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writermai05 · 12 days

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Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 5: Life’s distractions

Summary: The gang gets together to watch Toph's power disc game!

Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)

A/N: Not gonna lie, I only skimmed over this to review. We die like men. Anyways, I wonder what will happen next! (Not actually though, as I already have it planned out LOL) As always feel free to leave comments or constructive feedback, as it helps me grow.

Word Count: 1,692

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol.

Warnings !: None I think.

The excitement in the atmosphere sent a buzz down your spine.

The bus to the power disc arena was pretty short, 10 minutes at the most. Katara had insisted on doing your makeup for the festivities. Aang and Sokka had gotten custom varsity jackets with Toph’s jersey number, 1. You remembered the day at lunch, a mere matter of days ago, in which Sokka had tried guessing Toph’s number, without any success.

“It’s 1! Man, you suck at guessing.” Toph exclaimed.

“What!? That’s not reserved for like, the captain of the team, or whatever?”

“No, Sokka. Jersey numbers are so that the announcers can know who’s playing. They’re not based on who’s the best. I chose my own number.”

“So why did you pick one?” Aang asked.

Toph shrugged, lifting her chin. “Because I’m the best, obviously.”

You and Katara had packed bags full, just in case anything happened. You didn’t really need half of the things, (in what world would you need sunscreen in fall?), but you never were the type to come unprepared, even for fun school events like this one. You chose a spot under the shaded area of the bleachers, saving seats for the others who would join shortly. Sokka said that Suki and a couple of her friends would be joining them after the band and color guard performed, and Aang had mentioned something in passing about another one of his friends sitting with the group as well.

You sat on the end, bag saving a little extra space, Aang and Katara on your left. Sokka sat in the row below, legs on the metal seats as well. You basked in the warmth while you could, as the cool autumn air was sure to take over eventually. The band was warming up on the other side of the arena, and if you looked closely enough, you could see Suki in the Kyoshi warrior garb.

“When is your friend coming, Aang?” you had asked inquisitively.

The look on Aang’s face was almost unreadable. He looked apprehensive, maybe a little bashful?

“He’s almost here…” Weird, vague, answer. But hey, who were you to judge?

“Alright…Well, I wanted to get some snacks. Anyone want to come?”

Katara shot up, placing her bag down. “I’ll go! We need to get the good stuff, because Sokka always insists on getting cotton candy, and I would much rather get some seaweed cookies.”

“Cotton candy is good!” You grimaced at the thought. Wind and some overpriced sugar on a stick was not a great pairing.

“I’m gonna have to agree with Katara on this one.”

“Y/n, You always agree with Katara-”

“As she should!” Katara responded, taking your arm in hers, and dragging you down the stairs of the bleachers to the food stalls.

The pair of you giggled as you waited for your food. There was something about Katara that had such a magnetic pull. Like as if she herself was a force of nature, and not in a water bending master kind of way. Katara’s kindness was like the gentle spray of salt water, refreshing, and uplifting to the one’s around her. With the dichotomy of this passionate, sassy, woman, combined with the kind and motherly girl, you had become quite fond of her in the short amount of time.

Grabbing your seaweed cookies, you made your way back to your spot, but not before Katara halted in her tracks.

“What is he doing here?” She had asked, but not before storming off, straight where you guys sat. It took you a second to see what she had seen. Squinting in the direction of your spots, you saw Aang, Sokka, and a familiar boy with jet black hair, in a black bomber jacket, red sweater, and black jeans. Zuko.

Zuko called it. This was indeed a bad idea.

“What are you doing here?” Sokka had asked, standing up straight.

“Sokka it’s okay-”

“No Aang! It’s not okay. Why are you here?”

“Sokka, I invited him here!”

“You what?” Sokka cried out.

Zuko turned to face Aang. “You didn’t tell anyone I’d be coming?” He asked, exasperated.

Zuko felt a hand grab his shoulder, turning his body away from the other boys.

“Why are you talking to us?” asked Katara.

“I Invited him!”

“Why??” She seethed.

In the distance, he watched as Y/n ran, seemingly carrying a bag of what he assumed were snacks.

“Maybe I should just go-”

“Yes!” “No!” Aang and Katara exclaimed at the same time.

Y/n finally made it back to the bleachers. Out of breath, and still holding the snacks.

“Hey guys! Maybe we should work this out a little quieter, preferably before the band plays.” She huffed out. Zuko almost smiled at the sight of her, all red in the face.

Katara puffed out a breath of annoyance, taking her seat beside Aang once again. Sokka followed suit, sitting down and turning his body to face them. Y/n handed the cookies off to Aang, sitting down. Like she had done before in class, Y/n moved her bag away from next to her, instead placing it on the ground in front of her, patting the now empty spot and signaling for him to take a seat next to her. Zuko breathed in, in an attempt to calm himself down.

“I know I was a dick in the past. And I know saying sorry won’t fix it all. But, I wanted to let you all know how sorry I am…start somewhere small.” He looked down, rubbing his rough hands together anxiously.

The silence was palpable.

“He already apologized to me. I invited him so that we could hopefully move past everything.” Aang said.

Sokka sighed. “Look, if Aang is cool with you, then I guess it’s fine. That doesn’t mean I’m going to just, like you right away.”

“I understand.”

Katara stayed silent, staring at Zuko with a cold gaze. She turned away, facing the field.

“The band is about to perform.” She muttered.

Immediately, all attention was off of Zuko and onto the field. The music of the band blasting through the air. The way that the color guard spun and threw their fans was hypnotizing. Zuko’s mind was elsewhere, drifting away. The far away look in his eyes coming back as he dissociated. Before he knew it the band was done, and the crowd was cheering, roaring in approval of their show.

Suddenly Zuko felt the warmth of someone’s touch in his left hand. He looked down as you squeezed his hand, a silent questioning of “Are you okay?” Your eyes were locked on the retreating members of the university band. He squeezed back twice. “I’m okay.” He had meant in reply. While he kept his gaze downcast, you looked out of the corner of your eye to check on him. The scars on his hand that you had felt before were like sunshine warming your palms with its embrace. You let go shortly after, not in any rush.

As the band and color guard members came into the stands you spotted Suki, still in uniform, but all makeup wiped off. Behind her stood a shorter girl with long hair put up in a braided ponytail, and a girl who was not in uniform with jet black hair in space buns, and a normal black sweater and jeans

“Suki! That was amazing!” You called out to her. Sokka immediately jumped up from his seat, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend in a giddy, almost childlike way. He littered her face with many pecks, making Suki smile. She gently grabbed his face, kissing his cheek.

“Thank you, Y/n. These are my friends, Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee and I are both in the colorguard but Mai plays clarinet in the marching band.”

Zuko’s reverie came to an end at the familiar names. He looked up to face the two girls in which he once knew.

“Zuko? Is that you?” Ty Lee asked, eyes widening in excitement. Mai simply raised her eyebrows.

The gang turned to look at the three of them.

This was going to be a long game.

It was kind of funny how you all know nothing about sports. Especially power disc, as nobody was aware of the fact that only two people at a time would be playing. As you all waited for Toph’s turn to play, the gang took turns asking questions and genuinely getting

“So how do you guys know each other?” Suki asked curiously.

“We all grew up in Imperial City. Mai’s father and Zuko’s father worked together, and I went to school with Mai and Zuko’s sister.” Ty Lee responded.

Zuko perked up when he heard the name of his little sister.

“How is Azula?” He asked.

Azula? As in Azula from your sociology lectures Azula? Maybe it was just a coincidence.

“Yeah..She’s-”

“We haven’t spoken to her since senior year.” Mai interrupted.

“Oh. Why?’ Zuko asked. He was confused, considering the three of them were attached at the hip when he was still living in the fire nation.

“Well, you know, she can be a little abrasive-”

“She was being a bad friend. Constantly berating Ty Lee, and I had enough of her stuck-up bullshit.”

Okay, so perhaps it was indeed the Azula from your class. But why would Zuko not know details about his own sister? Why wouldn’t he know that they literally go to the same university?

“Next up on the field we have player number 1, Toph Beifong from the University of Ba Sing Se!”

“Wait, everyone Shut up! It’s Toph’s turn to play now!” Katara exclaimed. Everyone quickly hushed up, waiting excitedly for Toph to come out.

Although they were excited to watch Toph play, questions filled you and Zuko’s heads. Where is Azula? Is she okay now? If Zuko Mai, and Ty Lee grew up together then do they know what happened to him? Why did he move away? How did he get that damn scar?

As Toph absolutely dominated her opponent in the round of power disc, You and Zuko were left with more questions unanswered.

#arsonist's lullabye #writermai05 #atla x reader #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko x reader #zuko x reader #aang #atla #atla live action #atla netflix #college au #modern au #katara #sokka #atla suki #toph #atla azula

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writermai05 · 21 days

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Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 4: Build Again

Summary: Zuko has a crazy day at work

Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)

A/N: Surprise! Another chapter, before Friday. I may or may not post two chapters this week, but no promises LMAOO. Not revised because we die like men. As always feel free to leave comments or constructive feedback, as it helps me grow.

Word Count: 878

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol.

Warnings: None I think.

Today started like any other, utterly uneventful.

Zuko had gone downstairs into the shop at eight in the morning to prepare for opening. Iroh went into the kitchen in the back and handled most of the cooking. Zuko had previously asked his uncle many times if he needed any help, but Iroh consistently refused. Although, he didn’t quite blame his uncle for that. The first, and last, time that Zuko had been let into the kitchen ended up in flames: literally. He had burnt dozens of fruit tarts and muffins. Admittedly, he was much better at understanding the science behind food, rather than actually cooking it.

He mopped the floors, wiped the tables, restocked straws and napkins, and prepared the various toppings, boba, jellies, and syrups. He found the process of opening quite therapeutic, no one was around to distract him and he was able to focus on the tasks at hand.

Fridays were usually their busiest days. The tea ceremony room often had large parties coming in, businessmen having meetings, clubs from the University having events. and of course the front open seating area was full. The Jasmine Dragon was a place where people came and felt welcome, regardless of who they were, and the idea warmed Zuko’s heart. He felt immense pride in his Uncle’s shop.

Today was busy, but there was no afternoon rush like there usually was. Students sat quietly, typing away at their laptops and wearing headphones to keep any distractions at bay. The tea room had absolutely no reservations for the day. Zuko kept himself busy by grabbing more pastries from the kitchen to sell.

As he ducked below the counter to put the pastries in the warming oven, he heard the chime of the door’s bell.

“Welcome! Give me one second..” He called out from below. Once he had finished, he got up slowly, keeping his attention on the warmer before finally addressing the customer. Making eye contact with them, his eyes widened.

It was Aang.

Zuko attempted to compose himself, before opening his mouth to speak.

“Hey…What can I get for you?” He said in a rigid way. He cursed himself for his inability to just act normal.

Though, Aang wasn’t doing much better. He stood there, eyes also wide.

“My bad...I thought Iroh would be working the register today.” He said, wincing at his confession.

“Oh. Well, I…Do you want me to go-” He asked gesturing to his left where the kitchen was. Aang shook his head, eyebrows scrunching.

“No! No, it’s okay. I don’t want to make this harder.” Zuko nodded, in response, walking back over to the register.

“Yeah. Um, what would you like to order?” Zuko hasn’t sounded this unsure while taking an order since he was 14.

“I’ll just get one wintermelon milk tea and a brown sugar boba.” Aang was definitely ordering for himself and Katara.

“Alright. Any toppings with that?”

“Just tapioca in both, please.”

Zuko nodded stiffly, punching the order into the screen.

“That’ll be 7 silver pieces.”

As Aang ruffled through his bag pocket and placed the coins on the counter, Zuko waited, hands anxiously moving around.

“Thank you, I’ll get those out shortly.”

He turned away as fast as possible, getting the to-go cups, and preparing the boba like Aang asked. ‘What are you doing! This is literally your chance to apologize.’ He thought to himself. He debated what to do for a while before settling. He finished up Aang’s order, ducking below the counter once again to retrieve some pastries for the boy. One egg custard tart, and one red bean cake. He knew Aang liked Egg tarts, but he had no idea what Katara would like. He grabbed a red bean rice cake, considering that it was probably a pretty safe option.

“Order for Aang!” He called out, placing the pastries onto the counter with the drinks. Aang hurried to the counter, looking at the things Zuko had laid out for him.

“I didn’t order any pastries…” He said confusedly.

“...I know.” Zuko said, with a nod, making strong eye contact with Aang. This was his chance.

“I’m sorry. For everything. I know this is not nearly enough for what I did but I hope you at least accept it as a peace offering.” Zuko intently watched Aang’s face, trying to get a read.

Much to Zuko’s surprise, Aang smiled.

“Thank you Zuko! This means a lot, really.” Aang smiled, grabbing a bag and straws for the drinks.

“Hey! Next Friday is Toph’s power disc game. Suki and the Kyoshi colorguard are performing too, with the band. You should come! You can talk to the others.”

Zuko pursed his lips and squinted at Aang.

“Respectfully, I don’t think that’s the best idea Aang.” He said, helping Aang with the bags.

“Come on, it'll be fine! I’ll be there and so will one of our new friends Y/n. I think she said that she met you here before.”

Zuko perked up at the mention of you being there. Maybe if he had the support of both you and Aang, it would be easier to get through.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll be there.” Zuko said.

“Great! I’ll see you then. Thanks again Zuko!”

Zuko hoped he wouldn’t regret this.

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writermai05 · 25 days

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Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 3: Smelling like a Bonfire, Lost in a Haze

Summary: Y/n and Zuko get to know each other.

Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)

A/N: Point of view switch starting now! Hopefully this works better than the previous chapters. Based heavily off of "Too Sweet" by Hozier (Yeah this entire series is based on Hozier's discography, SUE ME!). Very excited about this. Next chapter is probably gonna be shorter, but I promise I'll make it worthwhile. Should I make a taglist for this series??? As always feel free to leave comments or constructive feedback, as it helps me grow.

Word Count: 1,211

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol.

Warnings !: Insecure Zuko, mentions of burns, I think that is all?

Wednesday came a lot faster than you had anticipated.

The mundanity of Tuesday felt like nothing compared to the stakes of today. Perhaps delaying a conversation about whatever had happened between Zuko and yourself for another two days wasn’t the best of decisions.

Your professor broke you from your worried state, explaining about some assignment you were meant to complete in pairs. Perhaps it was the sour mood you were in, but frankly, even you were over these icebreaker activities.

Gathering your things, you began searching around the room for someone to work with. Before you could actually move, you spotted Azula heading straight for you, the same standoffish girl you had met on the first day, with familiar golden eyes and her long black hair in a top knot, held with the same gold pin. Taking a seat right in front of you, Azula neatly laid out her things in a sort of rehearsed way.

You hid the surprise that filled your body at the sight of her. Staring at her, you raised your eyebrows inquisitively. She merely stared back, with an expression of many layers. You relented, putting all your things where they were before, and slowly retaking the seatright across from Azula.

“So are we going to get started or…” Azula trailed off, seemingly indifferent.

You were utterly confused. Admittedly, your guys’ first meeting was shaky, filled with a sort of aggressive energy and tension that most people would wish to avoid. “Yeah…Can I ask you something?” Azula raised her eyebrows in approval.

“Why partner with me?” Such a simple question, but you were sure that the answer would be interesting.

Azula rolled her eyes. “No one in this class is worth talking to. I just chose based on convenience.” She replied pompously.

Much to the confusion of Azula, you smiled at her response.

“Really? Here’s what I think. You partnered with me, even after our awful first meeting, because it was convenient, but also because you secretly think I’m really nice and cool, and that we should be friends.” Your sarcastic and dry humor, paired with complete honesty and optimism was quite polarizing. Azula scoffed at your statement.

“You psych majors are always so weird.” She replied, yanking a sheet of paper from you and beginning the assignment.

“Why thank you Azula, I also think it would be cool if we were friends!” you replied before also getting to work on the assignment.

Little did you know, deep down, Azula was grateful for the connection.

Zuko had been anticipating class all day. He was just trying to enjoy his walk in the cool autumn air of Ba Sing Se. Unfortunately, everything in his brain was telling him that this was not going to go well, and that eventually, you too would come to see him the way that everyone else does. ‘No, she’s not like that!’ he screamed back. If she was, why would she have even bothered trying?

By the time he had reached class, his thoughts were going a mile a minute. A back and forth of thoughts about you, questioning your character, and attempting to quell the darkest thoughts within his mind. That was, until he spotted you.

You had sat in the same spot from the first time, but this time, your backpack was saving the seat to your left. Seemingly sensing his presence, your gaze moved from the notebook on the desk in front of you to Zuko. He sheepishly waved, and you smiled, gesturing for him to come as you moved your bag off the chair.

Everything that Zuko had been feeling a couple minutes before this moment had stopped. The smoke-filled haze of his mind had been absolutely soothed at the sight of you. Moving as calmly as he could, he made his way to the seat next to you.

“How were your classes yesterday?” You asked softly. This type of gentleness was unfamiliar. It was the kind of sensitivity Zuko had only ever received from two people in his life. He gulped back some air before answering.

“It was fine. I worked at the shop after.” You nodded, going back to whatever you were writing down in your notebook earlier.

Class went by without a hitch. It felt casual, as if it wasn’t a big deal, and maybe it wasn’t. This sense of normalcy was almost unheard of when it came to Zuko’s life. After the professor dismissed the class, you spent a little extra time packing all of your supplies. Zuko stood beside you, waiting patiently for you to finish.

“You didn’t have to wait for me, but thank you.” You said, slinging your bag over your shoulder. Zuko shrugged.

“It’s alright. Do you have any other classes today?”

“Nope. I’m done for the day, why?”

“Let me walk you back to your dorm?” He asked, in a timid manner.

“Really? You don’t have to-”

“I want to. My classes are done for the day, and the shop is right next to the dorms.”

You were flattered by the sincerity in his voice.

“Okay.”

The two of you took your time, basking in the cool afternoon air. The falling leaves and luscious greenery, even in the city, was absolutely breathtaking. You and Zuko had polite conversations, just learning more about each other. He told you about moving to Ba Sing Se, and how his uncle had come to own the Jasmine Dragon. You told him about growing up in the north, and how you ended up transferring to the University of Ba Sing Se. As you reached the doors of your dorm building, the conversation fell quiet.

“Thank you, Zuko.” You said earnestly.

“No, Thank you, Y/n.”

Confusion flooded your features. “What for?”

“For giving me a chance. I know I’m not the best person to talk to.”

“Maybe you’ve never known the right people.” You replied. He laughed, somberly in response.

“No, it was definitely me who was the problem.”

You shrug, making proper eye contact with him. Within your eyes held a look that seemed to hold something akin to a sky full of stars. “Isn’t it interesting how eventually, you will meet people that see more within you than you see in yourself?” Zuko felt like his heart was about to explode.

“Goodbye, Zuko. Get home safely.” And with that, you entered your dorm hall, leaving the fiery boy at an absolute loss for words.

You will meet people that see more within you than you see in yourself.

You had said it so casually, so nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t some new and big concept. For Zuko, it was. He had never felt the warmth of fire, just the searing burn. He was never able to breathe through the haze, rather he choked on the smoke. How could anyone possibly come to see him as the man he became rather than the boy that he was? Has he always been worth the time and trouble? Was this what Uncle Iroh had been trying to tell him? Was his therapist?

As he mused over these questions, Zuko couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, he'd been underestimating his own worth all this time…and he definitely needed to schedule another appointment with his therapist.

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writermai05 · 1 month

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Hello, I am not dead! I was simply enjoying my spring break (classes start tomorrow 😭). Starting this week, I will try to consistently upload the next chapters of Arsonist's Lullabye, once I write them obviously, and hopefully it's once a week :) I also have come to the realization I HATE the 3rd person POV that i've been writing in, and will be switching it all to 2nd person, also beginning this week. As always if there is any constructive feedback on AL, do feel free to comment or use my ask me anything ! Next chapter coming Friday (hopefully) ! Have a good week everyone. (Edit: I forgot to mention that I just opened an Ao3 account, and I will be posting arsonist's lullabye on there as well, so if you prefer Ao3, you are in luck LMAO)

#arsonist's lullabye #writermai05

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writermai05 · 1 month

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Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 2: Wasteland, Baby!

Summary: Y/n makes new friends, and Zuko….tries.

Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)

A/N: Not “this is me trying” starting to play as I was writing Zuko’s pov…Anyways, this is a long chapter, which is why it took me so long to write. I was struggling a bit, but I think it came out good! I would love any feedback / constructive criticism to help me improve on the story.

Word Count: 1,897

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol.

Warnings !: Zuko is insecure, Mentions of bullying, I think that’s it?

Y/n was excited to start classes. After all, she was a social butterfly, floating around from person to person like flowers in a garden. Her morning sociology class was pretty small for a lecture, but it was full of interesting new people.

But there was one person who stood out to her most. A girl with jet black hair, held in a bun at the top of her head with a gold pin, and golden eyes with an intensity enough to make even the most powerful cower. She wore a bright red long sleeved top under a black tank top, with matching black pants and black leather boots. She stood strongly, and with perfect posture. But Y/n noticed how she stood off to the side of the room, all by herself. Maybe the girl was intentionally avoiding people? Y/n thought. Or maybe, the mere aura of this girl was strong enough to deter people away from her. Either way, Y/n was intrigued.

As their classmates mingle about, asking the same two questions over and over again, Y/n quietly snuck next to the girl. She took notice of her height. If the girl’s hair was down, the two of them would be about the same height. Y/n quietly took in her presence in an attempt to learn more about her.

“Who are you?” The girl snapped, looking Y/n up and down, sizing her up.

Y/n brushed off the hostile advance as if it were nothing. “I’m Y/n. I’m a second year psychology major. And you?”

The girl appeared a little surprised. Perhaps she was used to people being scared, or intimidated by her.

“...Azula.” The girl replied.

Y/n nodded. “Well Azula, what is your year and major?”

“I’m a first year business administration major…” Azula responded, clearly uninterested in the rest of the conversion. Y/n wasn’t an idiot. She could tell when people were not in the mood to converse.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Azula. If you actually feel like talking, I’ll be over there.” And with that, Y/n left, fluttering away to a brand new person on the other side of the lecture hall, leaving Azula thoroughly confused, and kind of impressed.

When Katara and Y/n had lunch last friday, the younger girl had insisted that Y/n had lunch with her, Sokka, and their friends. To which Y/n happily accepted, of course.

The dining hall buzzed with high spirits as students lined up to get their lunch. Looking out amongst the crowd, she spotted the group of friends, their laughter and their energetic conversations added to the noise within the room.

Sokka was the first to spot her, “Y/n!” He said, bringing the girl to the group's attention. There were 5 of them at the table, an air-nomad boy sat next to Katara, and next to him sat a short girl in green, then Sokka, and another girl next to him.

“You guys this is Y/n, my mentor for the scholarship program Sokka and I are a part of!” Katara took hold of Y/n’s arm, leading her to sit in between her and the taller girl. The girl in question smiled at y/n.

“Nice to meet you y/n! I’m Suki-”

“My girlfriend!” Sokka cut her off in an excited tone. Suki narrowed her eyes at Sokka, making the boy reel it back a little.

“Yes. I am indeed Sokka’s girlfriend. That’s Toph and Aang, Katara’s boyfriend.” Suki pointed at the short girl and the air-nomad boy. Aang smiled while Toph gave a little nod of her head.

“It’s so nice to meet you guys. Katara and Sokka talk about you a lot.” Y/n said with a smile.

“So Y/n, what do you like to do?” Toph asked curiously, her unseeing eyes trailing around the area where y/n sat.

“Well, I’m a psych major, and I minor in Water Tribe studies. I practice water-bending sometimes too..” Y/n trailed off.

“You’re a water-bender? Why didn’t you mention it before?” asked Katara.

Y/n Shrugged. “I’m not very good. Plus my parents are kinda…disconnected from that part of our culture.”

The group nodded in sympathy. The rapid urbanization of their nations left no room for things like the practice of bending. Nowadays, only the rich, as well as some members of the Water Tribe, continue to teach their children bending. It was almost more common for people to not know bending than to know it.

Amidst the clinking of utensils and the hum of conversation, the group of friends savored their lunch, grateful for the simple things. They rattled on about going to Toph’s Power Disc game next week, and watching Suki in the Kyoshi color guard. Out of the corner of her eye, Y/n saw a certain cashier. She turned her head to look at him completely, which grabbed the attention of Katara.

“Ugh. Zuko.” She said with a roll of her eyes.

Y/n perked at the mention of his name. “You guys know him?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Why do you ask? ” Katara stabbed into her food, causing Aang to put a hand on her shoulder, calming her down.

“I met him at the Jasmine Dragon.” Y/n explained vaguely. Based on the reactions around the table, she knew she probably should not have asked about him.

“We went to high school together…He wasn’t the nicest back then.” Aang explained.

Sokka scoffed at Aang’s passivity.

“He burnt Toph’s feet. He literally shoved you into a locker! That’s like, some shit you’d see in a mover!” Sokka exclaimed in an over the top fashion.

Toph shrugged, “That was an accident. We were sparring in PE-”

“Toph, you’re a 5 foot tall blind girl-”

“Hey! I’m 5’1!”

Aang tried his best to get his friends to settle down.

“Okay that’s enough. Sokka, weren’t you and Zuko in the same class last year? He wasn’t mean to you then right?”

“Maybe because he was embarrassed from completely bombing his first year of classes-”

Aang’s eyes widened, “Katara!”

“What? It’s true.” She said matter of factly.

Suki was the one to get the group to settle down.

“That’s enough you guys.”

Now was probably an awful time for Y/n to mention Zuko was very nice when they had met the previous week. Instead, she opted to sit quietly, pondering all the information she had just learned.

Zuko was mortified.

Of course Y/n was friends with the people he tormented. Of course they had mattered to shoot down any chances of friendship between him and Y/n. Of course, he would never get a chance to finally make amends with Aang and his friends. He knew for a fact he had done this to himself, and yet he couldn’t help but immediately blame the circumstances that had followed him up until this point.

As he walked into his next class, Zuko began to feel an unprompted sense of dread overwhelm him.

Oh. That’s why.

Low and behold, sitting right in front of him was the girl he had served at the boba shop mere days ago. The girl that had literally just listened to Aang and his friends completely dragged him about his past behavior.

Y/n made eye contact with him, her eyes filling with warm recognition. She smiled at him, giving a small wave. Zuko quickly averted contact, sitting as far away as he could with the limited seats left in class. He tried his best to avoid catching her gaze, but it was useless, because she was staring at him now. Each time their eyes met each other's, Zuko's would dart to the floor, in an attempt to not feel the heavy weight of his past transgressions on his conscience.

It worked for about 15 minutes, before the professor grouped everyone in the class up to talk. Of course, it was just his luck that his stupid professor would group Y/n and him as a pair.

“Just talk with your partner a little about yourselves. I really encourage you to get to know one another, as you will be with these people for the rest of the year.” Their professor had said.

Yeah, thanks.

The tension between the two was palpable. Zuko refused to make conversation, simply nodding at everything that Y/n would tell him. He assumed it would be better if they kept the conversation minimal, maybe then she didn’t have to pretend to want to know more about him.

However, Y/n was starting to get annoyed. What was going on? This is literally what she had wanted, and yet Zuko sat there, pretending to care about what she was saying.

“What is your deal?” She asked bluntly, shocking Zuko, and even herself a little, with the brash tone she had taken up.

“What is my deal? What is your deal?” he fired back, as if he were a child retorting to a schoolyard taunt.

“Are you even paying attention to what I’m saying? If you don't want to talk, you should just say something. You don’t have to go the extra mile to ignore me for virtually no reason?’

“Why are you talking to me?” he spat back at her.

Y/n looked at him with dismay. “Because I can? Do I need a reason?”

“Well after the conversation you and your friends had at the dining hall, I figured there was no reason you’d want to.” Y/n noticed the way Zuko pulled back after he said that. He once again looked everywhere else but at her.

“I’m sorry.” said Zuko.

He knew this was a mistake. He should have never tried in the first place. Silence overtook the two of them for a minute.

“Look, I don’t know what happened between all of you. But this is all new to me, and I don’t know how exactly to navigate this. I forgive you for being an asshole just now.” Y/n was being honest, but she couldn’t quite tell whether or not Zuko had understood.

“Time’s up! Back to your seats.” Their professor proclaimed as the timer chirped a loud, annoying, song.

Feeling like a kicked puppy, Zuko began to gather his things and return to his seat. But not before Y/n reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“How about we sit next to each other on wednesday? We’ll talk more then?” She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Zuko was confused. Had she not realized just how fucked up of a person he is? Why isn’t she giving up?

“Okay…” he responded with a curt nod.

She gave a gentle smile, nodding her own head. “Okay.”

With that, she let go of his hand, letting Zuko walk away. He stared at the wrist that she had held onto. Her grasp was gentle, but unyielding and it had felt like a jolt of lightning against his scarred skin.

Y/n had felt the roughness of his scarred skin underneath her fingertips, her eyes trailing Zuko as he walked away. She found herself even more curious about him than before.

Within the wasteland of his mind, Zuko picked up the pieces of all his hopes and dreams, for maybe a secret oasis could finally be found in Y/n’s kindness. Maybe, his luck was beginning to change.

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writermai05 · 1 month

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OMG I JUST READ THE PROLONGUE OF ARSONIST’S LULLABY AND ITS SO GOOD

I fell in love with your writing, ITS SO GOOD 😭😭

thank you so much! this really helped me to feel motivated and finish writing the first chapter, which is out right now!! 🤗

#prince zuko x reader #zuko x reader #atla x reader #avatar the last airbender

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writermai05 · 1 month

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Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 1: A Burning Flame

Summary: Y/n and Zuko ponder about a potential friendship.

Pairing: zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)

A/N: And so the slow burn starts! I’m pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback on the prologue, and I’m hoping to keep pumping out these chapters for y'all (and for myself LOL). As always, I would love any feedback / constructive criticism to help me improve on the story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol.

Warnings!: Mentions of Ozai (yes he deserves his own warning), Zuko’s scar, Talks of self loathing, and insecurities (give Zuko and Azula therapy fr!).

Y/n moved in two weeks before classes started at the University of Ba Sing Se.

She was looking forward to the change of scenery. It was a tough decision to leave Agna Qel’a, but it had to be done. She desperately needed a chance to live apart from her family for once. When she had gotten a spam email asking her to apply for a transfer, she jumped at the opportunity. When she was accepted, she was encouraged to apply for Shui, A scholarship program.

Shui was a program for students of water tribe descent, regardless of where they were from. It would pair her up with an incoming first year student to mentor and guide through college. It was a pretty intense application process, writing essays, getting interviewed by university representatives and moving in early. The first week was rather uneventful, meeting all the first years and doing an assortment of different icebreaker activities in an attempt to find the perfect mentor-mentee match.

But all of it was leading up to this big moment. She was about to learn who her mentee was. The program coordinator for Shui had given all the mentors and mentees a piece of paper with their person’s name on it. The atmosphere in the room was full of energy as all of the students waited impatiently to learn who they would be paired with.

“Alright everyone! On the count of three…”

They began to countdown altogether. “Three…Two…One!”

Chaos broke out in the room with lots of cheers and laughter. Y/n opened her piece of paper.

Katara

She had talked to Katara a lot the past week. Y/n liked Katara. She was sweet, and particularly snarky to her older brother, Sokka, who was also a mentor this year. Y/n also vaguely remembered a mention of her being a water-bender, just like herself. Katara locked eyes with Y/n from across the room, and they quickly started to walk towards each other.

“I’m so glad I got you! You were like, the number one person I had on my list!” Katara squealed with excitement and Y/n laughed at the younger girl's antics, bringing her in for a hug. The two rocked side to side, before Y/n released Katara from her grasp.

“Let’s go get lunch. My treat, obviously.”

Katara let out a sigh, “You are amazing. This is going to be a fantastic year.”

As the pair walked off campus and into the city, Y/n passed the tea shop she had visited a mere two days ago. The cashier, Zuko, she remembered, looked about her age. She had thought about him a lot. Like being drawn to a treasure chest, eager to uncover the secrets hidden within its lock. Did they attend the same university? What major had he chosen to study? Where exactly was he from? Is he a bender? Of course there was another part of her brain, the nosy part, that wondered,

How did he get the scar on his face?

She came back to the present once she realized she had stopped in her tracks, causing Katara to stop alongside her.

“Y/n? Are you alright?” Katara asked attentively.

Y/n shrugged off her concerns, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m fine. Do you know any good Southern Water Tribe restaurants nearby?”

“Um, of course I do! This one restaurant has the best stewed sea prunes in Ba Sing Se!..”

While Katara rambled on about food, in the back of Y/n’s mind Zuko permeated her thoughts. He was like a burning flame the way that thoughts of him danced around her mind, filling it with visions of an all encompassing fire.

She wanted to know him.

On the days where the shop was closed, Zuko didn’t do much. He had no hobbies, no life outside of the Jasmine Dragon. He was very much aware of this fact, as Iroh constantly lectured him on it. The words replayed in his mind frequently. ‘You need to hangout with people your age, Zuko.’

He was actually starting to agree with his uncle on something.

When he had moved in with his uncle as a 14 year old, hanging out with people his age was out of the question. With his bandaged face and newly shaved head, he knew that his peers would have ulterior motives for interacting with him. In return, he had reverted into exactly the kind of son his father had always wanted. Stuck up, authoritative, even cruel. It’s why he was ostracized in highschool. He recalled how his first year of university had completely gone up in flames, but then again, that was all his fault. Everything was always his fault. He was fortunate that Iroh was a thousand times more forgiving than his father. Iroh hadn’t so much as batted an eye when Zuko told him that he would need to restart his freshman year of college.

Zuko realized he would need to try harder than that this year. He held out hope that his sophomore year would be different.

Maybe Y/n could help with that. She seemed friendly enough when they met at the shop?

Zuko shook the thoughts from his head. ‘You don’t even know her!’ his head screamed. If he were more rational, he’d berate himself for being so invested in a girl he knew virtually nothing about. But he can’t seem to bring himself to actually think logically right now. The desire for connection burns in the pit of his stomach, and he can feel himself growing frustrated at his inability to just be cool for once in his life.

The boy pushed the negative feelings away, taking a couple of deep breaths like his therapist had taught him. Zuko was determined to be better. To be good. And he knew exactly where to start. With the people he tormented for years.

He knew he had to make amends with Aang and the others.

#arsonist's lullabye #writermai05 #atla #atla live action #atla netflix #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #zuko x reader #prince zuko x reader #atla x reader #prince zuko imagine #modern au #college au #aang #katara #sokka #toph #zuko

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writermai05 · 2 months

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Arsonist's Lullabye Masterlist

Series Status: In progress! Updated every Friday

Prologue: All you have is your fire

Chapter 1: A Burning Flame

Chapter 2: Wasteland, Baby!

Chapter 3: Smelling like a Bonfire, Lost in a Haze

Chapter 4: Build Again

Chapter 5: Life's Distractions

#arsonist's lullabye #masterlist #writermai05

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writermai05 · 2 months

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Arsonist's Lullabye

Prologue: All you have is your fire

Summary: Zuko’s bad day gets a bit better after an encounter with an unfamiliar face.

Pairing: zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)

A/N: I am delusional, and when I had the idea for a zuko x reader modern AU where he works in Iroh’s boba tea shop, I had to follow through with said idea. Let’s see if this goes anywhere, and feel free to leave comments or suggestions on how the fic could play out maybe :)

Word Count: 773

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. This is a modern AU that takes place in the avatar world. Bending still exists. Zuko and the gaang are in college in this series !!

TW!: Physical abuse, burns, Ozai in general, Zuko’s backstory is so sad.

Zuko knew it was going to be a long day as soon as he opened the shop at 12pm.

Within the first two hours, he had run out of tapioca pearls, dropped a container filled with matcha on the floor (which by the way, was a pain in the ass to clean up,) and slipped on the floors he had just mopped. Perhaps he was just born unlucky. Perhaps, most people in life didn’t have to struggle the way that he was, the way that he always had. It wasn’t all bad. He was lucky enough to be here, working in his uncle’s tea shop in the Earth Kingdom, rather than in his father’s company back in the Fire Nation.

The Jasmine Dragon was beloved by many. People from all over the city came to have some of the shops' amazing teas and pastries. It wasn’t too busy, having only three people come in today. perhaps because school at the University of Ba Sing Se hadn’t quite started up yet, outside of the students who had moved in early. The shop was particularly chilly today, but the atmosphere managed to maintain the same warm and cozy feeling, with the dim atmospheric lighting and the sage and emerald hued furniture. Zuko had a second to just relax in the stillness.

He appreciated these quiet moments the most. The moments where he could stop worrying about the shop, and overthinking the worst things he had ever done in his life. Such as when he lashed out at his uncle, multiple times, or about the people he had bullied in high school. He was almost able to forget it all. Forget the fact that his younger sister, Azula, was still stuck in a house with his abusive father, or even forget the feeling of his father’s hand, burning the flesh of his face, leaving a scar in its wake, as well as a near complete blindness in his left eye. His demons may be restless, but boy did Zuko keep them on a tight leash.

Zuko’s reverie was broken by the sound of the door’s bell chime. He immediately snapped out of his thoughts, waiting patiently for his assistance to be needed.

“Um, excuse me,”

A girl, who seemed to be around his age, was standing right in front of him. She wore a navy blue dress with a pale blue lining and detailing around the edges. A belt of the same color was around her waist, with a brown leather cord connecting a bag onto her hip. Her black jacket was cropped to about rib length, with brown leather cords fastening it closed, as well as matching black pants and brown boots.

“This is my first time here…Is there anything that you’d recommend?” She asked politely.

There was something about the way her kind eyes twinkled in the orange lighting that made Zuko fluster. He cleared his throat before opening his mouth to talk.

“Well, Lychee juice is a customer favorite. But personally, my Uncle Iroh’s jasmine green tea is the best in Ba Sing Se.”

“The best in Ba sing Se?” She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

“The best.” he nodded.

“I’ll take it.” She said, reaching to the tote bag slung over her shoulder. Zuko interrupted her actions with the wave of his hand.

Zuko shook his head. “Don’t worry, It’s on me.” he said, as he began punching numbers, into the register.

“Oh no! I can’t let you do that-” She protested.

He shrugged, a blush beginning to warm his cheeks. “For a first time customer.”

“Thank you so much…” She trailed off, waiting for him to tell her his name.

“Zuko.”

“Zuko. I’ll be sure to come by again. And I fully intend on paying that time.” She said with a playful glare.

The boy smiled slightly.

“Your tea will be ready shortly.”

Zuko had Iroh bring the tea over to the girl. He wasn’t confident in his ability to steadily bring the tray of hot tea without causing more burns to cover his body. The older man made sure to give the girl a complimentary fruit tart to enjoy, but not before looking at his nephew with a teasing glint in his eyes. Zuko groaned.

“Not a word, uncle.” He said as he walked through the staff doors into the shops’ kitchen.

After about 20 minutes had passed, Iroh came into the kitchen, clutching what looked like a napkin and some paper Yuan bills.

“Zuko! The girl left this on her table after she left!”

Zuko carefully took the napkin from his uncle’s hand, reading the message.

“Thanks for the tea! - y/n.”

#arsonist's lullabye #atla #atla live action #atla netflix #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #zuko x reader #prince zuko x reader #atla x reader #prince zuko imagine #modern au #college au #aang #katara #sokka #toph #zuko

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