#sokka trying to time travel back to save his mom and realizing that it just doesn’t work that way | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

beifongsss · 4 years

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playing with fire pt. 6 [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader

Summary: You’re a Fire Nation citizen who saves Sokka and Katara from some angry villagers. Aang “convinces” you to come along with them, finding your knowledge of the nation useful. Not everything is smooth sailing though as both Water Tribe siblings have their doubts about you.

this will be a series :D this is a filler tbh

w.c.~2.9k

prologue. one. two. three. four. five.

.masterlist.

They reacted instantaneously.

In unison, Aang and Katara gasped, their jaws hanging as they stared at you. Sokka’s eyes widened as he took multiple steps back, trying to put as much distance as possible between the two of you. Your heart dropped slightly at their reactions, noticing the distrust that was beginning to creep into their eyes.

Toph was the only one who didn’t react.

“You mean you dunderheads didn’t know?” she cried out, a disbelieving expression on her face. You all turned to her, curious expressions on your face. Even though she couldn’t see you, she knew you were all staring at her confusedly.

“You did?” Aang asked, looking at Toph suspiciously.

“Yes! Why else would my parents get all weird and proper around her?” Toph replied. “Besides, the name (Y/N) isn’t exactly the most common. I knew she had to be the Princess. Why do you think I’ve been calling her ‘Princess’?! Haven’t you ever seen a portrait of the royal family?”

Silence ensued as the Gaang realized that they had, in fact, never seen a picture of the Fire Nation royal family. In Aang’s defense, he had been gone for an exceptionally long time and there were no pictures of the family down in the South Pole. They all shifted their gazes back to you, now a little more curious than distrustful.

“So you’re a princess?” Aang asked, trying to wrap his head around the news. You nodded silently. “Then why are you here with us?”

“It’s a long story,” you whispered, looking back down at the ground.

“Well we have time so start talking,” Katara said brusquely. You sighed softly, motioning for everyone to sit with you. Katara looked at you weirdly, crossing her arms stubbornly before gaping as Aang and Sokka took seats near you.

“Aw loosen up, Sugar Queen,” Toph said, smirking as she took a seat next to you. “If she tries anything it's four against one. Let’s hear her out first.”

Begrudgingly, Katara sat down, making sure she was right in front of you just in case. Her eyes narrowed before she tilted her head, silently telling you to start talking. “I was born in 83 AG to Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Ursa. My mom used to tell me it was a blessed day because she was gifted with not one but two angels. Me and Zuko.”

Sokka let out a choked gasp at your words, looking at you in disbelief. “Y-You mean you and Zuko are t-twins?”

You nodded softly. “I was born twenty minutes before him, making me the crown princess. Two years later, Azula was born and our family was complete. For the first few years of my life, we were a happy family. And then we got our firebending.”

Aang’s eyebrows furrowed at your words. “You got your firebending?”

“Yes,” you replied, nodding again. “I was the first one to show the signs of being able to firebend. My first display of fire terrified everyone. Fire Lord Azulon declared me a prodigy and I immediately began training with both my fire and a sword. When Zuko showed signs of firebending, he joined me but it was clear that he wasn’t a prodigy and so Ozai separated us, claiming that he’d only be a distraction for me. Zuko and I had always been very close but that definitely messed us up.”

“Fire Lord Azulon?” Toph asked, snorting lightly. “Why don’t you just call him ‘grandfather’?”

You shook your head, forgetting that she couldn’t see it. “That man wasn’t my grandfather; at least he never acted like it. The only reason he liked me is because I was talented. He didn’t even like Ozai. He always preferred Uncle Iroh.”

“Iroh?” Aang asked. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not supposed to be crown princess. Iroh was the original crown prince, not Ozai,” you explained. “When I was young, we received a letter from Uncle Iroh. Back then, he was still a general and his goal was to take over the city of Ba Sing Se. He told us about how his son, my cousin, Lu Ten was killed in battle. Overcome with grief, Uncle Iroh ceased his 600 day siege and left. He traveled around, not ready to come back to the Fire Nation or return to battle. It was during this time that Ozai requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon to make an impossible request.”

Katara looked at you, a little concerned at the expression that had made its way onto your face.

“It started off normally. He had Azula and I show off how far we had gone with our bending. Fire Lord Azulon eventually dismissed us all except for Ozai,” you took a soft breath before continuing. “Azula and I hid behind the curtains, curious about what Ozai wanted to say. He- He asked Fire Lord Azulon for the throne, claiming that since Uncle Iroh had lost his only son, he needed someone with an heir in charge. Azulon was furious and told Ozai that he would never betray his first born who in turn had just lost his first born. He told Ozai that he needed to feel Uncle Iroh’s pain and commanded him to kill his first born.”

Shocked gasps rang from the group. Even Toph couldn’t hold back her surprise.

“He ordered your father to kill you?” Katara asked, sadness creeping into her eyes. You nodded.

“Azula and I ran out of there and she immediately began to terrorize Zuko, knowing that there was no way that Ozai would kill me,” you continued. “I was his pride and joy, a ruthless firebender. Unfortunately, Zuko wasn’t. He was soft and sweet and so, so pure. In Ozai’s eyes, he was weak. It wasn’t until a few years later that I learned that Ozai thought about a ‘loophole’, asking Fire Lord Azulon if it mattered which of his first borns met their end. Azulon waved him off, stating that he didn’t care for either of us. The next night, Fire Lord Azulon died in his sleep and our mother disappeared.”

The silence was almost unbearable and you looked up to meet Aang and Katara’s pity-filled eyes. Toph was abnormally serious and Sokka wasn’t meeting your eyes. You continued to speak, wanting to fill the silence.

“Ozai took the throne, claiming that Fire Lord Azulon’s last wish was for Iroh to be stripped of his title. That’s how I became crown princess.” You paused for a bit, sighing heavily. It felt good to finally tell someone about everything. “To this day, we still don’t know what happened to our mother. Zuko took it the hardest, of course. He spent the most time with her. Azula, well she was a different story. She was convinced that our mother never loved her. I tried my best to be there for both of them but we all changed. Azula and I threw ourselves into our firebending lessons and Zuko took it upon himself to start learning about our military forces. By thirteen, I was already working on bending lightning. I was one of the youngest firebenders to ever do that but losing my mother had made me more reckless and aggressive and firebending was the perfect outlet. I was the perfect weapon and Ozai knew it.”

You paused for a few seconds, wondering if you should continue. Sighing yet again, you continued to speak. “When Zuko and I were thirteen, everything just got worse. By this point, I rarely saw him. Azula was getting more and more aggressive as time went on and honestly, so was I. I had mastered almost all aspects of firebending, except for lightning, and I had mastered sword fighting. And then Zuko got challenged to an Agni Kai.”

Everyone except for Aang seemed confused, prompting you to explain.

“An Agni Kai is a firebending duel. It stops once someone gets burned,” you said somberly. “It turns out that in one of the war meetings, a general proposed a plan to take over an Earth Kingdom town that would result in the deaths of an untrained Fire Nation battalion. Zuko said that leading them to death was wrong. The very own nation that they loved would be leading them straight to the slaughter. He called the general out on his tactics and accepted the Agni Kai when the general challenged him.”

“Zuko did that?” Sokka asked skeptically. “He tried to save the soldiers?”

“He wasn’t always mean,” you replied, chuckling humorlessly. “During the Agni Kai, I was sitting between Azula and Uncle Iroh. We were all watching anxiously as Zuko approached his opponent. You can only imagine the shock we felt when his opponent was revealed to be Ozai, not the general.”

“No!” Katara gasped, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. You didn’t meet her gaze.

“When he noticed it was...our father, Zuko threw himself to the ground, begging for mercy and forgiveness and stating that he would not fight Ozai.” You shook your head, trying to blink back the tears that had welled up. “Ozai said he had to learn respect. He said that by speaking out of turn, he had insulted him as a parent. When Zuko refused, he said he was dishonorable and that he was going to teach him a lesson. That’s how he got his scar. He was immediately banished, sent on a quest to find the Avatar and capture him. Only then could he regain his honor and reclaim his title as prince.”

“But the Avatar had been missing for nearly one hundred years!” Katara said, looking at you in confusion.

“I know,” you replied. “He wasn’t supposed to find Aang. Ever. Zuko left and Uncle Iroh joined him in his banishment. I didn’t do anything.”

“What do you mean?” Aang asked.

“I mean I didn’t do anything!” you shouted, a tear spilling out of your eye. “I’m his older sister. I’m supposed to protect him! And I didn’t do anything. Spirits, you should’ve seen Azula’s face during the Agni Kai. She had the biggest smile on her face. Uncle Iroh looked away but I… I just couldn’t. I couldn’t move. I froze. And I couldn’t save him.”

“Ozai would’ve burned you too,” Aang said softly, his eyes wide. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”

You sniffled, wiping your nose with your sleeve and ignoring Aang’s words. “After his banishment, I lost my bending.”

“How does one just lose their bending?” Toph asked loudly, earning an elbow to the stomach from Katara.

“I don’t know,” you replied quietly, hugging your knees to your chest. “Seeing Zuko getting hurt was rough for me. It didn’t matter that we were separated from a young age. We would always sneak out to the kitchens together to steal snacks and stay up late just playing around. He was my best friend. I just woke up the next morning and my spark was gone. I haven’t been able to bend in three years.”

Aang looked at you sadly. You were his friend and your sadness was so overwhelming that he couldn’t help but feel sad as well.

“Ozai was furious when he found out,” you whispered, rolling up your pant leg to show an ugly scar on your calf. “He did this and then he made me focus on my fighting, giving everyone some bullshit excuse about how I wanted to prove that I was just as capable at fighting without my fire. Azula never found out.”

You raised your head slightly, ignoring everyone’s horror-filled glances as you met Sokka’s bright blue eyes. “Not everything I told you was a lie. When Ozai thought I was old enough, he sent me into battle. He didn’t care if I lived or died. To him it was a win-win situation. Without my bending, he didn’t really see any use for me but if I survived, he still had an heir. I was sent to a small Earth Kingdom battle, led by the same general who had challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai. I took the chance to escape during battle.”

Sokka looked away from you, his jaw clenched and his expression hard.

“I ran when I was fourteen. I searched for my brother, always getting their trail but never being able to catch up to them. Eventually I just stopped.” You stretched your legs, looking back down at the ground. “I settled into a small Fire Nation colony, doing little errands for the old ladies who lived there. When I gained their trust, they vouched for me and I was able to live there peacefully. No one argued with them because they respected them too much. After a few months, you guys came crashing in and the rest is history.

The Gaang exchanged unreadable looks before Katara turned back to face you. “How do we know we can truly trust you?”

You pondered on her question for a few seconds, opening your mouth to speak before you were beaten to the punch by Aang.

“I trust her.”

The group went completely silent at the Air Nomad’s words. Sokka kept his gaze down as Katara gave Aang an incredulous look.

“But she’s Fire Nation!” Katara cried out. “She’s Fire Nation royalty and she’s been hiding that from us. For all we know she’s trying to capture you to help her brother!”

“She already had so many chances to do that, Katara,” Aang said patiently, shooting you a soft smile. “She’s proven time and time again that she’s on our side. She even fought both Zuko and Azula! She’s saved your life multiple times as well! So yes, she has my complete trust.”

Tears welled up in your eyes at Aang’s words and you smiled through the tears when Aang got up and gave you a hug.

“I want her to stay with us,” Aang said. “Besides, you’re right. She’s from the Fire Nation which means that she has insider knowledge.”

You chuckled at his words, nodding along as you glanced at Katara. The Water Tribe girl bit her lip before speaking, knowing that Aang was right. “Alright, Aang. I trust you. But if she does anything that I find weird, I won’t hesitate to bring her down.”

Aang frowned at her words before looking at you. You nodded in agreement, silently assuring the Air Nomad that Katara’s words were reasonable. The tense atmosphere was broken when Toph yawned loudly, stretching before speaking. “Okay now that we all know about Princess over here, can we please get some sleep?”

The rest of the group nodded in agreement and you helped set up the tent and sleeping bags, smiling lightly when you noticed Toph and Katara settle in next to each other. You noticed that Sokka was still sitting a little bit aways and you walked over to him slowly, trying to ignore the curious glances from Aang and Katara.

“Hey,” you said softly, standing next to him. Sokka didn’t reply. “We have the tent all s-”

“Were you ever gonna tell me?” Sokka asked roughly, standing up quickly. His sudden movement took you by surprise, causing you to stumble back a bit.

“S-Sokka, I-”

“Or was I just supposed to be happy with the lies you were telling me?” he snapped, cutting your words off. “Because it seems to me like you weren’t planning on telling us the truth anytime soon.”

You stood silently as Sokka spoke, your mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Aang looked away from the two of you as Katara swallowed nervously. Sokka was being a little too rough with you.

“We were perfectly fine before you came alone, Your Highness,” Sokka sneered, giving you a steely gaze. “We didn’t need you.”

You reached out, softly placing your hand on Sokka’s arm. “I’m sorry, Sokka. I really am, but you have to understand that-”

“Understand what?” Sokka yelled, pushing your hand off of his arm. He underestimated his strength, pushing you harder than he meant to and knocking you down. You could hear a soft gasp from Aang. “Just leave us alone.”

“Sokka, stop!” Katara cried out, rushing over to help you up. Sokka’s gaze softened for a fraction of a second as he noticed your distraught face.

“No, it’s okay,” you whispered, gently brushing off Katara’s help and standing on your own. The silence was almost overwhelming as everyone watched you walk over to the large pile of rocks. You climbed to the top, sitting before turning to address Aang. “You all go to sleep. I’ll take the first watch.”

Aang opened his mouth to argue and state that you all needed the rest before noticing the way Katara shook her head. There was a new kind of tension in the air, namely between you and Sokka. Katara was the first to fall asleep, closely followed by Toph and Sokka. Aang laid on the hard ground as quietly as he could, trying to ignore the sniffles that were coming from your direction because he knew you just wanted to be left alone.

And just like that, the blooming romance between you and Sokka had been crushed before it ever began.

taglist!

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#sokka x reader #atla sokka x reader #sokka #atla sokka #aang #katara #toph #toph beifong #avatar #avatar: tla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar x reader #atla #atla x reader #zuko #prince zuko #fire lord zuko #sokka imagine #atla sokka imagine

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reinerispretty · 3 years

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beneath the moon. (sokka x f!reader) pt16

hiiiii everyone :) i am back! i’ve finished my finals for the semester and i am so so excited to continue these fics! i’ll admit i was experiencing some major burnout and just overall not having fun anymore but i think having my worst semester ever be over will help a lot hehe!!

pt1

pt15

pt17

“We’re coming back for them,” Sokka reassured her. “We just have to get Appa first, and then we’ll all escape.”

(Y/N) looked back toward the palace. It made her uneasy to leave her friends when they might need her, even if it was only for a moment. She looked at Sokka once more, taking his hand in hers and squeezing. “You guys go ahead, I’m going to find them.”

“(Y/N)!” Sokka whisper-shouted after her, but (Y/N) couldn’t just go with them and hope that her friends would be okay, or that they would know what was going on.

The Southern Water Tribe armor that (Y/N) wore on her back weighed a few pounds, slowing her down as she ran over to Aang and Appa. Sokka reached him first and (Y/N) could hear their two voices but not the words they were saying. Sokka turned to look at her, his face contorted in an expression of anger, fear, and sadness, and her stomach dropped. “What’s going on?” She asked once she finally reached them.

Aang looked panicked. “Katara’s in trouble! We have to leave now!”

“Okay,” (Y/N) said with a breath. As scary as the prospect of Katara being in danger was, her own emotions would have to be put aside. “We’ll say goodbye and then we’ll head out.”

“There’s no time!” Aang insisted, and (Y/N) glared at him. Sokka had literally just reunited with his father, his hero, and the moment was being ripped from him. The least they could do was let him say goodbye. Katara was strong, she’d be alright. Or at least, that was what (Y/N) had to keep telling herself.

“Sokka, tell your dad thank you for his hospitality,” (Y/N) said with a slight smile. “We’ll see him again soon.” Sokka ran back to his father and (Y/N) turned back to Aang. “You,” She said, jabbing her finger at him. “Need to calm down.” She grabbed his hand and lifted herself onto Appa’s back, flopping over awkwardly in the saddle from her armor. “I know you’re in love with Katara, but she’ll be okay until we can get there. She’s one of the best fighters I know.”

Aang’s face paled. “W-what are you talking about? I’m just worried about my friend.”

“Yeah, yeah,” (Y/N) muttered. Her eyes caught Sokka as he jogged back over to them. “I’m just worried about my friend, too.”

Once Sokka was on Appa’s back, they flew off back toward Ba Sing Se, the afternoon sun behind them. Aang confessed that he didn’t know the details of what was happening to Katara, only that he had seen a vision of her being in trouble. “Normally I’d call you ridiculous,” Sokka said as he lay in a starfish position on the saddle. “But Avatar powers always prove me wrong so I’ll just shut up.”

“Did you guys manage to convince the Southern Water Tribe to go to the North, at least?” Aang asked. (Y/N) shrugged.

“I’m not sure how many of them were fully convinced.”

“I don’t know if they’ll go now that we’re not there,” Sokka said. “(Y/N) was the only reason they were even starting to consider it.”

“It would have been a nice accomplishment, but they don’t even teach women anything beyond healing. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to leave the city so exposed.” (Y/N) sighed. “Would have been nice though, so give Hahn another punch in the nose for challenging my claim to the throne.”

“You’re thinking about going back to rule?” Aang asked.

“You never told me that,” Sokka looked at her with furrowed brows.

“The war will be over at some point,” She said quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement down below. She leaned over the side of Appa’s saddle to see the earth moving in a rather unnatural way. “What is that?” She asked Aang.

He swooped Appa down toward the movement and there, at the base of it all, was a familiar tiny girl, surfing across the rock. “Hey!” Sokka called out to Toph. “Need a ride?” Toph flailed at the sound, losing her focus and falling to the ground. Aang, Sokka, and (Y/N) winced at her fall.

“Are you okay?” (Y/N) called out, but before she knew it Toph was barreling toward them. She had used her earthbending to launch herself in the air and the three of them all scrambled to catch her safely. Toph crash landed on (Y/N), sending her rolling onto the other side of Appa’s saddle. She sat up quickly, an angered expression on her face.

“Don’t scare me like that!” She said into the empty air where she thought Sokka would be.

“Sorry,” Sokka said from the opposite side of the saddle. (Y/N) coughed as she sat up, trying to gain back the air that had been knocked out of her. The armor had protected her a bit, but although Toph was small, she was as dense as the rock she bended.

“What happened to meeting with your mom?” Aang asked, and Toph frowned.

“It was a trap,” Toph grumbled. “Two idiots captured me. Unluckily for them, I invented metalbending.”

Sokka laughed, but it slowly faded when he realized that no one else was joining him. “You’re not...you’re not joking?”

“Toph!” (Y/N) exclaimed, grasping her friend by the arms. “That’s so exciting! You invented metalbending--that’s supposed to be impossible!” She engulfed Toph in a hug and squeezed tightly.

“Get off of me!” Toph protested, squirming in (Y/N’s) arms. (Y/N) released her, but the smile on her face never faded. “But yeah,” Toph smirked. “It’s pretty cool of me. What about you, Aang? How’d it go with the guru? Did you master the Avatar State?”

(Y/N) had meant to ask Aang about that as well, but had gotten distracted. All three of them turned to look at him, but he stared off into the distance. “Aang?” Sokka asked, and the young boy tensed, turning back to stare at his friends.

“Yep, everything good with the guru! Avatar State, completely mastered,” He said with a slight laugh. (Y/N) and Sokka exchanged a confused look.

They landed at their house in the city and rushed inside. They were immediately greeted by Momo, who had crawled onto Aang’s shoulders as soon as they entered. Toph flattened her feet against the floor of the house. “There’s no one else here.”

“I knew it!” Aang exclaimed. “Katara is in trouble!”

“Oh no,” Sokka breathed. (Y/N) opened her mouth to reassure her friends, but she closed it quickly when she realized it would be no use. She knew it in her heart that Katara was in trouble and the longer they waited the further away they were from saving her.

“Wait! Someone’s at the door,” Toph said, and a second later a knock sounded against the thick wood. “Actually, I know who it is. It’s an old friend.” Before (Y/N) could inquire just exactly who Toph could have become friends with, she opened the door, revealing General Iroh.

Now normally, upon seeing a member of the Fire Nation, (Y/N) would whip out her water from the pack at her hip and immediately start fighting. But although it had been months since she had last seen him, she remembered his face. He was there the night Yue had died. He had fought against a member of his own nation in order to protect the Moon Spirit. He had fought alongside them against Azula just a few weeks prior, when she had been hunting their group through the Earth Kingdom countryside. It was safe to say that she was rather conflicted over her opinion of General Iroh, but she figured no one who had come to attack them would knock first.

“I need your help,” He said, looking gravely at the four of them. At her side, Aang and Sokka took their fighting stances while Toph simply waved. (Y/N) remained rather relaxed.

“You know him?” Aang questioned Toph.

“Yeah! We met in the woods and I knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and some very good advice.”

“Toph, I think the next time you meet our enemies in the woods, you should share it with us.” (Y/N) stared down at her friend, but it had no effect on her.

“I can’t tell someone’s an enemy by their feet,” Toph scoffed.

“May I come in?” Iroh asked, entering the home once Toph gave him permission. “Princess Azula is in Ba Sing Se.”

“She must have Katara.” Aang’s brows furrowed in anger. (Y/N) had only met Azula a handful of times, but one time was too many with the evil Princess of the Fire Nation.

“She has my nephew as well,” Iroh said.

“Then we’ll work together to save Katara and Zuko,” Aang said very decidedly, resulting in Sokka blinking his eyes in confusion.

“I’m sorry, you lost me at ‘Zuko,’” He said. Iroh placed a hand on Sokka’s shoulder.

“I know you do not like my nephew, but I promise that there is good inside of him.” Sokka shook Iroh’s hand off of him.

“Good inside of him isn’t enough! Come back when the good’s outside of him, too.”

“Katara’s in trouble!” Aang said, perhaps the most serious that (Y/N) had ever seen him. “All of Ba Sing Se’s in trouble. We have to work together.”

Sokka’s blue eyes flickered to meet (Y/N’s), the edge of his eyebrow raising as he silently asked her opinion. She spread out her hands and shrugged. “We’re supposed to help people, Sokka.” He inhaled a deep breath before nodding.

“I brought someone along who might be able to help.” Iroh led them outside, where a Dai Li agent was tied up and gagged on their front steps.

“Oh dear,” (Y/N) said, surprised at the sight. Iroh removed the gag from his mouth. It took very little to get him to talk.

“Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup! They’re going to overthrow the Earth King!”

“Where’s my sister?” Sokka demanded, gathering the Dai Li’s shirt in his fist.

“In the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace!”

Their group traveled to just outside the palace, where Toph confirmed that there was indeed an ancient city beneath the present one. They decided to split up, Aang and Iroh would rescue Zuko and Katara, while Toph, Sokka, and (Y/N) would warn the Earth King about the coup.

The group of three ran up the stairs to the palace when they noticed General How making his way toward them. Sokka pulled both girls behind a pillar and they watched as the General was arrested by Dai Li agents. “The coup is happening right now,” Sokka whispered. “We’ve got to get to the Earth King.”

As silently and as carefully as possible, they ran to the throne room. Earth King Kuei sat pleasantly in his seat, his beloved bear Bosco at his side. They had made it, with only a few moments to spare.

The traditional green and gold colors of the Kyoshi Warriors flashed in front of (Y/N), landing just a few inches from Sokka’s face. “Hey there, cutie,” The warrior said, and both Sokka and (Y/N’s) faces reddened, albeit for different reasons.

“I’m uh,” Sokka stuttered, but Toph used her earthbending to fling the girl out of the way.

“They’re not the real Kyoshi Warriors!”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” said the familiar voice of the Fire Nation girl, Mai. She flung her daggers at (Y/N), but she waterbended a stream of water in front of her and froze it, catching the daggers within it. She melted the ice and the sharp pieces of metal clattered to the floor.

“I don’t really have any training in throwing daggers,” (Y/N) said as she picked them up. “But back home I used to throw spears to catch dinner. It’s kind of the same, right?” She used all of her force to throw a dagger back at Mai, missing her by only a few inches. The girl quickly darted for her, so (Y/N) had to think on her feet. She encased the daggers in a water bubble, freezing it as hard as she could and pelting it at Mai.

“This fight is over,” Azula said, drawing everyone’s attention to the center of the room, where she held a flame dagger against Kuei’s throat. (Y/N) looked to Sokka, who dropped his weapon and sank to the ground. She and Toph followed suit. Ty Lee fiercely jabbed at their backs and sides, effectively chi blocking all of them.

Dai Li agents lifted them to their wobbly legs, taking the friends, King Kuei, and Bosco to the lower levels of the palace, where the prisons were. They were tossed unceremoniously into their cell and had the door shut behind them, allowing for only a sliver of light to enter the room.

(Y/N) had been thrown in last, resulting in her being closest to the exit. Blinking her eyes to help them adjust to the darkness, she stared at the door, which was fashioned from thick metal to keep earthbenders in. “Toph,” (Y/N) called out. It would take a bit for them to regain their ability to use their limbs and bend, but there was still hope. Toph grunted in response, her face smushes against the floor of the cell. “The door is metal.”

Toph grinned into the darkness.

Once each member of their party had gained their mobility, they made sure the outside of the cell was completely free of Dai Lee agents before making their escape. The door loudly crunched beneath Toph’s hands and clattered even more loudly as she tossed it into the hallway. “I hope no one heard that,” King Kuei said.

“Let’s go,” Sokka ordered, and the four of them plus Bosco ran back up to the surface. Night had fallen while they had been imprisoned, allowing them to sneak around the palace grounds with little difficulty.

“We have to find Katara and Aang,” (Y/N) whispered, stopping in her tracks just before they were about to pass through the gates.

“We’re coming back for them,” Sokka reassured her. “We just have to get Appa first, and then we’ll all escape.”

“(Y/N)!” Sokka whisper-shouted after her, but (Y/N) couldn’t just go with them and hope that her friends would be okay, or that they would know what was going on. She first went to the spot where Iroh and Aang had disappeared into the ground. The hole they had created to travel to the catacombs had been covered up by Toph, so as to not draw unwanted attention to them. When (Y/N) didn’t see Aang or Katara there, she made quick laps around the palace, evading the sight of the Dai Lee.

Oddly enough, sneaking around the palace felt comforting to her. It reminded her of being back home and sneaking past her own guards, so that she could practice her waterbending through the night. Yue would be waiting up when she returned, a disappointed yet humored look on her face.

(Y/N) was nearly finished with her second lap around the palace when she spotted them. Encased in a beam of moonlight, Katara had Aang’s arm strung around her shoulders as she attempted to carry him to safety. (Y/N) ran forward, quietly calling out Katara’s name. The girl turned around, her eyes welling with tears. (Y/N) noticed immediately how limp Aang was in her arms. The edges of his clothes were singed and at the very base of his back was a raw and angry burn mark.

(Y/N’s) ears were ringing as she stared at Aang. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way that she could be losing yet another person she loved too soon. But here Aang was, his head slumped forward and all of his weight leaning into Katara’s body. She couldn’t see his body rising or falling with his breaths. Tears fell against her cheeks one by one, the shock settling in her bones.

Numbly, (Y/N) took Aang’s other arm and slung it around her own shoulder. She led Katara to the spot where she had left Sokka, and he, Toph, Kuei, and Bosco were all waiting atop Appa’s back. Sokka hopped down to help them. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” He said quietly, looking from Katara to (Y/N). It only took a few more seconds for his own realization to set in. “Let’s get him on Appa.”

They lifted him onto the air bison and took off, fleeing Ba Sing Se. Katara pulled out the small vial of water from the Spirit World Oasis. Master Pakku had given it to her before they left the North Pole. Carefully, she moved Aang onto his side and applied the water to his back. It glowed bright blue, as it water usually did when it was used for healing, but then the color suddenly faded. From all of her years of healing training, (Y/N) knew that could only mean one thing. A sob collected in her throat and her eyes welled with tears once more, her fingers curling tightly into the fabric of her clothes.

Then, as Katara held onto Aang, his tattoos began glowing the same bright blue as the Spirity World Water. He groaned lowly, just barely enough for anyone to hear, but all of his friends were listening so intently. His eyes opened just enough to look up at Katara. He gave her a small smile before slipping back into unconsciousness, his chest rising and falling with breath. (Y/N) let out a deep sigh of relief, wiping the tears from her face.

Toph remained toward the back of Appa with Katara and Aang, while (Y/N), Sokka, and King Kuei devised a plan about where they should head next. It was mostly just Sokka and (Y/N) coming up with a plan while King Kuei listened intently. “We should head back to Chameleon Bay,” Sokka said. “My dad might still be there.”

“And if he isn’t, we have a good enough view from Appa to see them if they’re anywhere else.”

They flew back to where they had been just a few hours prior and luckily, the men of the Southern Water Tribe remained where they had left them. Hakoda walked out to greet them, his face becoming grave once he saw the condition Aang was in.

“Katara,” He opened his arms to hug his daughter, but she ignored him, instead giving orders to the Water Tribe men about where exactly to place Aang and what she would need. Awkwardly, Hakoda turned to (Y/N) and Sokka. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon after you left.”

“Ba Sing Se has been taken by the Fire Nation,” Sokka said, very seriously for a boy of fifteen.

“Princess Azula has the Dai Li under her control,” (Y/N) said. “If we don’t act carefully, the rest of the Earth Kingdom might fall.”

“Sounds like we need a plan,” Hakoda said. He smiled down at his send. “Care to lead a war meeting?” Sokka met his father’s smile with one of his own. He nodded eagerly. “Meet me in my tent in a few minutes. I’m going to get some tents set up for you and your friends.”

(Y/N) grinned at Sokka, hitting his arm playfully with his fist. “Look at you! Soon you’ll be Commander Sokka or something like that.” He turned to look at her.

“What you did back in Ba Sing Se was risky, (Y/N). You could’ve been hurt.” (Y/N) scrunched her nose.

“I said you’ll be Commander Sokka soon, not right now.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I couldn’t leave them behind. It might not have been the move you would’ve done--”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t have. You can’t jeopardize your own life to try to save people.”

“If I hadn’t tried, there might not have been any lives to save!” (Y/N) snapped. “Katara was weak and Aang...Aang was dead, Sokka. I don’t care what you say. I know I did the right thing.”

Sokka opened his mouth to fire back, but stopped himself. He inhaled a deep breath. “You’re right. But you have to be more careful. Don’t think I didn’t notice your empty water pack.” For good measure, he squeezed the pack at her hip and nothing came out. She had used it all when fighting Mai. (Y/N) hadn’t even noticed that she was out of water.

“Sorry,” (Y/N) muttered, avoiding his gaze. She felt like she was in trouble. Sokka took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

“Come lead the meeting with me?” He was smiling down at her and (Y/N) rolled her eyes, her own smile appearing on her lips. Sometimes, being with Sokka felt so natural that it was so easy to get back to normal.

They remained with the men of the Southern Water Tribe. King Kuei would show off Bosco to anyone who would listen and eventually, the two set off to see the world. When Katara wasn’t healing Aang, she slept on a cot at his side, to make sure that he wouldn’t need anything throughout the night. She had all of her meals delivered to the tent. The only time anyone could talk to her was if they entered with her express permission.

Sokka and (Y/N) spent the majority of their time together. They attended war meeting after war meeting. They took their meals together so they could continue their discussions of how to best attack the Fire Nation during the eclipse. Some nights, they would fall asleep among their work.

Toph spent the majority of the time bouncing between Sokka, (Y/N), and Katara, or resting against Appa’s comfy fur. Toph was perhaps the only person who was getting an actual break from anything, but during the nights where (Y/N) and Sokka would present their plans to the rest of the tribe, she would be listening intently to uncover anything that needed to be adjusted.

After about a week of remaining in the same spot, the tribe loaded onto their ships to find a new area to camp. Only a few days after they had set sail, they encountered a Fire Naiton ship. Part of Sokka and (Y/N’s) plan was that Aang could not be discovered, so they all attacked with full force and commandeered the ship. The men changed into Fire Nation uniforms while Toph, Katara, and (Y/N) used cloaks to cover the clothes that would be a dead giveaway. Having a Fire Nation ship under their control allowed them to pass through the seas without any fear of danger.

Perhaps the nicest thing about staying on the Fire Nation ship was that (Y/N) had her own room and a nice bed to sleep in. It had been ages since she had slept on anything other than a mat on the floor, so as soon as she claimed the room for her own she slept for hours, only being woken to a heavy banging at her door.

Sleepily, she stood, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she opened the door. Sokka was in front of her, a plate of food in his hand. “I thought you had died,” He said, pushing past her to enter her room. “You slept for thirteen hours!”

“‘S that a lot?” (Y/N) asked through a yawn. Her brain was taking longer to wake up than her body. “I don’t think it’s enough.”

“I brought you dinner. I tried to wake you up for it but you wouldn’t answer. You scared me,” Sokka grumbled. (Y/N) couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re so dramatic. I was just sleeping.” She took the plate from Sokka’s hands and began picking at the food. “Thank you, I appreciate you.” She sat on the edge of her bed and Sokka joined her.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” He said, and she yawned.

“If anyone tries talking to you after you’ve woken up, you’re such a monster, but you want to have full on conversations with me four minutes after I’ve woken up.”

“It’s been more like three minutes, I think,” And they both smiled. “Do you remember when you said you were going back to the Northern Water Tribe after the war?”

“I don’t think that’s what I said, but I’ve thought about it.” She rubbed her eye once more. “People are trying to challenge my throne, so I’d like to put a stop to that.”

“So you want to rule the Northern Tribe? I thought you hated it there.”

“I do,” (Y/N) said immediately. “Or, I did. But I don’t know what I’m going to want in the future and we definitely don’t know what’s going to happen once Aang defeats the Fire Lord.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I’m going to become the chief of my tribe tomorrow.”

Sokka nodded, rubbing the palms of his hands against his pants. “Okay, cool. You had me worried for a second.”

“Worried about what?”

“You leaving.” (Y/N) smiled, offering him a grape, and he popped it into his mouth.

“I’m not leaving anytime soon. Someone has to shut down your ideas about convincing animals to fight against the Fire Nation.”

“Appa and Momo do it, I can’t see why other animals won’t!” (Y/N) giggled.

“As much as I’d love to see a platybus bear absolutely wreck Prince Zuko, I don’t think it’s going to happen.” Sokka threw his head back at the mental imagery, his laugh sounding throughout the room. (Y/N) smiled at him as he laughed and realized just how unlucky she was. (Y/N), last remaining princess of the Northern Water Tribe was head-over-heels, wholeheartedly in love with Sokka.

---

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#atla #sokka x reader #aang x reader #zuko x reader #sokka #aang #zuko #katara #toph #iroh #suki #avatar #the last airbender #writing #fanfiction #azula #momo #appa

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unquestionably-queer · 4 years

Text

going off my previous post here but i wrote a mini fanfic/headcanon about zukos nightmares? this is really long but if yall like it im willing to actually write it from zuko’s pov and add dialogue. maybe even put it on ao3 maybe? anywho, id love to hear feedback! enjoy!!

it wasnt uncommon for zuko to wake up in such distress that he started frantically firebending. one time iroh saw his nephew quite literally wake up breathing fire. concerning, but very impressive. since joining the gang, he had worked on not doing that (as much as was in his control), as he had accidentaly burnt down a tent or three. but the nightmares themselves didnt subside.

not uncommon, zuko woke up gasping for breath. his head and heart were pounding, sweat dripping down his chest. he headed outside, planning to go to a nearby stream in hopes of finding some relief and peace, only to find sokka was sitting outside and very much awake. they both stared kind of awkwardly at each other before sokka ushered the older boy over. neither asked why the other was awake. they just made mindless chitchat before falling into a surprisingly comfortable silence. sokka got up to leave, but not before offering his company next time zuko needed it. when asked if the offer was genuine, he laughed. to be honest, he had said, he was just being polite, and didnt expect zuko to actually believe him. what a dick move, they both thought.

he woke up in a similar state a few nights later. he tossed and turned, begging for sleep to claim him again before ultimately grunting and accepting his fate. he wandered outside, once again finding sokka awake. zuko greeted him and explained he was going swimming. it was his silent way of offering his company, which sokka took. what started as idle conversation eventually progressed, and they found themselves floating in the stream talking about their youths. at some point they even talked about how they had both lost their moms due to the war (despite katara thinking she was the only one who had ever experienced any sort of emotional pain.) they hadnt even realized the hours that had gone by until the chirping of bugs was replaced by the chirping of birds and the sun put the stars to sleep.

this pattern continued. while sokka never asked what zukos nightmares were about, zuko learned that despite being a sleep enthusiast, sokka lost many hours of precious shut eye to anxious planning. sometimes they went on a walk, sometimes they were sparring, and sometimes they simply watched the stars. it was nice company, just to the two of them. no offense to aang, but sokka and zuko were closer in age and much more similar than they had originally realized. sokka offered his late night company. before zuko could question him, sokka placed a hand on the firebenders shoulder. anything for a friend.

on one occasion, zuko woke up and stumbled outside without thinking about it, only to be greeted with the faint glow of where the fire was, no man in sight. still groggy and disoriented, he rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times before shuffling back to bed, blaming the ache in his chest on the painful memory of his nightmares and not on the absence of a certain someones company. it took a long time before he could fall back asleep.

after becoming firelord, sokka decided to stay in the fire nation. mostly for political planning and engagement until zuko got himself on his own two feet. who else to help than the guy who had spent the past few months travelling the world trying to save it. the avatar, katara had said cooly. which wasnt wrong but sokka was offended that she hadnt just agreed. besides, sokka would assure zuko, its not like he could leave zuko alone. who would be his comedic relief?

since returning to the palace, zuko had gone back to handling his dreams alone, the way he used to. while his bedding was definitely made to withstand the panicked firebending, he figured there were better coping mechanisms. he quietly walked through the halls. the young firelord wasnt paying attention, rather just letting his body go on autopilot and he tried to clear his mind. after a solid 15 minutes of rights and lefts, he found himself a hallway away from sokka’s quarters. after some hesitation, he turned around and went back to his bedroom.

the next time, after much delay and pacing, he knocked on the door. its not like be hadnt’t done this before. it would be just like before. that reasoning didnt stop zuko from immediately turning around and walking away. fortunately. sokka opened the door before he could get too far. zuko awkwardly began to explain his situation, but sokka just interrupted him and told him to wait before shutting the door. zuko stood there mouth still half open from when he was talking before sokka emerged two minutes later, clothed and ready to go. they wandered to the kitchen and talked for what seemed like minutes but must have been hours, as they were politely shooed out by the staff beginning to prepare breakfast. zuko walked sokka back to his quarters before they parted ways. sokka reminded his friend that though things may be different, the option still stood.

many night rendezvous later, zuko showed up particularly shaken. much to sokka’s surprise, it almost looked like behind the curtain of now long dark hair, the mans face was wet. when sokka asked if he was crying while brushing dark hair behind a pale ear, it was confirmed that he was in fact crying. it started as silent tears, and slowly but surely turned into a violent sob. you know, the kind of gross one with hiccups and snot and general incoherence. at this point, they had known each other for years, and they had definitely surpassed the point of friendship (though they were both too dense to realize it themselves) meaning they had seen each other vulnerable. but never had sokka seen zuko cry like this, and definitely not because of a nightmare. now the same height, the watertribesman wrapped his arm around his friends shoulder and guided him to the bed. zuko wasnt big on giving physical affection, but he never pushed sokka away. not when the friendly slap on the shoulder became a tender shoulder massage. nor did when sokka went from tussling the mans dark hair to running his fingers through it to just simply playing with it. sokka sat and cradled zukos head into his own neck. zuko cries lessened into sniffles and then a gentle snore. sokka gently moved zuko, placing his friends head on the pillow and tucking him in.

zuko woke up the following morning, confused as to where he was. as he gained his bearings, he turned to find the source of what sounded like snorimg. he stared at the tanned man for a couple beats, processing what was in front of him. the firelord tensed when the snoring stopped, fearing some sort of negative reaction. zuko breathed out in relief when sokka simply rolled away from him and the snoring began again. zuko quietly slipped out the bed and out the room, but not before smiling fondly to himself in the doorway.

a couple days later, sokka and zuko found themselves caught up in late night shenanigans, a concept that wasnt foreign to them. they were sitting on the foot of sokkas bed when zuko stood up to dismiss himself for the night. sokka stopped him, and when zuko raised his eyebrows in question, sokka spluttered out a not so smooth joke that was just a weak attempt at asking for zuko to spend the night. for protection of course. zuko, who at this point was experiencing severe symptoms of polar bear-puppy love, said yes of course, and ended up spending the night.

when he woke up the next morning, he felt truly rested for the first time in years.

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #sokka x zuko #sokka/zuko #zuko #zuko x sokka #zuko/sokka #zukka fanfic #zukka headcanons #zukka headcanon #zukosokka #sokkazuko #zukka #atla zukka

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xsugarysweetsx · 4 years

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Can I request a Zuko x Platonic reader? Where the reader was a servant to his family, and she had been with Zuko since they were young. And she had many of the same beliefs that his mom did. So maybe just some scenes throughout their entire childhood. The only specific one I would like is when Zuko gets banished, and he fights his father. Like how she reacts. And maybe add in some scenes when theyre both with the Gaang? Sorry if this is convoluted!

Please enjoy~🍰

*******************************************************

It all started when you were young. You were at the palace often but you didn’t quite understand why. Your mother had told you it was to play with the prince and princess. You didn’t know it was to simply entertain them.

As you grew older your responsibilities became more serious. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, everything other than playing as you used to. Once you wrapped your head around the situation, you were a maid. No longer a welcomed guest of the royal family, but a servant. For the most part Zuko and his mother remain kind to you and treat you as an equal.

Yet there was one thing he didn’t know. You sided with his mother. Her beliefs were against all fire nation rules and traditions. She believed they were wrong and unjust and so did you. You were the only person who knew of her plan to leave. You had planned on going with her, that was until one fateful day.

There were times his mother saved you from the wrath of the fire lord. She would state that you were just a child and she would guide you to be better. She was like a mother to you. Kind and soft you just wish her daughter was that’s way. At least you had Zuko.

—————

Growing together you always had your little quirks together. Like sneaking off to play or stealing sweets from the kitchen. He would always be the one to pull you out of your duties so you’d have a break. The education they would deny you was taught by him. Zuko would always try his best to teach you what he knew.

Many of the other maids and servants always teased you both. Saying that you both were cute together or how he would one day marry you. Zuko would become as red as his robes and you the same. Maybe deep down inside you did have something for Zuko

Not that you would say it anyway.

Zuko was challenged to an Agni Kai by his own father. When word got around you were petrified. How could a father fight his own son with no remorse? You had hoped that he wouldn’t go full power on him, but you were wrong.

The fire lord gave it his all with no intention of holding back. He didn’t care if he was his own flesh and blood. You had to stand in horror and watch, watch as his eyes widen in fear. How his body trembled in front of his father. You heart hurt to see it happen and not be able to do anything of it.

All because he spoke out of line against something that was cruel. It was all so quick you couldn’t catch your breath between actions. After it was all done things cleared out and you rush to the infirmary. He was patched up and should be okay minus the burn to his flesh. You could sense something else in the room aside frompain.

In the eyes of the household he had dishonored his father and himself. You wanted to stay and go through everything with him but...you couldn’t. This couldn’t be the place where you life ended. The night that Ursa and yourself fled the castle, you make one final stop. You had placed a heartfelt letter to him and placed it on his bedside. Kissing his head gently you gaze upon him one last time...

————

About 3-4 years later you found one another again. It was shocking for the most part, after hunting down the avatar for so long you both on the same team. You had been traveling with Aang after he left The Earth kingdom. Soon after was when you realized Suko was after him. What happened to him? He wasn’t the same as you remembered.

He was full of hate and rage, it scared you honestly. There was day he attack but was caught off guard by you. He froze in place doing nothing but stare at you. After that day he questioned exactly what he was doing and why. He couldn’t get you off his mind and the look of fear in your eyes. Your eyes should only have happiness and joy in them. Instead he had put fear I to them.

He took this time to really think on everything and hence he had decided to join you. Everyone was shocked when you explained that you both go way back. Sokka was convinced he was blackmailing you, just to get on the team.

According to them, you were “too nice and kind to be his friend ”

It took some convincing and action to prove he was serious. After some time the gang warmed up to him. All that was left was for you to catch up.

——

While everyone slept you both stayed awake with the moon and talked.

“You’ve really grown” he said in a hushed tone. You really had grown not only physically but mentally. You had matured into a strong intelligent woman.

“So have you, but you changed..” you said in a semi-hurt voice. He scratched the back of his head with a guilty look

“Yeah I know...I was mislead by anger and hunger for honor. But I know better now, I know...I know that wasn’t who I’m supposed to be. Not who you wanted me to be” he reached for your hand

“I’m sorry for not seeing things sooner, for letting you go through so much, for abandoning you...could you ever forgive me?” He gave your hand a slight squeeze

You smile softly and look at him with a longing look “how could i stay mad at my oldest friend?”

————

Some nights old memories would haunt you. So many possibilities could happen. The fire lord finally ending you, Zuko harming you, your friends dying or never saving the world. They were silly since you knew you were much stronger than that. Yet sometimes you find yourself panting with tear filled eyes.

Now you had Zuko to hold you at night. Safe and protected in his arms. If you had a nightmare he would hold you close in place and shush your fears away

“Sshhh It’s okay, I’ve got you. I’m not leaving, you’re okay” his soft yet husky voice calming your instantly. He would kiss your tears away and hold your close. He would tell you statues or play with your hair just to distract you from your mind.

————

“Hey you alright?” He asked as you stared deeply into the fire. You mind drifting to different realities and thoughts.

“Hm? Yeah, just lost in thought I guess” you sighed

He nudged you a bit, a way of telling you to proceed “..we’ve just come so far and I’m proud and all but, it’s just amazing that we’re here now and how you and I got back together after years” you rambled. His fingers interlaced with yours and whispered

“Well, I’m here for the long run. Whatever is coming well do it together.” He smiles at you. That smile, the things it did to you. Made your head spin or could calm down your nerves, sometimes even both. He leaned in slowly and let’s his lips crash on to yours in a soft yet passionate kiss

He was right. Even after al this time, whatever trials you may face you would do it, together

*******************************************************

I hope this was okay!❤️

#zuko x reader #atla zuko #atla x reader #avatar the last airbender x reader #avatar the last airbender #zuko looks hot dont @ me #zuko fanfic #atla fanfic #anime #fanfiction #anime x reader

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koala-otter · 4 years

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so i have this idea that aang and katara ask zuko and sokka to take care of bumi kya and tenzin for the weekend and i would appreciate if you could give me that 🥺🥺 i love everything you write btw

thank you so much anon!! (and thank you for your patience with this)

I took some artistic license and made it pure Bumi (it came out pretty soft I think as a result, but writing so many kids’ dynamics seemed like a lot for me rn hahaha)

also this is only part 1 of 2 (maybe 3) and is on ao3

a weekend with bumi almost 2k words

Breakfast has just been served on the eastern patio of the Fire Nation royal palace when an attendant rushes over to the Fire Lord’s table. Zuko’s soup spoon has made it halfway toward his mouth while Sokka has been regaling Katara and Aang with a story about his latest trip to the royal tailor—his visits have only become more frequent now that he is officially married to the Fire Lord and has unlimited access to the best silks from Shiruku mountain—and the young parents have been steadily feeding one-year-old Bumi bites of fermented soybean. Zuko returns the spoon to the bowl when he sees the member of his senior staff approaching, the steam of the broth curling up and disappearing in front of his face.

“Yes, Hoshi?” he asks.

Hoshi bows deeply in front of Zuko. “My lord,” he begins, “a messenger hawk has just arrived from the Earth Kingdom.” He rises and turns toward the other side of the table, a scroll held out in his hand. “For Avatar Aang.”

“Thanks, Hoshi,” Aang says, reaching out to take the message. Hoshi disappears back into the palace.

Aang finishes feeding Bumi a piece of sweet potato before carefully placing his chopsticks next to his dish and unfurling the message. The rest of the table falls quiet as he reads, and for a while, there are only the sounds of birdsong and rustling trees from the garden below them. But then Bumi’s chubby hand reaches into his mouth, and Sokka fails to hold in a guffaw as the baby flings mushy sweet potato right onto Katara’s dress. Just as Sokka’s about to let loose into a full laugh, Katara victoriously holds up the napkin preemptively placed on her lap, immediately disappointing her brother. Zuko smiles in amusement. Aang rolls the message back up.

“What is it, Aang?” Katara asks.

“There’s a spirit attacking a village on the west coast of the Earth Kingdom,” Aang says, already rising from his seat. “I have to help them.”

“I’m coming with you,” Katara says determinedly. She shifts Bumi to her hip to stand.

“But, Katara, it’s not safe,” Aang reasons with her. “The spirit’s already ruined half of the villagers’ homes and taken some of them into the Spirit World.”

“Then you shouldn’t go alone,” Katara replies. “They’ll need help from both of us.”

“Okay,” Aang says slowly, “but I really meant not safe for Bumi.” He tilts his head toward the baby boy gurgling on his mother’s hip, his round, little fist once more in his mouth.

Sokka and Zuko watch Katara as she considers her son carefully. Bumi always joins his parents on their travels—they’ve even taken him down the mail chutes at Omashu and on the backs of kangaroos on Kangaroo Island. Leaving him behind seems unimaginable. But a fierce expression lights across Katara’s face, much like the one she gets before endangering their lives to save a village, or when she decides to teach the Northern Water Tribe’s female benders herself. She has an idea, and she will follow through on it.

“Sokka and Zuko can take care of him,” she says matter-of-factly.

Sokka and Zuko exchange alarmed looks as Katara hands Bumi to her brother, and Sokka becomes very concerned with holding the baby up and out from under his arms. Bumi’s always been big for his age, but Sokka’s hands still wrap completely around the upper part of Bumi’s torso, his fingertips meeting across Bumi’s back. Sokka always worries while holding him that his nephew is a very small, very fragile, little human being, but now he feels doubly aware of it, especially as the person suddenly responsible for his care.

“Are you sure—”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Aang says cheerfully. He pulls out his bison whistle to call Appa, but before he blows into it, he turns to the two men still sitting, stunned, on the floor and asks, “As long as you’re okay with it?”

“Of course,” Zuko says, shaking off his surprise. He stands and takes Bumi from Sokka, his arms still outstretched, and tries to hold him in a way that might reassure Katara and Aang that they’ve made the right decision. From their small smiles and intense focus on the sky, however, it doesn’t look like they need much reassuring.

“You’re in good hands, buddy,” Aang says to his son once Appa’s arrived. He gives Bumi’s hand a little shake. “We’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Katara kisses both of Bumi’s cheeks and the top of his head, and then tickles his neck to make him erupt into a fit of giggles.

“We’ll keep him safe,” Sokka promises, now standing to put his arm around Zuko’s shoulders.

“I know,” Katara replies with a smile. She hugs her brother fiercely, then Zuko just as tightly, and kisses Bumi one more time for good measure. She only looks a little sad when Aang helps her onto Appa’s saddle.

“Be careful!” Zuko calls after them.

“You’re one to talk, Zuko,” Aang laughs as they take off, and Zuko can only smile and shake his head goodnaturedly, watching as Appa becomes only a speck in the sky.

When Zuko looks away, he finds Sokka still staring into the clouds in great distress. His eyes have gone wide, a grimace is plastered to his face, and if his arm weren’t around Zuko, he’d probably be pulling his own hair.

“Hey,” Zuko says in that soft, raspy voice of his, “they’ll be okay.”

Sokka starts. “I know that,” he says, pulling his arm back.

“Then what are you so worried about?”

Sokka uses both hands to gesture toward Bumi, gurgling away in Zuko’s arms. “How are we supposed to take care of a baby?” His voice is high-pitched and nasal, the way it sounds every time they’re confronted with an impending fight, or when one of his plans does not, well, go to plan.

“How would I know?” Zuko spies drool dribbling down Bumi’s chin and does his best to wipe it discreetly with his sleeve. He sneaks a glance at Sokka in case he’s noticed his grimace of disgust, and then clears his throat and says, “He’s your nephew.”

“Hey,” Sokka says quickly, crossing his arms, “as of three months ago, he’s yours, too.” His tone turns borderline academic, and his arm extends in something like an invitation. “Maybe you could come up with an idea for how to take care of him?”

Zuko frowns in response. With Aang and Katara gone, he and Sokka are the only adults on the patio. The leaves of the trees in the garden below shudder in the wind, no figures present to impede them but insects and their wings. Hoshi is nowhere within calling distance, the nearest guard is somewhere on the roof, and the last royal nurse was dismissed years ago. It is just them and the little table covered in dishes that have barely been touched, the bowls of soup still steaming.

Bumi lets out the beginning of a low wail and immediately succeeds in regaining Zuko’s attention.

Zuko pales and begins bouncing his nephew. “We could start by finishing breakfast?” he suggests.

Sokka immediately breaks into an eager grin and reaches excitedly for Bumi, whom Zuko is more than happy to hand over. “Why didn’t I think of that?” he almost chides himself, suddenly balancing Bumi seemingly effortlessly on his arm. He lands easily back in his seat at the table, holding the baby up so they can both survey the spread before them.

From this angle, Zuko realizes, with Bumi’s dark hair and dark skin and blue eyes, he and Sokka look stunningly alike. It comes not only from the clear markers of their shared heritage, but also in the pure emotion of their faces, Sokka’s so angular, Bumi’s soft and round. The look and smell of the food causes similar reactions in both of them, absorbing all of their attention and analysis. Zuko almost wants to laugh at the sight, an unfamiliar sensation bubbling in his chest and filling him with a welcome warmth, almost like plunging into a hot bath.

“All right, Bumi,” Sokka says instructionally. He moves his chopsticks adeptly over the collection of plates. “Your dad might be a vegetarian, but you’re half-Water Tribe, so it’s your birthright to eat meat. And your mom isn’t here to stop me. So.”

Sokka reaches for one of the plates, only to spy Zuko looking down at him disapprovingly.

“It’s not like they’re gonna find out!” he says helplessly.

“Katara and Aang are his parents,” Zuko says, crossing his arms, “and we promised to take care of him for them.” He sits down and moves the plate out of Sokka’s reach, much to his husband’s dismay. “That means following their rules.”

Sokka sighs. “Fine,” he acquiesces, his eyes closing briefly in resignation. They open suddenly, and he points a finger in Zuko’s direction. “But when we have a kid, they’re eating meat every day.”

Zuko freezes in response. When he and Sokka have talked about children, it has always been in the abstract, and always in a distant future neither can really envision. They both know of the expectations for an heir, but still, the surrounding language has always been “if;” never “when.” Even the last time it was mentioned, three months before, when a very drunk, very off-duty Admiral Chen made a comment about preparing the navy for toddlers armed with boomerangs and fire, Sokka only mirrored the horrified expression on Zuko’s own face.

Sokka barrels on, clearly not having noticed Zuko’s reaction, or his lack of a response. “Change of plans,” he says to Bumi, who reaches out with his tiny hand to lightly smack Sokka’s cheek. Sokka grins in response. “We’re trying fish.”

The words pull Zuko out of his daydream. “Sokka,” he says warningly.

“What? It’s fish,” Sokka says with a roll of his eyes. “It’s barely meat.”

He pulls off a small piece of grilled fish and brings it close to Bumi, whose eyes widen at the sight. He pulses forward on Sokka’s arm with his mouth open wide, waiting expectantly. With a shift of an inch, the fish lands in his mouth, and Bumi bursts into a loud hum.

Zuko laughs loudly at the sound.

“It’s good, right?” Sokka asks excitedly, already getting more for the baby boy to eat. Bumi nods his head, and his wild hair bounces around him, mouth already open again for the next approaching morsel. “Yeah, get the skin, it’s the best part!”

Sokka looks up to beam at Zuko. “This might not be so bad after all,” he says. His eyes sparkle with an energy Zuko’s never seen from him before.

“Yeah.” Zuko leans forward to feed Bumi his next bite himself, and chuckles when his nephew grows impatient and grabs the fish off of the chopsticks, mashing it into little flakes between his tiny fingers. He only laughs more as Sokka desperately tries to keep any of the flakes from falling on his clothing, but soon enough, Zuko grabs a napkin and distracts Bumi with a piece of sweet potato, cleaning off one little hand at a time. Sokka smiles gratefully at him and pulls Bumi back into his lap, while Zuko folds the napkin back up and places it beside his plate on the table. He settles back into his seat and listens to the wind in the leaves, the vibration of insect wings, the little songs of the birds, and Bumi, humming loudly still with each taste of his breakfast, and beginning to converse with his uncle in his special brand of baby talk.

Zuko smiles. “It might even be kind of fun.”

#zukka #zukka fanfic #atla #atla fanfic #zuko #sokka #v soft #my writing

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zi-i-think · 4 years

Text

14 | A Promise

Zuko x Ama (OC)

Word Count: 5500+

.☽☼☾.

~ Ama ☾ ~

A long and deep sigh escaped my lips the moment I trudged back into my room after a long, hot bath. Last night was traumatizing, but today just sucked all the energy out of me.

Suh came back, eventually. She claimed that she just took a long walk and got lost in the city. But we all were suspicious of the claim. The thought of Suh just made my blood boil. For many reasons. Like insulting my culture and being involved with murder, just to name a few. But also because I hated seeing her with Zuko.

I'd finally admitted to myself that I still had feelings for him and it was like I was diving head first into a jealous ex-girlfriend state. If you'd even call it that. The way she was able to wrap her arms around his waist and cuddle into him while he had to pretend to be madly in love with her made my stomach drop.

Not like I'd ever express that it bothered me. Suh was still under the impression that Zuko loves her. Plus, can you imagine the embarrassment on my behalf. My friends have already been teasing me constantly about my jealousy since they got here and I wasn't about to let them be right about my dislike for her.

In fact, I was still waiting for an apology from them. How I was right all along.

Running my fingers through my damp hair, I eyed the katanas over my bed. The two blades were crossed to make an 'X' shape with the dark green sheaths over them to protect the metal.

I hadn't touched them since placing them in the spot over my bed. I was scared to ruin them or lose one. Mulan always took such good care of her blades. Almost like they were her own kids. They were her pride and joy. I kept them to keep her memory with me. Remind me about what I fight for. And in the moment of anxiety and stress, I needed the reminder.

Kneeling on the bed, I reached up on the wall and removed just one of the katanas. I carefully slid the sheath off, revealing the reflecting and clean blade. I could vaguely recall the feel of Mulan's hand over mine while she tried to teach me how to wield it. But I could barely even picture it. Just like how I could barely recall her face. It's only been a year, but I've spent so much of that year trying so hard to move on that she was starting to disappear from my memory.

"No, gorgeous, you slice with a katana. Not jab." I could still remember her voice though. "And your grip is all wrong. Move it closer to the guard." She could pick up anything I did wrong. Every movement and imperfection was called out and then fixed, until I'd mess up again.

I examined my tired eyes through the reflection of the blade. And when I thought of what I was fighting for, I didn't see the blinding smile of Mulan like I would before. But instead I saw the golden eyes of Zuko.

A soft tug pulled at my lips and my stomach fluttered. Something about falling back in love with the firebender made me dreamy. It was different than we were 18. We were trying to hold together a relationship that neither of us were ready for. Now it was different. We were adults who knew ourselves better and ready to complete another half.

A tiny knock sounded at my door, getting my attention. My eyebrows furrowed curiously while I turned my head to the door. "Who is it?" I asked loud enough for whoever was on the other side to hear. I was far too exhausted to get up from my comfortable position.

"It's me, Katara." My sister's soft voice was heard.

I thought she'd have gone to bed by now. Like me, she barely got any sleep last night and looked mentally drained all day. "Come in."

The door barely made a sound as Katara came in and locked the door behind her. "You need to lock your bedroom door." She told me tensely. I was about to ask what why but then realized that the palace was broken into and that Azula was out to get me. Katara's arms were wrapped tightly around herself while she walked over to me. "Whatcha looking at?" She sat beside me, her reflection coming into the katana's blade.

"This was Mulan's signature weapon. She was very protective of it. Never let anyone touch it." A wistful chuckle left my lips, remembering how she'd shout at everyone to get their hands off the katana. "Except for me, of course. Just once, though, before she yelled at me because I almost dropped it."

My sister giggled while I sheathed the blade. "She sounds like quite the perfectionist." Katara remarked as I crawled to the frame of my bed.

"Oh, she was." I carefully placed the weapon with it's other half and then fell back into the bed, my head falling into my pillow. "She woke up the same time everyday, always had a plan for the day, always corrected people."

Katara laid down on her side facing me. "Sounds like we would've gotten along."

"I firmly believe that the two of you would have worked against me in arguments." I pointed a sardonic finger at her. I could just imagine Mulan and Katara instantly clicking and then being on my ass about little things like timing. There'd be no escaping it.

"Maybe we'd help you with your little procrastination problem." Katara smirked, still a bit ticked off that I put off many of my bridesmaid duties. Really, I just put off the least important things. Not the fun things like making arrangements for Katara to try on wedding dresses or helping pick decorations. But those little things did eventually catch up to me and left me stressed for weeks.

I rolled my eyes at her playfully. "So... are you going to tell me what really happened?" Of course Katara would be one to confront me about this. I was thankful for it really. I was never exactly the person to call out for help or to go to others to talk it out. But since we were kids, my sister always made sure that I could confide in her. Even if I didn't always believe it.

I let out a soft exhale and moved to my side to face my sister, resting my head on my arm. "After 3 years of travelling and learning, there was just something missing, you know? I didn't know what that was until I met Mulan. She saved me from a group of bandits."

"Oh, so you were the damsel in distress and she was your hero?" She teased, making me giggle and shake my head in humiliation.

"Okay, yes. I was in distress, but it was like 5 of them against one of me. Two of which were earthbenders." I held up two fingers and then allowed my hand to flop back on the bed. "Anyways, she was a part of this group that protected villages and people from bandits and gangs."

"Yeah, those have been on the rise lately." Katara frowned.

"And that is why the Miraculous Bastards existed."

A questioning snicker spilled out of Katara’s mouth at the name and she tilted her head with an amused expression. "The Miraculous Bastards? And I thought Sokka's nicknames were bad?"

"Taon's idea. He was kinda like the ecstatic and reckless one." I told her, somehow feeling that there should be some sort of explanation for the odd name. "There was also Masha and Bono, they were siblings. We all had our own strengths and fighting styles. We were basically unstoppable."

I could vaguely picture the nights after heroically saving a village. We'd sit around a campfire in our filthy clothing and our bodies feeling weak. Masha would prepare something to eat while Taon would sleepily shower her with compliments. Mulan's head would lay in my lap while she "rested her eyes" and Bono would write in his journal.

My adoring smile for them fell. "I don't even know if they realized that they were going to be killed. The rock avalanche buried them all in moments. And Mulan was killed right in front of my eyes." My voice cracked and tears started to form in my eyes.

Katara pulled me into her arms while she cradled me and I wrapped my arms around her. Her hugs were so comforting. "Katara I wanted to kill their murderers and I almost did in the most horrid way..."

Katara was silent. I didn't need to say it, but she knew. Bloodbending was something neither of us took lightly. The way I reacted and the shame I felt, Katara could already understand it. While she used it to get almost revenge for Mom's death, I used it for Mulan.

"And you didn't tell us because you didn't want to bring that part of yourself here." She put together like the people-reading person she was.

"I guess it was going to come back to me no matter what." I somberly replied and shrugged to the extent that my shoulders allowed while I was in the cuddle.

Katara shifted in the bed a bit, dragging one of the pillows down to rest her head. "I also need to apologise for not believing you about Suh."

Finally, this was addressed. A light giggle left my lips. "I love being right." I felt my sister shake her head through the top of my head where her chin rested.

"Can't you just accept the apology?" She complained and her shoulders tense up a bit.

"Who said I didn't? I just needed to make it clear that I love being right. You guys should really listen to me more."

"You know I would agree with you but listening to you has led to many bad situations." I moved away from the hug for a moment with a challenging look, ready to ask her to name some of these said 'bad situations'. But she was already one step ahead of me. "It was because of your crush on Jet that we trusted him, eating those berries that left us all sick for days, Sokka almost broke his arm once when you dared him to climb that one tree. Shall I go on?"

Katara was right. I had my good moments, but thinking about it, there were also a lot of less than ideal ones that proved I wasn't to be followed blindly. At least, I shouldn’t have been trusted then. "Okay, but that was years ago.” I retorted. Still my sister chuckled at me with an unbelieving espression. "Shouldn't you be with your fiance?" I wondered since Katara isn't usually one to just come in to chit chat right before bed.

"I felt stressed. Aang is great at cuddling, but I think I just needed some sister bonding time." She claimed, but it felt deeper than that. The fact that the first thing she did was lock the door, how her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, and now were locked around me. She was scared.

No, not scared. Concerned. This was supposed to be her week. The one where she's nervous and just waiting to walk down the aisle to the person she'll be spending the rest of her life with. Not anticipating an attack to kill her sister. Not to mention, Azula threatened to burn Katara on the night of her bachelorette party.

I tightly hugged Katara, rubbing her back. "I'm going to be fine, Katara." I assured her. "I beat Azula once before and I can do it again."

Katara sucked in a breath and held it, like she was contemplating what she was going to say next. "Just promise me that you won't let your emotions get the best of you." She asked me quietly.

"What do you mean" I wondered just as quietly.

"Sis, Azula is the reason that Mulan is dead, she threatened me... She's playing some sort of sick game and you can't fall for it." She spoke in a hushed tone. Behind her plea, I could understand where her fear was coming from. She was scared I'd kill.

The room fell silent in a thoughtful moment. I was positive that we would be able to beat Azula, I was just scared that she'd hurt someone. She had a list of people to choose from. There was also Zuko, Sokka, Toph, literally anyone close to me. I didn't want to think that I'd do something so evil, but if Azula even touched them, I don't know if I'd hold to that promise.

"Ama." Katara pleaded after the quiet minute. "Promise me."

A soft breath of air escaped my lips. I needed to restrain myself from anything I may regret. "I promise."

.☽☼☾.

The days passed quickly. Sokka and dad spent the days barking orders. The amount of guards they placed around the palace was honestly a bit much. Every turn I'd make there was a Water Tribe warrior, in all their traditional furs and armor, posted at attention. I could only imagine how many of them would be at the wedding.

Suh was indifferent. Everyone tried their best to stay nice to her so that she wouldn't catch on that we were on to her. And Zuko kept her as far away from the wedding planning as possible so that she wouldn't get a whiff of where the guards would be placed and also to keep her from sneaking off.

Sucked for me. The firebender and I would only see each other at dinner. And even then, we couldn't really have our own conversation.

I continued with my duties in helping Katara the best I could. Confirming the seating, the cake, the marriage officiant and quite literally everything else. Katara spent so much time second guessing everything she and Aang had previously decided, it was getting annoying. The pre-wedding jitters were getting to her. And it was bad.

But when we weren't working on the wedding, the two of us would practice our waterbending. It killed two birds with one stone, because it both helped us calm down and prepared us for whatever Azula had planned.

This morning, though, Katara didn't show up. Sitting on the bench in confusion, I just gave up on waiting for her. Maybe she's with Aang or slept in. I went to the middle of the training yard, and manipulated some water to my sides, moving it from side to side.

Since it was just me, I was kind of limited with what I was able to do. I started with a water gimbal, two rotating rings of water around my body, and shot it at two practice dummies, the force of the water made the two fall back. I then spun my arm, taking more water from the snow and threw it at another dummy. The water turned to sharp ice at the end to strike it, but it missed and skimmed the neck of it.

I stood there in surprise. I missed? I haven't missed in years. With a frustrated grunt, I took more water and did the same move. But throwing it with more force. The ice hit the dummy hard and it skidded back before it fell to the ground.

A pair of fast and heavy footsteps coming in my direction caught my attention. My face twisted in confusion as I looked over seeing Sokka run towards me with his arms out beside him. "What are you doing?" He stressed the question.

I took a second to observe what he was wearing. His formal dark blue Warrior getup that made him look more muscular and his hair was slicked back tightly into his wolf tail. I cocked an eyebrow at him and put my hand on my hip. "What am I doing? What are you wearing?"

My brother's jaw dropped and he stopped in front of me. "Are you stupid woman!?" His arms flung out in front of him when he asked the question. I glared at him lightly and crossed my arms to give him a threatening look. "Uh, I mean. What are you wearing? We are supposed to be at the airship docks in literally thirty minutes."

The color drained from my face and my arms fell at the realization. "This has to be some sick joke, Sokka." I denied, nervously laughing as I shook my head. He always played jokes. This had to be one of them. "The guests are arriving tomorrow."

"The wedding is tomorrow!" Sokka grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth. "They're! Arriving! Today!"

"Shit!" I threw Sokka's arms off me and spirited back inside.

"Run! Run like the wind!" Sokka shouted in the background. My legs carried me through the halls. I almost ran into a few maids. I probably would have if all of them were actually working here in the palace instead of setting up for tomorrow.

How did I forget this? I’m the fucking maid of honor!

I swear the running from the training yard was probably more of a workout than I thought I was going to be getting.

I turned one corner, and immediately jumped to my left to avoid crashing into the blur of a person. "Sorry!" I called the apology but didn't bother seeing who it was.

"What the fuck, Ama!" Toph's annoyed voice shouted back.

My hand gripped the head of the staircase pillar, my body swinging to turn and sprint up the stairs. I had to make another right turn at the top. This time I wasn’t so lucky and bumped right into a firm chest. Thanks to momentum, I started to fall back, but whoever I just crashed into grabbed my wrist and pulled me back up.

Once I got my balance back, I looked up to see who I now had to apologise to now. Just my luck, it was Zuko. Not alone, however, because Suh was right there, sending me the deadliest of glares. Because how dare I bump into her boyfriend. His face was scrunched up in confusion and he opened his mouth to question me.

As much as I wanted to hear his gorgeous, fruity voice, now was definitely not the time. "My bad!" I hopped around him and continued with my mission.

Approaching my room, Suki luckily stepped out of her and Sokka's room in her Kyoshi uniform. "Suki." I gasped for air and realized that there was no way I'd be able to form a coherent sentence. "Help. No time. Clothes."

She took one look at me, seeing that I was in old, workout clothing and got the idea. An amused laugh came from her lips. "Oh my Spirits, Ama. You have five minutes tops." She commented, the two of us hurrying into my room.

I gave her a thumbs up and scurried to the bathroom for the quickest shower I've ever taken in my life. Suki was turned away from me when I stepped out of the bathroom naked. But she had my undergarments, dress, and everything else laid out on the bed for me.

I threw the lavender dress on and then the long purple fur coat. "You decent?" Suki asked just as I pulled my hair out from under the layers.

"Yep." I responded and scurried over to the end of my bed. She handed me the hair brush and waited til my hair was smoothened out to start putting my hair into a traditional style as I put on my fur boots, trying not to bother her.

"You are a mess." She giggled at me, moving to the other side of me, grabbing another chunk of hair from the underside of my hair.

"Tell me about it." I rolled my eyes with a deep sigh.

"But you look good, despite taking four minutes to get ready." She wiggled her eyebrows in a teasing way. And here comes the taunting. "I don't think Zuko's going to be able to take his eyes off of you."

I froze for a fraction of a second. The entire week, not one person taunted me about Zuko. Which was ironic. So I was kind of caught off guard. A nervous laugh left my lips. "What? No, that's false."

"Oh please, Ama. Every chance he gets he takes a peak at your gorgeous self." Suki shook her head, finishing up the last tie in my hair. "And with Suh being, well evil, I think the two of you have a chance."

I had to restrain myself from laughing out loud and telling her that she's on hundred percent right. Well, not saying that Zuko and I were going to fall back in love and then la-di-da we get married, just that there's a chance.

"I'd make a comment, but we really need to get going." I reminded her. Suki nodded rapidly and we raced down to meet the rest of the group at the front of the palace.

Everyone was already sitting in the two separate carriages, just waiting for us to get on so that we could head to the docks. "Finally!" Katara stood from her seat to shout at us.

"Sorry!" I called back. Suki and I jumped into the carriage with Sokka, Toph and Haru. We let out a simultaneous breath of relief that we weren't late, which was a miracle.

Sokka shook his head in disappointment at me. "Sis, you have a problem with time."

“Shut up.” I grumbled and just let my body relax into the leather seats. The carriage lightly jolted forward as the buffalo yak started to move us away from the palace and to the docks.

“Snowcone, don’t you have a schedule or something? I mean, you are the maid of honor.” Toph pestered me with her signature smirk.

“We all make mistakes, people. Just give me a break.” My fingers pinched the bridge of my nose. I love my friends dearly. But sometimes, I’d prefer if they didn’t tease me so much.

“I don’t think you’ll be getting a break anytime soon, girlie. Cause Suh is staring daggers straight at you.” Suki giggled and bumped her shoulder to mine. I kissed my lips, clearly annoyed, and straightened my posture in my seat.

The way the carriages were made was so that four people could sit in each of the seats and there were two long seats facing each other on both sides. Suh sat facing the back, and I sat facing forward. So she was able to stare right at me without even having to move her neck.

Zuko sat next to her, engaged in a conversation with the others. The malicious woman was the only one who wasn’t even trying to interact with the others.

The two of us made eye contact, and I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes hatefully back. Sending her an even sharper glare. A tiny and mischievous smirk played at her lips. She hand slithered up Zuko’s and rested it on his bicep. The firebendered paused in his conversation to give his clingy girlfriend attention. His soft smile turned into a grin, seeing her imploring eyes.

I clenched my jaw and looked away from the couple and at the snowy landscape of the South. Despite being fully aware that his grin was fake, it still bothered me to see them together. Which was exactly why Suh felt the need to showcase that she was the one dating the Fire Lord.

And sickening enough, I felt comfort knowing that Zuko was loathing her touch. That he was probably imagining that it was my arm wrapped in his. My lips curved ever so slightly at the thought.

Before I knew it, the carriage came to a stop. I turned my head to the opposite side, realizing that we were already at the airship dock. I was the last person to step out of my group’s carriage and was already being approached by an irritated sister.

Katara’s hands rested on her hips with an irked head shake. “How could you possibly forget that people were arriving today? Did you also forget that the wedding was tomorrow?” She fumed. I flinched a bit at her tone. “They’ll be here any minute, we were almost late!”

“I thought today was thursday.” I gave her my pathetic excuse with a nervous smile and shrug.

Katara sucked in a deep breath and her glare gave me the idea she was just about to strangle me. Aang came up behind her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms soothingly. “Sweetie, why don’t you go greet your dad.” He suggested quietly to calm her down a bit. His fiance nodded as she let out her breath slowly. Katara walked faster in front of us while Aang and I took a moderate pace to the greeting area.

The airship dock was huge. The snow and ice was cleared away from the slabs of rock for a safe landing and so that everyone could walk without slipping. Since not everyone was as accustomed to the natural snowy ground of the Southern Water Tribe. A line of pine trees were planted on the sides and two large ice sculptures with the Water Tribe insignia on top stood off to the side.

“She’s more anxious than I thought.” I worried for my sister out loud.

Aang let out a deep chuckle while we both looked over at her, blabbering about something to dad while pointing in various spots. “Can’t blame her. I mean she has both a wedding tomorrow and Azula to worry about.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” I apologised for probably the thousandth time in the past week.

Aang kissed his lips and shook his head at me. “Can’t blame you for something Azula is doing.” He, yet again, assured me. “We’re going to be ready for whatever she has to throw at us.”

I gave Aang a thankful smile. “I’m really glad that Katara is marrying you.” I meant that genuinely. Aang always treated my sister with respect and as an equal. Never looked down upon her. Instead, they always picked each other up and encouraged each other to be their best selves. They were perfect for each other.

“But if you ever hurt her, not even the Avatar state will be able to save your ass.” Aang’s grateful grin fell as fast as he could run. His face flushed at my threat and he nodded rapidly. “Good talk!” My expression changed completely and I gave Aang a cheerful grin and firmly shook his shoulder.

“The first ship is arriving, people!” Sokka’s commanding voice announced. “And by the looks of it, it’s Earth King Kuei!”

At a fast pace, everyone got into formation. Aang and Katara stood up front and in the middle with their arms linked, Dad, being the Head Chieftain, stood close by with Malina. I stood on Katara’s side, along with Sokka, Suki and a couple others. On Aang’s side, stood Zuko and the rest of the group.

I smoothened out my dress and fixed my posture. Shoulders back, head up, a welcoming smile. My excitement grew each second. I hadn’t seen my old friends in so long. I wondered how much of their lives had changed.

I glanced to my side, seeing Zuko glancing back. I bounced my eyebrows in an attempt to communicate my excitement. His chest rose in his quick chuckle at me before we focused our attention back onto the dock.

The first Earth Kingdom airship landed delicately. The gold insignia on the green material of the blimp already screamed Earth King. The ramp lowered and King Kuei happily walked down, but shivered at the sudden cold air. Beside him walked everyone's favorite bear, Bosco. And someone new was at his side as well, with her arm locked onto his. The woman was dressed in regal clothing and a heap of jewelry.

“Welcome, King Kuei.” Hakoda bowed his head and the Earth King bowed as well. “A pleasure to have you here. Earth Queen Lina.” He bowed to the woman.

“Oh course!” The king exclaimed. “Wouldn’t miss the Avatar’s wedding for the world!” He turned to Katara and Aang and bowed to them. “Congratulations, you two.”

And the greetings went on. More Earth Kingdom blimps brought Haru’s mother, the Kyoshi warriors, Bumi. Overall, everything was pretty formal. More bowing and congratulations. Katara and Aang looked so happy seeing all their friends arriving and being in one place.

Then the Fire Nation ship arrived. Iroh stepped out first, followed by Ursa, Noren and Kiyi. The next family to exit the ship was Mai’s mother and little brother. Iroh wore a large grin of his face and had a skip in his step while he approached us.

“Welcome to the Southern Water Tribe. It is a pleasure to have the rest of the Fire Nation royal family joining us.” My dad bowed.

“The pleasure is all ours.” Iroh responded with a rumbling chuckle. “After all, it would be a terrible mistake to pass up the chance of witnessing such a beautiful marriage.” He, and the others, bowed to Aang and Katara.

“Ama!” Kiyi’s bubbly voice exclaimed and she ran towards me.

“Woah.” I chuckled in surprise at her sudden hug. “Hey, kiddo.” I had to bend down a little in order to hug the girl back, but she was still significantly taller than 6 years ago. “Look at you, you’re so tall!” She kept her hair short, cut at shoulder length, and still had those inspiring, innocent brown eyes.

Kiyi stepped back with a bright, childlike smile. “I know I’m twelve now! You missed so much! Zuko’s been teaching me firebending and I started school like a while back, obviously-!”

“What, you won’t say hi to your older brother first?” Zuko interrupted the pre-teen with an amused smirk.

Kiyi’s hand went up to block her brother. “You’re insignificant to me right now.” She rolled her eyes. Zuko and I’s jaws dropped and he faked a scoff. His mother stepped forward to him with a loving smile to hug her son. “Anyways, Zuko was writing to me about the polar bear dogs and that there's a whole stable of them?”

“Oh yeah.” I nodded. “I’d be more than happy to take you to see them before you guys leave, if your mother allows it.”

Kiyi turned to look at Ursa with a pleading look. Her hands were placed under her chin and she pulled out the most impressive puppy eyes I’ve ever seen. “Please mom. I promise I’ll be good.”

Ursa let out a morthly sigh and glanced at Mai’s mother. “Take Tom-Tom with.” She concluded. Both Kiyi and Tom-Tom jumped up in excitement with a loud ‘yes’.

“And I’ll go with.” Zuko joined in. Suh furrowed her eyebrows, being slightly taken aback by his volunteering. He turned to his girlfriend. “You can spend an hour or two with Mai, right?” As soon as he said that Mai’s head fell into her hand.

“Perfect.” Ursa gave me a pleased smile.

My stomach exploded in butterflies. Finally. A moment with Zuko. Even if we were technically babysitting and he was probably offering because he needed to protect his sister if Azula showed up. It was a moment nonetheless. We just had to hope that Azula didn’t try anything before then.

.☽☼☾.

~ Azula ϟ ~

I sat on the highest chair in the unpleasant cavern. It was no throne, but it did well to get me the respect I deserved. One leg was crossed over the other and my fingers intertwined dominantly. A satisfied smirk grew on my painted lips as I looked over yet another piece of my puzzle.

A group of perhaps 30 men and women sat in the old ice cavern, gobbling up their food like the greedy, yet desperate people they were. Some spun small knives, while others swung a sword side to side. Then there were other who’d rotate small chunks of rock in their hands or manipulating fire or water.

“I must say, Bohan, Puha. I didn’t know you two could pull it off so well. I’m impressed.” I hummed with pride. With just a cocked eyebrow and a tilted head that screamed my curiosity the two glowed in self-satisfaction. “How did you do it?”

Bohan’s chest rumbled in a boastful chuckle. “You have any idea how many people are out there who hate the Avatar?” He questioned me. I knew that there was definitely a large number, but for them to find so many in such little time, it baffled me.

I looked out at them all again. Benders and nonbenders all in one place with a hate for the Avatar. Here to serve me in my quest. Just for the pleasure of ruining a wedding.

.☽☼☾.

Lowkey though. I wrote some of this while tipsy and the part with Ama and Suki I wanted to write "Ama and Suki kiss and left Sokka and Zuko to live in a cottage with tons of flowers and baked everyday." Lmao.

If you liked the chapter please consider giving it a like, it always brightens my day. I love you all liked it! I loved writing it!

Hang Loose, amigos 🤙🏼

#fire lord zuko #zuko x oc #zuko fanfic #zuko #her sun his moon #aang #atla #atla fanfic #katara #sokka #suki #avatar fanfiction #avatar #zuko x waterbender oc #waterbender oc #water tribe

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carnistcervine · 4 years

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The Storm AU

Last AU I’mma post for now. I think this is enough AU spam for now. :’D

(I still have dozens more lol)

*The Gaang gets caught up in a sudden freak storm while escaping Azula.

*While flying away from her royal evilness, they start coming upon a strange patch of ocean with what looks like bony-white hands sticking up from the water.

*Remembering hearing about the Sea of Lost Souls from his ship days and about how it was filled with the cursed spirits of drowning victims, Zuko warms the group to fly around.

*But Azula is closing in, so they have no choice but to fly over, and a freak storm starts.

*The storm blows Azula's ships back, but the gaang end up crashing into the ocean and wake up in an alternate universe where the war never happened.

*The group wakes up on a Fire Nation vessel, and at first they think they've been captured.

*Naturally they don't trust Captain Zura or her crew and assume that it's a Fire Nation trap or something.

*Nevertheless, Zura is horrified by the accusations the Gaang throws out, and the Gaang are utterly bewildered by the FIRE NATION of all people offering kindness and hospitality.

*In this world, there was no century old war. And by extension, no Air Nomad genocide.

*In fact, the Air Nomads are just fine and still very much around.

*The Fire Nation are not enemies of the Avatar, instead they are the Avatar's staunchest allies.

*Instead of trying to spread their influence by conquering the world, the Fire Nation uses their good fortune to give aid to nations in need.

*Not that other nations always accept the aid. Some leaders(particularly those in the Earth Kingdom) see themselves as being "too good" for handouts.

*Also, the Gaang have all been missing for quite awhile in this world. Aang has been missing for over a century, Zuko has been missing for three years, Sokka and Katara have been missing for over a year, Suki and Toph have been missing for months.

*Iroh is Fire Lord, Lu Ten is alive, and Azulon is still hanging in there(He old as fuck tho).

*Also, Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai aren't evil. Ozai's kind of a dick, but he actually loves his children and isn't vile enough to burn Zuko.

*The Gaang aren't sure what's going on, but they do eventually go to confront their parents.

*Sokka and Katara are beyond elated to see their mom alive. Hakoda and Kya are equally happy to have their kids come home safe and sound. Kya is horrified to find that her children thought SHE had died. She's also horrified by her children's stories of their prosperous tribe being raided and stripped away by the Fire Nation.

*The Kyoshi Warriors are quite happy to have their leader return in one piece. The Kyoshi Warriors are equally stunned and horrified by Suki's stories of refugees, and a line of genocidal, megalomaniac Fire Lords that wiped out the Air Nomads, stripped the South Pole, and raped the Earth Kingdom.

*Zuko is nervous about going home. When he ultimately makes the trip home, he's given a very warm welcome by his family, save for Azula. While Ursa and Ozai are happy to see their son alive, they're horrified by the disfiguring scar he's received. They press Zuko for answers, but he doesn't know what to say/isn't ready to talk about it. Fire Lord Iroh is outraged, someone hurt his beloved nephew. Azula takes the opportunity to completely mock and taunt her older brother over his new scar. Zuko ends up holing himself up in his room, self-conscious and unwilling to talk to anyone.

*Toph doesn't want to go home and avoids doing so for as long as possible. She has the distinct feeling that nothing will change. When she eventually does return to her family, she finds that she was correct. Toph doesn't say anything of her travels with the Gaang.

*Because Aang vanished when he was twelve, the Avatar was never revealed to the world, and all anyone knows is that he's been missing for about a century.

*When Aang returns to the Southern Air Temple, the only people who knew he was the Avatar have died long ago. Without that heaviness weighing on his shoulders, Aang quickly makes new friends. Being as Aang is already a mostly-realized avatar, and one that cannot access the avatar state, he "neglects" to mention that he's the Avatar and just lets everyone believe that he's a normal airbender. While the monks are quick to accept Aang back to the temple, they do have some serious questions about that nasty scar on his back, and why his chakra is blocked. Aang avoids the topic for a long a possible. However, one day he forgets that he's trying to be just an airbender and waterbends. He's pulled in front of the monks and comes clean about being the Avatar who vanished a century ago. When they start talking about training him, Aang is quick to say that he's already learned all four elements and even mastered the avatar state. ...Until his chakra was blocked after being killed by a lightning strike in the avatar state. The monks are horrified when Aang mentions being killed in the avatar state. Aang then goes on to explain, or over-explain his whole journey with the Gaang, the Air Nomad genocide, the Fire Nation's conquest, all that fun stuff to these poor horrified monks. They end up interrupting Aang, having heard enough of his nightmare-scenario and send him to his room to have some (drugged) tea as they try and figure out what to do with the poor boy.

*While Suki's life just goes back to normal, the rest of the Gaang find themselves trapped by newly overbearing parents/guardians. Although for Toph, they just double down on being overbearing.

*The monks keep making Aang drink "calming" tea, and insist on constant healers and meditation to try and unblock his chakra. Aang hates it every time they try, because it causes him to have flashbacks or suffer a panic attack. They mostly make him stay in his room, and only let him go outside with supervision. Aang hates this, as he really just wants to go see his friends, but the monks keep him trapped in his room and making him drink tea that makes him drowsy.

*Hakoda and Kya insist that they aren't punishing Sokka and Katara, but the two are no longer allowed outside of the South Pole, and they have body guards constantly watching over them. The water sibs are happy to be treated like celebs at first, but quickly grow tired of being treated like they're going to vanish if someone takes their eyes off of them for a moment.

*Toph's parents become so much worse. Now she's under constant surveillance and barely allowed outside of her room. She's not allowed outside the house, period. She's only allowed an earthbending tutor to go over with basics with her, because benders who don't use their bending go mad. Her parents often mumble amongst themselves about how they wish they could take that 'earthbending curse' away from her. The thought of losing her earthbending is the most terrifying thing Toph has ever considered and genuinely leaves her paralyzed with fear.

*Even though Zuko voluntarily hid inside of his room, it seems to have been decided that he's not allowed outside of the palace and must have guards accompany him at all times. His family constantly pressure him to explain what happened to his face, and Zuko just shuts down even further. When he finally comes out of his room, he's rather annoyed and upset to find that not only are guards following him everywhere, but also he's not allowed outside of the palace. His family now treats him like he's made of porcelain, and Zuko explodes in frustration, claiming that he's more than capable of defending himself. Because Zuko refuses to explain how he got his scar, his family starts to wonder if it was self-inflicted.

*Sick and tired of being treated like porcelain and smothered, the Gaang all run away from home and start a new life on the run from their parents.

#ATLA AU #Avatar AU #The Storm AU

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firelxdykatara · 5 years

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Alright, so I’ve finished the first season of VLD and had time to let things stew and simmer. Here is how I envision the Lion-Paladin bonds playing out (with bonus Castle inhabitants), and why, with the caveat that I am loosely adapting the VLD lore to fit the story, so if later information comes up as I continue the series I may either adapt it to what I’m building now, or disregard it entirely (so I don’t care if anything here is ‘wrong’ because it’s right for the story I want to tell).

Disclaimer: I’ve given the Gaang surnames (except Toph, who already had one), for worldbuilding purposes. This whole thing is like a giant Modern/Sci fi AU, I haven’t fully decided how the world of Avatar fits and I’m still on the fence re: bending, which wouldn’t be super useful in protracted space battles, they they may retain lesser bending abilities. Depends on how things shake out as I get further into the planning stages.

Black Lion: Sokka Nutarak

I know, I know, Lance is supposed to be the ‘Sokka’ of VLD, but hear me out. Sokka may have started the series as the comic relief in dire need of a whole lot of Respect Women juice, but by the end of the show he had truly come into his own as a brilliant strategist and leader. He didn’t start out perfectly suited to the Black Lion, but it was the one for whom he had the most potential. It seems to me that the Lions sort of function like the Sorting Hat--it’s not just about happening to find someone who starts out perfectly suited to pilot them, but who has the best potential to thrive with them. Sokka, who at the start is a bit of a joker who has a hard time taking his responsibilities seriously (he was This Close to washing out of command school entirely), truly comes into his own when thrust into the position of a leader. He has to learn to not only respect his teammates and their abilities, but to respect his own skills and potential, and it’ll culminate in him becoming a true leader who is capable of seeing the abilities of his people and directing them where they’d be best utilized, but also recognizing when to take a step back and trust that they can handle some situations themselves.

Red Lion: Zuko Himura

This one is a little more obvious than Sokka’s placement, but listen, the parallel between needing to earn the respect of his lion and needing to win back honor he’d lost is just too delicious to pass up. Obviously, since Zuko is starting out as part of the Voltron team, his personal story is going to be considerably different than it played out during AtLA. He’s carrying a deep, dark secret that’s going to come pretty close to tearing the team apart later down the line, and may have a moment of making the Very Wrong Choice (I know that Keith is revealed to be half-Galra later on, but Zuko starts out knowing full well who his father is [he still has the scar, and he’s very sensitive about it for obvious reasons] and struggles a great deal with the knowledge that he was sent to retrieve Voltron for his father and was never supposed to pilot one of the lions), and part of coming into his full abilities as a paladin and bonding fully with his lion is discovering and accepting his own self-worth.

Blue Lion: Katara Nutarak

This one was probably the hardest for me to place. Personality-wise, Yellow might seem like a more obvious choice, but in keeping with the theme of the lions choosing a paladin who would have the most potential to thrive and come into their own as they bonded, I went with Katara. I think her personal arc fits more with what I see as Blue’s--she is confident in herself and her abilities, but has trouble allowing herself to express it because she’s so used to being the Woman of the House that she never really had a chance to let herself be anything else. She wanted to leave home and go to flight school and learn how to fight, but her father was already gone to the front lines with the rest of the adults in her family, her brother was on the verge of flunking out of the command track, and she had the rest of her family to think about and provide for (giving her and Sokka a slew of younger siblings and cousins standing in for the SWT). She only wound up out on the edges of known space with the rest of Team Voltron because she heard that Sokka had taken a shuttle and hadn’t been heard from in over a day and she was planning to find him, kick his ass for scaring her like that, and then bring him home.

But damn if it didn’t feel so fucking good--no, so RIGHT--the second she slid behind the controls of big Blue and shot out into open space for the first time in her life, demonstrating a natural, raw talent she’d never gotten a chance to explore outside the crappy flight simulator in her room back home. And suddenly she was on a mission to save the universe. Her personal arc for the purposes of this fic is one of self-discovery and awareness, of finally shedding the shackles she placed on her own life since the day her mother died, of accepting her own strengths and using them not just to save the world, but for the sheer thrill of it. Of learning the joys of letting loose and being free. And of discovering she’s a damn good pilot.

Yellow Lion: Toph Beifong

As tough as Blue was to place, Yellow was arguably harder, because if not Team Mom, then who? But then, that was always supposed to be intrinsic to Toph’s character arc, wasn’t it? Going from this gruff loner who didn’t need help from anybody ever, to learning to rely on others and put their needs before her own? Learning to work as a team, learning to be the bedrock on which the others could always depend to be firm and steady. Yellow picked Toph not because she started out as the heart of the team, but because she needed to open up her heart in order to realize her true potential. And the thing about being the leg of Voltron, lifting them up and holding them together? That’s where Toph is truly going to shine, when she learns not to try and solve every problem herself but to give the others a rock-solid foundation, and to trust that they will carry out their parts just as efficiently.

Green Lion: Suki Park

Last, but certainly not least, there’s Suki. (I know, ‘what about Aang?’ Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten him--he’s coming up later.) Green is inquisitive and daring, and of the five of them, Suki is the one who has the easiest time bonding with her lion because she’s the closest to being self-actualized. I’m not sure how I’ll adapt the Kyoshi Warriors, but by the time Team Voltron forms, Suki is the one who is most secure in herself and her abilities, position, and worthiness to be on the team. Her personal arc, then, is going to be more external--she’s used to leading, not following, and will butt heads a lot with Sokka, as she doesn’t think he has what it takes to be a leader in the beginning (and it takes him a while to really start guzzling that Respect Women juice). Further, she’s got a great deal of pride (as she should, but pride goeth before the fall and all that) and even more than not trusting Sokka as a leader, Suki is used to doing things her own way and doesn’t hesitate to rush off on her own--daring can be a good quality, but it also veers all too easily into brash recklessness, and Suki has to learn to be a team player and consult with everyone before making decisions and haring off on her own.

Now, what about Aang, you asked? Which brings me to....

Avatar Castle: Aang, the lost prince

Aang: I slept for a hundred years in an ice berg! Allura: hold my fucking beer

No, but all jokes aside, this actually made the most sense to me. Like Allura, Aang is the one who, because of his past and his destiny, brought Team Avatar together. This is the aspect of the story I’m the least sure on at the moment, though I think he’s essentially the last remnant of the his planet which will be, functionally, the ‘original world’ of Avatar. His people had bending abilities, a la the original show, and the royal family was what brought the four nations together, and were the only bloodline capable of bending all four elements. They were a planet of peace, and Voltron was originally created by all four nations in concert with the royal family as guardians, once they attained space travel and discovered the brewing war. Voltron was a neutral party, meant only to protect its home planet, but the Royal family couldn’t just stand by and watch as planet after planet fell to the onslaught of darkness, so Voltron was ‘upgraded’ with offensive capabilities, and then bonded--meaning each lion would find and bond with a single paladin, to prevent it from being used for evil.

Aang was very young, only fifteen (aged up slightly, as everyone else is too) when the tide of war finally overtook his people. His parents fell in battle, followed quickly by the paladins, and in a panic (as his parents’ last words were to keep Voltron from the enemies hands by any means necessary) he scattered the lions and fled in the castle--but something went wrong. Instead of making it to safety, recalling the lions and searching for new paladins, the castle shut down, and Aang went into stasis, and would remain there for several centuries, until the new Team Voltron manage to find and wake him up. (I’m still fuzzy on the details, and some of this may change when I finish hashing them out, but anyway.)

AND THAT’S HOW I PICTURE ATLA!TEAM VOLTRON.

Good gods, I rambled on so much I fucking better sit down and write this fic at some point lmfao.

#voltron #atla #zuko #katara #sokka #suki #toph #aang #team avatar = team voltron + prince #voltron notes

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flameysaur · 7 years

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So. This is going to be a rant about the most topical of subjects: the ending of Avatar: The Last Airbender!

This is something I discussed with @harunohoe but I remember when Avatar finally ending there was a lot of bitterness. Now I’m in the zutara side of that shipping war. (The right side.) But there was a lot of bitterness among people I talked to that had little to do with the ship. It felt like it did, because Katara centered the discussion, but it wasn’t. Later, when Harry Potter ended, I noticed an interesting echo, and I think it comes from the same place.

The finale for Avatar: The Last Airbender felt wrong with the rest of Season 3. It had the same feel, scope and depth as season 1. Season 1 was epic. It’s easy to forget because seasons 2 and 3 so blew it out of the water, but Season 1 was large. It was deep. It had pathos and engagement and fun. If the finale had come at the end of Season 1, I don’t think a lot of people would have the feeling that something was off the way they did when it came at the end of season 3. I think this because I think the finale was written before episode one ever hit the air.

(This is a good thing, btw. When writing serial fiction with a solid end point, you need to know what the end is if you want to keep working towards it. That’s how you avoid ended up in the reeds with no way back except how you got there in the first place.)

But things changed. The Avatar crew was very vocal in they changed things in response to fan criticism. (The amount of female characters in season 2, for example.) And that change included adding depth and character struggles that were so much more than season one Avatar. Especially in season 3 which dealt with adult themes of redemption and darkness with a maturity that I’ve never seen in an adult show. The biggest examples being: Katara’s flirtation with murder and Zuko’s redemption.

Katara is a dark female lead. It’s easy to forget, because she’s the Mom Friend(tm) and she’s so loving and she’s the healer but Katara is also a person that about a month after promising to never use bloodbending again, USED IT. She premeditated an attack to use it and she used emotional blackmail to carry out that attack. Katara has, from season 1, put her friends first, but her feelings before that. She wants to do what’s right, mentally. But emotionally? Katara wants what Katara wants. It’s a complex side of female characters we do not get in fiction. That someone can be both the light and the dark. She is the moon, always shifting between the brightest and darkest points during this very long night.

Then you get Zuko, the masterfully written redemption of a character. I don’t think anyone can argue that Zuko’s change from one dimensional whiny villain to desperately trying to redeem himself boy wasn’t amazing. You could argue it’s the best thing written for television, never mind a kid’s show. And his redemption. His confrontation of his abuse. Him receiving everything he ever asked for and realizing it wasn’t what he needed, then taking the steps to fix his mistakes. All that was beautiful and complex and hard and understated within the show. Which is perfect. The show trusted us with knowing more than they told us, and that’s hard to do.

Both Katara’s darkness and Zuko’s redemption were confronted the most during season 3. They told us this show understood moral complexities without losing its optimism. Katara didn’t kill because she couldn’t. Zuko did the right thing because he wanted to. For all the greyness of them and their actions, they chose the light. Which, again, isn’t something you’re likely to get on an adult show.

Then we have Aang.

One of my, and many people’s, biggest complaint with Aang in the finale was the spiritbending/stripping of bending power. I remember watching a lot of people discuss the morality of that choice. How it wasn’t “better” then killing. How it was more evil and Aang was wrong to do it. And I don’t agree. It was a fight to the death and Aang found an option that wasn’t death because he chose his morality over the easy answer. That should be a good choice. It should be powerful. It should be the culmination of everything Aang has grown to be.

But it wasn’t. Because Aang lost nothing in making the choice.

Season 3 showed us again and again that it was morally complex. This theme continued with Aang realizing everyone expected him to kill Ozai.

(Tangent! This was also something I saw people complain about. I don’t think anyone, really, had an issue with Aang being anti-killing Ozai, but it does not make sense that the death didn’t come up before it did in season 3. Death rules this world. Reminder: Katara was a small child, eight, when she watched her mother get murdered in her own home. That means, from young childhood, Katara knows death can come to anyone and from anywhere. Sokka likewise, was ten, maybe eleven, when his father left to fight in the war. Sokka declared himself a man and asked to go with him. He was a CHILD. And he wanted to go KILL people. That’s brutal. He only agreed to stay because his father framed it as needing him to protect the villiage. Sokka has, since young childhood, decided that his job is to kill to protect his family. Death is a part of these kids in a way most first world people will not understand. You think Sokka or Katara would use “stop” and “destroy” every time they discussed the finale battle? No. They’d use kill. And Aang would have had to have the debate sooner than the last quarter of season 3. End tangent.)

Aang’s character arc, from episode one, is a painfully simple conflict between Want and Need. In writing, the easiest way to create tension in a story is to have your characters Want a Thing, and they do whatever it takes to get that thing, but they Need something different. And if that Need conflicts with their Want, then bam! You get instant story tension.

Aang wants to be Aang from day one. He wants to be the fun loving monk boy who doesn’t hurt anyone, gets along with everyone and always had a hand outstretched. He wants the world to support this boy. He wants to be a child who helps people and travels and makes friends everywhere and has no care greater then taking care of Appa or what his next prank is.

Aang needs to be the Avatar, savior of the world, master of all four elements. In a world that’s desperately unbalanced, he needs to find and maintain balance. Not just in himself, but in everyone around him. He needs to know not only how to solve surface issues, but the deeper issues that arouse from a 100 years of war and conflict.

And in all three seasons, Aang turns down being the Avatar for being Aang. We get told this rather blatantly in the season 2 finale. His love for Katara is holding him back from becoming a fully realized Avatar. And one thing this show fails at in all this telling, is it fails to show it’s not about Katara the person, but Katara the representation of the love he’s found in this time. Aang failed at being an Avatar before the show began because of this same love. They were going to take his beloved master away from him, and so he ran away. Now, a hundred years later, and everything a hundred years worse, he’s making the same choice. His love, his heart, over his duty. Aang doesn’t want to kill the boy in service to the Avatar.

(And if the show focused on this rather than if Aang could totes bang his first crush, we’d not be left feeling that Katara is a rather literal prize that Aang is fighting for, but instead Aang choosing between his humanity and his destiny.)

Now we return to Season 3. Aang has lost contact to his Avatar spirit. But he’s growing closer and stronger with these people he surrounds himself with. By being himself, Aang has formed a family that is as diverse as he has always wanted. He has Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, and more allies always reaching out to him. Aang has gotten his want, and he thinks he has married it with his need. He is both a boy who is Aang and the Avatar who is going to save the world. He did it. And in the finale we got...yeah. That’s it. Three quarters into Season 3, Aang stops growing as a character and he never starts again.

But here is where things should have changed. Aang has achieved balance, he thinks. He’s not a fully realized Avatar, but he shouldn’t have to be. Being the Avatar in this world is more about being the spiritual guide to the world, the one person who is not attached to any one country and so can help lead them all to balance. Aang can do that as he is. He already has! He has brought balance to his friends and united a group of people from around the world to join him and believe in him. And it can all stay that way.

But he has to kill Ozai.

We remember, I’m sure, the scene where Aang talks to his past lives and they all say, “Yeah, no, smoke the asshole. Kill him dead.” And that was a weird scene. It was supposed to be a dark moment, before Aang figured out a third answer, but...he...didn’t. He talked to a lionturtle, we don’t see what really happens, and then end of show, BAM! Magic answer from no where.

What should have happened, what would have been stronger, is if he’s told in all his lives, there is faint memories of a non-lethal option. He can find and learn that option, but only if he becomes a fully realized Avatar. Aang knows he can’t. He doesn’t want to pay the price, his heart, his self, for that. So his past lives agree. That’s fine. You can do that. You can do everything you’re supposed to do and never reach that finale pinnacle. Many Avatars, great Avatars, never get there. You are best as you are, Aang.

But you will have to kill Ozai.

That’s the cost here. Kill the boy, or kill the man.

And I want to focus on something: neither of these options are evil. Aang would have to make a choice that echoes the very first one he ever made in the series. He can chose the world or himself, but before, when he chose himself, he doomed thousands (at least) to die. This time, no matter what he does, he will save the world. He is not choosing between dooming humanity or dooming his own heart. He is choosing between his heart and his morality.

(Something that, btw, would echo Katara’s journey. She had that choice when she faced her mother’s killer. She chose her morality over her heart. Something Zuko knew she would do because she’d done it once before, with him. In the season 2 finale, Zuko and Katara had their moment and Katara offered the water from the spirit well to him to heal not a debilitating injury or to save his life, but to heal his scar. He is someone who chased her across the world and has tried time and again to kill her best friend but when he showed her weakness, her response was kindness. That’s why Zuko took her to face her mother’s killer. He knew she’d chose empathy in the end because that’s who she is. If Aang was going on this journey, Katara could be brought in to echo what Zuko did for her.)

I also want to say it is very clear what Aang would chose as well: himself. Aang has, from the beginning, been selfish. He’s caring, empathetic and giving, but he is always selfish. From day one, he put the world on hold so he could do what he wanted. The more he started to understand what the world was going through, the more he clung to what he wanted. That’s why Katara became this giant sticking point in the series. He wanted something to make all this worth it. And she, his crush, became that something. That thing he could want and have and hold. And though he and Katara are friends. Though they are best friends, he still turned her into an object in his head. Something for him to clutch to. “You can have this world, but I want this in return.”

And I think, if we confronted this head on, it would give Aang what he needed. Clarity.

Here’s the scene in this story: Aang has learned the price of his Want and his Need. To get what he wants, he only has to kill someone that everyone agrees should be killed. To get what he needs, he has to kill the part of himself that is so desperate to live. And Katara talks with him about it. She relates it to her mother’s death and what Zuko did for her. She tells him that she knows he’ll do the right thing. That he’s a good person, and a good Avatar, and that he will--

And Aang kisses her. Not on the dock before a battle. But here, in this private, intimate moment. A moment where it’s just them as they are, at their best. Friends who love each other. He kisses her and he thinks, yes, I choose this. I chose her. I will always choose her. I love her.

And Katara pulls back. Because she doesn’t love him. Because. She. Doesn’t. I don’t care if she’s kissing Zuko or not. (Though she is.) But she doesn’t love Aang. She, at best, doesn’t like it when the boy who likes her show interest in other people. And as a former fourteen-year-old girl? MOOD. Even not wanting someone, you can get pissy when their attention is given elsewhere. You feel like shit about it, but damnit, it’s yours even if you don’t want it.

Now Aang is kissing her. He crossed that line she put up a long time ago. And made his feelings clear. And her response is, at best, “Not now.” And she leaves. And Aang is alone. And Aang has to come to some realizations about himself.

He expected Katara to fall into his lap. All his stress and angst and fighting for her, he never realized that...he never asked her how she felt about it. In his head, he was fighting for his future with Katara, but it was never about Katara the person. It was always about Katara, the symbol of all his new love he found in this dark future.

And Aang would look over his friends. He’d watch them go through the nightly routines. He’d see the joy they had (Sokka and Suki flirting casually together.) and he’d see the growth (Toph, loud as she ever is, bullying Zuko, able to take it and smile) and he’s see the darkness (Katara, alone because of him and his feelings and his choices and him not doing the blindingly obvious) and Aang will realize something.

The problem has always been him. Aang, the boy, has been the issue this entire time. The good he’s done, the good he will do, isn’t what this world needs. This world doesn’t need empathy. It needs balance. And Aang gets up. And he leaves.

He goes to the lionturtle. He learns what he needs to know. The finale battle happens. And he is still Aang, the boy. He’s hoping he can make a third choice. He’s hoping, Aang, the boy, is enough. But he isn’t Ozai isn’t willing to be anything less then ruler of the world. Aang fights. Fire, rocks, wind, water. All of it flying at him. At a pivotal point, a dagger of rock is snapped free from the ground around him. Aang throws it, and it’s aiming for Oazi’s neck. And it would kill him, but at the last moment Aang stops it.

Because he made his choice.

He will kill the boy.

And in that moment, he becomes the Avatar.

He takes Ozai’s bending. No longer a cop out “yay no death in our kids show” ending, but the price of peace. Something must die. In this case, it was Aang.

He doesn’t smile as bright after this battle, (though he does still smile.) And he doesn’t laugh as hard (though there is so much laughter to come.) His pranks are smaller (but they do still happen.) Aang still lives, but as a man, and a man who carries the lives of everyone he killed because he was a boy for too long. (And not near long enough. Spirits help him, not nearly long enough.) And he still has his love. His friends gather around him.

The ending isn’t Aang and Katara kissing. It is Aang, held and loved by the family he formed on his journeys. The reward for Aang isn’t a girl he earned by virtue of saving the world. It is the family he made because Aang, the boy, chose mercy at every turn. Now Aang, the man, still has them. All of them. They all lived. All grew. All loved.

Aang won.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #atla meta #zutara #aang #complaining about the finale #long post #anti-kataang #not super anti #but its not pro that's for sure #I have a lot of thoughts #also I'm depressed today #and this is something to do with my feelings

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beifongsss · 4 years

Text

playing with fire pt. 4 [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader

this will be a series :D this is Toph’s intro!!!

w.c.~5.7k

prologue. one. two. three.

.masterlist.

The peacefulness you felt while flying through the air didn’t last long, and soon enough you felt Katara’s gaze burning into you. You glanced up, meeting the pair of narrowed blue eyes that seemed to study your every movement. It was silent for a few more minutes, Aang and Sokka shifting uncomfortably as tension filled the air. When he could no longer take it, Aang opened his mouth, ready to tell some cheesy joke to try and diffuse the situation before it even began.

“So,” Katara spoke first. Aang clamped his mouth shut, looking to Sokka as he tried to get a read on Katara’s tone. “Why is it that literally every single Fire Nation person we run into seems to know you?”

“Sokka didn’t tell you?” you asked quietly, glancing at the boy in question. He shook his head.

“I didn’t want to tell them your story, (Y/N),” he stated firmly, his tone a stark contrast to the soft stare he was sending your way. “That’s your business, not mine.”

You stared at him for a few seconds before Katara cleared her throat, drawing your attention back to her. Settling against Appa’s saddle, you glanced at Sokka once more before facing Katara and speaking.

“My parents are Fire Nation nobility. They worked with Ozai to plan the conquests of Earth Kingdom towns. As a result of their positions, I spent a lot of time in the palace,” you began, recalling the words you had told Sokka in the Cave of Two Lovers. Katara’s glare lessened, an interested gleam taking its place as she motioned for you to continue. “I grew up alongside Prince Zuko. I was his chosen training partner, even if I wasn’t a bender. I was good with a bow and arrow and I was even better with a sword, which made me useful to Ozai. I joined the army when I was old enough and eventually Ozai realized that I was good at planning invasions and had me revise the generals’ plans. One day I was sent out to battle with my father. When the Earth Kingdom troops surrendered, I took the chance and ran because I had finally realized that the Fire Nation had done so much harm to others. Later on, I found out that they had massacred them either way. I couldn’t go back after deserting so I traveled until I settled into the Fire Nation colony where I met you.”

“So what about the other girls?” Katara asked.

“I told you that I attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls with them,” you said calmly. “Mai and Ty Lee were the daughters of noblemen. Mai is good with knives and Ty Lee’s a chi-blocker, which is why you couldn’t waterbend after her attack.”

“What about the other girl.”

“That’s Princess Azula,” you said, sighing deeply. “Zuko’s younger sister. Firebending prodigy. She can bend lightning. She’s the most dangerous of them all.”

The group went silent at your words, thinking about the way the golden-eyed girl had conjured up blue fire. Sokka was staring at you curiously, something about your words bothering him. When speaking to Katara, you had told her that you found out about the Earth Kingdom soldiers’s death after you ran away. Back in the Cave of Two Lovers, you had told him that you had run away because they had killed the soldiers. He shook his head softly, realizing that he could’ve easily misheard you. But there was something about the way you had spoken, almost if you were uncertain about some of the things you were saying. Sokka huffed slightly before tearing his gaze from you. You couldn’t be lying to them...right?

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Appa dip lower and lower. He looked at Aang, who seemed to be spacing out, and leaned out of the saddle, tapping the Air Nomad’s shoulder. “Hey, you taking us down for a reason? Aang, why are we going down?”

Aang shook his head slightly before looking at Sokka, confused. “What? I didn’t even notice.”

“Are you noticing now?” Sokka asked as Appa dipped even lower.

“Is something wrong?” Katara asked, moving closer to the front of the saddle as you followed her.

“Yeah, why are we getting lower?” you added, looking down below.

“I know this is going to sound weird, but I think the swamp is calling to me,” Aang said softly, looking down at the trees.

“Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?” Sokka asked, his stomach grumbling on cue. You giggled softly, earning a proud smile from the Water Tribe boy.

“No,” Aang replied, not acknowledging Sokka’s words. “I...I think it wants us to land down there.”

“No offense to the swamp but I don’t see any land down there to land on,” Sokka said, peering over the saddle.

“I don't know. Bumi said to learn earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?”

“Yes,” came the reply from you, Katara, and Sokka. Aang scowled.

“I don’t know,” Katara added, looking uneasy. “There’s something ominous about that place.”

Immediately after Katara’s words, Appa groaned and Momo jumped into your arms, burying his head in your chest. You cradled the flying lemur close to you as he shivered.

“See? Even Appa and Momo don’t like it here!” Sokka exclaimed. Aang patted Appa’s head and turned to look at you and Momo, a conflicted look on his face. You shook your head lightly, causing him to sigh in defeat.

“Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this, bye swamp,” Aang said sadly. “Yip, yip!”

Your eyes grew wide as you caught sight of a tornado, clutching Momo tighter as it got closer. “You better throw in an extra ‘yip’! We gotta move!”

Appa tried to fly faster, eager to avoid the tornado that was catching up to him. Sokka yelped as he was pulled away by the strong winds, causing Katara to grasp his hand. You lunged forward, connecting your hand to Katara’s as well. Aang created an air shield, causing Sokka to fall back down to the saddle. You let out a loud ‘oof’ as he landed on top of you before he rolled off, turning his head to look at you as he landed on the saddle.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Katara replied bitterly, causing the two of you to chuckle. All of a sudden, Appa’s leg broke the air shield, sending you all tumbling down below as the tornado swept you up. Screams left your mouths as the ground approached quickly. You looked around frantically, letting out a yelp when you felt the tree leaves hit you. From what you could see, the swamp water was muddy and you reached for a hanging vine to try and avoid landing in it. You managed to grasp the vine just before you reached the ground, swinging roughly as you used it to hold yourself up. Sokka and Katara plopped into the water as Aang used his airbending to land gracefully.

Standing up, he looked around for you. “Hey where’s-”

You swung in, letting go of the vine once your feet landed on the ground. “Here I am!’

After making sure that no one was hurt, you began to make your way through the swamp, anxiously looking for Appa and Momo. After a long day of searching for your furry companions and occasionally scolding Sokka for disrespecting the swamp, you all decided to set up camp for the night. By this point, you, Aang, and Katara were extremely unsettled and Sokka kept trying to convince you guys that there was nothing supernatural going on. You set up a campfire, huddling up as you all drifted off to sleep. You sat there silently as you tried to drift off to sleep, eyes still wide open. Sokka was snoring softly into your ear, the sound calming you down slightly. Soon enough, you found your eyes closing and you shifted your weight only for your fingers to brush against a vine. A vine that was moving.

You yelped loudly, waking everyone else up. They were pulled away almost immediately, wrapped up in the same kind of vine you had touched. You jumped up as the vine lunged for you, wasting no time in drawing your sword and running away. The vines trailed after you, occasionally brushing against your skin. You swung your sword behind you as you ran, breathing heavily as you sprinted through the muddy water. One of the vines managed to wrap itself around your ankle, making you tumble face first into the water.

A scream escaped you as you rolled over, stabbing your sword into the vine as you did so. The vines all retreated immediately, causing your eyebrows to furrow as you looked after them. A faint glow caught your attention and you scrambled to your feet, quietly approaching the figure.

“Hello?” you called out, keeping your sword ready just in case. In front of you stood a woman, her back facing you. She was wearing Fire Nation red, her long, dark hair styled into a half-up, half-down style. “Who are you?”

She turned silently and you felt the air leave your lungs. She was beautiful; tall and fair with golden eyes, her topknot secured with a royal Fire Nation hairpiece.

“M-Mom,” you gasped, tears welling up in your eyes. Your sword fell to the ground as the woman stepped forward, raising a hand to stroke your cheek before letting it drop suddenly.

“(Y/N), my beautiful daughter,” her voice sounded the same and you shook your head, knowing that the swamp was playing tricks on you. “I’m sorry for leaving you. I’m sorry for what happened. But it is important that you always remember who you are. Never forget who you are. You will do great things. I am sure of that.”

You let out a choked sob as you threw yourself at her, hugging her tightly. Your sobs only got worse when you realized you were hugging a tree stump. Shakily, you turned around, pressing your back against the tree stump and sliding down until you reached the ground. You brought your knees up to your chest and hugged them close before burying your head in them, finally letting out all your tears.

That’s how your friends found you; hair disheveled and sword discarded as tears streamed down your face. Aang had asked you multiple times if you were okay but the only response he had received was the word ‘mom’. Katara’s face had softened, realizing that you must have seen your mother in the swamp just like her. Silently, Sokka had picked you up, holding you close as your hand grasped at his shirt. He had looked at Katara pleadingly, tilting his head towards your sword that laid abandoned on the ground. Katara swiftly picked up the sword, a little surprised at the weight of it before trailing behind Aang as he continued to walk.

Eventually, you had wiggled your way out of Sokka’s hold. You ignored everyone’s words as you took your sword from Katara and silently trailed behind the rest of the group. After a few more minutes of aimlessly trekking through the swamp, you managed to come across a large swamp monster. Fortunately, the fight didn’t last long as Katara realized that there was a waterbender controlling the vines from inside of the “monster”. The bender, Huu, kindly helped you save Appa and Momo. After eating dinner and thanking them, you set off.

Aang proceeded to tell you all about his vision in the swamp, telling you about how a girl had appeared before him and led him on a wild goose chase before he had finally bumped into Katara. Sokka had talked about how he had seen Princess Yue. At the mention of her name, you felt your heart clench. Sokka told you all about how she had appeared to him, saying that you and him had failed her. You had wrapped Sokka up in a hug after that, murmuring in his ear as you told him that her death was not his fault. His arms tightened around you when he realized that you hadn’t included yourself in that statement.

Katara told you all about how she had seen her mom briefly before realizing that there was no one there with her. Everyone looked at you afterwards, uncertainty clear on their faces. Taking a deep breath, you proceeded to explain your experience. You told them about how your mom had told you that she was sorry for abandoning you and disappearing without a trace and how she had told you to never forget who you are. The group stared at you sadly, but you just brushed off their concern, stating that you were fine now that you had left the swamp behind.

The whole time, Sokka couldn’t help but mull over your words. You had never mentioned anything about your mom leaving. You had told them that both of your parents worked closely with Ozai. Much like earlier, he brushed off his doubts. Losing a parent wasn’t something easy to talk about; he didn’t blame you for not mentioning it.

Your attitude seemed to improve over the next few days. After a few more checkups, Aang and Katara began to leave you alone. Sokka, however, was always by your side. He claimed that you couldn’t be left alone while you were in unfamiliar territory but Aang and Katara knew that he was just worried about you.

After trying to prove Avatar Kyoshi’s innocence and fighting off the Rough Rhinos, no one doubted that you weren’t fine. You seemed to be back to normal, sitting at Appa’s reins and sending snarky remarks at Aang as the sky bison landed in Gaoling. You and Sokka bantered back and forth as he debated whether or not to buy a bag and Katara convinced Aang to try out an earthbending academy, stating that he could find his teacher there.

After Aang’s failed earthbending attempt, Katara managed to persuade some of the academy’s students into revealing the location of Earth Rumble VI. And that’s how you found yourself in an underground cavern watching fully grown men as they chucked rocks at each other. You couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Sokka’s enthusiasm, your eyes never leaving him as he cheered loudly.

One of the fighters, The Boulder, managed to defeat all of his opponents and earn himself a place in the finals. Aang was still hesitant about finding his earthbending teacher, telling Katara that although The Boulder was good, he relied too much on his muscles instead of waiting and listening.

“Now, the moment you've all been waiting for,” Xin Fu, the host, said. “The Boulder versus your champion... the Blind Bandit!”

A girl stood on the platform, black hair obscuring much of her face as she raised a championship belt into the air. She stared blankly ahead before turning and handing her belt to one of the assistants. There was something oddly familiar about her and you found yourself shaking your head before tearing your eyes away from the small girl.

“She can’t really be blind, can she?” Katara asked, looking at the girl nervously before turning to you and Aang. “It’s just part of her character… right?”

“I think she is,” Aang said quietly. You nodded in agreement.

“I think she is...going down!” Sokka exclaimed, pointing down as he did so. You stared at him, giggling softly as you observed him. Sokka turned to face you, blushing when he realized your attention was on him. He leaned back on the bench, throwing an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into him casually.

“Hey,” Sokka whispered, looking down at you with a smile.

“Hi,” you whispered back, biting your lip as you tried to hold back a smile. The two of you sat comfortably, watching as The Boulder approached the small girl.

“The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a small girl,” he proclaimed, looking at the young girl uneasily.

“Sounds to me like you’re scared, Boulder,” the girl cried out, cowering in fake fear. The Boulder’s face hardened as he stared as the girl.

“The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche!”

“Whenever you’re ready, The Pebble!” the girl yelled, throwing her head back and cackling.

Aang’s eyes widened at her laugh and he sat up straight, observing the fight. The way the girl fought was different from the rest of the earthbenders and he found himself remembering Bumi’s words. The fight ended with The Boulder getting thrown out of the ring, causing all four of you to look at the girl in surprise.

“Your winner and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!” Xin Fu exclaimed. The girl raised her hands in victory.

“How did she do that?” Katara asked.

“She waited,” Aang said, a smile on his face. “And listened.”

Xin Fu offered up a bag of gold for anyone who dared to challenge The Blind Bandit. Aang, of course, couldn’t hold back and took the challenge as an opportunity to try and talk to the girl. It didn’t end well, the girl storming out after Aang managed to airbend her out of the ring. Aang rejoined your group sadly, a stark contrast to the large grin Sokka was wearing as he held the bag of gold and the championship belt.

“Way to go, champ!”

“I’ve got to admit, now I’m really glad I bought this bag,” Sokka said as you all walked down the streets of Gaoling. “It matches the belt perfectly!”

“Well that’s a relief,” you teased, blushing when Sokka rolled his eyes and reached for your hand.

“If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the earthbending academy is the perfect place to start,” Aang said, leading the group through the streets. You came to a stop when you felt Sokka pull on your hand, letting Aang and Katara leave without you. You turned to face Sokka, completely missing the wide smile and thumbs up that Aang sent him before he turned the corner.

“What’s up?” you asked, looking at the Water Tribe boy.

“I just um, well I wanted to give you something,” Sokka said, avoiding your eyes. “Can you just...close your eyes real quick”

You opened your mouth to say something before you decided not to, instead complying with Sokka’s request. You felt him move around you, letting go of your hand as he rifled through his bag. A weight landed in between your collarbones and you felt a chain shifting around your neck.

“There,” Sokka whispered. “You can open your eyes now.”

Turning around, you opened your eyes to come face-to-face with Sokka. You reached up to touch the necklace, your fingers brushing against the pendant that now rested against your skin.

“I hope you like it,” he said softly, watching you as you looked at the necklace.

“I love it,” you whispered back, looking up at him with shining eyes. He grinned goofily, leaning against the building next to him.

“You do?”

You nodded before leaning up and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. You grabbed his hand again, swinging it softly before speaking. “Thank you, Sokka.”

He nodded in reply, speechless because from your kiss. He blushed brightly before guiding you towards the street where Aang had disappeared. “Let’s go catch up to them before they get worried, yeah?”

The two of you walked back hand in hand, locating Aang and Katara at the earthbending academy. They were talking to the same two boys from yesterday, although it seemed like they were getting closer and closer to an argument. You reached them just in time to hear Aang mention something else from his vision.

“That's because we're asking about the wrong person,” Aang said in realization. “In my vision, I saw a girl, in a white dress, with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?”

“A flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family,” you said, walking up next to Aang. The familiarity of the girl now made sense. She looked like a Beifong. The entire group shot you a surprised look.

“How do you know that?” Katara asked curiously.

“The Beifongs are some of the richest people to exist,” you said, turning to face Aang. “You should’ve mentioned that earlier.”

“They’re probably the richest people in the world! But the Beifongs don’t have a daughter,” one of the earthbending students said.

“A flying boar is good enough for me,” Aang said, already walking away. “Let’s go check it out.”

As the four of you made your way to the Beifong residence, you noticed Aang eyeing your necklace. When you gave him a questioning glance, he simply looked from you to Sokka before making a kissy face. Your eyes widened before you looked away, a blush spreading across your face as you heard Katara giggle.

“That’s the flying boar from my vision!” Aang cried suddenly, running towards the house. “Come on!”

All of a sudden, your group was launched into the air. Aang and Katara landed in the bushes and you landed on the lawn. Sokka, unfortunately, landed on the concrete.

“What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?” the girl asked, now dressed in a fancy gown.

“How’d you know it was me?” Aang asked, looking up at the girl.

“Don’t answer to ‘Twinkle Toes’,” Sokka groaned from the ground. “It’s not manly!”

“You’re the one whose purse matches his belt,” Katara commented, throwing her brother a teasing smirk. Sokka glared at Katara, his anger fading when he heard your laughter.

“How did you find me?” the girl demanded.

“Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and-” Aang trailed off as he noticed the girl’s disbelief.

“What Aang is trying to say is, he’s the Avatar,” Katara stepped in, trying to get the point across. “And if he doesn’t master earthbending soon, he won’t be able to defeat the Fire Lord.”

“Not my problem,” the girl replied, causing you to snort as you tried to stifle your laughter. She began to walk away from them. “Now, get out of here or I’ll call the guards.”

“Look,” Sokka said threateningly, taking a step forward. “We all have to do our part to win this war, and yours is to teach Aang earthbending.”

The girl looked towards Sokka angrily before she relaxed and took on a frightened expression. “Guards! Guards, help!”

You raised an eyebrow at the girl as the guards came rushing forwards, a smirk playing at her lips. The four of you scattered to avoid being captured.

“Toph, what happened?” one of the guards asked, looking around suspiciously.

“I-I thought I heard someone,” Toph said. “I got scared.”

“You know your father doesn’t want you wandering around without supervision, Toph.”

The voices faded as they walked away. You all emerged, brushing off the dirt and grass that was attached to you. Sokka had a scowl on his face as he stared in the direction Toph had gone, Katara sporting a similar look.

“Well,” you said, drawing their attention. “You can’t deny she’s a good actress.”

Three guards led the four of you into the Beifong residence. It was a beautiful house, decorated in a way that showed just how wealthy the family was.

“Avatar Aang,” Lao Beifong said, bowing down before the young Air Nomad. His wife did the same, eyeing you before nudging her husband.

Lao’s eyes widened as he glanced at you, dropping into an even lower bow than the one he had given to Aang. “Your e-”

“There’s no need for formalities, Master Beifong,” you quickly cut in, bowing dramatically before turning to his wife and doing the same. “Lady Beifong. Please, just (Y/N) is fine.”

Toph’s eyes narrowed at her father’s actions and your swift interruption. Your name rang a bell in her head and she walked forward slightly. Lao noticed and grasped her shoulders, bringing her to stand in front of him.

“This is my daughter, Toph,” Lao said. Toph bowed slightly. “Please forgive her manners.”

You waved him off, not missing the suspicious look that lingered on Toph’s face. “It’s quite alright. Some formalities are overrated anyways. There’s no need for her to bow.”

Lao and Poppy’s jaws dropped at your words as they exchanged borderline offended looks with each other. Toph, on the other hand, tried to cover up her snicker with a cough.

“W-Would you like to stay for dinner?” Lao asked, still bewildered by the words you had said. You all nodded, thanking the Beifongs for their hospitality before joining them in the dining room.

Dinner was a tense affair, culminating in what could only be described as a food fight between Toph and Aang. Dessert was just as uncomfortable and soon enough, the four of you found yourselves in one of the Beifong’s guest rooms. Aang had disappeared a while ago with Toph and you were absentmindedly braiding Sokka’s hair, trying to ignore Katara’s nervous pacing.

“Should we go look for him?” Katara asked, glancing out the window.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Sokka said, waving off Katara’s concerns as he leaned into you.

“Have either of you seen Toph?” Poppy Beifong’s soft voice floated through the air, catching your attention. You all shook your heads, causing the woman to frown.

“She was with Aang, Lady Beifong,” you replied, tying Sokka’s hair back up in a ponytail. “They were in the garden, I believe.”

“Oh!” Poppy Beifong gasped, turning around to leave. “She’s not allowed out without supervision.”

Katara was the first to follow, you and Sokka trailing closely after her. A few minutes later, you stood outside with the Beifongs and Master Yu, staring at the note that had been left behind.

“Whoever took Aang and Toph left this,” you said, bending down to pick up the note. Katara took it from your hands, reading it out loud.

“‘If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena.’ It’s signed Xin Fu and The Boulder,” Katara said out loud.

“I can’t believe it,” Sokka said seriously, taking the note from Katara. “I have The Boulder’s autograph!”

You swatted at his head, wincing at Poppy Beifong’s loud sobs. Lao turned to Master Yu, a pleading look on his face. “Master Yu, I need you to help me get my daughter back.”

“We’re going with you,” Katara stated. You gave a firm nod.

“Poor Toph,” Poppy murmured, blowing her nose. “She must be so scared!”

You exchanged a skeptical glance with Katara, remembering the way Toph had taunted The Boulder before destroying him.

“Yeah, she must be terrified,” you said dryly. Sokka snorted.

“Toph!” Lao cried out as you entered the arena. Her and Aang were suspended high in the air, trapped in metal cages.

“Here’s your money,” Sokka said, placing the bag of gold down onto the ground. “Now let them go.”

Master Yu earthbended the bag over to Xin Fu, who quickly grabbed and examined it. Nodding, he motioned for Toph to be freed. The small girl made her way over to Lao before they both exited the arena.

“What about Aang?” Katara asked, stepping forwards.

“I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar,” Xin Fu said as he held up a Fire Nation wanted poster. “Now, get out of my ring.”

Many of the other earthbenders who had been fighting earlier popped up out of nowhere, causing you all to exchange panicked looks.

“Go, I’ll be okay!” Aang called out, smiling encouragingly.

“We’re not leaving you!” you yelled back, eyeing the earthbenders nervously.

“Toph, there's too many of them,” Katara pleaded, looking at the small girl. “We need an earthbender. We need you!”

“My daughter is blind!” Lao yelled furiously, tugging Toph farther away from them. “She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you!”

Toph’s face hardened at Lao’s words and she yanked her hand away from him before turning to face your group. “Yes, I can!”

The three of you watched in awe as Toph took on all the pro earthbenders before snapping out of it and scrambling to get to Aang, who had been tossed aside earlier. Katara and Sokka tried all they could to free Aang, with every single attempt being unsuccessful.

“Hit it harder!” Aang cried, desperation in his voice.

“I’m trying!” Sokka yelled back, hitting the lock to no avail.

“Let me,” you said, nudging Sokka out of the way before striking the lock with your sword. The lock fell away instantly, a smug smirk making its way onto your face as you looked at Sokka.

“I loosened it for you,” he said, puffing his chest out.

“Sure you did big guy,” you replied, causing him to scowl at you.

Aang popped out of the cage, ready to fight before Sokka held his arm out and shook his head. He pointed at Toph, who had defeated almost all the earthbenders and stood proudly. Xin Fu was the last one standing. She made easy work of him, sending him flying out of the ring as her father and Master Yu looked on in shock. Aang and Katara ran towards her as Sokka collapsed from shock, leaving you to watch over the Water Tribe boy.

A while later, you found yourselves back in the Beifong manor. Toph stood in front of her father, the rest of you watching the interaction anxiously.

“Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way. But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender, and I'm really, really good at it,” Toph said, gaining confidence as the words flowed out. “I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So, now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me.”

“Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph,” Lao proclaimed. “It's made me realize something.”

“It has?” Toph asked hopefully, her face brightening up.

You swallowed harshly as you watched Lao’s reaction. You had a bad feeling deep in your gut as you glanced at Toph, and your instinct was proven right a second later.

“Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on you'll be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day.”

“But dad!” Toph yelled, surprised at the words.

“Sir, with all due respect, your daughter is one of the most powerful earthbenders alive,” you said quietly, stepping forwards and dodging Sokka’s hand as he reached for you. “She doesn’t need to be cared for and she definitely doesn’t need guards to protect her.”

Lao looked at you coldly, his lips pressing together into a thin line.

“We’re doing this for her own good!” Poppy cried, gathering Toph into her arms.

“Guards, please escort Miss (Y/N) out of my house. She and the Avatar are no longer welcome here,” Lao finally said, glaring at you. “Never return. The Fire Nation isn’t welcome here any longer.”

“I’m sorry Toph,” Aang said as you were all led out. You didn’t stop glaring at Lao.

“I’m sorry too,” Toph replied, tears pricking at her eyes. “Goodbye Aang.”

“Don’t worry,” Katara said softly as you all approached Appa. “We’ll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there!”

“Not like her,” Aang muttered. Katara looked at you for help but you shook your head, knowing Aang was right.

You leaned against Appa, narrowing your eyes when you saw a figure sprinting towards you. You made out the person’s features easily enough and you tapped Aang’s shoulder. “Aang, look!”

“Toph! What are you doing here?” Aang asked as the small girl came to a stop in front of them.

“My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world,” Toph explained, trying to catch her breath. You smirked at the girl, knowing that she was lying.

“Well then, we’d better get out of here,” Sokka said, peering over the edge of Appa’s saddle. “Before your dad changes his mind again.”

“You’re going to be a great teacher Toph,” Aang said, smiling at the girl.

“Speaking of which, I wanted to show you something,” Toph said softly.

“Okay.”

Without hesitation, Toph stomped her foot, sending Aang flying before he landed in a tree. “Now we’re even. Um, I’ll take the belt back.”

Sokka tossed the belt down, frowning slightly. You stifled a laugh as it hit Toph’s head, knocking her down.

“Ow!”

“Sokka!” you scolded, helping Toph up. He simply shrugged before disappearing back into the saddle. Toph took your hand, standing up before picking up her belt. You looked at her amusedly. “Didn’t think you had the guts to run away from home, Beifong.”

Toph gave you an unreadable look before replying. “That makes two of us, Princess.”

“Don’t call me princess,” you said immediately, glaring half-heartedly at the girl.

“Sure. Whatever you say, Princess,” she said, awkwardly patting Appa.

You sighed deeply before helping Toph reach the saddle. “I have a feeling you and I are gonna get along wonderfully, shortcake.”

Toph let out a sound of indignation at the nickname before rolling into the saddle, glaring at you as you joined her. “Don’t call me shortcake.”

“Whatever you say, shortcake,” you teased, mocking her earlier statement. Toph looked like she was ready to attack you but was stopped as Sokka took the reins.

“Alright Team Avatar! Where to now?” he asked, looking at Aang questioningly. Aang looked around uncertainly before shrugging.

“I don’t know, but the faster we leave Gaoling, the better.”

Sokka nodded in agreement before facing forwards once more. “C’mon Appa. Yip yip.”

Toph grabbed onto your arm as Appa began to fly and you looked at her in amusement. You looked around at everyone, knowing that things were about to get more interesting.

taglist!

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pwf: @ilovespideyyy, @binaryssunsets, @a----rag, @existing-but-nonexistent, @milk-n-cheese, @itsthatsadbitch, @nin-tendou, @honey-ruel, @reclusive-chicken-nugget, @teenbiology, @davnwillcome, @fandomarchiveilyd, @minninugget, @sukifans, @nugget-barnes, @vintageroses1014516, @donteatmycookiesplease, @fanficdepot

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reinerispretty · 4 years

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Heyo!! I love your writing and your blog so so much! You seem like an awesome person ^^ can I request something? Do u do any Sokka or Aang x readers?? I love your Rotations, btw! But if you can, could I request one? As long as it has angst or nightmares, I'm down! Ty! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

oh my :’) first of all, thank you for such kind words!! and thank you so much for reading rotations! i’m gonna do a sokka x reader!!

When she reached him, he was hunched over the side of the ship and breathing heavily. She made her presence known by rubbing her hand on his back. He looked to her and smiled gratefully.

“Yeah, the ocean kumquats didn’t really agree with me either.”

---

Sokka had never felt seasick in his life. Having grown up on a literal block of ice, he knew what it was like to spend hours and hours in a boat. His body had gotten used to it. The waves rocked the boat, the boat rocked him, but Sokka kept floating along.

Being on the Fire Nation boat was different. Maybe because it was so unlike the little wooden boats he had grown up with, but sleep avoided him as he lay in the hammock below deck. And when he did fall asleep, he was plagued by horrific dreams. Each night, he dreamt that he was back at the Southern Water Tribe. He could hear the scream of his mother coming from their tent, but even if he ran as fast as he could through the snow, he never got to her in time. He had never seen what his mother looked like after she died, but his dreams let him imagine it: her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her throat cut with the edges of her skin singed from the fire that had separated them. When he woke up, he had to run to the top deck and throw up from the side of the ship.

His friends attributed it to seasickness. “I hate being on a boat too,” Toph had said, “But you don’t see me losing my lunch over it.”

Sokka smiled at his friends jokes and laughed along with him, because that’s what was expected of him. Sokka, the funny man. Sokka, the guy with a plan. There was enough stress happening to everyone lately. He didn’t want to add to it.

(Y/N) liked being on a boat. Women in the Northern Water Tribe were expected to stay home while the men left the city to fish. She had never been beyond the walls of the city before, until Aang and his friends let her join their group. And now, since they were on one of the largest ships she had ever seen, she could smell the ocean air whenever she wanted.

Her friends had chocked Sokka’s lack of sleep and habit of throwing up to seasickness. “It happens to the best of us,” Aang had said with a shrug. But (Y/N) didn’t believe that. She had spent quite a few months with Sokka, so she liked to think that she knew him well. Never before had she seen him react this way. And it was constant! Every night, she heard him stumble out of his hammock and run as quietly as he could to the top deck. If it was really seasickness, wouldn’t it happen during the day, too?

She couldn’t sleep as she lay in her hammock that night. She didn’t know why, but she just wasn’t tired. She tossed and turned, adjusted her pillows, and even pulled the blanket over her head like she used to when she was a child. Nothing worked.

Every so often, she peaked over at Sokka. At the beginning of the night, his face was peaceful. But as time passed, his expression contorted into one of fear. She had seen it a lot on the patients she had healed back home. He was having a nightmare.

As quick as her realization had come, Sokka sat up in his hammock. He ran up the stairs quickly and (Y/N) could assume what he was doing next. She slid out of her own hammock and followed him to the top deck.

When she reached him, he was hunched over the side of the ship and breathing heavily. She made her presence known by rubbing her hand on his back. He looked to her and smiled gratefully.

“Yeah, the ocean kumquats didn’t really agree with me either,” she joked, which brought out a little laugh from Sokka. “Water?” He took the flask she offered and took a big sip, swishing the water around his mouth before spitting it out into the ocean. “Wanna tell me what’s really going on with you?

“What do you mean?” He asked. He avoided her gaze. That was his tell. (Y/N) had figured out rather quickly that when Sokka was hiding something, he wouldn’t look at her.

“I know you’re not really seasick.” Sokka shrugged and handed her back the flask. “You can talk to me, you know.”

“It’s not that important.”

“If it concerns you, it’s important.” She watched the blush form on his cheeks and felt her heart flutter.

“Okay, fine, you wore me down. I’ve been dreaming about my mom.”

“What about her?” He closed his eyes and frowned as he remembered his recurring nightmare.

“I dream that I’m too slow to save her. I can hear her screaming, but as fast as I try to run, I’m always too late. And then, the worst part is...I can actually see her. Lying there, dead.” He shuddered at the thought.

(Y/N) frowned, wracking her brain for something to say. Finally, it occurred to her. “I have a remedy for nightmares!”

Sokka looked at her, surprised. That was (Y/N), though. Having grown up a healer in the Northern Water Tribe, she always had a remedy for everything. Whenever their group travelled on Appa, she would make them stop if she spotted a plant that they might need in the future. Usually they ended up needing her remedies within the next few days.

She grabbed his hand and led him back downstairs and to the kitchens. Sokka watched as she reached on the tips of her toes to pull a bowl down from the top shelf. Just as he was about to offer her help, she grabbed it and looked back at him with a dazzling smile. He felt his heart skip a beat.

She worked quickly, mixing and mashing all sorts of ingredients together until she had a thick, gray sludge for him to drink. He raised an eyebrow at her, to which she replied with a stamp of her foot. “It tastes like apples, I promise.”

He drank the potion as quickly as he could, but she was right. It did taste like apples. (Y/N) beamed up at him. “You’ll start to feel the effects in a few minutes, but there’s something that’s absolutely necessary in order for the nightmares to go away.” She led him back down the hallway.

“What’s that?” He asked, stifling a yawn. She walked him to his hammock and made him crawl in. Sokka was surprised to find that she was crawling in after him. She lay on top of him so that her head was right next to his heart. He hoped that she couldn’t hear how fast it was beating.

She perked her head up to look at him one last time. “You have to break the tie of your bed being associated with nightmares,” she explained. Sokka nodded, but moved her around so that her back was pressed against his chest and he could press his face into the crook of her neck.

“Better,” Sokka said, before immediately falling asleep and lightly snoring in her ear.

She was right. No more nightmares.

---

#sokka x reader #avatar #atla #sokka #katara #aang #toph #zuko #azula #iroh #aang x reader #zuko x reader #writing

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