun," Due said. "Oh! Hey, there's Bato! I need to catch him real quick. I'll see you back on the stairs, Splotch." When he was gone, Katara turned back to Zuko and smirked.

"You should grab some lunch before it's gone...Splotch."

"Please don't spread that around school," Zuko groaned.

"No worries," Katara promised. "Your Haven nickname stays at Haven." She paused a moment while Zuko got his pizza. She grabbed a can of soda and offered one to Zuko.

"Thanks."

"So," Katara cleared her throat. "You...made a pretty good impression on the guys."

"I like them," Zuko said, shrugging. "They've been really nice." Katara was watching him again, with that same inscrutable look on her face, as if she were studying him.

"They're usually pretty good judges of character." There was something about the way she said usually that set Zuko on edge. She looked away to open her soda, releasing Zuko from the hold of her unnerving gaze.

"The painting is almost done," Katara observed after a long stretch of silence. "We'll have to find you another job next week, I think. Do you know what else you want to do here?"

"I'll go wherever you need me to," Zuko shrugged. "I'm not picky." He took a bite of pizza. It was good, and Zuko made a note to get the name of the restaurant from one of the boxes. "What do you do around here?"

"Me?" Katara glanced up at Zuko, as if surprised he would ask. "I do a lot of stuff, but I mostly work with the kids. On the weekends we try to keep them entertained with movies and crafts and classes. Once a month we take them on a field trip." She swirled her soda around the can. "The next trip is coming up in a couple of weeks. We could use a few more volunteers, if you're interested. We're going to the planetarium, and then for food afterwards. It'll knock a solid four or five hours off of your sentence." She smirked again, but it felt more like she was sharing an inside joke than laughing at Zuko.

"Um...sure," Zuko agreed nodding. "That sounds alright."

"Great," Katara said. "You can see if Ty Lee would be interested, too." Zuko pretended not to notice how pointedly Katara mentioned Ty Lee and no one else.

"I think she'd like it," Zuko nodded. "She's really into astrology, and she loves kids, so this should be right up her alley."

"That's good news for Haru, then."

Azula and Mai skulked in some time later. Zuko noted, cringing inwardly, how the atmosphere changed when they entered. Ty Lee had stopped laughing with Haru, and was trying to avoid Azula's thunderous scowl. She said something to Haru and scampered across the room to Azula. Mai didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were narrowed in Zuko's direction. It took a moment for him to realize that she was actually glowering at Katara. Zuko glanced back at his companion just in time to see her roll her eyes at the latecomers.

"I have to head out," she told Zuko. "I'll send you the details for the field trip." Katara drained the rest of her soda and tossed the can in the recycling bin on the way out, watching Azula and Mai smugly as she did. After she left, the rest of the staff began filtering out, too. The low cheerful hum of the room quieted as they went.

Haru paused at the door waving good-bye to Ty Lee, who returned it nervously. Haru frowned, clearly confused and hurt, but Ty Lee was looking down at her shoes as she stood next to Azula.

"They just left the pizza out for anyone to put their grubby fingers on?" Mai looked at the table distastefully. Zuko pointed to the stack of napkins next to the plates.

"Most people were using the napkins to grab their slices," he told her. Mai rolled her eyes and took a slice without a napkin or a plate. She bit into the slice and made a face.

"It's cold," she complained. It had been nearly an hour since word had gone around about the pizza, but Zuko knew better than to point that out. He just shrugged instead.

"What were you talking to Katara about?" Mai asked.

"Nothing," Zuko replied a bit too quickly. "She was letting me know that the painting project is almost over, and she wanted to know if I had any preferences for what I'd be assigned to next."

"Sure," Azula snorted. "I bet she cares so much what you want. People like her- like her dad- just love feeling more powerful than people who better than they are." A lot of responses ran through Zuko's head at that, but he settled on tossing his plate and empty soda can.

"I've got to get back," he said. "My break's over."

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

#atla #zutara #ask box prompt #volunteer work au #part 3 #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

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skyloftian-nutcase · 25 days

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HC hyrule, resuscitation

I finally got a job!!! I'm working at our local animal shelter

So for my bonus blorbo, HC wild?

I cant remember their jobs beyond time and hyrules 😭

"Okay, I need your opinion on this."

Hyrule glanced up from his snack to look at Wild, and he smirked mischievously. "Is that why you made me some food? To bribe me?"

Wild laughed. "No! I just--it's this medical scene in a show."

Oh heavens. Hyrule watched him, quirking his mouth and pulling a hesitant expression. "Uh... sure."

Smiling, his friend turned on the TV, pulling up a show. Hyrule didn't recognize it, but he wasn't sure that was a good thing or not. When the scene played, it showed two medics kneeling by an unconscious person.

"He's not breathing," the medic noted worriedly.

Hyrule raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes as he watched it play out. When the medics didn't bother checking for a pulse, he shifted uncomfortably. Before he could really say anything, the patient suddenly had defibrillator pads on them, and the television medic said, "Clear!"

Hyrule blinked. "Wait, did they just--"

The patient jumped with a shock, and the medics glanced at the monitor. "We got a heart beat!"

The scene paused. Hyrule glanced hesitantly at Wild, who looked like he was about to burst out laughing.

Hyrule's expression soured. "You just did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Wild burst out laughing.

#you ask skye answers #lovely rock n onyx #Ooo a job at the animal shelter!! girl that sounds SO fun #I've wanted to start volunteering at the local wildlife shelter I really need to do that #and get back into search and rescue lol #writing #writing prompt #lu in healthcare #lu hyrule #lu wild #Wild likes trolling his friends #Hyrule's a little quieter with his annoyance tho but it's still evident on his face

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befuddled-calico-whump · 2 years

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cold + being restrained in a way that doesn't allow for curling up to conserve heat

#AND FELLOW WHUMPEE/TEAMMATE ACTS LIKE A HUMAN BLANKET TO HELP THEIR FRIEND #source: volunteering at a medical exercise #cold and wet and strapped to a stretcher for like two hours #obvs could be worse and im glad i could help but DANG it sucked #whump #whump prompt #cold whump #restrained #tw medical #just in case

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deepwaterwritingprompts · 1 year

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Text: I have a way with hair, which moves at my command. Everyone is frightened of my gift, so I have no choice but to become a witch. I find an old tower, and set to practicing all on my own.

#creative writing #writing prompts #dwp #bodies #hair #can a final volunteer please write this rapunzel reimagining please and thank you #i hope you guys dont mind my tags i will not stop

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tanjir0se · 6 months

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There’s always. A week. There used to be rengiyuu week but I haven’t seen anything about it and all the blogs that posted about it are long deactivated ..

Well I’m still here bitch!!!! When is Rengiyuu Wednesday week and what are y’all bringing to the potluck

#am I …..in charge of rengiyuu week?#I VOLUNTEER #maybe I’ll think of some prompts later for myself #I remember when I did whumptober like. four or five years ago #I managed to do the entire list and it was really really fun #so it might be fun to make a little prompt list of the exact tropes that make me insane #postcards from stupid town #kny #rengiyuu

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looks-at-you · 8 months

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sigh I love the distortion

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cheeriecherry · 2 years

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hm could i get viktor getting caught staring at himself in the mirror a little too long and a little too sadly and we do what we can to help ; hugs from behind and praise? i love the idea of making men feel loved/worthy of that love - you can totally take this into a smut direction i don’t mind either way but some soft fluff would be so nice tysm

He tries to look busy when you suddenly stride out of the bathroom, patting your hair dry with a towel while you hum a little tune. But unlike you, Viktor doesn’t linger without his clothes for very long after having a bath, and with his rushed flurry of movements, you take notice.

“Vik?” you ask softly. At first he pretends to look innocent, perplexed by your sudden concern, but after you fix him with a knowing look, he drops the act. “Viktor,” you say again, coming over to stand behind him, while he shamefully avoids meeting your eyes. You stand not much shorter than him -able to rest your chin on his shoulder, if you stretch- and you use this to your advantage: holding him in place with your arms loosely around his waist, staring at his reflection in the floor-length mirror.

It takes him several moments to finally meet your gaze, and your heart breaks when you see nothing but tired anxiety: hopelessness, despair, self-hatred. You squeeze him a little tighter.

“I wish there was a way you could see yourself how I see you,” you mumble, laying a smattering of kisses across his shoulder you’re nearest to. Guilt joins his silent emotions, and you sigh. “It’s not your fault,” you insist, “It’s not your fault that so many people can’t see you; that they can’t see the warmth in your eyes, or feel the gentleness of your hands, or understand your beautiful mind and all that you create.” His eyes flick down for a moment to his leg, barely a movement at all, but you notice. “That part is beautiful too,” you tell him, firmly. “I know how much grief it gives you -physically, mentally- but…” You blink back furious tears, and fix him with an expression so intense that it makes him dizzy. “Everything about you is beautiful, even the parts you deem to be flawed. The art, and the artist, do not need to be understood by everyone in order to be worth something. I see you, and I always will.”

#someone needs to be nice to him #and give him a kiss on the forehead #and perhaps put a cat on his lap #i volunteer #we all volunteer #viktor x reader #viktor arcane x reader #arcane x reader #five somethings prompts

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puppetmaster13u · 3 months

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Prompt 193

Once again I put forth cryptid batfam. But with a Marvel crossover. Because why not.

See Gotham isn’t really talked about by the others in the US. The other cities ignore, ignore, ignore as best they can manage, pretending that if they don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.

That being said, they aren’t completely oblivious to it either. Oh they don’t believe the tales and whispers that come out of the place, because if they were true surely someone would have done something. But they are aware of things like Wayne Industries or Drake Enterprises, right up there with Stark’s.

Both of which are based within Gotham, though have plenty of things outside the dreadful city as well. Now the Drake couple were constantly seen at galas outside of New Jersey before their tragic demise, but the Waynes? Never once have they been seen outside their city for a single Gala.

Which makes this invite that one Tony Stark get to one of the Gotham Galas incredibly surprising. Suspiciously so actually, but he has the option for a couple plus ones. His team might be interested- Shield definitely would, seeing as Gotham is a complete blackout on their files. And from his hacking he’s discovered that any information gathering attempts of theirs have failed.

But really, how bad can it be, it’d only be a couple days after all.

…

Okay what is that fucking thing on top of the building-

#Prompts #DCU #DC #Cryptid Batfam #Cryptid Batman #Cryptid Batfamily #Marvel #DC x Marvel #Marvel x DC #Something to think about is how the Avengers are directly working for the US government while the JL are all volunteers #Bruce is in his own information gathering state #But has also given his kids permission to go all out on the cryptidness #Gotham doesn’t like outsiders and the small avengers team is struggling #They meet a Mr Kent at one of the cafes and have a nice conversation- and he even gave them a bit of information #But uh what the Fuck are the Bats and Birds??#*Probably* not gods or demons? You don’t sound sure about that- aaand he’s gone #The batclan are blessed/cursed by Gotham #This is why they do not die or don’t die permanently- and why they don’t seem to age either #For funsies #Eldritch Batfam #batman #avengers #stark industries #wayne enterprises #The team spots a Signal booi and are immediately befuddled about wtf they just saw

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akumanoken · 4 months

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He is chuckling. Marriage quality? How silly. Courtesans aren't meant to be kept, and a handmaiden even less so. How could someone like him be even considered with so many noble and better candidates?

#v: imperial au #he laughed at he prompts like 'shit if you told me taht was the terminology i never would've volunteered'#dash commentary

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the-badger-mole · 5 months

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The Volunteer: Part 2

The first day of volunteering at Hama's Haven went as well as could be expected. Zuko spent his four hour shift painting the stair wells of the building. There were only three floors, but they'd only painted about two and a half landings. The men that Zuko worked with were happy with the progress, though. They were friendly enough, despite his clear inexperience. They gave Zuko the nickname Splotch because of how messy his painting skills were.

"Good thing we have drop cloth down," said the man named Due. He gave Zuko a good natured slap on the back and offered him a can of beer.

"Um...no thanks," Zuko declined politely. "I'm underaged. And it's kind of the reason I'm here in the first place." Due and the other men laughed heartily at him, and Zuko was given another round of back slaps to seal their newfound camaraderie. They would finish the paint job, they told him, the following day. Then the next week, when he returned, they would take on the second set of stairs in the middle of the building.

"See ya, Splotch!" they called after Zuko as he went to go find Azula and the others.

It was a bit later than he realized. Without a doubt, Azula and her friends would be at the front desk or the car already, and furious with him for making them stay in that building. Zuko hurried down the stairs and through the hall towards the front desk. It was only his quick reflexes that kept him from crashing into Katara and her brother as he rounded the last corner.

"Sorry," Zuko mumbled.

"Hey! I know you," Sokka said. "You're that jerk from my physics class! The one who ruined spring break by reminding Mr. Piando that he didn't give the assignment. You volunteer here now?"

"He's with the group the judge sent over," Katara told her brother.

"What?" Sokka laughed. "Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes? What did you do to get sentenced to community service? Let me guess, public mopery? Brooding with intent to skulk? Did you scowl at the wrong cop?"

"They're in for arson," Katara supplied, eyeing Zuko with disapproval.

"That's none of your business," Zuko growled at her.

"Get out!" Sokka gaped at him. "Arson? Seriously?"

"You are literally the only one who doesn't know that." Katara rolled her eyes at her brother. Sokk, still unfazed, just shook his head and let out a low whistle.

"Dude...when you rebel, you go hard, huh?"

"It wasn't like that!" Zuko insisted. "Look, I've got to go." He took off down the hall towards the front desk.

"Alright," Sokka called after him. "But you stay out of trouble. No more arson around!" Zuko could hear him laughing at his own joke.

Idiot, Zuko thought rolling his eyes to himself. He stopped at the front desk to make sure Hakoda got his hours logged.

"You sister and friends are waiting for you outside," he told Zuko. There was a tightness in Hakoda's face that made it clear that it would be a good idea for them not to linger. Zuko thanked Hakoda quietly and hurried out.

As he anticipated, Azula was in an even fouler mood than she was when they got there. She was standing outside of the car with Mai and Ty Lee ranting about her day. Mai, who had been assigned to work with her also looked unhappy, but she at least seethed silently.

"I should sue this place!" Azula was saying as Zuko approached. "I'm covered in whatever was rotting in those bins. My shirt is ruined, and that useless, smug knuckle dragger just laughed at me! My dad with tear this place to the ground. When he is done, there won't be anyplace for the rats infesting this place to hide!" Zuko was taken aback by is sister's vitriol.

"Let's get home," Zuko said, glancing around the parking lot. Fortunately, no one was in the immediate area to hear his sister's tirade. She looked at him and scowled.

"What took you so long?" she demanded. "We've been waiting for you to leave this disgusting place for ages!"

"It's only been a few minutes, Azula," Ty Lee interjected timidly. Azula rounded on her with a sneer.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind staying, would you?" Azula spat at her friend. "Made a lot of good friends in the kitchen? Why don't you ask if there's a spare room. I'm sure they'd be happy to let you stay." Ty Lee shrank back, biting her lips against the tears that were about to fall. Azula just rolled her eyes and huffed in disgust. She turned and got into the car, taking the front seat this time.

"Zuko's going to be cramped in the backseat," Mai said.

"He can deal with it for twenty minutes," Azula snapped. "Shut up and get us out of here." Zuko slid into the backseat without a word. Azula moved the seat up a few inches so that Zuko at least had room to get in, but that was it. Azula continued ranting the entire drive, coming up with some particularly creative and vicious names for Hakoda, the staff and the residents of Hama's Haven. Her brother and friends just let her go. Mai interjected occasionally with some snide remarks of her own, but she didn't have the energy for all out rage like her friend. Zuko did his best to tune them both out, and he politely ignored Ty Lee's subtly wiping away stray tears next to him. Not for the first time, Zuko wondered why the sensitive, bubbly girl was friends with Azula and Mai of all people, but he'd stopped searching for an answer to that years ago.

True to her word, Azula went into her father's home office and demanded that he get her out of her community service sentence. Zuko could hear her while he fixed himself a snack in the kitchen. Interestingly, he noted, she didn't mention a thing about getting him or her friends out of the mandated service. Not that it bothered Zuko. He'd already decided he didn't mind the work.

Ozai did end up calling the judge to demand that something be done for his daughter. Zuko heard it the next day. He'd forgotten to shut the door to his office completely, so Zuko was able to hear Ozai alternately threatening and cajoling Judge Jeong-Jeong to release Azula from her punishment. He offered bribes. He swore to get Jeong-Jeong removed from his bench and disbarred from practicing law anywhere. He offered to donate a ridiculous sum of money to the shelter, if Hakoda was removed from his position. Jeong-Jeong said little through the near hour-long call until the very end.

"Mr. Kaji," he began ponderously. "Firstly, I feel the need to remind you that bribing a judge is a federal offence, and this call is being recorded. Secondly, my ruling stands. It is only the generous intercession of your brother that kept your children and their friends from spending the next 8 to 13 months in a juvenile detention center. I feel I have been more than fair with my judgement, but if Azula would rather serve out her sentence in juvenile detention, I would be happy to arrange that."

Ozai swore and started to speak, but Jeong-Jeong cut him off.

"As for having Hakoda terminated," he continued. "He has been serving at that shelter since it opened, and he has never had a single complaint about how he runs it in all that time. I have no say in what happens there, but I sincerely doubt the board that oversees the operation of Hama's Haven would be willing to let him go on the say so of one disgruntled, mandated volunteer and her overly indulgent father. This is Azula's only option if she doesn't want to go to the juvenile detention center. If she refuses to honor her service hours, or if Hakoda dismisses her, that's exactly where she will end up. Am I clear, Mr. Kaji?"

"I'll find a way around this," Ozai promised.

"You are certainly welcome to try," Jeong-Jeong sounded amused. "I'm sure the additional scrutiny from the government won't affect you...much."

Ozai swore at the judge again, but again Jeong-Jeong cut him off.

"If there is nothing else, Mr. Kaji," he said. "I have better things to do than babysit your tantrum." The call ended abruptly, leaving Ozai to rage in his office to no one. Zuko took his book and crept towards the back stairs. It was better if he wasn't in his father's line of sight while he was in this mood.

He made it to his bedroom just as Ozai came out of his office and stormed up the main staircase. He shut his light out and stayed silent. Ozai, though, went straight to Azula's room. Zuko heard her door fly open and hit the door with a thud.

"What's your problem?" Azula snapped.

"You're going back to that pit and serving your hours," Ozai told her. "I don't want to hear another word out of you about it."

"But, Dad!" Azula protested.

"Not another word!" Ozai barked. Azula went silent. A moment later, Zuko heard the door slam shut and his father stomped down the stairs. Then he left the house, slamming the front door even harder than Azula's door. Zuko waited until he heard his father's car peeling out of the driveway to make his way carefully to Azula's room. He knocked at her door lightly, then poked his head in. Azula stood in the middle of the floor, absolutely seething with rage. Her dark glower got darker when she saw her brother.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"Just checking to see if you're okay," Zuko said. He was. It was rare to see Ozai's anger aimed at Azula.

"Peachy," Azula snorted. "I just found out that Dad's connections are useless. Now I'm stuck either cleaning up after people i wouldn't let touch my rags or spending a year in jail."

"It's not that bad," Zuko said, shrugging. "Some of the people are pretty cool, once you get to know them." Azula shot her brother a disgusted look.

"I should've known you'd be fine there," she said. "What are you doing in my room, anyway? Get out!" She stormed across the room and slammed the door in Zuko's face. He just barely managed to keep his hand from being crushed. With one last scowl at Azula's door, Zuko decided he'd had enough of the house for a while. He took his car and drove off in the opposite direction of his father.

The next week of school was annoying. As Katara had implied, word of their sentencing had spread throughout the school. People stared and whispered as Zuko passed through the halls. Well, more than usual. It was annoying, but people were too intimidated by Zuko to say anything to his face, so he could ignore most of it. At lunch, Zuko headed towards his usual spot in the far corner of the cafeteria, but he was stopped half way by Sokka appearing at his side.

"Yo!" he greeted Zuko. "Come sit with us today. I'll introduce you to the rest of the Haven Crew."

"What?" Zuko's nose wrinkled in confusion. Sokka had already started walking, though. Zuko followed awkwardly to a table where Katara sat with three other people. Zuko recognized Suki, who was in the same martial arts club as him, but the other two- a boy with a tight fitting beanie and a girl Zuko was startled to realize was blind- he had no idea who they were. They looked like freshmen.

"Katara you know," Sokka said, pointing to his sister. "This is Toph and Aang. The babies of the group. And this beautiful, terrifying girl is Suki, my girlfriend of two years."

"We've met," Suki told Sokka. She smiled politely at Zuko. "Nice to see you again, Zuko."

"So," Toph drawled, leaning towards Zuko. "You're the guy who blew up a building."

"What?" Zuko sputtered. "I didn't blow anything up!"

"Whatever you say, Sparky," Toph grinned at him. "Hey! I'm not mad at you. There's a few building's I'd like to blow up. Starting with this one."

"Toph, don't say stuff like that!" Aang glanced around nervously, looking for a monitor or a lurking teacher.

"Nah, it was just arson," Sokka told his friends, grinning. "I didn't know he had it in him, though. Sit, down, Zuko. You can't eat standing up." Zuko eyed the open seat between Sokka and Aang hesitantly.

"Would you just sit down already?" Katara snapped irritably. "The seat isn't dirty." Zuko scowled at her, but sat down.

"Zuko and his accomplices are going to be working off their debt to society at the Haven," Sokka explained. "We'll be seeing a lot of him. Dad says they've got nine months of work to finish."

"Um...you all volunteer at the shelter?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah, we're all there at least a few times a month," Suki told him. "I do tutoring once a week."

"I help out in the garden." Aang grinned cheefully.

"Pottery and crap," Toph said.

"Crafts," Katara said. "You do pottery and crafts." Toph snorted at that.

"We made comb sheaths last month," she said. "I think crap is spot on."

"Toph," Katara let out a long suffering sigh and shook her head.

"So, Sparky," Toph turned back to Zuko with a smirk. "Why don't you tell us how you landed on the chain gang?"

"Toph!" Suki chided. "You can't just lead with that."

"Why not?" Toph demanded. "It's the most interesting thing to happen in this school all year!"

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it," Aang suggested, looking at Zuko nervously. Katara rolled her eyes, which bugged Zuko most of all for some reason.

"There isn't that much to tell," he said. "We got drunk at warehouse and my sister dropped a candle, or something into a box of tea leaves. The fire department put the fire out before there was a ton of damage." The finer details, Zuko decided, didn't matter.

"And that's why you always use a flashlight when you're drinking," Sokka said sagely.

"Or you could just not drink underage," Katara scoffed.

"Too easy." Sokka waved his sister off. And with that the topic moved onto something else. It was jarring. Zuko wasn't sure what he was expecting. An interrogation. Derision. Some sort of prank to humiliate him for daring to think they actually wanted him to sit with them. But the conversation turned to what they all had done over the weekend. Zuko had little to add there, and no one pressed. It was a pleasant lunch, all things considered. Sokka invited him to sit with them again the next day and the one after that. By the end of the week, Zuko joined them on his own, if a bit hesitantly. They welcomed him. Or rather, they didn't tell him to get lost. Zuko decided to count it as an open invitation.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

#atla #zutara #ask box prompt #volunteer work au #part 2 #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

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softquietsteadylove · 1 year

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Hey I've seen this idea on TikTok that would really fit for Bodyguard AU, where Gilgamesh is working out and Thena's watching while reading a book or something. And then Gil just pointed out that her book is turned upside down😂

Gil glanced over to the side between lifts. "Done?"

Thena just smiled and nodded, wiping herself down with a light towel. She had finished her interminable three full hours of cardio, between the stairmaster and the treadmill.

"I'm almost finished," Gil grunted, pushing the bar with its massive weights up again.

"Don't rush for my sake, I'll have a seat," Thena smiled, indeed sitting herself down on the bench beside him and pulling out her phone.

Gil let out a chuckle before another benchpress, "you're not gonna spot me?"

Thena gave him a look, not that he could turn his head at the moment. "What do you think I would be able to do? That whole bar looks like it weighs twice what I do."

"Probably almost three times," he grunted again, sweat trailing off his forehead.

"Hm," Thena offered quietly. She held her phone up, but eyed him beside her. She had never seen him up close and personal, like this. Even when he was working, he wore suits, or at least more than a sleeveless workout shirt and shorts.

Gil lifted the bar again, his arms rippling from the movement. Every angle of them was even sharper with use and his pre-workout supplements.

Thena's eyes drifted down his arms and to his chest, rising with every breath. His shirt, even being the light, sweat-wicking material it was, was clinging to his chest. His pecks were clearly defined, and his top abs contributed to the barrel shape of his top half. There was a little bit of tummy that melded into his flanks from this view. He claimed it was from his days of drinking like a fish after boxing matches in his youth.

Even his leg muscles twitched, since his core was so engaged in his current workout. He definitely didn't skip leg day--she had never seen it, but the evidence was right there.

Gil let out a groan as he pushed the bar up one last time and onto its holder. His arms flopped down beside him as he panted.

Thena watched his adam's apple bob. She looked back at her phone, although she couldn't remember what she was going to look at on it.

"You ready for tonight?" he asked in the middle of trying to catch his breath.

Thena nodded, definitely not watching the beads of sweat run over the lines in his muscles in a way that almost made her jealous. "It's nice of the label to put us up in a hotel this nice, I suppose."

It was just a guest appearance in Ikaris' currently running concert tour. They were only in the UK for three days, tops. That was what brought them to the hotel gym (closed to other guests, per their request). Flying would take it out of them the rest of the week, so best to get a workout in while they could.

"I mean," Gil dragged himself up, swiping his towel over his face first. "I think it's the least they can do, if Ikaris is going to drag you all the way over here for half a song."

Thena laughed. They had been home - at her place - just a few days ago when Gil told her about Kingo's call. She had agreed, because why wouldn't she? Plus she would get to see Sersi while she was visiting. "I suppose I agree with that."

Gil rested the towel around his shoulders--around his neck, really. It wasn't nearly big enough for those massive shoulders of his. "Ready to go?"

She nodded, still clutching her phone as he stood from the bench. Her eyes skittered down his front, his shirt rumpling and revealing a hint of skin, the faint dark of some hair trailing under his bellybutton, and just the top of the waistband of his underwear. She rushed her eyes down. "Are we clear?"

"I'll check," he smiled, picking up his bag. He walked past her slowly, pausing on the other side of her.

Thena looked up at him curiously when he reached down for her phone, its screen still dark.

Gil said nothing, picking it up and then flipping it over, "upside down, Sweetheart."

Thena accepted her phone back from him, avoiding looking at the reflection of her flushed face. She stood to follow him silently, wallowing in her embarrassment over being caught.

Gil didn't say anything, because of course he didn't. He checked the hallway to make sure it was empty before they made their way to the stairwell. It was a long walk back to the luxury suite, but they were less likely to run into people. He turned back to her with a grin, "all clear."

"Great, more stairs," Thena muttered as she followed him out.

At least it would give her an excuse as to why she was so red in the face.

#Thenamesh Bodyguard AU #it's a little different from the prompt #I hope that's okay and you still like it!#I honestly just don't think Thena carries anything #like she has a phone Gil keeps in his jacket pocket and that's it #she'll have purses for pictures and stuff #but I think she's just...lazy like that #maybe I'm projecting because I also don't like having to carry a purse #and it's not like Thena needs a wallet or anything #Gil obviously volunteers to carry her stuff for her #everyone online mad that whatever kardashian it is makes her bodyguard hold her umbrella #but Gil is out here volunteering to carry anything and everything #including Thena herself

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