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loneduet · 6 months

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Secrets - Part 1

Summary: You love Sokka and it scares you. You don't know what he'll do if he finds out. (Your a firebender)

A/N - ngl I wrote this for myself because of my recurring obsession with this lovable boy.

warnings: kissing, kinda short sorry

Hope you enjoy!

__________________

It all started when I met aang.

I ran way from my home not too long before i met them. Growing up in the fire nation was rough, especially being the emperors daughter. After zuko left to search for the airebender, i soon followed suit and left my status behind. All I ever was to my father was a dissapointment and I couldn't deal with Azula alone.

I was left with few options of where to go. I ended up living undercover in ba sing se where I soon met three kids my age. They were strangers at first, but now I don't know how I lived life without them. They have become my friends. My family.

While I know they are the exact people my brother is hunting down, I couldn't help but join them on their journey. I don't know what I'll do if I have to face my brother, but I know that I will never betray them.

Each of them showed me a kindness I have never known or deserved. Katara immediately accepted me, she loved having another girl be on the conquest and she insisted on braiding my hair everyday. Aang was kind and understanding. Deep down I know that he is aware of the secrets I keep, but he respects my boundaries and he shows me the fun to be had of everyday things. And than theres sokka. He is a completely different story.

When I met him my whole world was changed. At first he was wary of me and my additional presence to the group, but we soon started to get along. Really get along. He was protective and caring. At first glance, i immediantly respected the way that he treated his sister. While they fought like all siblings do, it's obvious that they truly love each other and I know that sokka will take care of her until the end.

I can see that all sokka wants to accomplish is to be a good leader and brother. He doesn't have bending abilities and he has admitted to me that this is one of his greatest insecurities, but it is far from a flaw. He hides a lot of his fear through his stupid jokes and ridiculous attitude, but I have learned to see through his disguise.

I have fallen so incredibly fast for this water tribe boy and he is completely unaware. Knowing his story, I can't let him find out about my past. He will never love me especially if he knows that im fire nation scum.

__________________

"Y/N, do you want to share with me?"

I looked over to see Sokka and his adorable puppy dog eyes looking at me.

"Of course." I giggle, helping him set up the tent.

Due to our constant travels and relocations, we had very few supplies which resulted in only three tents between the four of us. I wasn't complaining though.

"Goodnight Y/N." Aang said, giving me a friendly kiss on the cheek before heading to his tent.

"Yeah, goodnight!" Katara said with a wink. To her, it was obvious that I liked her older brother. She immediantly approved when she found out about it. If only she knew who I was.

I climbed into our shared tent and zipped it up behind me. Sokka was already laying down opening up the covers for me.

It was a normal thing for sokka and I to fall asleep in each other's embrace. Ever since we accidently fell asleep during one of aangs stories we have been inseparable. Sokka claims that he sleeps better because of how warm I naturally am and frankly he helps me keep the nightmares of my dad at bay.

From an outside perspective, our relationship is definitely weird. It's not normal for 'just friends' to cuddle up to each other every night. Deep down though, we both knew that their are feelings, but neither of us wanted to ruin what we have. What we could have.

I slipped under the covers next to him, his water nation blankets being especially fluffy and comfortable. Naturally his arms wrapped around my smaller frame and I tucked my head against his chest. His slow heart beat helped lull me to sleep.

"Y/N?" Sokka asked right before I dozed off.

"Yea?" I softly replied.

He than looks me straight in the eye. "I'm really glad I met you."

The statement takes me aback and I look maintain his eye contact, sitting up.

"Can I kiss you?" I whisper, not being able to help myself any longer.

He doesn't reply but leans forward and captures my lips with his. His body radiates warmth as he scoops me into his lap. I slide my hands into his soft hair that is let out of his usual ponytail. He grunts softly and let's go of my lips and puts his forehead against mine.

"Y/N, I think I love you."

Before he could return to kissing me my entire body freezes. He notices when I tense and looks at me questionably.

"I cant." I reply, leaving the tent in haste. The boy of my dreams watches my figure go, wondering what he did wrong. I cant do this to him. It has to stop.

#sokka atla #sokka #atla #fanfic #avatar the last airbender #sokka x reader #fluff #oneshot #firebender #Sokka x firebender #Firebenderreader

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august-anon · 7 months

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His Royal Grumpiness

For Tickletober Day 11: Squeal

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Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Ship(s): Zukko (pre-relationship)

Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Zuko/Ler!Sokka

Word Count: 1050 words

Summary: Don't ask Sokka why Zuko was so fun to tease. There was absolutely nothing to read into, no matter what Katara said. Instead ask: just what was that noise that came out of Zuko's mouth, and how did Sokka get him to make it again?

[ao3 link]

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Don’t ask Sokka what it was about Zuko that made him so fun to tease. He was just so reactive. A few annoying questions, a hair ruffle, a surprise piggy-back attack – anything, and Zuko was red in the face and telling Sokka to cut it out! at a volume and pitch that was likely unbecoming of a newly-crowned Fire Lord.

Aang was too patient with his monk shit and weird breathing exercises. Katara was too familiar with his particular brand of annoying, and he was too familiar with her reactions for it to be as fun anymore. Toph would just beat him up. But Zuko just made it too easy. That was the only reason he’d made it his mission in life to get a rise out of Zuko, no matter what Katara and Suki said.

The question Sokka wanted answered instead of that was: what was that noise that just came out of Zuko’s mouth? Or, an even better question, how did Sokka get him to make that sound again?

“Sokka,” Zuko growled, his cheeks and ears already flushed a bright pink. “What are you doing?”

Sokka grinned, flopping on his back in the grass next to Zuko, stretching his arms up and behind his head. “Oh, you know, just hanging out with the turtleducks. Me and them, we’re best friends, you know.”

Zuko shot a glance toward the turtleducks he’d been feeding before Sokka arrived, which had scattered to all edges of the pond with the adorable high-pitched noise Sokka had drawn out of him. He turned back to Sokka with a raised eyebrow.

“What? That was all you, your Fiery-ness. I’m not the one making noises that only polar bear-dogs can hear.”

Zuko pressed his lips into a thin line, his face growing a shade pinker. “That wasn’t my fault!”

“I dunno, man. All I did was say hi, and suddenly you’re scaring all the turtleducks away.”

“That was not all you did! You–” Zuko cut himself off, his cheeks puffing out a little with frustration, before he turned to face the pond once more.

Sokka popped up on his elbows. “I what, your Fiery-ness?”

Zuko had moved on to pouting, which matched adorably with the blush still staining his cheeks. He looked at Sokka from the corner of his eye. “You know that’s not a real title.”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Sokka wagged a finger in Zuko’s face. “No changing the subject, mister. What could I have possibly done to scare off the turtleducks?”

“You– you surprised me!”

Sokka hummed, flopping back into the grass. “Still sounds like your fault then, doesn’t it? All those squeaky noises, looks like the Fire Lord startles too easily.”

Scanning Zuko’s body, Sokka tried to aim another poke toward the area that earned him that noise in the first place – somewhere between the back of his ribs and his shoulder blade. Quicker than Sokka would have expected – which was his own fault, Zuko was the most skilled swordsman between them, even if he was loath to admit it – Zuko twisted around and snatched the offending finger out of the air, holding it tight.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Sokka raised his eyebrows. “Defensive. Careful, you’ll scare the turtleducks out of the pond completely.”

That earned Sokka a patented Zuko glare, the likes of which he hadn’t seen outside of a war room in a long while. Sokka frowned, eyes jumping between Zuko’s face and his upper back.

“Did I hit a bruise or something?” He asked, grabbing Zuko’s shoulder and forcibly twisting him back around. “Are you hurt and not telling us?”

“What? No! Sokka, come on–”

“I don’t understand what the big deal is, then–”

Sokka prodded his fingers into the area again, earning him another one of those high pitched noises. When he didn’t relent, Zuko tried to twist away, the sound turning into a full-blown squeal. Sokka paused.

“Wait a second–”

“Sokka, no–”

“You’re telling me–”

“Shut up!”

“– that his royal grumpiness–”

Zuko whirled around, tackling him back into the grass and slamming a hand over his mouth. His cheeks were stained a mottled red, and Sokka could feel his own face warming up to match as he realized how close the two of them were. Zuko, as usual, remained oblivious.

“– is ticklish?” Sokka finished, his voice muffled beneath Zuko’s hand.

“I am not!”

Sokka laughed, reaching up to pull Zuko’s hand away from his mouth. “You so are! Fire Lord Zuko is stupid ticklish, how did none of us know?”

“Well– you’re ticklish too!”

“Sure,” Sokka said. “But this isn’t about me right now.” He surged upward and hooked his leg around Zuko’s hip, using the leverage to flip them over so he was pinning Zuko. “This is about you and the frankly adorable noise you just made.”

“I’ll call the guards.”

Sokka scoffed. “No you won’t.”

Zuko’s mouth started to twist into a scowl, so Sokka decided he’d had enough of toying with his food. His hands immediately started scribbling up Zuko’s ribs, and Sokka was shocked that the guards didn’t come running anyway at how loud Zuko squealed. Sokka laughed again.

“You’ve been holding out on us!”

“Sokka, please!”

His hands jumped down to Zuko’s stomach, digging into the robes with the sort of nibbling pinches that always sent Aang and Toph into hysterics. Zuko’s squeals jumped into giggles as he tried to curl into a ball underneath Sokka, shoving at him with one hand and covering his face with the other.

“Man, you’ve got all this royal clothing in the way,” Sokka said, pausing his attack. “How am I supposed to find the best tickle spots in these conditions?”

Zuko pushed at Sokka’s face. “You aren’t.”

Sokka grabbed Zuko’s wrist and pinned it in the grass next to his head. “So you admit there’s tickle spots to find?”

“... No?”

“I hope you know that just makes me want to find them more.”

That adorable mottled blush bloomed on Zuko’s cheeks again as he narrowed his eyes. “I think you’re forgetting something important.”

“What?”

With a startling lurch, Zuko rolled them back over, twisting his hand out of Sokka’s grip to pin Sokka’s own hand on the grass high above his head. Sokka gaped up at him.

“I already know where your tickle spots are.”

#tickletober 2023 #augtickletober2023 #tickletober #tickle fic #my writing #atla tickling #lee!zuko #ler!sokka #ticklish!zuko #atla #zuko #sokka #zukka

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the-badger-mole · 8 days

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Facultative

It seemed like every day of travel got longer. Even now with Katara and Zuko coming to a peaceful resolution to their issues, the tension hadn't broken over the group.

"Once we get to Ember Island, it'll get better," Suki promised them all. "My troop got antsy like this when we were on duty, too. We just need a break, that's all." This was met with grumbles of disbelief, but Aang was grateful that someone other than him was trying to be the voice of optimism. That role usually fell to Katara, but she had been quiet and withdrawn since she and Zuko had come back from finding Yon Rah. Oddly enough, only Zuko seemed to be able to get more than a few words from her at a time. When they stopped for rest, they would often end up slightly away from the group, falling into hushed conversations, broken up by Zuko occasionally running to get her a drink or a snack, or to handle a chore Katara usually did. She assured her friends she was fine, though. Just tired.

That was the over all sentiment of the rest of the group, too. Even Appa was showing signs of strain. Aang scratched his friend's neck with a concerned frown. They would have to rest that night. They'd all been hoping to make it to Ember Island by nightfall, but Aang knew he couldn't keep pushing his flying bison the he had been. He told the rest of his friends and was met with groans and complaints, and then grudging acceptance. Aang steered Appa toward a small island. It was barely big enough for the name, but there were shrubs and a grasses and small trees, hinting at fresh water nearby.

Once everyone had slid down from Appa's saddle, Aang set to making him more comfortable. He loosened the saddle, promising Appa that he would remove it completely once they made it to Ember Island and wouldn't have to leave for a while. Then, while the others set up camp, Aang wandered around with Appa, looking for a good place for him to graze. Appa stopped every so often to munch on some of the grass growing up from the greyish soil, but he didn't seem terribly interested in it. At one point, Appa stopped under a tree. It was a youngish tree, with tender green branches. This Appa eyed hungrily, but Aang gasped and nudged Appa gently.

"No, Appa," he said, pointing at one of the branches his friend had been eyeing. There was a bird's nest with new hatched chicks chirping loudly. The mother bird flew in and stood on the edge of the nest, trilling angrily at Appa. Aang chuckled and nudged Appa again, urging him gently to move on. But Appa didn't move to Aang's surprise. Then to Aang's horror, Appa leaned up, mouth opened wide, and chomped down on the branch, nest, chicks, and bird all. Before Aang could say another word, Appa began chewing, silencing the muffled tweets and chirps. Aang gagged at the sound of crunching, knowing that some of it was bones.

"Appa..." Aang gasped. Appa turned one large brown eye on his boy and kept chewing, thoroughly unbothered. Aang felt a flush creep up his neck and to his cheeks. He grabbed Appa's reins and tugged him back to camp. "That was bad, Appa! I can't believe you did that! Come on, we're going back to camp, and you can eat the grass where I can see you."

Appa groaned in protest, tugging against his reins trying to get back to the tasty tree, but Aang was persistent, and Appa didn't want to hurt him. He allowed the boy to lead him back to camp where there was little to eat except the bland, dry grass. The others looked up in surprise when Aang arrived back, still scolding Appa.

"What happened?" Sokka asked. Aang, still fuming, tied Appa's reins to a boulder.

"He ate a nest of birds!" Aang told his friends, outraged. When they exchanged confused glances, Aang rolled his eyes. Of course, they wouldn't get it. Aang could smell the meat they'd begun roasting for dinner.

"Appa is a vegetarian," Aang said, by way of explanation. More glances went through the group, this time more uncomfortable than confused.

"Well, sure," Katara said hesitantly. "For the most part." Aang turned to her, stunned.

"What do you mean for the most part?" he demanded.

"Well..." Katara shrugged, looking at her friends for help. "Well, it's just that Appa has eaten meat before."

"No he hasn't!" Aang scoffed. "Appa's been a vegetarian for his whole life!"

"I've seen him eat meat before," Katara told Aang gently. "Many times."

"Appa's been sneaking meat and you didn't tell me?" Aang gaped at Katara in horror.

"He hasn't been sneaking it," Katara said. "Last week he ate a rock squirrel. He caught it right where I was setting up my tent."

"I saw him catch and eat a tree hare," Sokka offered helpfully. "He's actually a pretty good hunter for his size."

"He catches a lot of animals just grazing on grass," Toph said with a shrug. "I thought you knew."

"Of course, I didn't know!" Aang shouted. "If I knew, I would have put a stop to it!"

"Aang," Zuko spoke up. "You do know that most animals eat meat, at least occasionally, right? Even the ones that live off of plants eat meat sometimes."

"Not flying bison!" Aang insisted. "Not Appa." He turned to his friend, who was grazing lazily. Appa didn't seem to have a care at all. Not about eating meat, not about how betrayed Aang felt. Aang stood watching him in stunned silence. Then he felt a warm slender arm slip around his shoulders.

"Hey," Katara said gently. "Why don't you come sit and calm down. I made you lentils and wild rock tubers." Aang allowed her to steer him away from Appa. Toph went in behind him and freed Appa from the boulder. He grunted at her gratefully before lumbering over to a small, green bush to graze. Suki and Sokka stood behind Aang, as if to shield him from the sight while Katara and Zuko gave him his dinner and a cup of water.

"You want a blanket?" Katara asked. Aang shook his head, but Katara went over to find one just in case. Zuko patted his back in a way that was intended to be comforting, but just felt stiff and awkward.

"I know how you feel about eating meat," he said. "But you have to understand that you not eating meat is a choice, and animals don't have the ability to make that choice. When they eat, it's based on instinct.

"Appa's not just some animal," Aang held stubbornly.

"I know he's not," Zuko said. "He's your friend, and he's very smart compared to a lot of other animals. But he is still an animal. It's his nature to eat what he needs when he needs it. It doesn't change anything about him."

Aang disagreed, but he knew he'd find no support among his friends. The problem, he convinced himself, was that Appa was now living with meat eaters. Aang could admit to himself that he, too, got curious about meat from time to time. No wonder Appa had, too. All Aang needed to do was keep a closer eye on his friend and keep him from making poor choices. After all, the monks had told him that flying bison, like airbenders, got their abilities from keeping pure. He would keep Appa away from meat for his own good.

Across the clearing, Appa had moved onto a new bush. This one had the most deliciously tart berries. Appa paused midchew and nosed the ground beneath the bush. He could smell a seagrouse nest nearby. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd get another bird before they had to leave the island.

#atla #appa #aang learns the concept of facultative herbivores #circle of life #zutara #mostly in subtext but still #inspired by a casual geographic video

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blacknailsandheartbreak · 1 year

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Imagine you’re walking around the local market with Zuko, but you’re completely happy and oblivious while he’s nonchalantly protecting you

Ok ok so, an imagine w Zuko, an innocent x protective trop we love. Super fluff... ONE OF MY FAVS SO FAR!!!

This gif really represents zukos demeanour and yours through all of this LOL

Word count 1300+

Ok so imagine...

The Gaang had decided to set up camp early this afternoon, they found a good spot and started to unload all their stuff. Katara asks you to head into the nearby market to pick up some food for the next day or so, you happily accept her request and grab your stuff, ready to head into town. Zuko’s helping Sokka set up some tents and sees you getting ready. Katara walks by with a basket of dirty clothes heading to the river to do some washing. He stops her and asks where you’re heading, she tells him the plan and he stares at you for a moment, she hands him a list and says he’s more than welcome to tag along with you. and that's exactly what he did.

On the walk into the market Zuko was on high alert, while you, not so much. you paid no attention to your feet, where you were walking, staring off into the sky or trees. A few times, Zuko had placed his hand on your waist and gently guided you from holes and branches, you aimlessly followed, completely unaware and in your own world. You smiled at his seriousness and insisted you would be fine, Zuko agreed with you but kept close behind.

Upon entering the market, Zuko knew his work was cut out for today. It was packed, busier than he had ever seen. He was a bit taken back and grabbed the bridge of his nose, spirits help me. He took a glance over his shoulder at the amount of people walking in, Zuko began to tell you to stay close, but when he looked back to where you were standing, you were gone. His eyes instantly widen and let out a curse, he does a quick scan and finds you at the first shop looking at flowers and chatting with the female running it. Zuko grabs his face and lets out an exasperated breath, taking note on how easily you move. He begins to walk over to you and catches other men taking second looks at you, elbowing his buddies and smirking with remarks. Heat begins to boil in Zuko as he makes his way to stand beside you. He towers close to you, making it super clear he is with you. He puts a hand on your shoulder, motioning you to keep moving, you thank the owner as she hands you a flower for free. You move along so happily, flowing as if in a hot spring, chatting to Zuko about how sweet the lady was. Meanwhile, half listening, he follows close behind, making sure nobody disrupts your flow.

As you made your way through the market, things were going relatively better than Zuko expected. Many people offered you free stuff, you were much too kind to walk by and ignore them so you always stopped to talk. Zuko would stand and wait with you but had to usher you on eventually when they got a bit too friendly for his liking. Men still stared and as much as Zuko wanted to confront them, he didn’t want to upset you. But, for the most part, they kept their distance, and whenever a guy got a little too gutsy, Zuko would glare at them and gently guide you by the waist into a different direction, and you always followed, unaware but just happy to be out.

You and Zuko stood in line for the fish market, you smiled and chatted with many passing people and people in line. Zuko, still standing close by your side, keeping a watchful eye on everything happening around you guys. You looped your hand through Zuko's arm and talked about birds flying overhead and the many flower stands you guys passed, wishing for a garden of your own. Zuko was half listening as he noticed a group of guys standing a little ways away. You handed Zuko the flower you were holding, he took it aimlessly, and you let go of him. One guy pointed at you and they all smirked, in an obviously distasteful way. Zuko looked back at you, and it caught him off guard to see you were bent over, helping an older woman pick up some of her stuff that she dropped. Zuko instantly looked back at the group of guys making inappropriate gestures, he stepped into their line of sight, and watched their faces of amusement from looking at you, and as they met eye line with Zuko, he pointed at the flower he was holding and burnt it, ash falling over his hand. The group looked away and sauntered off. Zuko was angry, he shook his head and dusted off his hands. You were still crouched down and chatting with the older lady, Zuko offered you a hand and helped you up, the lady thanked you and walked off. Again, you looped your hand through Zuko's arm and offered to take the flower back, realizing what you were waiting for he had come up with a little white lie of a passing young girl who wanted it. You smiled and poked at him, saying he did have some soft spots, and he wasn’t as serious as he led himself to be. Zuko rolled his eyes and let her go on about whatever came to her mind.

Finally leaving the market, you skipped a head a couple of feet and smiled, the sun was setting and the early night was so beautiful. Zuko walked a steady pace behind, holding the basket of food and supplies. Your innocence was so terrifying yet refreshing to him. You turned around with a couple flowers in your hand that Zuko had gotten for you to replace the one he ‘gave away’. Your smile was always so bright, never a frown showing through. So much light and joy radiated off of you, it seemed to spread to the people around you. Everyone you talked to, every person you hugged and shared a laugh with, just lifted their day. Zuko was forever in awe of how you presented yourself and kept such a positive demeanor all the time. But he knew you would learn the world one day, learn the cruelties and unfairness of it all. But that didn’t have to be right now. Right now, you were dancing along a path, in the sunset of nightfall with flowers in hand, smiling as if all the colours in the world were made for you.

You guys made your way back to camp, a fire already lit with everyone around chatting. You both joined the circle and Katara came around with tea and a blanket for the two of you. You sat close to Zuko, pressing your shoulder into his arm, holding close your flowers and a big smile on your face while explaining the wonderful afternoon at the market. Unbeknownst to you, Zuko could have told a completely different story, but he just nodded along with your words. Let you relive the beautiful afternoon at the busy market, keeping the raunchy events he saw unfold in the back of his mind. Katara smiled as you told your story of the flowers Zuko gave you in replacement, you poked at his arm and insisted he was nicer then he played out to be. Everyone laughed, but Katara gave Zuko a small knowing smirk, he quickly looked away waving her off.

There wasn’t much innocents left in this world, if it was, it was hard to find. Zuko lost his so long ago, faced the world in its blunt cruelties and took it as it was. But you held on so well, it seemed effortless. In all of his strength and power, he would make sure you held onto it as long as you could. But when the ugly truth of the world began to set in, he would be there to protect you, by your side, like always. Ready to burn down whoever steps in your path.

#Zuko #prince zuko #fire lord zuko #avatar zuko #zuko fanfic #atla #atla fanfic

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zukkaart · 8 months

Note

5 and 1 🙏

Couple #5: Ty Lee x Azula

Prompt #1: “Why are you helping a monster?”

For the prompt game!

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Two months after Azula is committed to the mental hospital

Ty Lee sat in the Jasmine Dragon with a few of her friends late one afternoon. Her and Zuko were engaged in a highly competitive game of Pai Sho while Mai and Sokka watched and chatted casually.

"Ha! I win!" Ty Lee exclaimed suddenly, jumping out of her seat. Zuko only responded with a groan of frustration. Iroh came up behind and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I thought you old uncle taught you better than this nephew," He spoke with a chuckle, he received only another groan in response.

"I guess it's a good thing you didn't have to beat Ozai in a game of Pai Sho for the fate of the world huh?" Ty Lee let out a light bubbling laugh. She wasn't wrong after all. The young woman then glanced up at the clock by the door, "Oh! Goodness me, I'm going to be late"

"Wait, where are you going?" Mai grabbed her arm before she could float her way out the door. "I'm headed to the hospital," Well, that's not a complete lie

She had hoped Mai would take the hint and drop it, it seemed like she would but then Sokka and his ever-diligent-oldest-brother tactics stepped in. The water tribe boy took both her arms gently in his and began scanning her over frantically. "What's wrong?" He demanded. Just then Zuko came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, spinning him so they were face to face.

"Sokka, nothing is wrong. She's going to see Azula," Sokka's face blanched noticeably. He wrenched out of Zuko's grasp and turned back to face her. "Azula? Why?" Ty Lee was sure he meant it out of concern rather than accusation, but it didn't come out that way. "Uhm, because she was my best friend Sokka," She folded her arms defensively, "And yes she made some mistakes but she needs help, why do you think Katara has been working so hard on hospital reform? It's a disaster after the war,"

She spoke clearly but Sokka couldn't hear her. It felt to him as though someone had shoved cotton in his ears. He understood that Azula was just another child used as cannon fodder in this war- especially after Zuko had explained everything to him. But he just couldn't get the image of Aangs motionless body, and the scar on Zuko's chest out of his head. He felt as though someone had just thrown him in to the ocean with his parka on, and he was drowning.

Which is why he couldn't stop the next words that left his mouth. "Why are you helping a monster?" He spat, Ty Lee's hurt expression wasn't enough to draw him back to reality, "She killed Aang, and nearly killed Zuko and Katara, how can you just forgive her so easily?!" Zuko sharply tugged on his arm to get him to stop, and Mai took a defensive half-step in front of Ty Lee- who just shoved her out of the way.

She got directly up in Sokka's face, more distraught than he had ever seen her. "So?" She countered, "I tried to kill all of you, so did Mai! So did Zuko! Yet you're sitting here with us as if nothing happened," "That's different, you've changed" "Yes! We've changed! Do you want to know why? Because we were given the opportunity to do so, and were surrounded by good people who decided to love us. Where is Azula's second chance? No one ever offered the other side to her. So don't you dare call her a monster when she was raised to be a weapon. You can use an arrow to cut fabric, but that does not change its nature," Satisfied with Sokka's remorseful look- she shoved past Mai and stormed in to the heart of Caldera.

~~~

"She still isn't full coherent, we're doing all we can but our resources are spread too thin" Someone spoke softly, but Azula felt as though she was listening from under water. Everything was muted and fuzzy.

"I understand, you can leave us. Thank you," Still muted, but a voice she almost recognized. Almost, She could have screamed from frustration, but she learned in her first week that screaming didn't help anything. It wasn't much different from living under her father in that way.

"Azula," That same voice was clearer now. She opened her eyes, squinting in an attempt to focus. She almost went back to bed, assuming it was one of the ever-changing nurses or guards coming in to drag her away to Agni-knows what. Upon further inspection, as the girl drew closer, a familiar shade of pink sparked her memory. Ty Lee - her mind finally provided. The only bit of consistency in this damned place.

Azula moved to hug her friend, suddenly awash with emotion. Only to be brutally reminded of her situation, the straight-jacket held her firmly in place. She hung her head, long dark hair falling around her. Her mind spun, trying to piece back together everything that had happened.

"Azula," The voice came again, followed by a hand on her forearm. Azula tried to jump back, pulling against her restraints. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's just me," That same hand reached up to cup her face. Tears began to roll down the princess' face. Ty Lee spoke again "I brought you a surprise, had to sneak it past the guards" Azula finally lifted her head to meet her eyes. Warm and familiar, it steadied her unlike anything else.

She still didn't respond, but Ty Lee always seem to understand anyway. She can probably read my aura or some other spirit superstitious nonsense. Azula scoffed to herself bitterly. The fact that her and Mai even got released from the boiling rock was an insult and dishonor. They would all pay for that one day.

But for now, Ty Lee was dangling a strip of read leather in front of her face. Azula's favorite hair piece, it was worn and soft with time. She reminisced on the day her mother gave it to her, it was a much darker shade of red then, with thin strings of gold woven in to the edges. It made her heart ache, mother.

"Let's handle this then," Ty Lee mused brightly. She twirled her way behind Azula, moving smoother than royal silk. Her soft hands raked through Azula's hair in a feeble attempt to get the worst of the tangles out. Azula was prone to bouts or rage and thrashing, the nurses had long since given up attempting to keep her looking presentable. Even if she was technically still the princess.

Soon after, her hair was pulled out of her face- just the top half. Azula was reminded of... something... a beach? A volleyball net, dusk, a handsome boy, a beautiful smile, a bonfire, a monster.

"It's okay Azula," Ty Lee was kneeling in front of her now, hands placed on the bound girls knees, "I won't leave you behind,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay this one was drammaaaaaa I really tried to keep the characters true to how I think they would act if this actually took place in the show I hope you enjoyed! xoxo

#sokka #zuko #avatar the last airbender #sokka avatar the last airbender #atla #azula #ty lee #tyzula #azula x ty lee #post canon #promts #writing prompts #send me asks

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soopersara · 3 months

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I'm intrigued! SB-08 - Whimsical please!

I just spotted the fic in your masterlist and .. love the premise. Now I must go read...after work. :D

Thanks for the ask!

So SB 08 - Whimsical is chapter 8 (and probably 9, 10, 11, etc - I didn't split the chapters up very well and the doc is over 13k words) of Stolen Bending, a fic that's been on hiatus for... longer than I'm proud of. It's not abandoned by any means, but my plans for later in the fic have always been squishy at best, I was dealing with some burnout and writer's block when I posted the last few chapters, and I just haven't gotten back to iron out the squishiness in between getting my other projects back on track post-writer's block.

Oh, and it's named "Whimsical" because my plan to keep the fic's length from ballooning out of control was to structure the story around old Zutara Week prompts—specifically the prompts from 2012, in this case. But, uh... when each "prompt" was getting to the 10-20k range, I had to accept that I had another novel-length fic on my hands. Whoops.

But there's some very fun goofiness that I'd completely forgotten about mixed in there - have some element-swapped Zutara meeting the musical hippy nomads as a treat!

"Hmm." Katara shaded her eyes with her hand. "What do you say that we just tell Sokka that it's full of fish, then laugh when the only thing he can catch is seaweed?"

The idea took him off guard, and he snorted. "That's one of the better ideas I've heard in a while. " He broke off when he heard something odd from the far side of the pond.

Katara glanced up at him, then she paused too, brows furrowing as she squinted off across the pond. "Is that—"

The approaching noises grew louder, and Zuko grabbed hold of her forearm. "I don't know. Let's just go before—"

He didn't make it any farther than that before a flash of color appeared through the trees, then another and another and another—not, to his surprise, because there were very many people coming their way, but because each of them wore almost clownishly bright outfits.

Zuko stared. On the one hand, this could possibly be a good thing. No one who willingly looked that absurd could pose a serious threat. On the other, these people were definitely out of their minds. Dangerous or not, he could hardly imagine this encounter ending well.

Unfortunately, it was probably too late to flee, and Katara didn't seem inclined to move anyway. Maybe it was curiosity or friendliness or even politeness, but it seemed that Zuko was stuck regardless.

The first of the strangers—a relatively tall, lanky man with shaggy, chin-length hair—burst from the trees and stopped at the edge of the water, slack-jawed.

"Whoa. Check out the river spirits, everyone." There was a slow, drawling quality to the man's voice that matched his almost vacant expression a bit too well. "Total coolness."

Zuko blinked. Then, entirely by reflex, "This isn't even a river. It's a pond."

Katara shot a bemused half-smile up at him, but the stranger across the pond nodded as though that were somehow a profound statement.

"Awesome. We found some pond spirits."

At that, Katara covered her mouth, but not quite fast enough to suppress her laugh. "We aren't spirits. We're just normal people."

"Oh," the man said as his companions—a very round man and a woman who might have been even taller than the first stranger—joined him. "Cool."

If there was any doubt left in Zuko's mind, that was enough to dispel it. These people were insane.

He gave Katara's arm a slight tug. "Let's just go back to camp," he said, quiet enough that the crazy people wouldn't be able to hear him. "If your brother wants to fish for pond grass, I say we let him."

#zutara #zutara fanfiction #Stolen Bending #I swear I haven't forgotten this fic #I've just been too busy getting Ice & Smoke bakc up and running #to rework my plans for the middle/end of Stolen Bending #(there was originally a vague roadmap for where I wanted it to go but when I got to Chapter 7 #I realized that the way *I* would write those planned story arcs didn't fit the tone of the story to that point)

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 4 months

Text

Vicarious (Part 40)

She had expected tears. There had been tears. Tears of relief and delight. The sort that can only be shed when a moment is particularly touching. The contrast to her own reunion makes her throat constrict, not that she had expected things to play out any differently.

Zuko idolizes the woman. He doesn’t question why she had left. He isn’t bitter about it. He very well might be a few days or even weeks from now when the charm wears off and he has a chance to really think things over.

When the rosy tint of a warm moment gives way to the icy grays of logic.

It is a long while before the two break apart, longer than an embrace ought to be if Azula did say so. When they do Ursa is still holding one of his hands. Her other cups the scar. “Oh. What did he do to you?” She inquires softly. She knows the answer. “He did this to you.” It is almost a squeak and this time her tears are anything but happy.

Azula keeps to her own little corner of the room, arms folded across her chest, lest the woman start asking if father had done anything to her. She doesn’t want to talk about that. Not anymore than she has already let slip.

And what can Zuko say? Other than answering with the grizzly truth. Other than telling her just what the war had done to not just himself but to Azula herself. She holds her breath, anticipating a sob story about her. She casts a glance at Sokka. She releases a breath when she sees that he has her arms covered.

She isn’t ready to delve into that yet. Isn’t ready to have mother sobbing over her scars and her story.

Hakoda and Katara chatter amongst themselves, trying not to overhear things that aren’t particularly meant for their ears but not personal enough to have behind closed doors. Azula wonders if they regret coming along yet.

“I should have taken you with me.” Ursa mumbles. “I should have taken both of you with me.”

But then he would have hunted them down, sent a party of imperial firebenders to bring she and Zuzu home and wrath down upon mother. She supposes that there truly was no good way to approach the situation. No scenario that would have spared them some type of suffering. It was simply a matter of choosing the best brand of agony, a matter of choosing who would bear the brunt of it and in which manner it would be borne.

Zuko had weathered much of the physical and she had shouldered most of the emotional.

And mother?

Mother suffered the weight of mourning and guilt.

Father suffered none.

“You’re making a face.” Sokka remarks.

“Faces tend to have expressions on them, yes.” Azula agrees.

“Okay but this one is a scary one.”

Azula shrugs.

“Are you still mad at her?”

Azula shakes her head. Perhaps a fragment of her is. But mostly she is sad. She thinks that she has always been sad rather than angry. “It’s been a long day. A long week.” A long few months. A long few years.

She is more than ready to reach a point in life where she feels okay and relaxed more often than she feels stressed or upset. More than ready to take in a deep breath of fresh air and hold it for as long as she can.

Getting back into her own skin would be a nice start.

.oOo.

Sokka didn’t realize that Zuko could talk that much. But hey, one story leads to another. At least they all aren’t completely depressing. He can tell that Azula is getting anxious in spite of her assurances that she is alright.

“Do you want to try to switch back?” He asks.

“I can’t just…it doesn’t work like that.”

“No, but solving each other’s problems was what got us back to where we belonged the last time. I don’t have anything for you to fix and I think that you are handling this whole thing with your mom pretty well.”

“You have a strange way of defining ‘well’.” Azula mutters.

“Well you haven’t set her on fire yet. Or anything else for that matter.”

Azula sighs a sigh that bleeds into her first two words, “I don’t set things on fire when I’m angry, Sokka. That’s Zuzu’s thing.”

“I know, I was just joking.” He replies. “I was thinking that we could try, I don’t know meditating. That’s how Aang fixes a lot of his spirit related problems.

“It couldn’t hurt, I suppose.” Azula agrees. Unless they massively mess up and she transports her soul into that of an iguana-parrot.

Sokka takes her hand and leads her out to the inn’s garden. He doesn’t let go of her hand when they are seated cross legged before a koi pond. For some time they watch the fish swim about, flicking their tails and flashing their scales. The sun twinkles upon the lightly stirred water.

“Close your eyes, alright.” Sokka instructs.

“And then what?”

“I don’t know, clear your mind or something? Really try to feel your soul?”

It wasn’t so eloquently spoken but she thinks that he might have the right idea. She needs to clear out the clutter in her mind, release her breath and really feel her soul. Discover the shape of it, the color of it. TyLee had always told her that she had a golden aura–sometimes she wonders if the girl had just been trying to inflate her ego.

She closes her eyes and tries to find her soul. She imagines that the largest portion dwells near her fire chakra. But she can’t seem to find it in her mind’s eye. Instead she focuses on the hand that she holds. Her hand—small, warm, soft. Long, sharp nails that are painted red. She tries to remember as vividly as she can, the way her scars felt when she was tracing Sokka’s fingers over them. Tries to remember how her body felt. Hot, comes to mind, her skin has always been warm to the touch. Deceptively delicate, also comes to mind.

She exhales.

And there it is, drifting into her thoughts; a soft glow. It is mostly red in color with spots of orange and touches of green that seems entwined with strands of gray. Her aura. Her soul. It is much brighter than she had imagined that it would be but not quite as large. It takes the shape of a subdued flame. One that burns very stubbornly.

She thinks that she can see Sokka’s too. The swirling current is out of place, residing in the shimmery outline of her physical body that appears in her mind’s eye. It is a spiral of blue and deep indigo—a powerful and thriving hurricane that belongs in the body where her flame burns now.

She exhales again and slides her hand up her own arm, over her shoulder, up her neck. She cups her own cheek, brushes her thumb over her own lips until she is certain that she has a sense of her physical self.

And then, with one more pointed exhale, she releases her soul.

It is exhilarating.

Terrifying.

Her soul can go anywhere that she wants it to go. She can wrap it around one of the palm trees, find it a home in one of the koi.

But the place that she wants it to go is exactly where it belongs. She lets it find a home right by her fire chakra. Right next to that hurricane. For a moment she is terrified that the hurricane with smother it.

Instead it recedes like a tide.

It drains away. She watches it flow from the outline of her body to the outline of Sokka’s.

When she opens her eyes she is staring down at her own palms.

Sokka is grinning wider than ever, he throws his arms around her.

.oOo.

Ursa’s home is small and cluttered. The windows are left open for the curtains to billow in the breeze. The floor hosts a scatter of colorful rugs with vibrant geometric patterns. Rugs with tassels hang from the walls alongside wooden theater masks and Ember Island Players posters. Seashells, dried starfish, and sand dollars are scattered on almost every surface. Just when Azula thinks that she has found them all, she spots another one on a different shelf. There is an abundance of fruit, likely harvested from the lush garden Ursa has upkept in the backyard.

Mango, banana, and coconut trees encroach on the patio space threatening to drop their respective fruits onto anyone who might try to sit in one of the wicker chairs arranged around the firepit.

When it has no fire to kindle within it, there are paper lanterns strewn in the trees and wooden torches lining the entirety of the garden path to light the way.

Looking out upon it, it becomes easier for Azula to understand why Ursa has been reluctant to come home. Who would trade such a leisurely, charming life for the chaos and palace politics, for city politics in general.

Who aside from Azula herself who has become just as resentful of the challenges and hard work as she is prideful to have nearly mastered navigating them?

“I was hoping to show you all how to make some dragonfruit salad.” Ursa smiles as she leads them onto the patio and unfolds a miniature table. “Have either of you two done any type of cooking before?”

Azula exchanges a glance with Zuko who grimaces.

Oh this will certainly be an ordeal, even if it is just a salad.

“I happen to be a master chef.” Sokka declares.

“I don’t know if Pakku would say the same thing.” Katara remarks.

“Azula likes my cooking.” Sokka declares

“Just because it hasn’t killed me doesn’t mean that I like it.” Azula replies. If only to get him to stop wearing that stupid pout on his face she mutters, “he cooks some of the better meals that I’ve had.”

And now he is fixing her with a much more ridiculous lopsided smile. The one that really only belongs on his face, the one that leaves her thankful that, that is exactly where it is.

“The first thing we will do is cube the fruits.” Ursa hands the knife to Sokka.

Azula clears her throat. “I suppose that now is a good time to mention that we switched back again.” She had assumed that their dialogue had been a hint enough.

Ursa, face flushed mutters, “right, yes”, and hands the knife to her. Azula stares at the utensil as though she has never seen one before.

“When did you switch back?” Katara asks.

“While Zuzu and mother were talking. It’s not a long story but it’s a detailed one.” Azula replies. “I can share it after we finish making salad.”

Hakoda nods. “Lunch and a story. Can’t argue with that.”

Ursa takes her cue. Beginning again she says, “The first step is to cube the fruits.”

“What are we doing to the fruit?” Zuko frowns.

Ursa chuckles. “You’re cutting it into cubes.”

“Cubes!? Why can’t we just slice them?”

Azula rolls her eyes, “because it doesn’t look as nice that way, dumb-dumb.”

“Don’t call your brother dumb.” Ursa mumbles.

“I’m sorry.” Azula pauses. “Because it doesn’t look as nice that way, moron.”

Ursa sighs. Azula could swear that she detects at least a little bit of humor in that sigh. “If you keep calling your brother names I will make you cut the mangos instead of the dragonfruit.” She arranges a few fruits onto a cutting board. “So here’s how you cube a fruit.”

She and Zuko lean in and watch the woman cut at the fruit with skilled precision. The cubes she cuts are shaped perfectly enough to stack. It is almost mesmerizing—a type of satisfying perfection that appeases Azula to her core. She almost misses the instructions that Ursa gives.

“Now give it a try.” The woman hands Zuko a mango and Azula a dragon fruit. “What fruits do you three want to work with. I have watermelons, pineapples, cantaloupes…”

“Watermelon, please.” Katara smiles.

“Pineapples have zing.” Sokka declares. “I’ll cut the pineapples.”

“I’m a guava sort of man.” Hakoda says.

Ursa nods at each of them. “When all of those have been cubed we can add some starfruit and some dressings.” She pauses. “I usually like to add a bit of honey.”

With the breeze whipping at her hair, Azula stares at her dragonfruit and inhales. “Alright, fruit, prepare to…”

Sokka chuckles. “Oh you’re one of those people.”

“One of what people!?”

“The people who talks to objects that they interact with.” He beams at her.

Azula’s cheeks flush. She really ought to break that particular habit. She catches a flicker of a smile cross mother’s face. She lines the knife up with the dragonfruit and tries to make the first cut, flinching when the knife cuts diagonally.

“That’s alright.” Ursa takes the dragonfruit. “I have plenty more.” She replaces it with another. “Can I?” She gestures to Azula’s hand and Azula nods. The woman takes her by the wrist and guides her hand through the first several cuts.

There is a prickle in her belly. A strange sense of longing. Longing for something that could have been but never had a chance to be. She finds herself captured by this notion, this sense that, in some other lifetime, this is how things could have been.

Life could have been mundane with summers spent chopping fruits with mother and Zuzu with a fragrance of fruit juice and flora in her nose. With sunrises and sunsets and daily kisses from the sun in the afternoon.

It didn’t have to be how it was.

But it was how it was.

She supposes that moments like these are better late than passed by altogether.

#avatar the last airbender #azula #sokka #sokkla #fanfiction

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juniperhillpatient · 1 year

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Idk i went into a spiral now im thinking about Mai x Suki x Zuko x Sokka. Oh the wars they could bring (or crack). Thoughts?

Ooh, great potential!

Imagine post-war that Zuko stays close to Sokka & Suki. After all, doing a prison break together seems like the kind of activity that will leave you bonded for life. Of course, Zuko is close to the entire Gaang postwar. But, for the sake of this potential ship let's say he's spending a lot of time with Sokka & Suki, visiting the Southern Water Tribe a lot, & when they visit, the time gets lost. Mai isn't the type to act outwardly jealous, but she feels left out because she doesn't really know them. Zuko wants to make her feel more included once he figures this out (possibly after she's acting snippy for no reason & he gets mad & eventually it comes out during an argument). So, he starts arranging double dates, & pushing Suki especially to do "girly bonding things" with Mai.

Okay, apparently you're not the only one who can spiral, Anon, because I started rambling about this poly ship way too much :) More thoughts below :)

Well, Mai isn't much for "girly bonding things" but perhaps someone tries to assassinate Mai on a failed outing that mostly involved bickering. She is after all the Fire Lady. Mai can obviously hold her own in a fight, but maybe she throws all her knives & they're surrounded or something. Suki kicks ass & Mai has an "oh shit she's hot" moment that she misinterprets as starting to like Suki platonically.

Mai & Sokka are actually the ones who bond over girly things, & it's completely accidental. Mai mentions a specific goth fashionista she admires & Sokka gets all excited because he thought Mai's Look was accidental & upon discovering that she has an interest in fashion, he invites her shopping. They get mani pedis & lunch & Mai actually enjoys hearing Sokka ramble on about the Southern Water Tribe versus Fire Nation culture, & clothes, & engineering, & everything else. She's quiet, so it's nice that someone else is doing all the talking, & there's not a lot of pressure.

The four of them become good friends. Then moments start happening between Mai & Suki. Lingering glances. Hand brushes that last too long. Games of footsie under the table at supper or beneath the blankets while sitting at the beach. Zuko & Sokka start having these moments too. Zuko tells himself it's nothing because Sokka is a guy & he doesn't like guys (he tries to forget a certain rebel boy who died during the war that he kissed a couple times in secret, that was nothing, he never thinks about it, or so he tells himself). Sokka is just a good friend, who listens when Zuko talks about how hard it is to have a sister he can't be close too, & makes Zuko laugh even when he feels like crying. It's nothing more than that. Right?

Sokka & Suki are both bi & they've talked about it privately & are open to involving Mai & Zuko in their relationship, but they don't know if Mai & Zuko are up for it. They agree not to bring it up, for fear of ruining the friendship. If Zuko & Mai are into it, they'll tell them. Zuko & Mai have a talk one night, & both admit that they're having these feelings. Zuko brings it up first & Mai shuts down, & Zuko starts freaking out thinking she's mad, so eventually she explains it's just that she's having some uncertainty too.

Zuko & Mai agree to try to move past these bisexual awakenings until one night Mai & Sokka are hanging out one on one. They get a little tipsy & Sokka makes Mai laugh really hard, which never happens. She falls onto his shoulder, & when she draws away, he kisses her. She's into it for a moment, then she runs away without a word. Mai tells Zuko what happened. They agree to keep their distance, for a while, but they never explain why. Katara tells Zuko that Sokka asks about him. Zuko pretends there's not a reason for the distance.

Time passes. The distance hurts. Sokka feels horrible & ashamed. Suki tells him it's not his fault, but he still feels bad. They agree not to tell their other friends, they wouldn't understand. Aang tries to ask both parties about it, & bring peace, but they blow him off. Toph always knows that these four are lying about something, she just doesn't know what. She tries to push them, & it leads to the biggest fight she & Zuko have ever had.

Then, something big happens. There's an assassination attempt & Zuko almost dies. He'll make a full recovery, but he's got a bad injury from getting shot with an arrow. The entire Gaang comes of course. Azula comes to check on Zuko, & that's weird, & Zuko wishes desperately that Sokka was around to ask advice.

Then, Sokka & Suki show up. In her excitement to see her old friend alive, Suki full on kisses Zuko on the lips right in front of Sokka & Mai. At first, Mai is shocked. Sokka starts laughing then, & Mai is even more shocked.

Well, finally, the truth starts to come out. Zuko says something about it being a good kiss, & that breaks the tension & they start to talk. Slowly, everyone slowly realizes that they should all just be together as a foursome, actually. Activities start to ensue right there in the hospital room, but Zuko's injury stops them. They realize that they should maybe talk more, actually. But they agree to all four spend the night together, & maybe cuddle, that night.

#atla au ideas #atla fic ideas #zukka #maiko #maikka #maiki #zukki #no idea what the ship name for this ship would be or what else to tag lol!#but anyway yea i like this idea

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krastbannert · 2 years

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Hello. It's me. Comfy. I'm here to ruin your life.

Would you pretty plz do a prompt for the Bingo thing. Would you, so pretty please, do the (1) College with Zukka.

I'll come back for more ships that I want

Comfy, sweetheart, you ruin my life in the best way possible.

As a matter of fact, yes, I can do Zukka. Apparently. I've never written Zukka before and I really haven't written a lot of stuff from Sokka's POV, so...hopefully it was at least somewhat okay.

Written in honor of @avatar-pride-month day 1, for the prompt "First Kiss". @terracyte this one is for you, too - I know you're quite as actively into ATLA as you used to be, but I know you like Zukka.

@atla-multishipping-bingo

Modern AU Bingo I1 - College

“Sokka? Hey, idiot, wake up!”

Sokka slowly raises his head, blinking against the light.

“Huh?” he mumbles, rubbing a hand over his eyes.” ‘hat time i’it?”

“Uh…like…midnight,” Zuko says. Sokka groans, leans back in his chair. Damn - he must have fallen asleep. Not the first time he’s done that while studying.

(Why did engineering have to be so damn hard? It was just stupid - there was no reason his professors needed to do this.)

“Fuck this, I’m switching majors,” Sokka grumbles, reaching for his pencil.

Zuko chuckles, exhausted but somehow still warm - it makes his stomach flip, like it always does.” Bit late for that. Besides, you’d miss me.”

“Hah, miss you? In your dreams, grumpy,” Sokka laughs. He barely manages to hide the blush on his face as he closes one of the textbooks in front of him. The truth is yeah, he would miss Zuko. A lot. (Damn that man. Damn him, and damn his stupid crush.)

“We should get out of here,” Zuko suddenly says.” We need a break from studying for this damn final.”

Sokka raises an eyebrow. He’s right, they did need a break - but Zuko? Suggesting a break? Now that was strange.” And…go where?”

Zuko smirks, his smile tugging at the corner of his scar..

(Oh. Oh no.

It’s that smirk. The one that says,’ I have a terrible idea and you’re going to hate me for it at first.’

It’s the one that, for all his organization skills and his brains, for all his instincts that screamed to have plans, he never could resist that smirk.)

It’s all a blur but somehow they end up on the roof of the library, laying against each other as they stare up at the stars. Something, he thinks, seems to slide into place because this just feels right. He can’t pinpoint and that annoys him because there’s always an explanation for things - that was what science was for - but he feels it.

“Crazy to think you’re learning how to get people up there,” Zuko whispers in the gloom.

Sokka shrugs.” Not that complicated, really. Mix hydrogen and oxygen together in a tube, ignite them, and boom. Rocket.”

Zuko snorts.” You make it sound so simple.”

“It is! I don’t know what you find so complicated about it!”

“I don’t think it’s that complicated,” he whispers after a long moment.” I just like listening to you explain it.”

“...oh,” Sokka murmurs, glancing over at his friend. (Friend. Because that’s all they were. Just friends. Nevermind the late nights and the falling asleep back to back and stealing each other’s food and…a hundred other things besides.

Is it wrong for him to want more? No, it’s not, he knows that, he’s just being stupid. But how was he even supposed to start? He couldn’t even get himself to just go out and say he liked him.)

“You just get…really, really excited about it,” Zuko says, and almost as an afterthought, so quiet Sokka is barely able to hear it over the hum of the night, adds,” And you’re cute when you get excited.”

Cute. Zuko thought…he was cute? That…that was news. Very, very gratifying news. Sokka can’t help but roll over to look at Zuko, and sure there’s a pipe digging into his side and it’s cold enough that his breath is fogging up in the evening air and the breeze is cutting through his thin jacket, but in this second…there’s nowhere he’d rather be.

He acts, for once, on complete impulse.

He’ll try to remember, later, what makes him do it. Whether it’s the stars that seem to be in Zuko’s eyes, the way his little smirk tugs at the corners of his lips, or just pent-up frustration after a year of this damn crush, Sokka doesn’t know. And really, he doesn’t think he ever will. But what he does know is that one moment, he’s staring at Zuko, at his eyes, his hair, his scar, his lips, and wondering how a person can look that damn good, and the next, he’s kissing him.

(Cinnamon. He tastes like cinnamon. Probably his damn fire flakes.)

Sokka has to pull back a moment later because fuck fuck fuck his lips are burning. He gags, wipes at his lips and tongue.

“What the fuck have you been eating, man?” Sokka says.” Your lips are like a spirits-damned volcano!”

There’s a long, very long moment where Sokka wonders if he’s just a horrible mistake, if he’s just ruined everything, before Zuko starts laughing. Laughing, the bastard.“ You sat next to me the entire evening! You’re the one who kissed me when you knew I’d been eating fire flakes all night, you idiot.”

Sokka huffs.” You’re lucky I like you, dumbass.”

“I think we’re both lucky,” Zuko says, tugging him close. He leans up, lips puckered, and Sokka narrowly manages to shove his face to the side.

“Oh, no! Go wash your mouth first! I’m not kissing you when you’ve been eating your spicy Fire Nation nonsense.”

Zuko rolls his eyes.” You’re such a wimp, Sokka.”

“And you need to eat less spicy food. Food is supposed to taste good, not just burn the taste away!”

“...touché.”

#krast answers asks #@mycomfortblanket #zukka #sokka #zuko #sokka x zuko #atla fanfic #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #atla multishipping bingo #honestly never thought i would be writing zukka #but here we are #atla

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lifewtr · 10 months

Text

SURRENDER | M | 3/? (3144w).

Chapter Summary: Katara, after hitting a wall with her gift (and her reaction to it), takes her frustrations out on parchment. Zuko reflects on how he came to choose her gift to begin with.

A/N: i've been enjoying myself while writing this! usually i am all over the place with my fics, writing and updating many different ones at once, but deciding to commit to just the one is a nice change in pace so far. it's been a slow start, and will probably be slow going, but going it is. anyway, more zuko coming soon! ;)

Chapter 3: TWO.

Zuko, What the fuck?

Katara makes a face at the drying navy ink, not knowing what else to write; feeling like she is somehow wasting her time; and then glances across her bedroom toward the object of her ire. She hadn’t closed the book out of sheer spite, but something deep down had kept her from turning to the next page.

That, and no matter how she pried, picked, and pulled, the strange, waxy parchment covering the beginnings of the third chapter—and what looked to be the rest of the tome, to her disgruntled observation—never once budged out of place.

It has now been three days since her birthday, which marked ten more days until the Tribal Council’s quarterly summit with the Earth Kingdom’s ambassadorial party. Despite the work she’s long since had scheduled for herself to go through in preparation, there has only been one thing weighing at the back of her head; one thing that had kept her distracted while amongst the presence of her friends during the last few days she’s had off. Haru had asked her at least four times if she was okay at breakfast on the first day after her Lunar Return, Suki twice at lunch on the second day, and Toph once just before dinner last night—which was more than enough to be alarming by any of their standards, even her Dad’s. Sokka hadn’t said a word the entire time, but the concerned looks he’d thrown her way had been perfectly loud enough.

Aang, of course, had practically ignored her completely, going about the gang’s last moments together with nothing but his usual joy.

“You’re no help,” she’d grumbled at him after her umpteenth question about the book—about what and why and why again.

“I’m the Avatar,” Aang had only grinned slyly at her, “I’m all of the help.”

And so, with it being the next morning—with Aang and Appa now ferrying everyone back across the world to their respective outposts—she is alone and she is going to ask Zuko herself.

And so, Control (the Art of Surrender) by Awakajuzu Kai lays wide open right where she’d left it to begin with, bookmarked where the contents of chapter three are supposed to be.

Katara glares.

Neat, tilted black ink glares right back at her; the memory of a smoky timbre surfacing with the words.

A tiny growl of frustration escapes her throat. This doesn’t make any sense, she thinks snappily, just get up and turn the page, Katara!

Except she doesn’t. Can’t, for whatever Tui-forsaken reason.

You have chosen the path of surrender, the first chapter read, welcome...

Katara lifts more navy ink from her inkwell, her finger twirling furiously as she bends the liquid to her will. [ x ]

#zutara #zutara fic #atla fanfic #avatar: the last airbender #zuko x katara #i've been thinking about doing a full cross post so everyone doesnt have to rely on ao3..#idk though? lmk if that's something to look into if you're reading this!!#enojoyy #<3

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unfriedough · 3 years

Text

‘A classic’- Zuko x female!reader

Masterlist <3

An: GOOD DAY FRIENDS. Wow, school is hard. Not fun :( but during the past week or so, I’ve gained a good amount of followers and I am so happy! Anyways, here’s the ‘there was only one bed’ trope because there are not enough Zuko fics with this trope. Also, would y’all be interested in a Social media au? If I could come up with an idea?

Summary:

2 teenagers, 1 bed, need I say more?

Warnings: Just two kids and a small bed, Zuko gets pinned under reader,(still not smut), Sokka has a suggestive idea.

Maybe if you had pleaded to share with Katara, you wouldn’t have ended up here, in a small hut, with one bed left, and a flustered firebender next to you.

In your defense, you had expected to share with Aang, who ended up sharing with Toph.

So now, you and Zuko stared blankly at the bed.

“I can take the floor,” The former prince said, glancing at you.

You both looked to the ground, which was just disgusting, littered with dust, scraps, and hairs - surely no one could sleep there!

You moved to get on the bed, and noticed Zuko sweeping the ground with his shoe - making space for him to sleep.

“You were serious?”

When you motioned with your hand for him to join you, the poor guy looked like a deer in headlights.

You smiled softly as he rounded the bed, and appeared at the other side. You took the right side of the bed, and he took the left.

You both laid looking in opposite directions, completely uncomfortable and flustered.

Then you felt flailing.

Apparently, Zuko rolled off of the bed.

You sat up quickly, only to find him on the ground, rubbing his head.

A hand flew to cover your mouth, muffling your laughs.

“Are you okay?” you did your best not to giggle, but anything is hilarious at this time of night.

“Yeah, I guess,” he rolled his eyes.

You pushed off the sheets and got up, helping him to his feet.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Y/n, I’m sure,”

And with that, you both returned to bed.

Zuko was sure he wasn’t going to get any sleep, so he opted to just stare at the ceiling, however, You got knocked out pretty fast. You turned over, body facing the firebender, your head falling on to the tip of Zuko’s shoulder. His face turned bright red, but soon softened at your shaking figure - you were cold, and drawn to the heat. He carefully slid an arm around you, pulling you closer. Instantly, you relaxed into him, sliding an arm onto his chest, and tangling your legs. He would be lying if he didn’t say this was his happiest moment. Although Zuko didn’t expect to fall asleep, he had the best rest he has had in a while.

You were slowly gaining consciousness, digging your face further into your pillow. You heard a soft groan come from the pillow, no wait, ZUKO?!

You pulled your face back immediately letting go of him.

“Sorry, I thought you were a pillow.” you laughed awkwardly as you sat up, before you realised he was still asleep.

He shuffled a bit, before wrapping his arms around your waist, and nuzzling his face into your side.

Your brain malfunctioned, maybe you could stay in bed a little longer? You played with his hair as he snored softly.

“Y/n,” he mumbled sleepily against you, his breath tickling your sides.

“Morning sleepy.”

He mumbled something incoherent before nuzzling his head back into your side. You let out a giggle, and that’s when Zuko realised.

He shot back so fast, he almost fell off the bed, thankfully, you pulled him before he could.

“S-sorry.” he scratched his neck awkwardly.

“Don’t apologise, it was cute. You’re cute.”

He stared in shock as pink tinted the tips of his ears and stretched across his face.

You smiled at his state, placing your face right in front of his.

“Are you blushing?” you smirked.

But before you knew it, he closed the distance. His lips felt soft and desperate against yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck,tangling them with his hair, and he pulled you into his lap.

You both separated after a few seconds, panting and staring at each other longingly.

But before the moment could evolve, you heard Sokka stirring from his sleep - thankfully, no one witnessed that.

You and Zuko split, and went about your day, packing up to leave this location for the next.

“Oh, I can grab the hay, be right back!” you yelled, as you went to grab Appa’s leftovers.

As you made your way behind the hut, you hummed a gentle tune.

Footsteps. Footsteps behind you. Your breath hitched, and as soon as they were close enough, you tackled them to the ground, pinning them beneath you.

“Zuko?” You questioned, forgetting to move off of him.

“Hi,”

“Why were you following me?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” he looked away suspiciously.

“Okay, well go ahead,”

“About earlier, I just wanted to ask if this means you like me back?” he mumbled extremely quickly.

You neared your face to his again.

“Yes Zuko, it means I like you back,” you smiled.

Then you crashed your lips onto his, having a sweet kiss on the dirt.

“WHAT IN APPA’S LEFTOVER HAY IS GOING ON HERE?”

You broke the kiss to look at Sokka, who looked horrified.

Then you realized you had Zuko pinned under you.

“WAIT SOKKA!”

An:*clown music plays*. Honestly, surprised I’m haven’t I written this earlier but uh here we are: there was only one bed. As always, hope you enjoyed this story, SEE YA! <3

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bisexuallsokka · 2 years

Note

56 for the zukka prompts! 🙏🙏

56. Those period shirts with the puffy sleeves and the deep v and one staring at the other like… oh no he/she’s hot.

Zuko's sigh can be heard throughout the whole apartment. "I feel ridiculous."

"You look great, Sparky."

"That means a lot coming from you, Toph," he says dryly.

"Come on, Zuko! We're all ready to go!" Katara calls out despite the fact that she is stretched out on the couch, her Han Solo boots and holster in a pile on the ground and her eyes watching something on her phone.

Sokka, for his part, is actually ready...at least, he will be once he checks his fangs in the bathroom mirror for the dozenth time. He fights the urge to run his fingers through his hair, afraid of what Suki would do to him for ruining her hard work (and all the hair gel).

He walks away before he can find an imperfection in his reflection, leaning against the doorframe of Zuko's bedroom. Suki and Zuko have their backs to him as she finishes his braid while Toph sits on Zuko's bed with her arms crossed.

"Everything good?" he asks, and Toph turns her head toward him.

"Never thought we'd live to witness the day that Sokka was ready before Zuko," she mutters.

"Nice costume," Suki smirks, glancing at him over her shoulder for just a second before focusing on her work again.

"Thanks," Sokka says, ignoring the slight lisp the fake teeth have given him.

"I definitely called dibs on being the vampire before you did," Zuko says under his breath, and Suki finishes the braid with a triumphant, "Ta da!"

"Get over it, you look great as a pirate," she adds. "What do you think, Sokka?"

Suki steps aside as Zuko turns for the reveal. His hands are in his pockets, but that does nothing to diminish the effect of the white puffy sleeves he's got on. In different circumstances, Sokka would tease him about how stupid it looks, but now...

Maybe it's the tight pants, maybe it's the eyeliner, quite possibly it's the obscenely low v-neck, or maybe it's just the fact that Sokka has always had a thing for pirates. Whatever it is, the whole costume has done an effective job of shortcircuiting his brain entirely.

"Uhh," he says, once he realizes that his three friends are still waiting on a response and he has yet to give one. He can't think of anything to say that doesn't sound completely embarrassing, and looks to Suki for help.

"Good job, Zuko, you've rendered him speechless. A rare feat for our dear Sokka, so I think that's the stellar review you're looking for," Suki says, and Toph cackles.

Zuko gives Sokka a shy smile, and Sokka clears his throat and has to force himself to turn around and exit the room before he can dig himself in any deeper. "Come on, losers, Yue will kill us if we're any later to her Halloween party."

#deletedlamb #thanks for the prompt!!#ask me stuff #prompts #my writing #zukka

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the-badger-mole · 1 year

Text

Late Night Regrets

There was a reason that Aang didn't drink. The aching in his head, fuzziness in his mouth, and the way the room spun around him when the stood up to go to the bathroom were souvenirs he didn't particularly need of the following nights festivities, but Aang vowed to remember the feeling the next time he was invited out to celebrate with his friends.

Unscrewing the cap on the tooth brush required more energy than the young man could muster at the moment, so Aang turned on the tap and stuck his head under the faucet. He swished the first mouthful of water around, trying to scrub the disgusting thickness from his teeth and cheeks and spat it into the sink. The next mouthful, he used to swallow probably too many aspirin tablets before he staggered off to the kitchen to find something greasy and smothered in gravy. He winced as the light from his refrigerator blinded him momentarily, and once again lamented drinking so much the night before.

He paused, his hands poised over the leftover sesame noodles with tofu he'd ordered some days or weeks ago, and thought. What did happen the night before? Why had he had so much to drink? He remembered where he was and why (a local dive bar to celebrate his friend, Katara's acceptance into a prestigious PhD program), but he couldn't remember what had made him break his three drink rule. He shrugged it off and dug into his meal of cold, congealed noodles. He couldn't have done too much damage in one drunken night.

His phone was dead. Aang set his meal aside with a sigh and searched for his charger. There was no way for him to tell the time otherwise. The clocks on his stove and microwave flashed completely different times, and he didn't own a watch. He was sure it was late morning or early afternoon, though. It didn't really matter. He had nothing to do that day. He plugged his phone in and set it to the side. His head hurt way too much for the bright flashing lights of his television, so he ate on the couch in silence while he waited for his phone to charge enough to turn on.

The buzzing started almost immediately once his ancient brick of a phone turned on. Aang was surprised to see dozens of missed calls and messages from his friends- even Suki, who he'd rarely interacted with. Suddenly, he realized he didn't know how he'd gotten home, and he thought they were probably calling to make sure he'd gotten home safely. He opened the first message from Toph.

WHAT IS YOUR SPIRITS FORSAKEN PROBLEM, TWINKLETOES????

Answer the phone!!! I don't care if your head is still in the toilet that's what you get

IDIOT!!!

Aang blinked in surprise at the onslaught. What had he done to deserve that reaction? The next message was from Suki.

I know I don't know you that well, but I feel like I need to tell you that what you did last night was way out of line. I get that you were drunk, but you owe Katara and Zuko an apology.

Bits and pieces of the night before came trickling back. Everyone had just toasted Katara on her acceptance to grad school, and then made another toast to finals being done for everyone who was still in school. Finally, Katara cleared her throat and said that there was one more thing to toast. She and Zuko exchanged a glance and a giggle, the kind that made Aang's stomach twist with uncomfortable longing. With a bright, happy smile, Katara made the announcement that slid into Aang's knotted stomach like a blade.

"We're getting married!' she announced excitedly, looping her arm around Zuko's. Aang sat poleaxed in his seat as around him his friends leapt up with happy, tipsy shouting and congratulations. Aang reached for his cup and threw back the rest of his drink before getting up to join the tangle of affection around the happy couple.

After that, Aang remembered ordering a round of shots for the table, and another of the fruity cocktail he'd been drinking earlier, and then the next of the night was a blur. What he could have done to Katara remained a blank mystery.

Sokka had called him several times and left voicemails each time. That alone was cause for concern. Sokka hated leaving voicemails. After Toph and Suki's messages, Aang wasn't sure he was going to get any reassurances from Sokka, but maybe there might be a clue as to what he'd done the night before that had made him the object of everyone's ire.

Sokka's first message did not provide the information Aang was hoping for. In fact between Sokka's rage fueled shouting and the lousy connection of wherever he had been calling from, Aang was left more confused- and frankly scared than he'd started.

"and if you ever ~fzzz....zzz...ffff~ my sister again, I swear I will rip your arms off and~ffffzzzzz....ffff...zzzzz~ until your spleen falls out of your eye socket!"

Aang didn't try to listen to any of the other messages Sokka had left. He scrolled through his missed messages and saw that neither Katara nor Zuko had reached out to him. At this point he was afraid to make first contact. Not until he remembered what he had done the night before and apologize. The worst of his hangover seemed to be subsiding, so Aang sat on his couch and screwed his eyes shut. He had to think, had to remember what he had done.

Bits of the night were coming back. He remembered a microphone, and a spotlight. He remembered looking down into Katara's sparkling blue eyes from a distance. Then...nothing. Aang groaned in frustration. To make matters worse, the thumping in his head had returned.

No...the pounding wasn't in his head. It was at his door. Aang scrambled off the couch and threw the door open. Toph pushed past him, swinging her white cane impatiently.

"Oh, good, you're up," she greeted him with saccharine cheer. "How's the hangover?" Her cane connected with the metal legs of his hall table, and Aang threw his hands to his ears with a groan. "Good!"

"Toph, what happened last night?" Aang pleaded. "I don't remember anything, and everyone's so mad at me." Toph regarded him quietly for a moment, but Aang could see a torrent of emotions behind her unnervingly sharp, sightless eyes.

"You really don't remember, do you?" she murmured. Then she scoffed and dug her phone out of her pocket. She opened up a file and tossed it to Aang. He just managed not to drop it. There was a video on the screen, and the still showed him standing on a table holding a spoon to his mouth and pointing at someone off screen. Dread pooled in his stomach as he pressed Play.

"I'm filming, Toph," Sokka's voice came through the speaker.

"Good! Get everything!" Toph chuckled mischievously. "It's going to be the Peace Festival all over. Blackmail material for days."

"Shut up! I think he's going to sing." Aang watched himself drunkenly teeter on the table, blowing and tapping on the spoon as if testing for sound.

"Hello?" he frowned at the spoon and shook it. "Ladies and...and general! I have an pouncement!"

"Even better," Toph snorted.

"Shh!" Sokka hissed. Aang scanned the crowd, squinting in a way that suggested he was having trouble focusing on anyone's face.

Aang stared down at the phone in his hand in horror. Suddenly this part of the evening came rushing back to him and he knew what was about to happen next.

"There she is!" Aang slurred, drunkenly pointing to Katara. "You see that...that beaufiful...just abso-frikin-lutely gorgeous woman over there? Say hi, Katara! Wave at the nice people! Hi!" The camera swung over to where Katara was sitting next to Zuko. She had plastered a forced, uncertain smile as she waved awkwardly at the few people who'd turned in her direction. Zuko had an arm protectively around her shoulder and he was frowning slightly. The camera turned back to Aang.

"Guys, I have been in love with Katara for over ten years!" Aang told the restaurant. A few people awed and cooed at that. "Ten! That is a third of my childhood and all my adult life. But tonight she just announced that she's getting. Married! To that apparently top quality specimen of man. I'm serious, fellas! Don't let that huge scar on his face fool ya. Zuko is real popular with the ladies! Or so I've been led to believe. Katara and our friends Suki, Toph and Jin can't stop talking about how hot he is, with me sitting right there because I apparently am just like one of the girls!"

"Is he seriously doing this?" Sokka gasped. Katara had made her way over to Aang, and reached up to tug on his sleeve.

"That's enough, Aang," she scolded him. From where he sat on his couch next to Toph, Aang urged himself to listen to Katara and get down off the table. But the video was still going.

"No!" Aang whined pushing Katara's hand away. "No, I'm not finished yet! I just want to know if I never had a chance. Or was I not rich and manly enough? Is it because I'm vegan?" Zuko and Suki joined the effort to get Aang off the table. His makeshift microphone dropped from his hand and clattered on the floor, but he still persisted in demanding to know why Katara chose Zuko over him. Katara's face was visibly red, even through the low lights and grease smeared camera lens. Then Aang slipped from Zuko and Suki and threw himself on Katara. She stumbled back a few steps, trying to keep them both from falling. Then Aang gripped her tight and smashed his face against hers in a drunken parody of a kiss. At this point, Sokka dropped the camera, and he could be heard yelling expletives and threats until the video ended.

Aang dropped the phone on the seat beside him and let out a low, injured wail. He remembered most of it now. He remembered Katara's eyes hadn't been sparkling when she looked up at him. They had been flashing with anger. The spotlight must have been the light on Toph's camera. The words Aang had said about Katara- about Zuko- rang in his ear and his entire body felt like it would combust from shame.

"Does she hate me?" Aang asked after a moment. Toph let out a disgusted huff.

"Well, I wouldn't expect a wedding invite," she said. "What is the matter with you, anyway?"

"Toph, I was drunk!"

"You never get drunk," she pointed out. "Not since the Peace Festival." Aang did his best to sink into his couch cushions, but he couldn't get quite far enough.

"I just wanted a lousy cocktail," he muttered. "Everyone else gets to cut loose."

"Everyone else doesn't drink themselves stupid because their crush is engaged." Toph jabbed a pointy finger into Aang's side. "You should have just said you were sick went home to cry. Now, you've done damage that I don't know if you can even begin to fix. And frankly, it doesn't seem like you want to."

"What do you mean?" Aang turned to Toph, aghast. "Katara is my best friend-"

"And yet you don't care that you hurt her fiance's feelings, too," Toph snorted. "You're not sad that you hurt their feelings. You don't care that Sokka is pissed at you. Or that I'm pissed at you. You're sad because you think Katara won't want to be your friend again after this."

"Toph, I-"

"Yesterday was a happy day for Katara, and you ruined it because you don't love her enough to deal with your feelings on your own time. You got drunk and insulted her and Zuko because you think a 10 year crush deserves an award or something. Grow up, Aang." Toph pulled herself off the couch and made her way to the door. She paused with her hand by the knob. "By the way, Zuko's here. He wants to see you."

Aang's blood ran cold. He leapt to his feet as Toph swung the door open. Sure enough, there was Zuko leaning against the opposite wall, looking annoyingly chic in that effortless way only money can pull off.

"I'll be in the lobby," Toph said as she passed him. "Don't take too long. I got stuff to do." Zuko and Aang watched as she stepped into the elevator. when the doors slid shut, Zuko turned to Aang. He still leaned casually against the wall. His hands were tucked tightly under his arms, so Aang was at least sure he wasn't about be punched.

"So...um..." Aang toed the floor tiles with one dingy sock and mentally kicked himself for not at least showering. He was sure that Zuko's socks were pristine.

"You left your wallet at the restaurant," Zuko said finally. He unfolded his arm and held the missing wallet up. Dark brown vegan leather. Katara had gotten it for his last birthday after his threadbare hemp wallet had finally given up on him. Aang's hand shot out and he nearly snatched the walled from Zuko.

"Um...thanks," he muttered. "I'm...I'm surprised you brought it by." Zuko shrugged and looked away that suggested he wasn't exactly thrilled with the situation.

"Sokka's still too angry to be near you right now," he explained. "Suki's car is in the shop."

"And Katara?" Aang regretted saying her name immediately. Zuko turned the full force of his stony glare on Aang.

"Katara is the only reason you're getting your wallet back at all," Zuko told him. "She doesn't want to see you, but she didn't want you to have to replace your cards and IDs. Fortunately for you, I love her too much to just toss it out the window of my car."

"Can I at least tell her I'm sorry?" Aang pleaded.

"She has your number blocked," Zuko informed him. A flash of anger, hot and electric, shot through Aang.

"Yeah, I'll bet you had her do that as soon as you left the restaurant, didn't you?" he snarled. Zuko didn't take the bait.

"Blocking you was her choice," he told Aang. "If she wants to speak to you she'll reach out. Until then, leave her alone."

"You can't tell her who to talk to!"

"I'm not," Zuko said, pushing himself off the wall. "If she wants to contact you, she will. But you need to leave her alone until she does." Aang was going to protest more, but Zuko held his hand up, and Aang's words faltered. "You made her cry last night. If you had been anyone else, you'd be getting fitted for dentures. I'm warning you to leave Katara alone. I know you have problems with boundaries, but if you ever cared about her at all, you'll respect this one." Aang nodded dumbly. Zuko stuck his hands in his pockets and stepped into the elevator. He didn't even spare a last glance at Aang.

Aang retreated into his apartment and slumped against the door. The guilt and shame hit him at full force along with the fear that he'd burned bridges with all his closest friends the night before. Still, the rawest wound was the pity in Zuko's eyes behind the cold anger. The fallout of the damage he'd done, and the prospect of being alone forever might have been slightly more bearable if even for a second Zuko could have considered him a threat.

#atla #zutara #anti aang #anti kataang #the one thing aang can't forgive zuko for #fanfic

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infinitefandomimagines · 3 years

Text

Scarred - Zuko x Reader

WARNINGS: ARGUING, BURN SCARS, ANGST

REQUEST: zuko x reader where the reader is the last one to forgive zuko at the western air temple bc he accidentally hurt her in the crystal catacombs and than zuko goes to her tent, begging for forgiveness and she shows him the scar he gave her and it’s super fluffy:33

"Y/N. . . what do you say?" All eyes landed on you, waiting for your response to Aang's question. However, there was only one pair of eyes in particular you glared back at; and if looks could kill, the recently renounced Fire Nation prince in front of you would've surely met his demise right then. But Zuko knew how to hold himself in front of those who wanted to intimidate him. If there was anything his father taught him, it was that much.

Despite your fiery stare and previous threats from the first time he pleaded for forgiveness that you'd "knock him on his ass" if he ever came near you again, he kept his composure. There was no doubt in his mind you'd stay true to that warning, which is why he made sure to keep enough distance between the two of you.

There was a hopeful gleam in his eyes, so far Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph had agreed to let him join the team, albeit some more hesitantly than others. If everyone else found it in their hearts to forgive and forget, surely you could as well. Wrong.

"No."

You saw the last bit of hope fizzle from his eyes as defeat weighed down on him, causing his shoulders to sink and his head to drop. "I know you don't trust me, I don't blame you. I've done horrible things, hurt you and your friends-"

"You can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain you've caused me!" Your words held a venomous sting, yet your tone was strained, calm almost.

"Y/N," Katara stepped up behind you, her voice was soft. You could barely feel the hand she'd placed on your left shoulder, thick and itchy bandages blocking her attempt at comfort. "I don't like it either, but Aang needs to learn fire bending."

"I really believe he's changed, give him a chance to-"

You cut Aang off, finally breaking your gaze from Zuko to face the young monk. "He's already had too many chances!"

No one could admit that you were wrong, not even Zuko. Because every time he'd faught against your little group of rag-tag heroes, you'd given him a chance. Even while the rest of team avatar faught the exiled prince, you never threw a single blow that wasn't defensive or to save your friends. Instead, you'd offer him a chance to join the right side. Of course, he never accepted, but you saw the benefits of your kindness when he'd began to show a sense of mercy against you. There was something in your head telling you he was more than just a villain.

But that mindset changed when you and the gang faught against him and his sister in the crystal catacombs. When Aang almost died. When he chose the Fire Nation's side. When he'd made sure to leave you a permanent reminder of that day.

After a few moments of tense silence, you let out an impatience scoff. "Leave, Zuko. I gave you my answer, the least you can do is respect it."

Reluctantly, he nodded, mumbling out an apology before turning on his heels. He only got in a few steps before Aang interjected.

"Zuko, stop."

He did, glancing over his shoulder, ready to hear what Aang had to say.

"I'm sorry, Y/N, but Zuko is staying. I need need to learn fire bending and he's my only option. I really believe he's changed for the better."

"You don't have to forgive him, but Aang's right, we need him," Sokka added in, to which Toph agreed.

You took in their words, it was obvious they weren't up for debate. You hated that they were right, you all did need Zuko, no matter your current opinion on him.

"Fine," you sighed, looking at Zuko, who was now standing awkwardly with his hands behind his back. "But stay away from me."

Over the next few days, Zuko had somehow managed to gain the complete and utter trust of everyone, even Katara. Everyone except you. Then again, you hadn't had your "life changing field trip with Zuko" that made everyone seemingly forget about everything he'd ever done to them. Field trip or not, earning your trust wasn't going to be that easy. You didn't care how many times he made everybody tea and told cringey jokes.

"Where did you learn to make so many different types of tea?" Aang inquired, causing everyone to look at Zuko, wanting to hear his answer.

Zuko returned to his seat around the fire between Toph and Aang, finally finished handing out small cups of tea. "My uncle, it's his favorite thing to make, he even owned a tea shop at one point."

"You mean the one you betrayed," you deadpanned coldly. You flicked your eyes up from the warm cup of tea in your hands to Zuko, wanting to see his reaction.

His smile faultered, and katara shot a disapproving look at you. For a second you felt guilty, maybe that was too far. He looked genuinely hurt by your comment, but soon another emotion took over his features. You could see it in the way he clenched his jaw and sat up straighter.

"Yeah. That one." His tone was one of poorly restrained bitterness, you'd definitely struck a nerve.

You hummed in response, refusing to break eye contact with him, like you were challenging him to say something equally as cold, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he took a deep breath, just like his uncle taught him.

"I don't get it," He asked, frustrated and fed up with your snarky comments and side eyes. "Everyone else trusts me, why can't you?"

"You really have to ask?"

Katara could feel the tension and awkwardness of the impending argument hanging over everyone. This wasn't the time nor place to be having this conversation.

"I think now would be a good time for another healing session," she interjected, giving you a look that informed you she wasn't exactly asking. With a frustrated huff, you stood up and made your way to your tent, not even waiting for Katara to follow.

You plopped down onto your sleeping bag, sitting with your left side towards the opening.

Katara was there in a few minutes, holding a medium sized bowl of water in her hands. She gently set it down on the ground, taking a seat on your sleeping bag as well, facing your left side.

You tugged your left sleeve down so you could free it. With your shoulder now exposed, she carefully removed the bandages that covered your shoulder and the side of your neck, revealing the red and scarred skin hidden underneath.

"How does it look?" You asked, attempting to ignore the itchy feeling of the fresh air hitting your wound.

"It's healing, slowly" she answered as she conjured the water from the bowl and molded it with her hands. She purified the liquid, causing it it glow. Slowly, she lowered it until the cool water molded over your injured skin. You clenched your teeth and whimpered at the sudden sting the contact made, but then Katara started making circular motions with her hands, beginning the healing process. The stinging pain soon morphed into a comforting cold and relieving sensation.

Katara had done this for you and Aang multiple times since the gang escaped from that wretched crystal catacomb. As much progress as your skin had made in healing, you couldn't seem to wipe the painful memories of how you'd recieved such a wound from your mind. You could remember the events so vividly it was as if they'd happened yesterday.

You were stalling, Zuko and Azula knew that, yet they didn't seem to mind. If anything, Azula enjoyed watching you struggle to give your friends more time. You needed to stall them long enough for Aang to fully enter the avatar state, that's all.

"Come on, Zuko, you know what needs to be done!" Azula coaxed.

"No! You still have a chance Zuko, you can still make this right!" You could see the conflict rising in him as you and Azula tugged at his morals.

There was a moment, a single second where his emotions betrayed him, where you could see how badly he wanted to go with you and the gang. But it was gone just as fast as it came.

"I will kill the avatar and restore my honor, as well as my rightful place beside my father!" He launched into action, sending overpowering blows your way.

He kept you distracted and unable to help your friends long enough for Azula to strike down Aang. Your head snapped towards Katara's screams and you saw him laying there, completely unconscious.

You were distracted, and Zuko impulsively took advantage, sending a blast of orange and red flames towards you.

In all honesty, he expected you to dodge it, you always did without fail. But this time you were too distracted, too concerned with Aang, and he caught you completely off guard. You didn't even realize you were being attacked until the flames painfully scorched your skin.

You let out a horrifying scream as you crumbled to your knees, your shaky hand hovering over your left shoulder as you tried to control your instinct to grab it, knowing it would only hurt worse. You clenched your teeth together, biting back tears as you whipped your head around go see Zuko.

He looked shocked, remorseful even, but that didn't stop anger from edging its way into your glare.

You shuddered at the memory and tried to shake it from your head completely.

"You're all done," Katara said, maneuvering the water back into the bowl. A dull ache returned to your wound, but it felt significantly better than before.

"Thanks, Katara," you mumbled.

"Do you need help rewrapping the bandages?"

You shook your head, preferring to be alone and do the difficult task by yourself. Katara seemed to understand, because she didn't push the issue like she usually would. Instead, she left you with a few words.

"What you said was too far tonight, you should really apologize to Zuko, he is trying you know?"

She didn't wait for a response, not that you planned on giving much of one anyway, but soon you were alone, relishing in the peaceful silence.

But your silence didn't last long, just a few minutes after Katara left there was a whispering voice just outside your tent. It was unmistakable who'd come to visit you, and with great reluctance did you let him in.

"What do you want?" you asked, annoyance filling your voice. You refused to make eye contact with the boy, opting to stare at the mess of tangled bandages in your hands.

Your question was met with silence, that only seemed to worsen your mood. Really? He invades your tent just to ignore your one question? This guy was just unbelievable!

You could feel yourself loosing your temperature once again. "I said, what do you-" Your head snapped up at Zuko, ready to tell him off. But you froze when you saw his gaze, and how it held your figure. His jaw was slack, and his eyes swam as tears pooled at his lash-line. But his eyes never met yours. No, his focus was completely on the uncovered scar that graced your left side.

Your shoulder had taken most of the impact, just shy of being completely colored with a dull red scar. But the wound didn't stop there, covering a decent portion of your shoulder blade. The red marking also stretched up in a jagged stripe, narrowing to a point on the side of your neck, just barely marking your cheek.

You hated how you shuddered under his gaze, and had to look away. Your fingers moving faster as your tried to unravel the tangled bandage. You wanted to cover the burned area as soon as possible.

"I- I did that." It wasn't a question. He spoke purely in matter-of-fact statements, he knew exactly where you'd received your mark from.

"Yeah." You said sharply, picking up the bandage and moving to re-wrap the large wound.

"I . . . I am so sorry-"

"You've said."

Re-wrapping the affected area was proving to be more difficult than you'd thought, especially in your heightened state or frustration. Usually Katara did this part, and you were starting to regret sending her away.

"Please, let me help you," Zuko pleaded, reaching a shaky hand out to grasp at the bandage in your grip. You immediately flinched away from him, the sudden movement sending a sharp pain through your left side.

"Stay away from me!" You bit at him.

Zuko immediately pulled his hand back from you, as if he'd burned you unintentionally for a second time. "I'm sorry," he impulsively spilled out.

"Would you stop saying that? Stop apologizing, nothing is going to make me- ow!" Your own pain cut your sentence short, the sharp pain returning, sending another shock wave up your side at your frustrated movements.

"I'm so- just, please, let me help you and then I'll leave you alone, I promise."

You took a moment to think about the offer, and as much as you didn't want his help, the promise for him to leave is what enticed you to agree. So reluctantly, you handed him the bandages and positioned yourself closer to him, allowing Zuko to access your wound and wrap it with ease.

With slow movements, Zuko began wrapping the burned area. His touch was suprisingly gentle, even more so than Katara's, something you hadn't thought possible. But even with his feather-like touch, your skin still twitched as his fingers and the bandages made contact with the more sensitive areas. Zuko muttered out small apologies each time you flinched, despite your earlier message to stop that. Though the skin had begun the early stages of scarring, it was still sensitive.

"Uh, d-did I ever tell you how I got my scar?" Zuko asked suddenly, not even bothering to look up from his task. You knew what he was doing, he'd been doing things like that since he got here, trying to make small talk with you to cover up the awkward tension. You usually never entertained it, but for some reason tonight you felt intrigued by his question.

"No." You answered shortly, trying your best not to show your growing interest. You'd always been curious about the scar.

"My father gave it to me," he stated, oddly calmly. It was almost mindless the way he told the story as he continued to carefully wrap up your injury. Like the memory had become second nature to tell.

"Oh," you whispered out softly, your mind buzzing with a million different ways to respond to him, yet none of them felt right.

"I spoke out of turn during a meeting, over a general. They wanted to sacrifice an entire division of fire nation soldiers to gain the advantage. But I-," He swallowed thickly. ". . . I thought that was wrong so I spoke up."

You nodded ever so slightly, letting out a soft hum, showing that you were still listening and waiting for him to continue. At this point Zuko had finished wrapping the bandages around your burn, allowing you to turn your body to face him fully.

"My father was furious with my disrepect towards the general. He said that the dispute would need to be resolved with an agni kai, and I accepted. And when the day came I thought I'd be fighting the general I interrupted, but then my father walked out, my agni kai was to be against him."

With each word you felt your heart grow heavier and ache for the boy you swore you hated. You were beginning to question whether you genuinely hated him or if what you truly felt was left over betrayal and anger.

"How old were you?" You finally asked the question that had been bouncing around your head since he began the story.

"Thirteen, not long before I was banished."

You felt yourself boil with anger, but for once it wasn't directed towards the boy in front of you. No, you were furious with the Fire Lord. Who could do that to someone? To a child. Zuko must not have noticed the way your jaw clenched and your fists tightened into balls, because he continued the story as if he hadn't just made your heart drop into your stomach with his answer.

"I didn't want to fight my father, I couldn't. But he took my refusal as another sign of disrespect. I begged for his forgiveness, but he wouldn't hear it. He claimed that I would learn my lesson through suffering. He raised his hand just in front of my face and then he-"

His voice caught in his throat with a crack as he visibly grimaced from the sheer memory of the event. Instinctively, you reached out for his hand, placing yours over top of his much larger one. Now it was his turn to flinch at the sudden contact.

"Zuko, it's okay, you don't have to tell me this, I understand-"

"No! I do! I need you to understand that I never meant to hurt you! I need you to know that the last thing I wanted was for you to feel the same pain I did. After what my father did, I never wanted to inflict that on anyone. I knew that pain and yet I still hurt you . . . the one person who actually believed I could change!"

His hands flew into the air as his frustrated yells of regret were lost to the silent night. He then exasperatedly brought his arms back down and dropped his head into the palms of his hands. His body shook as he took in deep breaths, trying his best not to shed any tears. He was just so frustrated with himself.

"I thought you would dodge it," His muffled whimpers poured out. "You always dodged it."

It was then that you realized how cold you'd been to the boy. You were so caught up in your own hurt and anger, only concerned with making him feel as horrible as you had with your hurtful words. Not once had you considered that he was already kicking himself ten times harder for the pain he'd caused you. He really hadn't meant to hurt you.

And that's when you did something unexpected. In an impulsive attempt to comfort him, you threw your arms around his neck, pulling him in to a hug. His breath hitched, obviously shocked by the gesture, his body going stiff.

"I understand now, I forgive you, Zuko."

At those seven words he melted into your embrace, returning it as he wrapped his arms around your figure. His chin now rested on top of your good shoulder, as he was being extra cautious as to not press on your burns.

"And I'm sorry, for what I said about you and your uncle. He'd be proud of you."

His grip on you tighten, mumbling out a 'thank you,' in the process, finally feeling as though he could fully begin healing from all the wrong he'd done.

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