#The next morning after a long trip... Zuko's legs are still shaking and Aang has no eyebrows because they were accidentally burned... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

raewritez · 3 years

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Still | Pt. 2

continuation of this request: I’m thirsty for a love triangle. Maybe Sokka and Zuko fighting for the reader’s affection. And she chooses ____!

warnings: simping, jealousy, obliviousness, she/her pronouns

Sokka’s ending

Zuko felt guilty.

The Water Tribe boy had been sulking for days now, grumbling under his breath and sending pointed glared Zuko’s way. The jokes he would’ve usually made around the campfire remained unspoken, replaced instead by uncomfortable silence and heavy sighs. Zuko knew Sokka well enough to know this wasn’t normal, and though Sokka had denied any accusations of moodiness or changes in behavior, Zuko had a hunch as to the reason for his despondency.

He’d recognized it when he’d first arrived. The affection that seemed to follow the two of you like an aura didn’t go unnoticed by the Firebender, and though he’d tried to ignore it he knew that wasn’t fair. Not to Sokka, not to you. Zuko knew you were upset - he saw your worried stares that lingered after the boy and the way your fingers extended towards him as if they were pulled. You’d been quieter, too, Sokka’s hostile demeanor wearing you down and inflicting you with endless confusion and longing. Zuko saw, and he knew. No one could deny it, the care you had for him. It was as obvious as Sokka’s care for you.

Zuko rose early - with the sun, as he liked to say - awakening with birdsong and peeking sunlight. He strained his eyes open with a yawn and a stretch, rubbing his palms along his face. Exiting the tent, he was surprised when his eyes fell on a figure perched atop the cliffside. They were hunched over, their head in their hands and their hair loose from its usual tie. Zuko exhaled, sparing a glance towards your tent before heading Sokka's way.

The awkwardness crept up on him, growing with each step and seizing his limbs in the way it would feel to walk through cold water. The ground crunched under his boots and the sound drew to him blue eyes that darkened upon sight, turning away and returning to their gaze resting upon the valley. Standing behind Sokka, Zuko shuffled on his feet before deciding to sit. His legs hung over the rocky terrace, hands prickled by gravel. Mustering up his courage, he spoke.

"Um, you're up early."

Sokka barely spared a glance, opting to focus on the array of pebbles lining the ground. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "Couldn't sleep."

Zuko nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, for sure."

A moment of silence, and Zuko felt like caving in on himself. It hadn't been this tense between the two boys for a while, not since before Zuko chose good. They were friends, choosing each other's company on errand runs or fishing trips, bonding over sparring and the mere companionship of another friend like themselves. There hadn't been this awkwardness, this distance. But that was before, before you became something more and playful banter had become unspoken competition. But it wasn't ever a competition, not really, and Zuko had realized that. Because the means of your affection were unchallengeable, and Zuko knew who they belonged to. And though the heart of his childhood self may have once longed for yours in return, it simply was not him.

"Sokka," he said, shaking away his uncertainty. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Sokka's eyes met his, and Zuko became aware of the soft resignation in his expression. He mustered a smile, that charming grin that always managed to sooth the group's worries, that could put any mind at ease.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Zuko. If this is about what I think it's about, then there's really nothing to talk about. It's all you, buddy."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"It's all you. You know, you don't have to fight me or anything. I get that you guys have history and I can respect that, you don't -"

"Sokka, what are you talking about?"

His brows furrowed, confusion glossing over him. "We - we're talking about Y/n, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then it's fine. You can go and tell her how-"

"Sokka."

"-you feel and it'll be totally fine. I mean, I don't care like, at all. If she's happy I'm happy, y'know? And besides, you guys-"

He was talking rapidly now, hoping his words could make up for the hole in his chest. He was loosing you, he just knew it. And to Zuko, no less. Spirits, he did not want to see you with him, didn't want to see you with anyone but himself alone. But you were more important than how he felt, and if you loved Zuko then that's-

"Sokka!"

His rambling was cut short, and he found himself panting a bit from the lack of air. The look on Zuko's face was disbelieving - some sort of stupidity-laced astonishment accompanied by a mischievous grin.

Sokka swallowed. "Yeah?" he croaked out.

"It's not me."

He shook his head. "Zuko-"

"It's not," Zuko spoke. His words were firm, final. His prince's voice. "Maybe at some point I wanted it to be, but it's not me. I know how you feel about her, Sokka. And I know she feels the same."

His mouth fell open at his commanding tone, at the puncturing decisiveness of his words. The meaning of them set in a moment later. "Are you- are you..."

"Yeah," Zuko smiled. "I'm sure, Sokka."

His blue eyes stared once again across the valley, gleaming with vulnerability and cautious hope. After a moment, he grinned, a breathy laugh escaping his lips. "She feels the same." He spoke it like a child, giddy with excitement and whispered like a prayer. Zuko couldn't help the tug of his lips.

"O-kay, buddy," he said, standing and stifling a chuckle at Sokka's dreamy expression. "I'll leave you to it, then."

He began his way back to the campsite, his friends finding their way out of their tents and filling the air with the beginnings of morning greetings. A second, then a call.

"Zuko!"

He turned, finding Sokka appearing much more like his old self. "Thank you."

Zuko nodded, and with bittersweet content walked down the slope.

///

The sun was a red shadow across your eyelids, and the muscles fought to strain it out. You could make out faint chattering, scuffling feet and an aroma emanating from the fire that lured you to your feet. You stretched and yawned, muscles sore from days of traveling and mind clouded with an exhaustion that went deeper than could be made palatable by the nourishment of sleep. You were tired of Sokka's attitude and you had half a mind to excuse him from the luxury of your kindness. Whatever. You weren't going to let him ruin your morning.

Mornings with your friends always held a certain domesticity that never failed to bring a smile to your face. Katara stood, as she usually did, above a pot that no doubt held some delicious combination of fruit or steaming rice. Aang was tending to Appa, sending a smile and a wave your way with a call of "Good morning, Y/n!". You smiled and waved back, offering a call of your own. Toph was still sleeping, and Zuko...was talking to Sokka? Strange...you could've sworn they were fighting at the moment.

You walked over to Katara, winding your arms around her waist and placing your head on her shoulder. "Morning, 'Tara," you mumbled sleepily. "Whatcha making?"

"Rice, and some meat we got from town," she replied, chuckling a bit at your affection.

"Sounds good."

From atop her shoulder your eyes met Zuko's, and he offered you a smile. You peeled yourself off of her and made your way over to him, sparing a glance at Sokka's figure still hunched over the cliffside. "Hey," you said.

He stopped in front of you. "Hey."

You peered over his shoulder. "Sokka's up early."

He straightened up suddenly, eyes brightening. "Uh, yeah! You should go talk to him! You know, just the two of you."

You raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because! You guys are friends, and friends should talk to each other. Maybe he has....something really interesting to say?"

He was just about bouncing on his feet now, and you were extremely confused as to why he was pushing you to go talk to Sokka. Sure, you wanted to, but he definitely didn't. And...why was Zuko acting so weird?

"I guess?"

He nodded reverently, placing his hands on your shoulders to steer you behind him. "Yeah! So go, um, have fun!"

He walked away briskly, and you were left in confusion. You turned to where Sokka sat, leg bouncing and hair loose, just how you liked it.

You guessed it couldn't hurt, right?

Walking up the sloping hill, the view of the valley below pooled out in front of you. Endless green kissed by sunlight, sounds of glistening streams playing like a far-off song. Your eyes fell on Sokka, and your heart tugged. You missed him. You had longed to speak with him, to be alone together in perfect contentment like you used to, but he 'd either shut you down or you'd loose the energy to try again. But maybe Zuko knew something you didn't, so you mustered up the courage and sat down next to him.

His eyes darted to you instantly, widening as he sat up straighter.

"Hi," you muttered, picking gravel from the earth to sift through your fingers.

"Hi," he breathed.

You turned to him and he stared, heart beating rapidly in his chest. He wondered if you could hear it. Your eyes were curious and hesitant, and he felt suddenly shy under your gaze.

"How're you doing?" You asked him, absent-mindedly drinking in the sight of him cloaked in all his morning glory.

"Good," he answered quickly, sharply. "H-how're you?"

"I'm good," you said softly. He stared, seemingly lost in thought, before shaking his head as if in awakening and turning away. You sat there next to him, bathed in silence and uncertainty. For once, you didn't know what to say to him. A moment, then another, and you began internally berating Zuko for his "advice". You were reaching the conclusion that maybe this wasn't a good idea, when an intake of breath from beside you stilled your thoughts.

Sokka's mouth opened and closed, and a war was painted on his face. He wanted to say something. He looked to you, and at meeting your eyes he seemed to grow more secure. He scooted closer, shuffling across the ground so that your knees were but a breath away and you could feel the enchantment of his warmth.

"Y/n," he bit his lip, searching. Spirits, how was he supposed to do this? These were not the conditions in which he'd imagined the truth would arise, but here he was. "Yes?" you questioned, and he calmed. You would listen, you always did. You wouldn't leave, you never had. Finally, he breathed. "I'm sorry."

Those words were out, and everything else followed after.

"I'm so, so sorry. I've been awful to you. I didn't mean to be, but I guess I was just...jealous? I mean, you and Zuko....no, that's not fair. I know you guys are friends and were friends for a long time, but I guess I just...I mean, you were my friend, and then he came and I only realized it then, and then I was upset because you were with him and not with me, and I couldn't even tell you that I realized it because I was being so stupid, and-"

"Realized what, Sokka?"

He paused, mouth snapping shut. Your expression was questioning, a bit lost from his ranting, and he was implored to confess.

"Y/n, I-" He met your stare once again, those e/c eyes that he had fallen so deep into. Deciding words were not for him, he did the only other thing that could possibly convey what he felt, and how much he felt it. He moved forward, grasping your face between his palms. He leaned in slowly, awaiting any signs of discomfort or rejection. When he found none, he pressed his lips to yours.

It was surprising, how soft his lips were. They seemed to carry every bit of warmth that he'd ever shown to you, every ounce of love he carried in his body. He moved smoothly against you, and you melted. Your eyes slipped shut, arms winding around his neck and fingers running through his hair. He kept you pressed firmly against him, and you would have no complaints if you were told you were trapped there forever. His palms cupped your cheeks, thumb stroking the skin. Air was not thought of until it had to be, and you pulled away, though not more than a whisper.

He kept his forehead pressed against yours and you smiled, a laugh pulling forth from your lips. His chest rumbled with yours, stealing another peck from you with a wide grin.

"That's why you were ignoring me? That's dumb, Sokka."

He chuckled. "I know, I'm sorry."

You smiled, leaning up to press against him once again. "It's ok," you said. "You can make it up to me."

—————-

taglist: @satans-bae-and-queen

#avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #atla #fire lord zuko #aang x reader #legend of korra #avatar #avatar: tla #sokka x reader #zuko x reader #sokka #sokka x y/n #sokka x you #zuko x y/n #zuko x you

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koala-otter · 4 years

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Hi hun!! I have a prompt!! So, Zuko was born into an obviously conservative family and with all that royal training and everything, he usually speaks with proper grammar and etiquette. Enter: Sokka. Sokka has the most filthy mouth in terms of speaking and anything in general. He can turn a simple conversation about dinner into something that makes Zuko blush unintentionally. I just want to see more flustered!Zuko out here!! Ty!!

hello love! it’s probably not what you expected, it’s definitely not what I expected, but there’s a lot of flustered!Zuko, so here we are

I don’t think it’s nsfw? but it’s also not entirely sfw??

ok here’s Sokka’s got a filthy mouth and a filthy mind and now Zuko does, too almost 2k words

Zuko spent three years of his life traveling the high seas, so he spent a fair amount of time around sailors. As a banished prince, he didn’t necessarily have his pick of the lot when it came to choosing his crew, and very few men on his ship ended up being the upstanding sort typical of the Fire Navy. Instead, the men Zuko lived with during his early teen years were often slippery, prone to debauchery, and crude. They swore frequently, mercilessly, and thoroughly, and after a couple of bottles of soju, could not have been stopped by the sea itself from telling detailed stories of their sexual conquests, the deck of the ship rollicking with tall tales of quivering thighs and heaving breasts left behind at the last port. For a long time Zuko couldn’t understand why he didn’t enjoy these stories, or why all the other men did. Still, despite his uncle’s careful influence, Zuko experienced his fair share of vulgarity on his travels, and largely as a result of the seafaring men surrounding him.

Yet he finds, time and again, that he has never met anyone whose mind or mouth matched Sokka’s.

They are all sitting around the courtyard of the Fire Lord’s house on Ember Island, idly waiting for dinner to finish cooking, when Zuko hears a gasp. He looks up from sharpening his swords in time to find Sokka standing next to Katara at the pot full of their food.

“What the hell are those?” Sokka demands.

“Sea aubergines,” Katara says matter-of-factly, though Zuko hears the annoyed undercurrent of her tone.

Sokka lets out a peal of laughter. “Katara, they look like dicks!”

A governess once struck Zuko for using such a word, and he feels the sting again as he gapes at Sokka’s relaxed form. He almost expects Katara to lash out or yell at her brother, but instead she barely rolls her eyes.

“It was all they had at the market,” she says.

“Aang!” Sokka calls, cupping his mouth with his hands. He waves the airbender over. “You need to see the size of these.”

Aang skips over easily and leans over to look into the pot.

“Don’t they look like a bunch of dicks?” Sokka says, nudging him with his elbow.

Aang immediately bursts into laughter, his hands coming to rest on his stomach. Zuko can only gawk at them and the casual way they react to such language.

“Where’d Toph go?” Sokka asks. “She’d get a kick out of the dicks.”

“You idiot, I’m blind,” Toph says from her position lying on the stairs.

“You can still—” Sokka notes Katara’s glare and the fact that Toph is still a twelve-year-old girl and immediately retreats. “Right, then,” he says, taking the ladle from Katara and scooping up one of the phallic vegetables, “Zuko!”

Zuko lifts his head, the dismay clear on his face.

Sokka waves the sea aubergine in the air maniacally. “Don’t you think it looks like a dick?” he almost shrieks.

Zuko tries not to wince at the word, and instead lies, “I don’t see it.”

“What?” Sokka looks between the vegetable and the stony look on Zuko’s face. “Are you serious? It’s even oozing—”

“Enough,” Zuko says. The island heat seems to have suddenly gathered entirely around his face. “Don’t be disgusting.”

Sokka’s face breaks into a boyish grin. “So, you do see it.” He waves the ladle in the air, the sea aubergine clinging by its tip to the bowl of the spoon.

“No,” Zuko continues denying.

Katara puts her hands on her hips and finally addresses her brother. “Sokka, would you cut it out? We’re going to eat that.”

Sokka ignores her.

“Here, Zuko,” he says casually, holding the ladle handle with both hands for some reason, “maybe you just need a closer look!”

And all of a sudden, a slimy, tan-and-purple, mottled, tubular vegetable is hurtling across the courtyard straight at Zuko. Before he can even think about it, he closes his eyes and catches it right in his hands. Then comes the heat, so high and concentrated from the cooking pot, that his hands immediately pull apart, and the aubergine flops, useless, on the courtyard ground.

Zuko looks up and glares, and for the first time since going back to the Fire Nation, he swears.

“Damn it, Sokka, that’s hot!”

Sokka stops laughing abruptly, and his expression turns mischievous. “I didn’t know you swung that way, Zuko.” A blush erupts across Zuko’s face as he suddenly hears his own poor phrasing. Sokka smirks. “Good to know.”

The blush is still on Zuko’s face when they finally sit down to dinner, and it’s all he can do not to choke at the sight of Sokka’s ruthless grin each time he takes another bite of slimy, limp sea aubergine.

A couple of years after the war ends, Zuko finally lets Sokka drag him on a trip to see Master Piandao. Sokka’s already gone back a couple of times to forge a new sword and for training, but Piandao hasn’t seen Zuko since before his banishment. He politely does not react to Zuko’s scar, and instead scrutinizes the close relationship between the two young men.

“Knowing you when you were younger,” he says in his measured tone to Zuko, “and knowing Sokka,” he continues, turning to look at the younger swordsman, “I wouldn’t have imagined you two being quite so drawn to each other.”

“What do you mean?” Sokka looks up from where he’s flicking Zuko’s arm. He throws his own arm around Zuko’s shoulders and pulls him in close, beaming. “We’re best fucking friends!”

Zuko looks horrified at the blatant lack of refinement in Sokka’s language, and in front of their swordmaster no less, but Piandao remains unperturbed. In fact, if Zuko squints hard enough, it might even look like he’s smiling.

“Well,” Piandao says, picking up his own sword, “let’s get started.”

Their training session does not last long.

The two young men are caught in almost a death grip, their swords biting into each other, and their bodies so close they are practically panting in each other’s faces. Sokka’s managed to disarm Zuko of one of his swords, cast aside on the patio of Piandao’s house, and looks smug even as Zuko pushes against him. Hard.

Zuko, on the other hand, looks enraged. His leg is smarting where Sokka smacked him with the flat edge of his sword, and he has suddenly been made frighteningly aware of the fact that Sokka is now taller than him. He glowers up at Sokka, pressing back against Sokka’s sword with all of his strength, which he worries will not last as long he needs it to because since he last checked, Sokka has gotten broad, and Sokka has gotten strong.

Zuko feels a growing desire to ram his sword through Sokka, and his glower turns to a grin as he considers it. The ramming. And then a thought fills his head of how Sokka would interpret that word, and he’s shocked when he doesn’t hate it, and it makes him even angrier. Sokka’s definitely rubbing off on him. And there he goes again.

“All right, it’s a draw,” Piandao says from his safe distance away.

When neither boy pulls back, he calmly walks over and pulls them apart. They both slump onto the ground, panting like polardogs in heat.

“You’re clearly very well matched,” Piandao says thoughtfully. He waits until both boys have cooled off before he continues speaking. They sit in front of him, waiting for instructions. He nods and gestures for Fat, the butler, to join them. “There’s an orchard on the way to the village full of plum trees.”

Fat hands Zuko and Sokka each a towel.

“Best plums I’ve ever had,” Piandao continues. “Sweet and juicy, and a little sour, too.” He takes the beverage Fat hands him. “And this time of year, the trees are full of them.”

Sokka and Zuko wait as Piandao sips his drink. He hands it back to Fat.

“Go home. And walk through the orchard on your back,” Piandao says, pointing in the general direction. He bows his head slightly at the two swordsmen in front of him. “Training is done for the day. I’ll see you early tomorrow morning.”

Zuko and Sokka look at each other questioningly but scramble to do as they’re told.

Fat stands behind Piandao as they watch the two run off toward the orchard. “Those two,” he says with a shake of his head.

Piandao glances behind himself and then forward at the boys again. A thin smile graces his mouth. “They’ll figure it out,” he says warmly.

In the orchard, Zuko walks resolutely back towards the house they’re staying in, while Sokka takes his time to languorously pick individual plums from the passing trees, biting into each of them with gusto. Juice drips down his lips and chin, even down his neck, and falls from individual fruits down his wrists and muscled forearms. His appetite’s only grown as he’s gotten bigger, and so has his enthusiasm for eating. He makes loud slurping sounds to prove it.

“Stop that, would you? It sounds awful,” Zuko says.

“I can’t help it, they’re so juicy,” Sokka replies, waggling his eyebrows at Zuko. He holds one of his plums out. “Are you sure you don’t want one?”

“I’m sure,” Zuko practically barks.

Sokka shakes his head. “You’re just mad because I tricked you,” he says, referring to the three times he’s managed to pull Zuko in with the promise of a bite of plum, only to rip the fruit away at the last minute.

“I’m not mad about that,” Zuko says angrily.

Sokka raises his eyebrows. “Then what are you mad about?”

Zuko gestures back toward Piandao’s house. “We must have done something wrong if we got kicked out,” he says glumly.

Sokka stares at him. “What? We almost killed each other. In a swordfight, I’d say that was doing it right.” He pulls out one of his plums. “Besides, you heard Master Piandao. We’re well matched.”

Zuko sighs.

Sokka bites into the plum, and his eyes go wide. He holds the fruit out to Zuko.

“Zuko,” he says seriously, “try this one. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”

“I don’t know if I trust the guy who goes around eating random plants all the time.”

“Come on,” Sokka almost whines. He shakes the plum a bit in Zuko’s face. “It’ll make you feel better.”

Zuko gives him a hard look. “You’re not going to take it away again?”

“I’m not going to do it again,” Sokka promises, his face genuine. He almost looks caring.

Zuko eyes him suspiciously, but leans toward the plum. The skin is shiny and dark purple, the color of an eggplant, but the flesh inside is a bright and brilliant pink, exposed by the bite from Sokka’s mouth. Juice trickles down the edges of the bite into Sokka’s outstretched hand, and Zuko briefly wonders what it would be like to skip the plum altogether and take Sokka’s fingers into his mouth, to lick the juice off of them.

Zuko swallows and tries to toss the image out of his head, finally leaning toward the fruit. Just as his lips make contact with the plum’s skin, a high-pitched moan erupts from Sokka’s mouth. Zuko pulls his head back immediately to find Sokka grinning widely, and he fixes Sokka with a hot glare.

“You’re disgusting,” Zuko snaps.

Sokka smirks and takes another bite of the plum. “Ah, you love it,” he says, and he continues making those awful slurping sounds all the way back to town.

sorry

#zukka #ask #my writing #zukka fanfic #atla fic #atla fanfic #zuko #sokka

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mycomfortblanket · 3 years

Text

This is for @i-love-your-light for the ATLA Winter Fest 2020 gift exchange! I hope you enjoy it and I hope you had a great holiday and that 2021 will treat you better in every way.

Aang is helping Zuko carry the hot chocolate into the living room where the rest of the gaang is lounging around. Aang hands Toph her cup before climbing onto the couch and snuggling under the covers with Katara.

Zuko gently steps over Toph to Sokka and hands him his cup before sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Sokka is spread out over the couch so he is not left with much room on the couch.

Katara is just about to press play when Zuko speaks up, “Where are the rest of the blankets?”

“Uh, I think we’re using them all,” Aang says with a shrug.

“It’s snowing outside and you don’t have enough blankets for all of us?”

“Well, to be fair, I’m laying down on one,” Toph points down at the blanket she is sprawled across.

“Just share with Sokka, it’s big enough for the both of you,” Katara says, hiding a grin behind her mug.

Zuko blushes furiously and ducks his head hoping its not seen by anyone. He awkwardly yanks at the edge of the blanket and successfully pulls it halfway off of Sokka.

Sokka lets out a dramatic sigh before sitting up right, “Urgh, you suck. Here, spread the blanket like this so we both have some. I don’t want to freeze my ass off either.”

He moves to sit directly next to Zuko, their thighs and shoulders touching. Sokka spreads the blanket over both of them and the burrows inside the blanket as if he were a cat. They are touching shoulder to shoulder and Sokka’s legs are folded on the couch with them so his leg is partially resting on Zuko’s thigh.

He doesn’t say anything, just presses his lips together and looks down at the cup of hot chocolate in his hands. The sensation of Sokka pressed against him like this feels like it was on fire. Every Time either of them would shift, the fire would intensify before dying back down to a warm presence.

Katara glances around the room and decides they are as ready as they are ever going to be and starts the movie.

Zuko hardly pays attention to the movie because of how his skin is pressed up against Sokka’s. Every few moments, he would steal a glance at him and conclude that Sokka is nowhere as affected by the physical contact as he is. Sokka was steadily drinking his hot chocolate and laughing and smiling at all the right parts in the movie. If he knew that Zuko is staring at him, he gives no indication.

At one point he leans over, pressing more against Zuko’s arm, “This is the best part!” Sokka’s breath brushes across his neck, making goosebumps appear and the hair that is hanging down around his face move slightly and tickle his cheek.

Zuko swallows hard and nods his head in acknowledgement. He can hardly focus on anything other than Sokka being so close to him. It’s hard to keep his feelings in check when the younger boy is pressed up against him, breathing excitedly and bouncing on the couch slightly.

He isn’t entirely sure when this all started, but he knows his feelings are growing fast and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. He was sure that Sokka knew how he felt about him or at least had the suspension; he was just grateful Sokka hadn’t mentioned it to him.

Slowly, as the movie nears its end, Sokka leans more and more into him before completely resting his weight against him. His head dropping onto his shoulder and little puffs of air tickling Zuko’s cheek. He takes a quick look around the room and finds that the only person still awake is Aang, but just barely.

The movie finally comes to an end and the title screen is on for about 5 minutes before the screensaver comes on and shows the generic photos of the Firestick.

Zuko turns his head and attempts to get a look at Sokka but can only see the top of his head. Attempting to slip out from underneath his weight, Zuko places a hand on Sokka’s side and slowly eases him down to lay on the couch long ways. He picks up his feet and moves them so they are up on the couch with him, having him spread out across the couch, taking up most of the room.

He looks around the living room for a place for himself. Kartara and Aang are taking up the other couch and Sokka leaves no room on this couch so he just decides he can move Toph over slightly and lay down on the floor with her. Just as he is about to step over the small girl, a hand grabs his, making him jump slightly.

He turns back towards the couch and sees Sokka looking up at him, his eyes just barely open, obviously still half asleep.

“No, stay,” he coaks out, his voice just barely audible.

“What?”

“Stay.” It wasn’t a question or a suggestion. Sokka pulls on Zuko's wrist weakly.

Still slightly confused, he watches as Sokka moves so his back is against the couch leaving enough room in front of him for Zuko to lay down on.

Slowly, he moves towards the couch and lays down in front of Sokka who immediately wraps an arm around his middle and buries his face into the back of Zuko’s neck. This was definitely new.

He lays there tense for a few moments, his head cushioned by Sokka’s other arm that is stretched out in front of him. His smell of evergreens is enveloping Zuko the longer he lays there and he knows it’s a scentl that he wants to smell forever.

Slowly, he falls asleep with Sokka pressed against his back keeping him warm throughout the night.

----------

Sokka opens his eyes, the sun streaming in through the cracks in the blinds and immediately closes them again. He can smell breakfast being cooked in the other room, but until that is ready, he’s not getting up.

He stretches his arms and legs out like a cat and groans when his back pops. Only when he attempts to arch his back to pop it some more does he realize that someone was asleep next to him. Like directly in front of him.

Sokka opens his eyes again and see’s Zuko with his face buried in his chest, one of his arms slung across Sokka’s waist. Their legs are twisted together so he’s not entirely sure where his legs begin and where they stop.

He just barely remembers reaching out to grab Zuko’s hand last night. Tired Sokka has a lot more confidence than normal Sokka apparently. No way would he have ever done something like that even if Zuko threw hints or signals at him. No matter how much his heart would flutter when their hands brushed against each other, he wouldn’t actively put himself out there in fear of getting rejected.

Zuko has never shown any affirmation of being attracted to guys or even thinking about him in that way, so it was just best to keep his feelings to himself.

His scar is mostly all he can see from this position, the way it curves at the bottom of his cheekbone and hides behind his hairline. His hair, sleek and black, shines with the light from the morning sun.

Swallowing hard, Sokka reaches up a hand and moves some hair behind his ear so he can look closer at him. Being this close to him, he can smell the shampoo he must have used yesterday. He smells of cinnamon and something a little smoky. It suits him well and can’t help but lean in a little closer to get a better smell.

“Did you just sniff my hair?” Zuko mumbles out against his chest. His voice is thick with sleep and is slightly muffled against his chest.

“Uh… no? Is that weird?” he asks, trying to keep his cool.

“It’s only weird if you make it weird,” Toph interjects from the floor.

“Guys! Breakfast is ready!” Katara calls from the kitchen.

Zuko rolls onto his back, letting go of Sokka. He tries, he really does, to not watch the way Zuko moves his arm out to the side and stretches and moans as his back pops.

Slowly, he turns away from Sokka and sits up on the couch and glances at him for just a moment before standing and making his way into the kitchen, careful not to trip over Toph.

“Could you guys be any more obvious?” Toph asks, her face still buried in the pillow.

“Huh?” Sokka asks.

“You guys have been tiptoeing around each other for the past few months now. Just make a move before I make one for you,” she stands and trudges to the kitchen, her hair sticking out every which way from sleep.

----------

After breakfast, Zuko and Sokka decide to walk home together since their buildings are next door to each other. As they trudge through the freshly fallen snow, they don’t say anything to each other, but rather keep their hands stuffed deep in their pockets.

Breakfast was as awkward as it could be with Toph’s vaguely hidden remarks and Aang’s silent laughter. Both of their cheeks were stained red with embarrassment and they kept their eyes trained on their plates, only commenting when necessary.

Sokka risks a glance over at him and can’t help but smile at how adorable he is. His nose and cheeks are red from the cold and his hair is blowing in just the right way that he is able to see the profile of his face. He has what looks to be a frown and his eyebrows scrunched together.

Feeling his gaze on his face, Zuko looks up and catches Sokka’s eye, “What?”.

He just shakes his head and looks back down at the ground as they continue walking. Just as they reach the place where Sokka usually splits off to his building, Zuko shoots out a hand and grabs his elbow, pulling him to a stop.

“I’m sorry about last night,” he says, his golden eyes boring into his blue.

Sokka’s brow furrows in confusion, not entirely sure what he meant.

“I shouldn’t have slept on the couch with you like that. I understand why you’re upset, especially since everyone commented on it at breakfast.”

“What? I’m not upset about sleeping on the couch with you, I thought you were upset cause I grabbed you last night and told you to sleep with me. I know you don’t like men like that so I imagine it was really awkward for you,” Sokka says sheepishly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck not wanting to make eye contact.

“I like men,” Zuko mutters staring straight at Sokka.

He immediately glances up and looks at Zuko for any sign that he is making fun of him or lying. But his eyes are open and honest, and he can see nothing but the truth.

He watches Zuko mentally gear up for something before he steps closer to him, into his personal space. He is just a little shorter than Sokka, but his bold action makes him seem larger. Zuko’s eyes seem to flit down and rest on his lips for a fraction of a second before moving back up.

“I want to try something. Close your eyes,”Zuko murmurs.

Sokka only hesitates for a moment before his eyelids flutter shut and he takes a deep breath.

Zuko stares at his lips and before tentatively setting a hand on his shoulder and the other on his bicep, before tilting his head up to kiss him.

Sokka’s eyes shoot open in surprise but immediately closes them again and snakes an arm around Zuko’s waist and cupping his cheek.

They both hear a door open and a cough that is meant to get their attention, but they both ignore it so they can keep their lips pressed together, tilting their heads slightly to deepen the kiss.

When they pull apart, gold eyes stare into blue before bashful smiles appear on both of their faces and Zuko steps back slightly.

“Could you two hurry? It’s cold out here,” Azula yells at them from the front steps of the building

“I’ll call you later, okay?” Sokka says in a low voice before placing one last kiss on his lips and turning towards his sister, “Always a pleasure, Azula,” he gives a mock salute and turns to walk towards his apartment building.

Zuko stands in the same spot as he watches Sokka get to his building, who turns to look at him, and lifts a hand to say bye before stepping into the building's foyer.

He turns and walks towards his own apartment building and sees Azula still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and a sly smirk on her face, “I wish you could see your face right now,” she says in greeting.

“What? Why?” Zuko asks, slightly confused.

Her smile softens just the slightest before she says, “Because you’re smiling like a damn fool,” she shakes her head and claps him on the shoulder, “Come on. Mom is here and making cookies."

#atla winter fest 2020 #atla #winter fest 2020 #fluff #zukka #very small amount of Kataang if you squint super hard #I don't ship Kataang at all but whatever #avatar the last airbender #Zuko #Sokka #aang #Katara #Toph #azula #I love you like it!

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lykegenia · 5 years

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The Things We Hide Ch. 27

Chapter 1 on AO3 This chapter on AO3 Masterpost here

With the six of them, Appa’s saddle was crowded. True, the avatar sat on the beast’s head to guide him, but the rest had to be squashed among their supplies, which after the first day had been stacked up at the front of the saddle to offer them some protection from the wind. It was closer quarters than Zuko would have liked. He was all but buried between Sokka and Toph, whose nausea had yet to settle. Katara sat at the corner of his eye with her hair loose and blown back by the wind, with the chain of sea-wolf teeth braided into it like a coronet. She hugged her knees for most of the trip, and aside from the odd petty exchange with her brother, during the day with very little to do, she mostly kept her thoughts to herself.

At first, he thought it a facade employed so she wouldn’t have to talk to him, but after a few days of watching her easy cheeriness in camp, he detected a forced note in her manners towards the others, as if she were humouring them – and none of them seemed to notice. Or perhaps, he decided as they swooped low over the countryside, they were so used to seeing this version of Katara that they didn’t realise it was an act. In the fire nation she had been clever, and cultured, and determined, and even though she had turned those talents against him – his blood still boiled to think about it – seeing her hide those parts of herself away left something unsettled in him, like seeing a delicate silk painting left out in the rain.

Not that it mattered. She had avoided him ever since he had joined the group by the campfire. Her behaviour was fine with him, really, when there were so many other things to think about, such as his impending reunion with the Fire Lord, or how the combined weight of their group and their provisions meant the sky bison was flying slower than he should be on the winding, circuitous route they were taking towards the coast.

The avatar, at least, seemed to agree with him.

“Guys, I don’t think Appa can take another day of flying like this,” he announced when they landed that night. “Not if we want to make it across the ocean.”

“And we’re all so looking forward to that,” Toph grumbled as she carefully felt her way down the beast’s leg. “And eugh, we’re on sand. Of-sodding-course. Excuse me while I go and throw up.”

The others climbed down from the saddle with varying degrees of stiffness after the long, cramped hours of flying. They had stopped on a crescent beach of greyish sand, surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs obscured at the top by vegetation. The dying light shone through the waves that curled onto the shore, and birds called to each other as they settled down to roost.

Sokka rubbed feeling back into his legs. “If we dump most of the gear can we make up the time? We’re already three days behind schedule.”

“Appa’s an animal, not a ship,” Aang replied. “You can’t just unload him and make him go faster. He gets tired.”

“So do the rest of us, but if we don’t defeat the Fire Lord –”

“Better to get to the Fire Nation late than not at all,” Suki interrupted. “And we might as well leave the camping stuff here anyway. There aren’t many places in the middle of the ocean to pitch a tent.”

Sokka flashed her a goofy grin. “Good point. You’re so smart.”

“I know,” she replied, brushing her fingers over the carved necklace at her throat.

“I might go and join Toph in throwing up,” Katara muttered.

“I’ll remember you said that when you start fawning over some brawny jerkbender,” her brother teased. “And then I’d have to knock him out, since you’re my sister and everything.”

“You couldn’t knock out your back,” she snapped, cheeks darkening. She did not look at Zuko. “I’m going to catch us some dinner. If someone else could unload Appa and get a fire started that would be lovely.”

A stunned silence fell as she marched away.

“Hey Sokka, I think you said something,” Aang joked, when still nobody spoke.

Sokka huffed. “Waterbenders. It’s probably something to do with the moon – ow! What was that for?”

“Being a sexist pig-chicken,” Suki retorted, as she batted him on the arm. “‘I’ll have to knock him out’ – honestly. And that was before you started bringing moon cycles into it.”

“Hey, it’s a big brother’s duty to defend a little sister’s honour. Prince Hothead!” he called, looking for support. “You’ve got a sister, right? Tell the mean lady it’s our job to be protective.”

Zuko, who had already climbed back into Appa’s saddle and started untying the guide ropes, kept his voice carefully neutral as he answered. “If I ever tried to ‘protect’ Azula like that, she’d probably set me on fire. You should count yourself lucky.”

“Yeesh. Your family has problems, buddy.”

With a frown, Zuko turned back to his task. The light was nearly gone now, and though he could probably use his bending to see, the knots would be awkward to undo with only one hand. He paused to try and work out if he could approach them from another angle, but when he glanced up to shake his hair out of his eyes, all thought of knots and ropes went out of his head at the sight of Katara.

She stood almost hip-deep in the sea, poised in a starting stance while the waves broke around her. As he watched, she lifted her hands and raised a column of water, then in a graceful turn drew a stream out from the mass that contained a sinuous, glittering mass – a young elephant koi, he realised. The creature struggled, twisting on itself to get back to the safety of the sea floor, but her power held it absolutely, and as she turned and brought it back to shore, the water flowed away from her legs like the falling petals of a flower.

Someone shifted beside him; he hadn’t even heard Suki approach.

“You were staring,” she said, offering a bland smile.

He swallowed, and hoped the failing light hid the burn in his cheeks. “The first time I saw her bend, she sank three of my father’s warships by herself.” He glanced at the warrior as she let out an appreciative whistle. “I’ve never seen someone with that much control over their element, not even Azula. I was taught that firebending is superior to other kinds of bending, which was why we deserved to win the war, why we were winning. But it’s not true.”

Until the words were spoken, he hadn’t recognised them. His frown deepened, thinking back to the past weeks at the temple, and the training sessions with his uncle in the early morning where nobody could see. The old man had chided him for forgetting his root, his breath, and had sighed at the predictability of his form.

It is good to take wisdom from many different places, he had said. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. It is not the use of the four elements that makes the avatar so powerful, but his understanding of them.

“I’ve found people from the Water Tribe tend to have that effect,” Suki replied, with a fond look over her shoulder. “Help me with this.” She set her hands to the knots, and Zuko, catching the idea, ignited a small flame in his palm to help her see. For a moment they worked in silence, until the main ropes holding their supplies went slack. Beneath them, Appa had started snoring.

“When Sokka’s fleet first arrived in my village, we were neutral in the war. Avatar Kyoshi separated us from the mainland so we wouldn’t have to suffer outside conflict, and we tried our best to follow her example.” She smiled. “And then this young, hotheaded warrior limped his ship into my harbour, and I realised that by isolating ourselves, we were only waiting for the war to come to us, and the longer we waited, the worse it would be. Kyoshi would have kept the peace, and we dishonoured her memory by not trying to help, so we decided to leave the island and join the avatar.”

“Our people think of honour differently,” he replied, scowling.

“How so?”

For an instant, he considered telling her everything, about his banishment and his cut hair and the sting of betrayal, but it would be an admission too far, a tenuous lie while the idea still churned in his mind that by bringing the avatar to the Fire Nation, his father’s approval was in his grasp.

“We should have Toph bury what we don’t need,” he said instead. “The Fire Nation sends patrols out in airships and they’d spot it otherwise.”

He was quiet for most of the next morning as they set out across the ocean. They had left everything on the beach but their weapons and just enough bundles of dried food to sustain them for the two days it would take to cross to the tail-tip of the Fire Nation archipelago, and with Appa fed on alfalfa mixed with high energy seeds, they were making good time. By early afternoon they saw the first Fire Navy ships low on the horizon, outliers for the main blockade.

“We should’ve called in some of ours for a diversion,” Sokka grumbled as they passed overhead. “Do you think they saw us?”

“Better to assume they have and expect the worst,” Zuko answered.

Toph sighed from her place clinging to the edge of the saddle. “Excellent advice from the ray of sunshine. Can someone tell me what’s going on?”

“We’re at the blockade,” Katara supplied. “And we have a plan. Take us down.”

“Down?”

But Aang only nodded. “Way ahead of you, Katara – Appa, yip-yip!”

Groaning, the sky bison dipped towards the sea as the blockade appeared as a line of specks on the horizon. He gained momentum with broad sweeps of his tail until the wind streamed in their eyes. Behind them, a rocket screeched into the sky, exploding in a shower of sparks. The Fire Nation had seen them after all.

“Uh, Katara...”

“I’ve got this.”

As Appa levelled out, pulling up just in time for his toes to skim the waves, Katara rose to her feet in a bending stance, twisting her feet so they rooted to the saddle, encased to the calf in ice. She reached out behind her, scooping mist from the surface of the water and fanning it so it billowed out before them, until only the lap of the water beneath Appa gave them any orientation at all.

Zuko turned to Sokka, his expression grim. “The navy knows waterbenders use fog to hide their approach. They’ll know we’re coming.”

As if on cue, a fireball exploded over their heads, lighting the fog with a flare of orange. Appa roared and swerved to dodge the missile, and scuffed up spray as his forequarter collided with a wave.

“They would’ve seen us coming anyway,” Sokka replied, clinging to the saddle. Another fireball detonated, closer this time. “But this way, they won’t see where we’re going.”

“Look out!”

Suki’s shout came almost too late. The fog parted for a ball of flame headed straight for them. Katara twisted and threw an arm up with a spike of ice to catch it and the fireball smashed into it. The force of the impact broke her stance and sent her to her knees with a snarl.

“Katara –”

Shouts echoed through the fog, a whip-crack orders accompanied by the turning of gears and the soft whoosh of pitch igniting. Appa bellowed again and an instant later, he was drowned out by the telltale crunch of trebuchets being launched.

“Katara, we have to dive!” Sokka yelled.

“We can’t,” she shot back. “We won’t have enough air, and we can’t afford to surface too close in case they spot us.”

“That won’t matter if we’re dead!”

“Too late!”

She braced herself as the fireballs tore through the air. Aang struggled to steer Appa with one hand, while his staff waited in the other like a bat ready to swing. Even with two of them, they could never hope to repel every one. Zuko saw this in slow motion, just like he saw the fog dissipating as Katara’s focus shifted to defence, sweat on her brow, and he saw the water swirling beneath them, and Toph’s blind eyes wide with fear knowing there was a threat and no way to react to it. He wasn’t aware of moving, of sliding into a stance, of summoning fire – not until it burst from his fists and shattered the oncoming projectiles like confetti.

Katara stared at him.

“Focus on keeping our cover,” he barked. “I’ll shoot any that come too close while the av– Aang steers us through the worst of it.”

“I...” She blinked. “Right.”

He turned away, scanning the air above them as she rooted herself once more, and then the mist drew in, enclosing them utterly. Aang wove a serpentine path just above the water, non-direct like his element, and without a clear target the Fire Nation ships floundered, spitting fireballs into the air at random more with the hope of hitting something than anything else. Only a few veered close enough to do damage, but Zuko shot them down. The foreign shouts grew louder.

Something reared on their left side, a hulking shadow behind a wall of white, close enough that Appa had to roll sideways to avoid it. The movement was too steep, however, and he crashed into the water with an impact that rattled everyone aboard to their teeth.

“Did we get something?” a nervous voice called from above.

“I heard a splash!”

Katara let go of the fog. “Now, Aang!”

The avatar nodded and stood, matching her movements. Together, they swept arcs of water overhead, weaving it like a cocoon. Appa panicked as they sank, struggling at the unfamiliar suck on his limbs, and for an instant it seemed the bubble would burst.

“Keep him calm,” Katara ground out, holding the weight of the water on one arm.

“Easy, buddy. Everything’s going to be alright.”

They went under. The world around them dimmed to murky shadows pressing close, distorted and silent through the screen of water as they passed under the blockade. Above them, the churn of rotor blades throbbed like a heartbeat until Katara, with a grim, satisfied smile, reached up and froze them solid.

“Congratulations, Sweetness,” Toph groaned. “You’ve managed to make flying worse.”

They kept on for what seemed like ages. Both Katara and Aang used their bending to help Appa power through the water, though they struggled to keep his natural buoyancy in check. The light filtering through from above painted shafts of crystalline blue onto the void around them, and into the occasional flash of scales as shoals of fish darted past. To look down was to be filled with an ominous sense of vertigo, but not in the same way as flying through the air. Then, at least, the eye had reference points and perspective to make sense of what it saw, but here there was nothing but a void of ever increasing darkness that loomed up to swallow anyone who stared at it for too long. Zuko pulled his eyes away, lightheaded, itching under the weight of it.

“Katara...” he breathed.

“Not now.”

He shook his head. “Your nose is bleeding.”

“I can handle it,” she snapped.

But the others were drawing in too, their concern far more welcome than his alarm.

Sokka placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “We should be far enough away now. As long as we don’t take off, we shouldn’t be seen.”

“Appa’s fur is pretty waterlogged by now, I’m not sure he could take off,” Aang offered.

“Who cares if we can fly?” Toph interrupted. “Has anyone else noticed we’re running out of air?”

Faced with agreement from all sides, Katara nodded and changed her movements. At first there was little change, but gradually the water around them brightened, with rippled shadows taking definition as light became sky and the ocean fell away. Then, about ten feet from the surface, Appa realised what was happening and threw off Aang’s steady hand on the reins. He bellowed and surged upward with a stroke of his tail. The sudden movement was too much for Katara’s shaking legs. She collapsed to her knees, losing her hold on the bubble of air, and the weight of the water met the smack of force as they surfaced – it swept them away like leaves before a storm – and then the ringing in their ears bled into the disorienting screech of seabirds and a rough breeze that stung their faces like sandpaper.

“Is everyone alright?” Sokka asked.

There were murmurs of assent from various corners of the saddle, and a groan from Appa, shaking his head to clear the water from his eyes.

“No sign of the Fire Nation,” Suki supplied. “We did it.”

“Not until we reach land, we haven’t,” Toph reminded her. “Is Katara alright?”

Sokka turned to find his sister sprawled with her legs stretched out in front of her, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers, with the clotted blood from her nosebleed still lingering on her upper lip.

“I’m fine,” she said.

Aang settled next to her. “That was almost avatar-level bending. I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.”

“You were busy with Appa,” she replied. “We all saw how well it went when he panicked.”

“He’s sorry too. Hey – you know what you need? One of the cinnamon buns Sifu Hotman packed for us! They should be –” He trailed off to find Zuko already handing him the waxed packet containing the sweet treats, and with a grin he turned back to Katara.

“Thanks, Aang, but I’m feeling a little dizzy right now.”

“That’s why you need to eat.” He rocked back on his heels and contorted his face into a scholarly, old-man expression complete with a stroke of an imaginary beard. “A master knows to master themselves before they can master the mastery of their element,” he told her in a wheezy but recognisable impression of Iroh. “And the most masterful way to master the self is to master your hunger, master Katara!”

“If I didn’t know you better I’d swear you practiced that,” she managed, relenting as he waved the basket under her nose. The buns did smell delicious. “Fine. But you have to tell Appa to keep swimming.”

“Deal!”

“Thank you.” She glanced aside as she said this, but Zuko was facing away from her, towards the horizon ahead, and didn’t appear to notice her regard.

#zutara #zuko #katara #zuko x katara #katara x zuko #avatar: the last airbender #a:tla #avatar fanfiction

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