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sokka-with-his-hair-down · 4 years

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Cabin Leader Zukka AU

Credit to @im-a-sokka-for-you, @waywarddork, @king-bumi-for-president, @sokkaseboyhair, and @crying-at-ikea for helping out with this monstrosity of a post!! Stupid Squad™ ily ❤️

This is long af but I promise it’s worth it 🥺🥺

Sokka and Zuko are rival cabin leaders at a summer camp

The camp has sort of a 4-elements theme because I say so

Eight Cabins. Two Water-Themed, two Fire Themed, two Earth-Themed, and Two Air-Themed.

Sokka leads the Southern Water Cabin. Yue the Northern. Aang leads one of the Air Cabins, and Suki leads an Earth Cabin. Zuko and Ty Lee lead the Fire Cabins. (Ty Lee shamelessly flirts with the assistant camp director, Mai...)

Sokka and Zuko’s cabins, along with all the other cabins, are competing in the yearly camp competition. There are different challenges, like water balloon fights (water), mud runs (earth), zip lining (air), and s’more roasting (fire).

Zuko’s cabin wins most years, and Sokka’s like “not this year. This year WE take the trophy” and he’s got his heart set on it.

Sokka thinks Zuko’s obnoxious. He sees him as hot-headed and snippy and arrogant. And he’s almost militaristic with his cabin kids. (And yet they love him. Even more annoying.)

Sokka wants to be the ✨fun cabin✨, he usually does, but he starts pushing harder to advance to the next round of the competition and win.

Sokka and Zuko have multiple confrontations. They’re snarky and sarcastic “good luck out there😈” kind of things (which Sokka HATES)

The two cabins pull pranks on each other all the time. Very Parent-Trap-esque. Sokka and Zuko plan a lot of them, but that doesn’t stop the kids from doing a few on their own (I imagine some very lovable OC campers).

Sokka wakes up with a shaving-cream beard more than once.

Zuko wakes up wearing makeup once...

Then, as the story unfolds with whatever subplots a writer may put in, Sokka catches more and more glimpses of Zuko acting more human... and hey... Zuko’s sort of sweet when he’s like that...

No. This is a competition. Zuko bad. Winning good.

Sokka confides in Aang and Yue one night after a staff meeting.

“You don’t understand, guys! He’s—he’s infuriating! He’s good at everything, and the kids all like him, and I know I’m supposed to hate the guy but I don’t anymore! And I don’t know why! And part of me feels like he deserves to win every damn time even thought it’s ridiculous that he does-”

“Sokka.”

Aang looks at him almost sympathetically. Sokka tilts his head in confusion.

“Have you considered that maybe you just have a little crush on him?”

“WHAT?!”

“...”

“Oh. Shit.”

Anyway Sokka has a bit of an awakening and is like “OH NO I LIKE ZUKO I’M SUPPOSED TO HATE ZUKO.”

After panicking about that for way too long, Sokka winds up telling Suki about this revelation and Suki is like:

“Well... I don’t know if I should be telling you this, but I think Zuko’s had a crush on you for years.”

“WHAT THE FUCK.”

Suki sort of awkwardly admits that she’s picked up on it. She and Zuko are friends (something Sokka could never fathom why but he left it be) and she tells Sokka how Zuko talks about him... an absurd amount. And how Zuko, on more than one occasion, has accidentally called Sokka cute.

(i.e “just because he’s Mr. Cute and Friendly doesn’t mean he can walk around like he owns the place!” “You think he’s cute?” “What? Uh-”)

Leading up to the final face off where Zuko and Sokka’s cabins will compete against each other, Sokka leaves his campers with Suki for a few minutes and approaches Zuko’s cabin one night and asks to speak with him. Alone.

There’s a unanimous “oooooooooooh!” from the campers.

The two step outside, and Sokka’s freaking out, but he’s gonna do it anyway.

He’s really awkward about it and keeps beating around the bush.

“Just get to the point, Sokka!!”

“Um. Do you like me?”

That. Was not what he meant to say.

In all honesty, Sokka meant to say that he likes Zuko, and THEN ask him if he liked him back, but he panicked, give the guy a break.

Zuko’s face goes completely blank.

“Wait, what?”

Sokka, now suddenly convinced he and Suki were wrong, chickens out and bolts, Zuko calling after him. (He can’t chase him because he can’t leave his campers unattended.)

Sokka freaks out silently as he leads his campers back to his cabin for the night.

He doesn’t get much sleep.

Day of the big competition. The campers are getting ready for the final showdown. Zuko’s team is a few points ahead of Sokka’s, but not ahead by many.

Sokka avoids Zuko all morning. Aang, Yue, and Suki are worried about him but he brushes it off, saying it’s no biggie (it is).

Right before the first challenge he overhears one of his campers talking to someone from Zuko’s cabin. The kid from the opposing cabin says “Zuko was in a bad mood last night. He didn’t wanna tell us why, though.”

Oh no. It’s worse than he thought. Zuko is angry at sokka. More than usual.

The games begin. Both teams tally up points after each round of whatever they’re doing (three-legged race, canoeing, etc).

The final score is kept secret—the camp director (accompanied by Mai<3) says the final score will be announced that night at the campfire.

Sokka makes sure he doesn’t run into any scar-faced boys on the way to his cabin. Or at dinner. Or on his way to the campfire.

Everyone is gathered around outside, fire blazing, hot-cocoa and s’mores present. Sokka doesn’t even care about winning anymore. In fact, he hopes Zuko wins, so he doesnt get any more angry.

But

The Southern Water Cabin wins.

Sokka’s campers jump up and scream with excitement. And though he isn’t feeling quite himself, he still offers hugs and high fives and congratulates them all on their hard work.

Then, suddenly, while kids are mingling and cheering, Sokka feels a tap on his shoulder and spins around.

Zuko.

“Hi.”

Sokka can’t find words to say. He just stares. Is... is Zuko gonna yell at him?

“Good job.” Zuko’s holding out his hand for Sokka to shake. Sokka does so, hesitantly.

“Uh... thanks.”

After a moment too long, they end the handshake. There’s a beat of awkward silence and Sokka’s heart is racing.

“Look,” Sokka begins. “About last night. I-”

“Don’t. Me first.” Zuko looks really uncomfortable, but he still keeps talking. “You were right.”

“Huh?”

“I like you. I have liked you, I mean. For a long time. Like, three years.”

Sokka’s dumbfounded. “I thought you hated me.”

Zuko sort of nervously admits that he’s not very good with people (and that he takes great enjoyment in riling people up). And he apologizes like:

“Sorry I was a dick. Me being a fucking gay idiot who can’t ask people out doesn’t excuse me being mean. So I’m sorry.”

Sokka’s sort of touched by all of this. Zuko apologized for being an ass and he has a crush on Sokka?

Sokka figures he should apologize too, since he was pretty much just as mean to Zuko as Zuko was to him. “I’m sorry, too.”

Eventually, the stilted conversation gets sort of quiet and even more awkward, and Sokka realizes he still hasn’t confessed. And, well, better late than never.

“I like you, too.”

“Huh?”

“I like you. As in. Like. I have a crush. On you. So there.”

Zuko has no idea how to react, but eventually a giant grin makes its way into his face and it looks beautiful in the firelight and he just sort of goes:

“Um... do you wanna get coffee or tea with me? Or something? Now?”

“You mean the shitty camp coffee and tea?” Sokka quips.

“Hot Cocoa it is.”

They walk up to the kitchen building and hang out at the counter and actually get to know each other for the first time in years. And Sokka thinks that becoming a cabin leader is the best decision he’s ever made.

(They may or may not have kissed sometime during the rest of their stay. A couple of times. A lot of times. Okay, they made out in the pantry a ton, but that’s nobody’s business but theirs.)

If anyone wants to write this, lemme know!! And again thank you Stupid Squad™ <3 @chaoticidiott @appa-bottom-jeans @soft-zuko you’re also Stupid Squad™ so this is your child as well now. Enjoy.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #sokka #zukka #avatar #atla headcanons #atla hc #atla hcs #zukka hc #zukka hcs #zukka headcanon #zukka headcanons #aang #suki #yue #mai #ty lee #zukka cabin leader au

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aerialflight · 3 years

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Fic Recs (cause it's always nice to give a shout out and get people into things I'm into rn)

[The Magnus Archives] (I recently finished the podcast and I fell into a hole for a while so here you go)

Sing a Song of Sixpence by Kaiel

Ship: Jon/Martin

In which Jonathan Sims is a Siren, and he fails to notice any new abilities granted to him by the position of Archivist. Or really anything about the Entities at all.

Takes place in season 1 featuring Jonah Magnus’s slow decent into madness

(The new mythology interwoven with tma's worldbuilding is so freaking good and I love how all the characters change and develop because of these changes. Also, f you Elias)

Along Came a Spider by Dribbledscribbles

Ship: implied Jon/Martin

Sasha James is the Archivist, as expected. Martin Blackwood is menaced by Jane Prentiss, as expected. Elias Bouchard weaves his web, as expected.

All goes as it should.

At least until something calling itself Jonathan Sims steps in.

(Web!Jon in this makes me want to weep, it's so freaking good. A pretty long, very excellent oneshot on what could've happened if Jon got taken by the web when he was a kid. And Sasha as the Archivist is ALWAYS so cool, we love her in this house.)

A Break in the Clouds by Ash_Rabbit

“I’m eight.” the kid sniffs as if eight was any different from four, maybe not an unspeakable horror then, just a regular horror. “And I heard that the Magnus Institute deals with-” his little nose scrunches, cute. “-spooky things.”

“Do you have a-” he cracks a grin, and then rethinks it as small hands tighten against their burden.”-spooky thing to deliver?” gods he hopes not, it’s bad enough when adults walk in and lay out all of their baggage, but for a child-

“There’s a spider in this book.” the kid says solemnly, raising his textbook sized parcel. “It ate Evan Pritchard.” a bloody fucking Leitner. Of course an eight year old would find a murder spider book. “This seemed like the best place to bring it.”

(I never thought about what the Original Elias could've been like AND NOW I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF THIS FIC. I LOVE HIM, HE'S COMPLEX AND HE CARES AND JON CARES AND THEY BOTH CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER. THIS IS THE CONTENT I WANT, OMG. Also, Jon being even smaller than usual is adorable, so cute. No wonder Elias wants to hug him, a LOT.)

See the Line where the Sky meets the Sea by The_Floating_World

Ship: Jon/Martin, Jon/Oliver Banks

When Jon is a child he looks into the infinite abyss of space. The Vast looks back into him.

(One of my all time fave fics in this fandom, no questions asked. I have reread this three times and am open to doing it again, god. Vast!Jon, such a concept. It's written so beautifully and the relationships Jon develops, so good. ugh. My heart. Please please read.)

Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing

Ship: Jon/Martin

“Come in, Martin,” he says, not looking up from his notes.

“Hi, Jon,” he says, and Jon stops writing at the sound of his voice. “We’re out of the green tea, but we’ve got lemon?”

Jon looks at him. Martin smiles at him in his usual tentative way as he sets the mug of tea down on Jon’s desk. Heat spikes so sharply in his gut that he twitches with it.

“Thank you, Martin,” he says, mouth dry, and he stands up.

“Oh,” he says, sounding almost surprised. He smiles again. “No-- no problem-- um, what are you--”

Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.

(You have no idea how much I howled through this fic, my god. *buries face in hands* The number of times I wanted to cry from sheer hilarity and horror reading this good lord.)

Things Could Always Be Worse by theOestofOCs

Ship: Jon/Martin, Georgie/Melanie

Sometimes, the most horrifying thing of all is what might have been.

Somewhere, Jon could swear he heard a crowd laughing.

Or: in which Jonathan Sims is forced to swap places with his alternate self—a tall, chivalrous hero extraordinaire, who knows neither fear nor nuance—and is sent to the aggressively straight alternate universe the Magnus Archives was never meant to be.

“Whatever place this is,” Jon announced, “I just want to be sure it knows I hate it.”

(I will say this once, THIS IS THE MOST CURSED THING IVE EVER READ EVER. Like holy hell. I can't believe this thing exists. please read it oh please please please)

[Supernatural]

heard from your mother (she don't recognize you) by Schmuzz

Ship: Dean/Cas, Jessica/Sam

A man named Cas wakes up in 2003 with no memories, but he's able to piece together a few things:

1. Supernatural creatures exist, and most of them will hurt innocent civilians if he doesn't stop them; 2. He has abilities that no human hunter should have, but he knows enough about human hunters to keep that to himself, and finally; 3. He keeps running into another hunter named Dean Winchester, who seems to be about as lonely as he is if he's willing to put up with those former facts long enough to help Cas unravel the mystery of who (or what) he really is.

For his part, Dean's still (not) dealing with Sam's departure to Stanford, and figures distracting himself with a bit of mystery and intrigue is as harmless as it gets, right? Right.

(THE fic I'm most into right now, been following this from the very start and it's AMAZING. Cas has agency and is making friends and S1 Dean is growing out of John's influence and is becoming a Person and the both of them first being friends then more. The slow burn as their relationship develops, SO GOOD. SO SO DAMN GOOD. *screams* Seriously one of the best spn fics I've read in a long, long time.)

anamnesis by cenotaphy

Ships: Castiel/Dean, Sam/Eileen

Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be.

* Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19.

(THIS IS THE FIC THAT GOT ME THROUGH THE FINALE OKAY. WHY COULDN'T THIS HAVE BEEN CANON. It's Disturbing and honestly plot-wise this makes more sense. Why couldn't we have had this. *screams*)

[Avatar: The Last Airbender]

where the stars do not take sides by WitchofEndor

Ship: Sokka/Zuko

When Azula is nine, she becomes an only child. She hears the Fire Lord call for Zuko's life, and in the morning, her mother and brother are gone. Azula may be young, but she isn't naive. She knows what happened to them.

Which makes it all the more surprising when Azula tracks the Avatar down and fights his group of peasant friends, only to find herself staring into an eerily familiar face.

(The fact one of the tags in this fic is, "Sibling Dynamic: Fucked Up But Wholesome" should give you an idea what this fic is like. Chaotic as HELL and I just love Azula here, she loves Zuko so much in her messed up way and Zuko loves her back in the exact same way lol. It's batshit and I am Here For This.)

[Naruto]

Eclipse by AislingRoisin (JayBird345) for HybrisAnaideia

Ship: Nara Shikaku/OFC

"In life, it's easier to remain stagnant and wallow in your troubles. But life isn't merely about continued existence, nor is it meant to be gone through alone."

(This is a fic that's slept on and I NEED people to read this. A self-insert fic that I find really interesting in its approach and the worldbuilding for the post-third war shinobi world is fantastic. I feel like there's a certain pattern with self-insert fics, not that is a detriment in any way to how much I enjoy them, so this fic feels fresh to me in a way I haven't read in a while. I am waiting eagerly for this to get updated! Please read!)

On Freedom and Other Formalities by iaso

Ship: Kakashi/Genma/OFC

When push comes to shove, Hiwa Inuzuka doesn't go down easy. Reborn into a new, dangerous world? She puts her past life as a spy to work. Thrown into a war? Hiwa does her duty, for Konoha. And when she's forced into an arranged marriage? All there is to do is beat them to the punch and get married first. Thankfully, Genma Shiranui is willing to lend a hand. Literally. SI/OC

(Listen, LISTEN, it's about the slow burn, the longing, the communication (it both has and hasn't and isn't THAT great??), the messy way you fit three very different people together, it's so freaking good! Also, Kakashi is so Chaotic here this is my fave characterization of him, you can't change my mind. And Genma is a Good Boi who is Doing His Best, along with the Self-insert character who I LOVE SO MUCH, SHE'S FANTASTIC FNEIWOPAF. Sped past this fic in the speed of light, I could not stop reading!)(Honestly, read all of the author's fics, they're all really REALLY good!)

Building a Castle by WhisperingDarkness

Without needing anyone to tell her, Sakura knew that talking to someone no-one else could see or hear would make her weird. It would draw the bad kind of attention to her, something people could make fun of her for.

She didn’t like being weird, but she did like the voice. Her inner voice was helpful and it was a part of her that had always been there. The idea of it not being there would have been so much weirder than anything else.

It was during her first year at the Academy that Sakura realised the voice was not in her head at all, but that it came from a cloudy shape floating next to her.

(Basically a short-ish retelling of Hikaru no Go. Only with more Shogi and Nara and Ninja's)

(Sakura can see ghosts (I'm noticing this is a popular trope for her) and it's really cute haha! Her relationship with Tobirama is sweet and I just enjoyed reading this so much.)

[The Magicians]

So Long (And Thanks For All The Books) by IncompleteSentanc (Erava)

Ships: Quentin/Eliot, James/Julia, Quentin/Margo/Eliot

When Quentin is told Julia wasn't admitted to Brakebills, he realizes he has a drastic decision in front of him. If he tells Julia about magic, he'll have his mind wiped as well as hers. But he can't just leave her behind, either. He can't lose his best friend, and he can't let her life a life with her magical potential stolen away from her.

So he makes a third choice.

(Really, and I mean REALLY well-done canon divergent fic, this is the Quentin & Julia friendship fic I have been looking for forever. It explores so much of what could've happened and I just love Quentin here, I really really do. Characterization done so right. I also recommend the author's other works too. Been a follower of them for a long time, they're great.)

[Game of Thrones]

The Road to Victory by writing_as_tracey

Too late in preparing for the Night King and the Long Night, the last stand at Winterfell is close to falling. Bran takes desperate measures to ensure victory, and Jon, Sansa, and Arya pay the price for it in a time unfamiliar to them, on the cusp of another war. [GoT, time-travel fix it]

(I swear, this fic made me laugh so many times, all the Stark are BAMF and fantastic, and Rhaegar gets Wrecked lol. It's crack btw, and the plot goes in directions you'll never guess and it's amazing hahaha!)

[Haikyuu!!] (I am very very late to the fandom but here I am)

Ballare (To Dance) by MidnightSparks

Ship: Iwaizumi Hajime/Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, and platonic Kageyama & Kentarou (really love their friendship)

Kageyama’s first love is volleyball. His second, however, is ballet.

In one world, Kageyama Tobio is left behind by his parents. In this world, the existence of soulbonds keeps Kageyama’s parents in Miyagi and leaves Kageyama in the care of his grandma and grandpa.

(In which soulmates exist and that changes everything and nothing at the same time.)

(*buries face in hands* I have fallen for this ship so hard and I can't get out fudge me. I understand now. Their DYNAMICS FIEWONPAF)

Kings of Tomorrow by bokubroya (liarielle)

Ship: Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru

On the eve of Tobio’s 16th birthday, he counts down the seconds to midnight, and emerges with Oikawa Tooru’s name on his wrist.

It’s been two years since then, and Tobio thought they had an understanding. A silent, never spoken about understanding that this thing between them is nothing, and they’re going to pretend it doesn’t exist.

Of course, it’s just like Oikawa to change the game and leave Tobio wondering what comes next.

(I am WEAK for soulmate fics between these two, I don't even really like soulmate fics half the times what is WRONG WITH ME-)(Please suffer with me, I'm begging you. Its a good fic, thumbs up.)

[Crossover]

Honey and Magic by JustARatherVerySillyWriter, White_Squirrel for Super Carlin Brothers

Fandoms: Matilda (yeah you read that right), Harry Potter

Everyone knew Matilda was a rather extraordinary child, but even she didn't know she was a witch. Matilda Honey receives her Hogwarts letter in the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and soon, she will leave her unique mark on the magical world.

(Do I even need to explain how amazing it is to have Matilda in the wizarding world? And Matilda is a HUFFLEPUFF AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL THIS FIC IS GREAT PLEASE READ!!!)

An Eye for an Eye by DpsMercy

Fandoms: The Magnus Archives, Welcome to Night Vale

In which Jonathan Sims is not from the UK but instead, if you took his origins and turned them sideways twice then flipped them over, he technically would be from the US, the town of Night Vale specifically. Elias can’t do shit about it and gets a headache and slowly creeping madness instead.

(Look, I know probably everyone has read this because if they haven't, what have you been DOING with your lives??? Jon interning at Night Vale is Incredible, nothing phases this man, it's Delightful. I laughed so many times reading this, I'm not even kidding right now. Read or perish.)

The Favour by R_Cookie

Fandoms: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Ship: Original Percival Graves/Harry Potter

Percival is ten years old when his grandfather tries to tell him that he's ensured the greatness of the Graves legacy for him, that he ought to be eternally grateful - but the explanation is hijacked by a stranger who manages to intimidate Chester Graves with an ease never seen before.

or: Hadrian (Harry) Potter is the Master of Death, who grants Graves a boon. Nobody could have known that the Deathly Hallows didn't turn you so much into the 'Master of Death' as into the anthropomorphic personification of Death. And so, Death becomes Percival's guardian angel, and Percival does not spit out his cereal.

(Look, I don't know how I stumbled back into the FBAWTFT fandom either, it just happened and I'm grateful for that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found this amazing fic. Their relationship is slow and strange and I just love how Percival is characterized here. Also, one of the tag promises that it deviates from canon so I am really, really excited for that! XD)

baby that's what i do by natanije

Fandoms: Naruto, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!

"Are you telling me," Hidan exclaims, incredulous, "that you collect money all this time to give to orphans?!"

Kakuzu pauses. He blinks a few times.

"Huh. I guess I do."

(Tsuna reincarnates as Kakuzu and it's HILARIOUS. HE'S SUCH A MOM HAHAHA)

#Fanfiction #AO3 #Fic Rec #Fic Rec List #Podcasts #The Magnus Archives #Supernatural #Avatar The Last Airbender #Naruto #The Magicians #Game of Thrones #Haikyuu!!#Crossover #Matilda #Welcome to Night Vale #Harry Potter #Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them #Katekyou Hitman Reborn

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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 3 years

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hi! random question that you’re not obligated to answer (i just love your ka metas): do you think that aang acted like he was entitled to katara’s affection? sorry for the bother if this is a question you’ve gotten before, i’m just curious about your thoughts

Hi anon! It’s always lovely to hear people like my metas 💛 And you’re in luck - I have not gotten this specific question before, though I have answered similar questions, and as such I will probably link those posts throughout.

Forewarning: I use the general you very liberally in this post, so like. It’s not directed at you, anon djhskdjsajs I don’t want you think my sarcasm is in response to your ask (your ask was very lovely!! 💕)

Okay. Let’s get started! The funniest thing about the (nonsensical) claim that Aang acted “entitled” to Katara’s affection is that there is no canon evidence to support it. Opponents more often than not can only bring up one (1) episode as an example of supposed “entitlement” because no other Kataang interactions in the series demonstrate entitlement from either end! Like, wow. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. And I’m sure we all know what episode opponents love to propagate, don’t we?

Yep, you guessed it: “The Ember Island Players.”

From the get-go, the fact that people who vigorously oppose Kataang essentially only appeal to the contents of one episode for Aang’s supposed “entitlement” is a major indicator that, in fact, the entitlement is not truly there, and that those opponents are actually misconstruing the entire episode. I mean, if you are trying to make an argument about something but you only have one piece of “evidence” to support your claim, then a) any half-decent teacher/professor would fail you, rip and b) that’s a sign that maybe your claim doesn’t hold water. If you can’t find evidence to support it, then you’re probably looking at your case from the wrong angle. Analysis 101.

As such, I find the “entitlement” claim particularly ridiculous because opponents repeat the same faulty rhetoric over and over! The only people that might be convinced are those with confirmation bias. I’m sure that’s their audience, of course, but it’s still hilarious dfjaksdasks.

Anyways. Here’s the excerpt from the EIP transcript that opponents l o v e to spotlight with their “entitlement” claims:

Aang: Katara, did you really mean what you said in there?

Katara: In where? What are you talking about?

Aang: On stage, when you said I was just like a… brother to you, and you didn’t have feelings for me.

Katara: I didn’t say that. An actor said that.

Aang: But it’s true, isn’t it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we’re not.

Katara: Aang, I don’t know.

Aang: Why don’t you know?

Katara: Because, we’re in the middle of a war, and we have other things to worry about. This isn’t the right time.

Aang: Well, when is the right time?

Katara: Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m just a little confused.

Aang tries to kiss Katara.

Katara: I just said I was confused! I’m going inside. [Exits the balcony.]

Aang: Ugh, I’m such an idiot! [Puts down his head on the balcony railing.]

Opponents claim Aang’s behavior is “entitled” here for two reasons:

1) He asks Katara several questions about their relationship status.

2) He kisses her.

Before I get too far into this, we have to consider the context of the episode. Katara and Aang have this conversation after just watching 95% of “The Boy in the Iceberg,” aka Fire Nation propaganda. I have talked about the specifics of the play being imperialist propaganda here, but the gist of it is that this play is meant to demean the Gaang, to portray them as lesser and weaker than the Fire Nation. The fact that the play ends with Ozai’s victory is a stark reminder of this mentality. So: Katara and Aang have just watched this play that preys upon their insecurities and paints them as awful caricatures of their true selves. It is only natural that they would be more tense than usual. The reason I bring this up is solely to inform their conversation on the balcony, however; I don’t think their frustration solely defines what they say/do, but it’s worth keeping in mind, “Hey, they’re stressed and upset, of course this conversation might not go perfectly.”

Now, I have talked about the infamous EIP kiss before and approached all the rhetoric surrounding it like Snopes Fact Checker in this post, lmao. I did discuss in there why the kiss is wrong, which no one has ever argued against, but also why the kiss is simply a mistake: not sexual assault, not entitlement, not an unforgivable decision. I’ve copied and pasted specifically my notes on the “entitlement” claim below regarding the kiss, but if you have time, I definitely recommend the whole post jksdhjasdka (I’m quite proud of it). Anyways! Here’s the excerpt:

Claim: Aang acted entitled to Katara and her affection.

Status: False.

I’ve briefly addressed this already, but Aang backing off when Katara pushed him away is the exact opposite of entitlement. An impromptu kiss is not always indicative of entitlement. It can be, especially if the person being kissed has never expressed any interest in the person kissing them, but Katara and Aang were mutually interested in each other. They’d mutually kissed twice already by that point: in CoTL and during DoBS. The EIP kiss was inappropriate. NO ONE HAS EVER SUGGESTED OTHERWISE. But when you’re 12 and you’re already kind of in this semi-relationship with a girl you’ve been through hell and high water with (who has kissed you twice on the lips and on the cheek multiple times, not to mention it is only you she ever expresses such affection towards), it is not fucking “entitlement” to make a move on her, even when the timing is off. IT’S JUST A MISTAKE. A POOR DECISION. NOT ENTITLEMENT. NOT MANIPULATION. NOT SEXUAL ASSAULT. Full stop.

Also, these EIP people love to call Aang entitled for this kiss, but there isn’t a single peep heard from them about Zuko’s line in TSR where he demands to know what’s “wrong” with Katara, since she hasn’t forgiven him yet when everyone else has. And look. I think Zuko was just frustrated here, and that he, too, made a mistake and is obviously not irredeemable for it, but. If you’re going to argue that Aang was entitled in EIP, you’d better be ready to acknowledge the argument that Zuko was acting entitled in TSR, too. And hell, let’s take it a step further! Call Aang entitled for EIP. Call Zuko entitled for TSR. Call Sokka entitled for choosing to stay at Boiling Rock on the off chance his father would arrive, thus making Suki and Zuko feel obligated to stay behind with him, effectively putting all of them in danger. What an entitled decision, risking his friends’ lives on the 0.01% chance Hakoda would be one of the many, many possible war prisoners arriving at Boiling Rock!

Damn. That sounds ridiculous as fuck, doesn’t it?

And guess what. That’s exactly how the “Aang was entitled” arguments come across. Hate to break it to you. Trust me when I say to do yourself a favor and stop perpetuating that faulty rhetoric!

So that is what I have already assessed, lol.

To be frank, the most frustrating thing I see perpetuated is that the EIP kiss somehow ruined Aang and Katara’s relationship. But when it comes to assessing weighty issues like the notion of “entitlement” in a relationship, the fact of the matter is that you have to look at both the relationship as a whole and the context in which it is situated. Opponents never want to do that, because doing so debunks their entire (baseless) argument, lmao. Katara and Aang are best friends. And by EIP, they have both expressed romantic interest in each other multiple times. (Here is a post explaining the development of Katara’s feelings for Aang, just to put out that fire before anyone sets it lmao.)

So why, why do opponents think Katara would never find it in herself to forgive Aang for a mistaken kiss? Katara is shown over and over again throughout the series to have one of the biggest hearts. She wants to see the good in people. That’s why she gives Jet a second chance (even though a person could argue he did not “deserve” one); that’s why she helps the Fire Nation village in “The Painted Lady”; that’s why she forgives Pakku (once she sees he’s willing to change); that’s why she is the second person in the entire show (excluding Iroh) to offer Zuko a hand of kindness (in CoD)! That’s why she eventually forgives Zuko, even after all he has done to the Gaang (e.g. sending an assassin after them, being complicit in Aang’s death, attacking her and kidnapping Aang at the NWT, manipulating her with her mother’s necklace, to name a few, lmao. bless his heart, but like Jet, someone could easily argue Zuko doesn’t “deserve” another chance - and yet Katara still gave him [and Jet] one. in fact, she gave Zuko multiple).

In other words, Katara is almost always willing to extend friendship and compassion and forgiveness to others - why would she revoke that privilege from Aang after a single error that is comparatively lesser to all the other horrible things she’s experienced in the war? Again, I’m not downplaying how terrible of a decision Aang made. It’s inexcusable. But it’s not the end of the world, and considering the context of the show (e.g. Aang and Katara liked each other and they both knew it), it’s… not some heinous crime. Compared to, oh, how about attempted murder? lmaoo

Even beyond Katara’s innate kindness, Aang is Katara’s best friend. She loves him. The show portrays it as romantic through the seasons, but even if someone isn’t into shipping (which is super valid), Katara and Aang’s connection is one of the primary lynchpins of the show! (The other being Aang and Zuko, the greatest foils of all time.) Katara and Aang epitomize several of A:TLA’s thematics (and aesthetics) because they are complementary: yin and yang, push and pull, Tui and La, moon and ocean, blue and orange, water and air. This gifset and related commentary beautifully demonstrate how even when Katara and Aang disagree, they respect the other’s the decision. So after 60~ episodes depicting Aang and Katara as having mutual respect and love for each other in every form as well as emphasizing Katara’s natural inclination towards kindness/giving people the benefit of the doubt, opponents still think Katara wouldn’t forgive Aang because of one mistimed, inappropriate kiss? What?? Make it make sense, lmao.

In sum, the kiss was a mistake, not an act of entitlement, and it’s absurd to think Katara would hold that against Aang for the rest of his life.

To backtrack a bit, opponents also love to use the fact that Aang asked Katara several questions about their relationship status as examples of his “entitlement.” Just typing that out highlights the ridiculous nature of this assertion, lmao! Let me rephrase it for maximum hilarity:

“Aang was unsure about where their relationship stood? Well, how dare he ask numerous questions to resolve his confusion!”

Like, what was the alternative jskfajksdas if you are in relationship limbo with someone, it is far better to ask them ‘too many’ questions for clarification than to simply assume one way or the other! Kissing Katara was wrong, flat-out, but asking her questions to better understand where they were in their relationship was like. exactly the right decision, lmao. I genuinely don’t see how that could be indicative of entitlement? Especially because, once again, Aang and Katara both like each other and they both know that by this point in the show. That’s why Aang doesn’t ask if Katara likes him - he knows she does. That’s why Katara doesn’t negate her feelings - she knows she’s interested in him, and the blockade between them is not a lack of reciprocation, but the fact that they’re “in the middle of a war” and consequently it’s not “the right time” for them to begin a relationship. Katara has seen Aang die before! She knows he’s facing a near-impossible victory! I can’t blame her for not wanting to start a relationship with him at that point. It would hurt twice as much to lose him again if they were together in a romantic fashion (amatonormativity, am I right?). Again, Aang’s kiss was entirely inappropriate, but him asking her questions about their relationship is a) an example of fostering healthy communication and b) what any therapist would encourage, lol.

Oh, but I’m “forgetting” something, aren’t I? Right. This line:

Katara: Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m just a little confused.

If we want to talk about parallels, which I know the A:TLA fandom adores, this line sounds suspiciously like:

Yue: … but I like you [Sokka] too much and it’s too confusing to be around you.

Yue and Katara are actually in similar situations here. Outside forces are interfering with their relationships; for Yue, there is her arranged marriage, and for Katara, it’s the life-or-death nature of the war itself. They aren’t confused about their feelings, as Yue knows she likes Sokka and Katara knows she likes Aang, but they are confused about how to reconcile those feelings with their external circumstances. And can you blame them for that? They are facing impossible decisions (the fate of their nation and the fate of the world respectively). I would be confused, too! So Katara’s response isn’t a reaction to any so-called “entitlement” from Aang; she is experiencing genuine confusion about how to approach her own feelings for him in the midst of a war.

In sum, Aang asking questions about their relationship was a logical step to take resolving his confusion and is in no way related to “entitlement.” Katara’s confusion was not “letting Aang down easy” and interpreting it as such requires disregarding every preceding line of the conversation and its context.

As you can see, Aang’s actions in EIP are not at all “entitled.” His questions were understandable. While his kiss was inappropriate and inexcusable, it was also a mistake, and there is no canon evidence to support the conclusion Katara would never be able to forgive him (her literal best friend!) for it.

Before I end, I’ll touch briefly upon the DotBS kiss, because it is also occasionally used as an example of Aang’s “entitlement” towards Katara’s feelings. Whether you like the trope or not, this moment falls under what is called the “Now or Never Kiss.” TV Tropes actually lists Kataang/DotBS as an example under the Western Animation tab:

“Avatar: The Last Airbender: The fact that he’s finally going to face the dreaded Firelord, and possibility that he might not come back alive from that battle, gives Aang enough motivation to kiss Katara.”

Again, whether you like the trope or not, it involves reciprocation from both parties:

“The Not-A-Couple [i.e. both parties] don’t want to go out without revealing how they [i.e. both parties] really feel. It’s now or never. They kiss.”

Katara and Aang both like each other. When Aang initiates the DotBS kiss, Katara kisses him back. Her lips are still puckered when he pulls away. Furthermore, Katara had initiated a kiss with Aang prior to this incident, in CoTL. Katara was also the one to initiate every cheek kiss with Aang (who is the only character she ever demonstrated such affection towards). So Aang kissing Katara during DotBS follows an established precedent of Katara initiating different kisses, romantically inclined, with Aang. It’s not entitlement; it’s him knowing they mutually like each other and him realizing this might be the last time he ever sees her. Again, you can hate the trope, but don’t blatantly misconstrue its meaning. You’ll sound like Fire Nation propaganda, lmao. (For clarification, jic: the general you. not anon!)

Here is a fantastic post by @imreallyhereforkataang explaining the DotBS kiss in more detail as well as discussing why Kataang’s progression in the second half of Book 3 was, in fact, well-developed, and how Katara and Aang are best friends above all else and know that (which was the core of their relationship from the start).

And a bonus fun fact: in the original storyboard (link takes you to storyboarder Giancarlo Volpe’s DeviantArt with said storyboard), it is noted that Katara smiles after Aang kisses her. Why? Because she likes him as much as he likes her! It was changed by a “higher authority,” according to Volpe, probably to add more realism to the romance (i.e. Katara likes Aang, yes, but as she herself points out in EIP - there’s a war going on, and love is always terrifying to reconcile with war).

(Seriously, though, do read Volpe’s description on the storyboard. Takes you a second to scroll down and maybe a minute to read. Short yet informative, discussing how you can see on the storyboard itself that someone revised the image so Katara isn’t smiling after the kiss.)

Anyways! Opponents’ argument that Katara wasn’t interested in Aang therefore is and has always been entirely inapplicable.

To conclude: the entitlement assertion is laughable. There is no canon evidence to support it. As such, I encourage you to laugh whenever you see it! Pull an Azula, for that matter:

[ID: Gif from “The Beach” episode of A:TLA. Ty Lee, mimicking a guy, asks Azula, “Hey there sweet sugar cakes. How ya likin’ this party?” Azula proceeds to burst into exaggerated laughter, earning stares from everyone else at the party. End ID.]

Thank you for the great ask, anon! Hopefully my response was satisfactory 💛

#surprise friends!! a kataang analysis!! i probably will not write any others until may 💀#kataang #kataangtag #aang #katara #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla meta #amy answers #anon #amy analyzes

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hello-nichya-here · 3 years

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Zucest - Is It Really Flirting?

(Originally posted on AO3 as chapter 43 of Defending and Analysing Zucest)

@azdaema-does-art asked: So I think a big stumbling block for me with this ship is that I very much adhere to the reading of the show that holds:

Quasi-Seducer!Azula (as seen virtually anytime) and Quasi-Seducer!Zuko (as seen in "The Waterbending Scroll") are not actually expressions of desire from them. Rather, this is Zuko and Azula trying to be intimidating by modeling their behavior off their father (circling, personal-space-invading, low seductive tones, etc)

When actually trying to flirt neither Zuko nor Azula acts anything like that. When Zuko goes on that date with a girl in the Earth Kingdom, or Azula flirting with that guy on Ember Island, they're both awkward disasters.

I'd be curious to hear you address this. (Or point me to some awkward disaster!zucest fanfic.)

***

That is a really good point and I'm glad you brought it up. While I understand that reading of the show, I disagree with it slightly for a few reasons (beyond my own bias).

Need to be in control: No one can argue against the fact that neither Zuko nor Azula know how to have "normal", healthy relationships with others, mainly due to how unequal 99% of the relationships in the Fire Nation are since imposing your own will over someone else's has become part of their culture. Both Zuko and Azula accepted being treated like mere tools/punching bags by their father, Zuko was constantly insulting Iroh over the smallest things and Azula full on threatened Ty Lee's life to make her join her on her chase after her brother and the Avatar - both were scenarios where desire wasn't a factor at all (thought I know many fans that would like to think otherwise XD)

However, during The Beach, we saw how both of them try (and fail) to deal with romance. Zuko was extremelly paranoid that Mai was interested in another guy, for no real reason, and was constantly trying to intimidate her into either admiting to it or into saying she disliked the guy, even though she had clearly said she was completely indifferent to him. And Azula, after her kiss with Chan, decided, on her own and not giving a damn about his feelings on the matter, that not only would they be officially a couple, but that they'd dominate the earth together. Control is, more often than not, a major factor in all of their actions and relationships, so Azula wanting to intimidate Zuko in the bedroom scene (which she very much tried to do and succeeded at) doesn't automatically rule out the possibility of atraction.

Mixed feelings: While "I wanna fight/kill my sibling" is sort of these two default state, there are moments that show that they do have at least some positive feelings for each other. Zuko doesn't give a shit that Aang is going to kill Ozai, but seeing Azula falling "to her death" and then chained up and defeated after their Agni Kai quite clearly made him emotional, even if he tried to control himself. Azula's positive feelings for Zuko are so obvious I had to do an in length discussion of it in chapter 12 "Is Zucest just about sex?" Combine all of the conflicting emotions they have for each other with their need to control the other, and some scenes end up getting some connotations the writers weren't planning them to have... supposedly (I'll get into that in a bit)

Awareness and familiarity: Don't get me wrong, Zuko and Azula are two extremelly traumatized, socially awkward teenagers who have no idea how to flirt (or how to fit in with people their age) but we also need to take context into consideration, especiall when it comes to Zuko's date with Jin and Azula's interactions with Chan.

In Ba Sing Se, Zuko was outside of his comfort zone, away from home, in enemy territory, and so paranoid that he assumed Jin came into the tea shop so often because she knew they were Fire Nation, not because she had a crush on him or simply enjoyed their tea. And while he liked her and the date was nice, Zuko was very "stiff" and even looked a bit uncomfortable (not to say very uncomfortable) at some points - which is oddly simmilar to how he was acting during the bedroom scene (hell, Azula was quite clearly looking at him just like Jin did, as I pointed out in "The most important parallel in Avatar"). Finally, we cannot forget that, even though he was awkward as fuck during 90% of the night, Zuko did manage to do something kinda romantic by lighting up the place, meaning he isn't completely oblivious to the concept of flirting (which is proved by his relationship with Mai).

Now, when it comes to Azula, the poor girl has almost no idea how to flirt. Almost. Talking about Chan's sharp outfit shows she's got some of the basis down, like "say something nice" - the problem is that her concept of "nice" is very different than that of most people. She did sort of know what to do once Ty Lee gave her some tips... but she quickly reversed back to her regular ways - which once again shows that flirting/seduction has an element of control and intimidation for her. She probably doesn't always mean to act in ways that could be considered flirty, but that doesn't mean she is completely oblivious to the implications of, let's say, invading her brother's personal space and talking to him in a low tone while wearing nothing but a robe.

And since I mentioned Azula going back to what she knows, that leads us to another thing to take into account: the fact that Zuko and Azula quite literally knew each other their whole lives - meaning if they were to ever flirt with each other, it would probably look at least somewhat different than when they were out of their element. Azula was the one in control, so she was far more comfortable and confident than she had been with Chan, and Zuko was the one being intimidated, which explains why he kept his guard up. Once again, that "theory" is sort of confirmed if we compare how Zuko acted while flirting with Mai on The Headband versus how he tried to interact with her in The Beach - when he used a non-traditional, but very Mai-esque "You're so beautiful when you hate the world" he got her equivalent of an "I love you" when she told him she didn't hate him, but he tried to do more "normal" things like getting her a pretty shell it blew up on his face. He knows Mai since they were both kids, meaning he usually knows how to deal with her, just like Azula usually knows how to deal with him.

Intensity: While a lot of Azula's behavior can be explained by her copying Ozai, we need to remember that there's only so much he could affect, especially since her way of "intimidating" Zuko was far more touchy and incestuous than his, and lasted a lot longer. Azula gets close to people when she's intimidating them (see how she toyed with Aang in The Drill), but not as close as she did with her brother. The sole exception to that being Sokka on The Day Of Black Sun - but that is on somewhat shaky ground despite the accidental sexual tension since the first time she got close to him she was being launched by the Dai Li and he just happened to be standing a little bellow the direction she was launched at, and the second time had him pinning her to the wall (which is in character since Sokka usually goes straight at his foes to intimidate them while fighting), and as soon as she had her firebending back she pushed him away. On top of that, she was trying to distract him, Aang and Toph, meaning he wasn't her focus at all, and she ignored him on all the other times their groups were facing each other.

With Zuko on the other hand, she was going full force, like I said on my analysis of the bedroom scene. She played coy, stared at him in a very intense, weird way, circled the pillar on her bed, stretched in front of him, got on his personal space touching his shoulder and chest, and bit her lip while talking basically purring her words. That is all a bit too much for me to believe it was just about intimidation. And the touching gets even more suspicious when you notice Azula does enjoy and is willing to give physical affection - she hugged both Mai and Ty Lee after seeing them again, pulled Ty Lee close while conforting her and apologizing for her harsh words at The Beach... and put her hand on Zuko's shoulder while saying he restored his own honor to reassure him after he was feeling bad for betraying his uncle.

Intention of the actors/writers/animators: Avatar is no stranger to parallels. It also isn't a stranger to adult themes/jokes, fanservice, and ship teasing. For instance, even thought they didn't end up together and were never canonically interested in each other, there was A LOT of hints/teases of Zutara - dude fucking took lightining to the heart for her.

Just like the writers and producers were aware of Zutara, Tokka and many, many other ships, they were also aware of Zucest and even jokingly shipped Azula and The Blue Spirit at a panel. The animators habit of sexualizing the characters speaks for itself, so I won't even go into that. Finally, Grey Delisle, Azula's voice actress is a Zucest shiper, has brought it up many times, asked people to send her fanart and fanfic of it, created the phrase "Zucest is best cest", and has full on said she voiced the scene as if Azula was trying to seduce Zuko, - which regardless of whether or not the writers intended for the character to be doing, means that there is a very strong incest subtext to the scene and that, in a weird way, "Azula" herself confirmed her motives to act the way she did.

#zucest #azuko #shipcest #meta #azula #zuko #fire siblings #atla #avatar

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gladerwolfstarkimagines · 4 years

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Zuko x female reader series: Part Three

Now aware of your feelings for Zuko the tension between you grows until Zuko is whisked away from you following a trick of Azula’s. However your time in the fire nation without Zuko is made eventful by a command from Ozai concerning you and Zuko. The tension peaks when Zuko returns to you and changes your friendship permanently.

Part One here

Part Two here

Part Four here

Part Five here

Part Six here

Tagged: @creation-magician @kaylove12 @taeeemin

Your POV

"Well what about the war general’s son?" You mother asked holding up a photo of a boy barely a man. You made a face and she sighed "y/n you can’t dismiss every suitor without even giving them a try” and you sighed. "I can try". "What was that?" your mother asked raising an eyebrow. "Nothing" you called back but she'd heard. When your father died you’d become the head of the family, the future hope for your fathers legacy. With no male heirs or uncles the burden had fallen to you to lead your mother and little sister. You’d have been more than happy to pick up your father duties in the royal navy, or even just working for the royal fleet but you were high born and a girl, that was not your place according to the fire nation. The best way to serve your family was for you to marry as soon as possible. When you married your husband would get your father’s titles and could pick up responsabilities at the navy again. The thought made you furious, you’d be undoubtedly more experienced than your husband for the role but your place would be in the home. There was nothing you could do to change the laws but that didn’t mean you had to abide by them. Your plan was to delay marriage indefinitely and so had rejected every single suitor suggested. Your mother was getting angry at you but you didn’t care. Ozai had offered you many things to pay for the loss of your father, the great General Zhao, but you only asked for one thing. The option to choose when and who you’d marry. Ozai begrudgingly complied and his word was law, your mother couldn’t force anything on you. You smirked as she packed her photos of potential suitors away, her weekly visit a failure like always, when she paused "what about Zuko?". You froze "what about him?". "Well would you accept him as a suitor?".

So many things made you uncomfortable about what your mom had said. For one thing you still hadn’t sorted out your feeling about Zuko. You knew things had changed after that night in your room and could tell Zuko felt it too but didn’t know how to proceed with the situation. You’d always just seen him as a friend and prided yourself on being able to be close with Zuko and not feel any romantic feelings but now it was all different and that made you angry at yourself. How many times had you boasted about your relationship to everyone? Sworn you were just friends and took pride in yourself for being an example of strong male/female friendship. And now you were a cliche who liked her best friend. What bothered you even more than your confused feelings though was your mother’s attitude towards Zuko. All through Zuko’ s banishment your mom hadn’t said Zuko’s name once. As soon as he was banished everyone had turned against him. Even Mai and Ty lee didn’t dare say his name, everyone acted as if he had just never existed, everyone expect you. You’d mentioned him whenever you felt the need, a past memory, a reminder Azula wasn’t the only heir, a comment about this beings Zuko’s favourite food, anything and everyone ignored you for it. Your mom would always go quiet ignoring you if it was in public but in private she’d scold you and send you away to the navy where you were less watched, where you were less of a problem. She’d turned against him and written him off and now he’d returned she was acknowledging him again. Even suggesting him as a fit for you. The audacity made you feel sick, Zuko was not a possession they could use. "No" you said firmly and your mother paused "you wouldn’t accept Zuko? Y/n he’s the prince! and you have to admit you two have always gotten along". "Ow now you remember who he is?" you asked sarcastically "weird, you didn’t recall who he was for years and now...poof, you remember" you smiled sweetly "strange how that works huh?". "Y/n..." your mom rolled her eyes but you headed for the door. "Great session mom same time next week?" and pushed the door open making it hit the wall. "You’ll have to pick someone eventually" she yelled after you and you rolled your eyes.

You went to the training rooms to try and get some of your anger at your mother out and after firebending for an hour felt better. You wiped your face with a towel before realising you’d missed a single target. You kicked your foot out and a jet of fire flew from your foot and destroyed the target. You felt better and were getting ready to go back to the world when you heard clapping. You turned to see it was Zuko and smiled instinctively. You always smiled when you saw Zuko but now, now you also got this excited feeling in your stomach, almost a nervous feeling to be around him. "I don’t know what that target did to you but you sure showed it who’s boss" Zuko smirked coming to stand behind you. "I did didn’t I?' you smiled turning around to examine your shot and Zuko nodded placing his hands on your shoulders. You pretended not to notice and realised this was happening a lot lately. To be fair the physical contact had always happened, it was normal for friends to rest against one another or link arms, but now you noticed it more and it definitely felt more deliberate. So the pattern went Zuko would initiate contact with you in some way and you’d both pretend not to notice, apart from the light blushes or lingering looks. “You okay?” Zuko asked “i heard your mom’s weekly visit was today”. You groaned and Zuko laughed “forget i asked”. You sighed “can we do something, anything apart from talk about her please?” you begged turning to face Zuko and he smiled. "fancy some food? My treat?". “Can we order in to your room?” you asked “I don’t want a run in with my mom”. Your mom had left straight after her meeting, there was no way you’d run into her, the truth was you liked being alone with Zuko. He was always less guarded in private, less aware of prying eyes but now...he wasn’t just happier in private he was...different. The only way you could think to phrase it was he was bolder now, he’d flirt with you openly in the privacy of your shared presence and you knew it was wrong considering he was taken but you enjoyed it and thought he did too. Zuko’s eyes flashed and you knew he knew your mom had left too, he knew this was an excuse to be alone but like you’d been doing he pretended not to notice. “Of course” Zuko smirked and you both managed not to blush.

Your meal devoured you flopped onto Zuko’s bed full and unable to move. “Why does it always taste better then you have someone bring it to you?” you asked and Zuko smirked looking down at you “I have no idea”. You relaxed next to one another in content silence before Zuko sighed “y/n we need to talk”. You frowned hearing the seriousness in his voice and panicked. Did he know you liked him? Did he think what you’d been doing was wrong too? Was he going to stop seeing you? He stood up pacing and you looked up at him. “What is it?” you asked and Zuko looked at you nervously. "I might be gone for a few days". "Gone?" You asked "where?". "Ember islands". "The one we went to as kids?" you asked smiling slightly at the memory "why are you going there?". "That same one” Zuko nodded smiling too before looking away “well father wants me and Azula out of the way so he can talk to his councilmen but y/n it’s not just us, Mai and Ty lee are going too". You tried not to react to the fact he was almost warning you he’d be spending time with Mai. She was his girlfriend so this didn’t bother you, you knew you had no right to feel angry, and so you smiled. "and you’re worried i’ll feel left out because your sister didn’t invite me?". Zuko frowned and you laughed coming to stand infront of him "Zuko i don’t care! If Azula wants to leave me out that is fine by me". "Are you sure you’re not upset?” Zuko asked “because if you are I can refuse to go" and you laughed. "If Azula’s way of getting back at me is not inviting me to a party i am cool with that" you smirked “I’ll be fine without you I promise”. Zuko nodded but sighed "damn i was hoping you’d forbid me from going". You chuckled "i mean everyone would believe that, i have you whipped". Zuko raised an eyebrow but didn’t deny it "yeah I suppose you do" he agreed and the tone of his voice made you blush. "Don’t you forget it" you smirked patting his chest and you saw him glance from your eyes to your lips, his eyes darker suddenly and his pupils bigger. He was so close to you he could easily lean frowards and kiss you. You didn’t think you’d pull away if he did, you knew you wouldn’t. “Y/n, I...” he trailed off as wanting to tell you something but he didn’t carry on. Tension was thick in the room and the silence didn’t help. Zuko?" You asked as he blinked shaking himself out of his daze “what were you going to say?”. Zuko looked at you before looking away rapidly “nothing, it doesn’t matter, I should probably start packing”. You nodded and turned in the direction of the door recognising that as a dismissal, but looked over your shoulder as you went to see Zuko was frowning to himself, almost as if he was having an internal struggle with something. You reached the door and Zuko paused "I don’t know how long we’ll be there but I’ll be going first thing in the morning". You nodded "well safe travels and have fun, you will be missed ow fire prince" and bowed mockingly. Zuko smirked but you also saw a blush on his cheeks "good to know" he nodded "i’ll miss you too". You couldn’t help smile as Zuko said that and saw the blush on his cheeks grow. “I’ll see you when you return” you smiled and walked out of the room, feeling his eyes burning into your back as you walked away.

Four days later

Zuko had been gone for four days now and you were embarassed at how much you missed him. You forgot how boring the palace was without him and blamed your loneliness on your new crush on the prince. If only you’d not fallen for him you’d be fine without him, enjoying some alone time but no...you were wondering when he was coming back, what he was doing, if he was doing it with Mai... You wondered about him and Mai a lot and it made you angry. You’d known the flirting with Zuko was wrong but you’d argued you’d always had a flirty relationship so that was nothing new but the being jealous of Mai was new, the protectiveness of Zuko was new, the resentment at them spending time together was new and you hated it but couldn’t seem to make it stop. You knew Azula had purposefully invited Mai and not you to get you out of the way, to give Mai and Zuko alone time. But you had no right to be angry over that! Zuko and Mai had more romantic history than you, a point you’d always made very clear, so you had no right to be jealous. They were dating for christ sake! You had absolutely no right to be territorial over Zuko. But that didn’t stop you from being.

You groaned driving the thoughts from your head when there was a knock on your door "lady y/n Firelord Ozai wishes to speak with you". "Firelord Ozai?" You asked shocked and the maid nodded "yes". "Now?" She nodded and you rushed to get ready. In all your life, even during the talks after your father’s death you’d barely been in the man’s presence let alone spoken with him privately and with no obvious reason. Confused, nervous and a little scared you followed the servant to Ozai’s council room and were let inside. "Firelord Ozai, lady y/n" a footman announced and Ozai nodded "good leave us". The man bowed and left the room. "Y/n take a seat" Ozai said gesturing to a long empty table and you took one near him but not too near, you’d never liked the Firelord. Ozai carried on writing and you frowned confused, why would Ozai send Azula and Zuko away to be left alone but request to speak to you. Finally he set his brush down and fixed his cold eyes on you. "I have summoned you here to tell you about a development concerning my son". Your heart skipped, had something happened to Zuko? Was he okay?. “Zuko...is he alright?” you asked worried and Ozai glanced at you a small smirk appearing at your tone “he is fine”. You let out a large breath of relief and noticed Ozai watching you. "y/n do you remember when your father died i promised you would be compensated for his sacrafice?". You nodded "yes Firleord Ozai". "Well today is that day" he told you "i plan on making the announcment when Zuko returns but thought I would tell you while he’s away". "Announcement?" You asked. "Yes of the engagament of you and my son" Ozai told you proudly and you gaped. "Your family has been an ally to the crown for decades, your father sacraficed himself for it and you yourself commited many years to our naval reserves. You’re a talented fire bender and i owe your father this, it is something we discussed when you were children but i will see it happen now i finally can". You were still silent staring and Ozai finally looked at you "need i even ask the insignificant formality of your acceptance?". You frowned "pardon?". "You and my son are close i assume this will be good news for you both, well especially any girl in your position but considering circumstances I trust Zuko will not object ". You blushed, Ozai was more perceptive than any of you thought "but your son is involved with another girl instead...Mai". "Ah yes Ukano’s daughter, well she is high ranking but not enough plus she’s not even a bender, that is not good enough for the throne so Zuko and her would never work, my son knows that and you need not worry the girl can be sent away as soon as the announcement is made". "No i don’t want Mai banished just...this will be hard to explain to her and Zuko, they may not be happy. Plus you promised me I would have a say in who I married when my father died". Ozai narrowed his eyes "i do not care for the girls happiness and as for Zuko’s..I think I have been very kind in choosing you for him. As for our agreement” he spat “even dead your father’s wishes outrank yours and I know he would want this” Ozai glared leaning forwards towards you. “The point remains though that marriages are alliances y/n and i expect you and Zuko to act the part of loyal firenation nobels and accept this with no resistance, refusal is not an option you will do this, do you understand?". Ozai’s word sent your blood boiling. Of course your dead father’s wishes were respected more than your own, did you really expect the Firelord, the man who burnt his son and used his daughter as a weapon, to keep his promise to you. You’d been naive but you wouldn’t be again, first things first you had to get out of this room. You swallowed and stared at him "you will make the announcement soon?". Ozai nodded "when my son returns from the Ember Islands, i will give you time to tell him first". That calmed you somewhat, you could tell Zuko and work out a plan before it went public. It would he okay. "Thank you Firelord" you said bowing and Ozai nodded dismissing you. You rushed from the room and paused thinking over everything, the intensity of what you’d just been commanded to do. The anger you felt was still raw and you cursed the Firelord. Ozai seriously wanted you and Zuko to marry? That was insane! True you liked Zuko and honestly thought he liked you but marriage...letting the scenario play out in your head you realised it’d be a good way to get what you want. The only person you could stomach having control of your navy would be Zuko, plus there was no suitor you wanted, Zuko was the only person you’d ever felt strongly about, marriage to him wouldn’t be awful, much worse matches had been made than this...but you quickly scolded yourself out of these thoughts. It would be insane for you and Zuko to agree to this, to be forced into this willingly or not. No, you’d have to work fast and tell Zuko as soon as he got back, you’d find a way to defy the Firelord over this, alone that would be difficult but with Zuko’s help...anything was possible.

1 day later

You got word Zuko and Azula were on their way back to the capital and would arrive late, likely the middle of the night. It was annoying you couldn’t see Zuko until the morning but part of you was also relieved, you still didn’t know how to tell him what Ozai had planned for you both. You’d gone over ways to tell him but the thought terrified you. There was nothing you could do about it now so prepared to go to sleep when there was a knock at your door. Annoyed you grabbed a robe incase it was someone too important to see you so under dressed and opened the door. Zuko stood there in his travelling clothes, clothes and hair disheveled but he smiled brightly at you. "Zuko" you said suprised "i didn’t expect to see you tonight i heard you'd be back late and figured you’d want to rest after the journey". Zuko shrugged "we did but i don’t want to sleep, i’m not tired so figured i’d come and find you. But if this is a bad time I can come back in the morning...". "No it’s okay" you smiled letting him into the room. Zuko hadn’t even gone back to his room to change, he'd come straight here. Something must be bothering him. "How was it?" You asked trying to subtly dig for what was worrying him. Zuko shrugged "boring, how was it here? Anything interesting happen?". Ow your father announced our engagement and i have no idea how to get out of it you wanted to say but instead you asked "have you seen your father yet?". Zuko shook his head "no why?" and you went quiet. How did you tell him? How did you make it not awkward when it was such an odd topic? When you didn’t reply Zuko frowned "y/n?". "Nothing" you said faking a smile "now i’m not letting you off that easy tell me all the details, how many boys did Ty lee ensare, how many children did Azula make cry? Every detail". Zuko seemed to know you were putting something off but smirked and complied. His story wasn’t a happy one, the holiday sounded awful, when Zuko talked about his mother and the memories there you rested a hand on his arm, wishing you could hug him but knowing he wouldn’t want to feel pitied. Zuko ended his story and sighed "so i wish i’d have stayed here with you" he concluded and you smiled. Zuko rested his hand on your leg as he said it and you paused confused but Zuko didn’t even seem to notice. You shrugged figuring it was my accident but as time passed still his hand didn’t move away. "What’s wrong?" you asked aware Zuko was still tense, he hadn’t told you everything. "Nothing" he sighed and you raised an eyebrow "i’m not dumb Zuko tell me what’s wrong". Zuko sighed deeply and you paused taking a guess, there was only one topic Zuko wouldn’t want to discuss with you. "Mai?" you asked and he nodded meeting your eye. "All we did the whole trip was argue! I got her a shell...she didn’t like it! I got her ice cream and she got annoyed i dropped it on her, i told her to open up more and she told me to leave her alone and dumped me...". You frowned managing not to feel excited as he said that "so are you two...". "No we made up i guess" Zuko sighed "but it didn’t solve anything between us! We just did it to sort it out, i didn't do it because i wanted to! I did it because everyone expects me to be all loved up with Mai but i’m not". You frowned unsure what to say, if to comfort Zuko or encourage him to give it another chance with Mai, but Zuko carried on. "Is it supposed to be so difficult?" Zuko asked you "i try and try with Mai but i don’t know what to do...what she wants me to do or even what she likes apart from me, do you think that’s right?" Zuko asked you before frowning "wait is it weird for me to ask you this?". "Why would it be weird?" you asked pretending you didn’t know and Zuko blushed "well because were close and i know you and Mai haven’t always gotten along". You rolled your eyes "i like Mai Zuko, it’s you who needs work out how you feel about her". "So you don’t think it should be difficult?" Zuko asked picking up on your tone. "I knew it!" he cried "it shouldn’t be so damn hard, it not like that with you, you’re easy". "Excuse me?" you asked and Zuko smirked "i just mean, i know you" he smiled at you "i know everything you like, love and hate, i know a thousand things we can talk about and i feel so comfortable with you" he smiled at you lazily his hand still on your leg "with you it’s just...effortless" Zuko told you and you swore internally. He was making it very hard for you not to notice how you felt when he said things like that, to remain impartial in this conversation. You couldn’t even disagree which made it worse, everything Zuko said you felt too. Every single boy you’d met in the fire nation was never like Zuko, you never had this chemistry or ease with them like you had with Zuko, none of them compared to him. None of them could make you laugh like he could, smile like he could, as comfortable as he could and it really was effortless. You knew now that wasn’t just a friendship, you wanted Zuko and it just seemed right, you just fit. As if reading your mind Zuko looked at you "if only you liked me then we'd both be sorted" with a signature royal smirk that made your heart skip. Fuck it you said in your mind and kissed him, leaning across the sofa and crashing into him in the blink of an eye. Zuko kissed you back before realising what he was doing and he pulled away "y/n what...i didn’t say that to make you kiss me". "I know but i do like you Zuko, i think I have for a while I just didn’t realise it, but when you say stupid shit like that i can’t" you sighed "i can’t hide it from myself anymore Zuko" and he nodded "then don’t" and kissed you again. You felt like you were exploding but in a good way. You’d worried kissing Zuko would feel weird considering how well you knew him but it was amazing. In fact it seemed to make it better, even more personal and meaningful and it felt so right. You could sense Zuko felt that too by how passionate the kiss was becoming. You didn’t want to break away for water, for air, for anything. Zuko drew you closer onto his lap and you complied anything to get more contact. Anything to not have to stop this. Your brain was a mess, there was a small part of you brain trying to not get so carried away with this but it lost power as Zuko’s hands started traveling up your torso. You knew you should stop this but when Zuko whispered your name while kissing your neck you felt your stomach tense and didn’t care what you should or shouldn’t do anymore. You pushed Zuko back hard making him fall onto his back on the sofa. He looked up at you confused before you leant over him and resumed kissing him just laterally now. Zuko seemed even more eager than you and as soon as you gave up some dominance Zuko grinned and flipped you suddenly so you were below him. "Y/n..." he murmered hovering above you “do you want this...I do but are you sure you want me like this?”. You leant upwards to kiss him slowly in reply, lingering and savouring every bit of it and Zuko blinked in a daze as you pulled away. “What do you think?” you asked gazing up at him. Zuko’s face grew into a smirk and he leant back into you...

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So that’s as close to smut as i’ll get but yeah you can imagine what happened next..... 😉

Where I live 16 is the age of consent so no shady deals here. Thanks again!!

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hella1975 · 3 years

Note

I'm starting The Art of Burning and :'0 I'm gonna cry aren't i. "A battle was not something you got used to, and this crew had said goodbye to one another a thousand times" fuckkkkkk

(i’m literally gonna do a massive fuck off accumulation of all your asks here because you all exist for my entertainment and what i say goes and i say that this has been the funniest gradual review i’ve ever gotten)

(also if anything is in bold that is me doing little comments in my teacher marking a paper way of mine. welcome to the blog)

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2. "Ruination was a song the Fire Nation knew well, a song whose lyrics curled from their tongues in infancy, a song whose harmonies lay in their skeletons." I'M SCREAMINGGGGG

3. I would literally die for Kanut, Nanook, and Tomkin in a heartbeat 😌😌 - tom nook would die for you, kanut would tell you to get fucked <3

4. I am WEEPING, Kanut is sjakdhkjfhs I just, I would DIE for him - see above

5. "Every word was another stick of kindling and Zuko was building his own pyre." dAMN, HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO WRITE POETRY LIKE THIS - i am perhaps blushing rn

6. not really from the story but "alexa stream heather by conan gray" what a MOOD - ANOTHER CONAN FAN? PLS?

7. "Hey mom" I dont know why THIS is what almost made me cry, but damnnnn I went 🥺 so fast-

8. I would fucking die and/or kill for Tomkin. Fuck. My. Heart. I love him

9. “So he stood there, a Water Tribe boy clinging to his shirt, and instead of pushing him away, Zuko desperately tried to remember how to hug someone back." BREAK MY FUCKING HEART WHY DON'T YA-

10. hHHHHHhHhHH :')))) just read the 'prick' 'arrogant bastard' 'arrogant motherfucker' conversation and- I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating- I. WOULD. DIE. FOR. KANUT. - i cannot say it again

11. "Golden eyes didn't change the humanity of a life." so maybe I love Tulok too even though I wanted to cry when Lee died 🥺🤍 - everyone was SO mean to tulok when i posted that first chapter i hope you all feel horrible for your behaviour

12. I got through that without crying -how the fuck I did it I don't know- but now I'm going to FUCKING scream, and “And then I said; No, Fire Lord Ozai, your earrings are on backwards.”“Tomkin, I am literally begging you to shut the fuck up. Please, just shut the fuck up." is NOT FUCKING HELPING OKAY

13. "Arrogant motherfucker" (affectionate) - IUGSHIUSHGIUS

14. I know I've given you a lot of shit (v sorry abt blowing ur notifs up too- jk, not sorry luv <3) but my skin is fucking CLEARED and your writing is fucking *chef's kiss* damned EXQUISITE and INCREDIBLE and knowing that I'm gonna get to read even MORE AND GET ZUKKA- Fuck man, I'm BLESSED as FUCK. (just finished chapter 10, and holyyyy SHITTT, that was a ride times a fucking thousand) anways, thank you for your damned IMMACULATE writing, I will send more asks soon <3 - i definitely do not love you and i definitely did not smile at this shut up

15. I am TREMBLING in my freaking CLOSET at 3:47 in the fucking MORNING OKAY, zuko is such a dumbass and hakoda is just like, you crazy bastard 'not very good' my ASS, youre the FOURTH BEST FIREBENDER IN THE WHOLE DAMN FIRE NATION and zuko is just like O_O :// are you sure tho?? like, are you REALLY sure abt that???? - zuko really went ‘shut up non-bender’ and ignored him

16. *in the storm* Lightning: what if I uh 😏😌 y'know 👀😏 fucking obliterated you mast? huh, what then? 👀😌 Zuko: what if you fucking didn't :) *yEET*

17. you are SPOILING me you rotten buggy-boi, I'll be getting dadkoda, zukka, AND a fucking azula redemption??? I am BLESSED and my skin is CLEARED nd my hotel is TRIVAGO 😌 (the only thing that could possibly make this better is bato/hakoda bc HHHH but I am already so spoiled with this fic-) (I would call this fic my guilty pleasure, but tbh I feel anything but guilty when reading this. I think it's my comfort fic now <3) - the comfort fic is about to experience some war crimes, please hold (also BUGGY-BOI??? USIHGIUSHGIU)

18. tomkin is such a fucking dumbass and I adore him (blue spirit mask part)

19. "you are not my father" this is my last ask for a bit bc its 4:42 am and my laptop is almost dead, but I wanted to say, from the bottom of my grimy little dirtbag heart, fuck you <3

20. (I lied) TOPHHHHH???????????????? :D

21. IF ZUKO GETS FUCKING KIDNAPPED OR SOME SHIT TO WHERE HE CAN'T GO BACK TO HAKODA AND THE SWT, I WILL SKINNNN YOUUUUU <3 - :)))))

22. Bato!!!! :D (and also, from the bottom of my heart, FUCK YOU <3)

23. Hey Hella, :) what :) do :) you :) mean :) zuko :) doesn't :) fucking :) have :) any :) fire :)) - funny story actually-

24. But I LIKED renmin :0

25. "But it didn’t matter, because at the time, it felt like they were three boys holding up the sky together. At the time, they were immovable." DAMMIT HELLA, MY HEART IS NOT OKAY AND IT DIDN'T NEED YOU TO GIVE ME A BATO & KANUT & HAKODA FRIENDSHIP OKAY

26. “Get fucked.” Said Toph,' ksjhadksahfd *screams* I would die for herrr

27. Tomkin was gonna say 'i aint never seen two pretty best friends' and WHAT A LAD

28. Me, just chilling: :) toab: zuko's fire was blue Me: WAIT, FUCK-

29. GIMME MY FUCKING HAKODA AND ZUKO REUNION DAMMIT, AND IROH, AND KANUT, YOU ASSHOLE I'M SADDDD

30. Tulok and Aneko: 😌🥺🤍🥰😌🤍🤍✨ Kayda and Chena: *chaos gremlin bastards* and that's v sexy of all of them - you don’t understand i’m obsessed with them

31. “We were cellmates.” Kanut offered with a shit-eating grin, like he knew how much he was messing with Sokka’s already fragile peace of mind.“Tui and La, they were cellmates.” Sokka whispered,' HELLA I'M SCREAMINGGG

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honestly i’m surprised you read it all that fucking quickly. this was so funny to just gradually watch unfold and i appreciate it even though you are stiLL VERY MUCH MY ENEMY YES I DO NOT LIKE YOU AHEM

#this was a wild ride i thank you graciously for it #at first i was just gonna respond to every ask as it came in but you were quicker than me and i kept waking up to like 10 asks at a time #i'm not complaining but lazy brain says work smarter not harder and now we have this

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burningupp-replies · 3 years

Text

Sleepless | Zuko x reader

A/N: this was requested like a week ago, i know :( school is kicking my proverbial butt at the moment, but i promise im working whenever i can to get new content for you all! i hope you will forgive me :( (also yes, i am working on another part for Teamwork, no need to worry)

Prompts:

13: I always sleep best when you’re next to me.

44: Why are you still awake?

Pairing: Zuko x reader

Word count: 3k

Warnings: there is a pretty steamy kiss at the end, but other than that, just tooth-rotting fluff :)

The fire nation palace felt so… big and cold, especially at night. It made you feel small and alone, and you usually found yourself clutching your pillow to your chest for dear life. You had been with the others during the war, helping the cause in any way you could, and even six months later, you couldn’t shake the feeling of general uneasiness you got when seeing anything related to the fire nation – especially when you were trying to sleep.

When the war ended, Zuko had asked you to remain behind in the fire nation with him. He needed help understanding cultures other than his own, since his nation and culture had been romanticized for him his entire upbringing. He knew very little of rituals, rites of passage, linguistic differences, and so on. Even the question of climate could be difficult for him to grasp at times, which made you laugh.

When the fire prince first suggested for you to stay, you were hesitant at first; leave your family behind, get used to this new idea of the nation which had haunted your nightmares for so long, and being mostly alone in your situation hadn’t sounded appealing at all. However, once Aang agreed that you really could do some good by staying, you begrudgingly agreed – you hadn’t spent all that time trying to help the world just to back out now.

So now, two months since your move to the fire nation and since taking up your new position at the fire lord’s side, you were staying in a palace which gave you nightmares. Zuko had been very kind to you, doing his best to accommodate you in a way which made you comfortable and happy, but the general unease you felt was far from his fault – he was more or less the reason you were there to begin with.

Of course, the crush you had been harboring on the boy since he first joined you in the western airtemple had aided in your decision to stay; not that anyone other than Katara knew the truth. He was just so… cute. Spirits, he would kill you for even thinking that about him, but you honestly couldn’t help it. He was awkward, but not in a creepy kind of way. He was really sweet and caring, and extremely understanding. He did his best to keep the mood light, without going overboard (cough Sokka cough). He had taught you so many things, seen so many things with you and you could just feel your heart yearning for his whenever he crossed your mind.

So, staring up at the ceiling – completely sleepless – you huffed out a sigh and a groan. You tossed your pillow aside and sat up in bed, putting your head in your hands. If you didn’t start catching up on your sleep soon, you were going to lose your mind. You groaned out loud, sighing again, and staring at the ceiling again.

“Damn it, I need to do something,” you muttered to yourself, getting out of bed. You slipped into a red silk robe and a pair of red slippers to aid your feet in not falling off, and started tip-toeing out of your room towards the kitchens.

Since you couldn’t sleep while you were here, you had made a habit for yourself to go to the kitchens and make a cup of tea during the night. You usually then brought your cup with you into the library, where you could read up more on fire nation culture, so as to aid the fire lord better in his quest to make peace.

You were so used to your routine at that point, you didn’t even need to look for anything; it all just flowed smoothly, and you didn’t even make a sound throughout the entire process. Heating up the tea would have been difficult if some of the servants hadn’t been non-benders who needed some assistance to heat the tea up without bending, but you were in luck. Grabbing the jar with the jasmine tea, you prepared a pot and grabbed a mug, placing everything on a tray before sneaking the rest of the way to the library.

The doors were big and heavy, so you had to turn around to push with your back, since your hands were occupied. Once the door had slid open, you turned around to walk in, only to find Zuko already in there, pouring over a book on the sofa. You stilled, not really knowing what to do. Had he heard you enter? You had become quite proficient at sneaking the past few weeks, but you knew the man had excellent hearing, so him not noticing your entrance seemed unlikely.

Just as you were going to turn around and leave, Zuko’s head snapped up and his gaze met yours. Your body immediately came alive, blood rushing to your face and ears, and your stomach erupting with butterflies. You smiled bashfully at him, and opened your mouth to speak.

“I-I’m sorry, Lord Zuko. I did not know you would be in here at so late an hour,” you stuttered. You wanted to facepalm, but both your hands were occupied, so you just stood there awkwardly. “Uhm, I can leave.”

“N-no! I…” he started, sucking in a deep breath before smiling and continuing. “I really don’t mind your company. And please, just call me Zuko.”

You grinned at him, and he grinned back. “Sorry I went all formal and weird, I know we know each other, I just… haven’t seen you since you became fire lord, I guess.”

There hadn’t been any meetings regarding other nations’ cultures yet, and so you hadn’t seen Zuko since moving in; he had sent you a few notes, just telling you that you could come to him if you had any issues. It had been very sweet, and you had always sent a ‘thank you’ right back. Still, you had been a bit unsure of how to act in front of him.

“Oh, yeah,” he laughed a little as you set your tray down on a table and went to shut the door. “I guess you haven’t, huh? I’m still not used to it, if I’m honest,” he grimaced, and you smiled.

“I hope it’s okay that I raided the kitchen for jasmine tea?” you inquired, and the boy smiled at you fondly.

“No problems at all, Y/N. I remember you used to drink a lot of tea, you said it was ‘good for your nerves’,” he teased, and you blushed again. “The staff informed me that a lot of tea seemed to be missing, I was suspecting uncle.”

You started apologizing again, but he just laughed and waved you off. After that, you both fell silent, and you decided to get up and find the book you had started reading earlier that week, but had never gotten to finish. You opened the pages delicately, searching for your place before finding it and settling into your usual armchair by the fireplace, which was lit for once. The entire time, you could feel Zuko’s gaze on you, studying your every move.

When you paused to pour some tea into your mug, you looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “What?”

The boy blinked at you a few times, before shaking his head. “Oh, uh, nothing,” he mumbled, and you smiled back at him. “I was just wondering… why are you still awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you shrugged. For a moment he looked as though he was going to inquire further, but then he seemed to let it go, and no more words were spoken until he had to leave so he could get some sleep.

The whole interaction had been weird at first, but incredibly soothing once all the awkwardness had dissipated. His presence reminded you of… not simpler times, per se, but happier ones. Ones spent laughing with the first friends you had ever really had, friends who you were now missing so dearly. But having the comfort of one of them calmed you down enough that once you finally went back to your own room, you slept more peacefully than you had in a long time.

After that night, the two of you met up in the library at night at least three times a week. He was a busy man, but he wanted to make time for one of his dearest friends – and long-time crush, but he still maintained that part was irrelevant. He never thought you would like him back, like ever. It was a concept he didn’t even dare think about, for fear of getting his hopes up only to get them crushed later.

Three more months later, you had met up in the library during sleepless nights countless times. It had become a routine of sorts; he was usually there before you, since you were busy making a pot of tea to bring (now with two mugs, of course), and once you arrived, you would exchange a few words before settling down with a book each in comfortable silence.

The more times you met up, the more comfortable you became with each other. The first night had been spent with him on the couch, and you in an armchair – two weeks later and you were both on the couch. At this point, you tended to lean back against him on the couch as he played with your hair, still silently reading your own books. It was the highlight of your time in the palace, for sure.

This particular night, you were very tired. You even contemplated skipping the library, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it, no matter how much your mind screamed at you for some rest. So as you sank down against Zuko’s form, his fingers running through your hair, your eyelids started drooping. You tried to fight against it, you really did, but it was no use; five minutes later, and you were out like a light.

It took a while for the fire lord to recognize that you were asleep – you were a very peaceful sleeper, no snoring or movement, and he was so content with you against his chest as he turned the pages of his book. Still, once he realized, he kind of panicked.

You were sleeping against his chest. He wanted to move you, carry you to your room or something, but he was scared to wake you. So for a while, he just stayed there, frozen. He didn’t even dare turn the page of his book for fear of stirring you from your – much needed – sleep.

After around 30 minutes, though, he realized staying like that wasn’t doing anyone any good. Your neck was at an awkward angle, his back was getting stiff, and honestly? The sound of your breathing was lulling him to sleep as well. He sighed, but carefully extracted himself from you before picking you up in his arms as though you weighed nothing. He decided to leave the tray with the mugs and kettle; you were more important. You slept soundly the entire way to your room, and only woke when Zuko carefully placed you on top of your soft bed. You didn’t open your eyes though, just stretched a hand out to get him to join you.

The gesture made Zuko freeze where he stood – were you really insinuating what he thought you were, or was it a dream? A hallucination born from the desire to be near you, perhaps? But when you sleepily whimpered his name, it was confirmed for him; you wanted him to stay and sleep in your bed with you.

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” he asked carefully, and at your huff combined with an intense nod of your head, he smiled.

Had he been less tired, he might have been able to resist. However, he was tired, and longed for your warm, soft curves to be pressed up against him. Maybe in your embrace, he could escape the nightmares that plagued him so. As soon as he was next to you and you both were under the covers, your tiny frame wrapped around his tall, muscular one, and you found sleep with a sigh.

He managed to kiss your forehead and wrap his arms around you before the darkness overtook him, his mind more at peace than it had been since early childhood.

In the early hours of the morning, the sky just burgeoning on a light pink, you suddenly woke. You were unbelievably warm, and even more comfortable. You were surrounded by the smell of firewood and pure manliness, which comforted you greatly. A few moments later, however, you found yourself nearly panicked; you were sleeping in the same bed as Zuko. How in the entire world had that happened?!

Of course you weren’t upset that he was there – if anything, it was like all your dreams coming true – but you had no idea if anyone had noticed his absence, if there was widespread panic, or, worst of all, what if he didn’t want to be there with you? What if he was annoyed with you for falling asleep in the library?

You were broken out of your panic when the man in question groaned and stretched, automatically grabbing you and pulling him into you. You stiffened even further, not knowing how to react to the sudden affection he was showing towards you.

Once he realized he wasn’t dreaming, Zuko stiffened too. In his defense, this exact situation was very often part of his dreams; dreams where you were his wife, you had children together, and everything was more than perfect. It still felt that way when he had woken up, just as perfect as a dream, if not better.

“G-good morning,” you stuttered, deciding to break the silence.

“Morning,” he answered hesitantly, and the sound of his gravelly voice first in the morning damn near made you swoon.

After that, neither one of you really knew what to say. The sky was slowly brightening to include red, then orange, before yellow and white tones joined in, creating a beautiful gradient that signaled the start of yet another day. He didn’t want to break the silence, and neither did you. It was a thick kind of silence, and he was scared that breaking it would break the spell of just being together. Alone.

You both realized that you couldn’t stay like that forever, though, and after a while, you decided to bite the bullet.

“I’m so sorry I fell asleep yesterday.” Your voice was hardly above a whisper, but he heard you loud and clear nonetheless.

“It was really not a problem, Y/N. I’m just glad you finally got some rest, is all.”

His voice was still gravelly, but somehow felt smooth at the same time. He didn’t seem annoyed or angry, in fact he seemed perfectly content to remain exactly where he was. And he was.

“Well, I’m sorry you slept here. I didn’t mean to intrude on your resting time…” you mumbled, and he exhaled a breath.

“Y/N…”

You interrupted him immediately. “I mean I had no intention of falling asleep like that, especially on top of you! I just kind of, I don’t know, felt comfortable, and I’d had a really tiring day, and-“

“Y/N, I sleep better with you next to me,” he decided to inform you, interrupting your ramblings. When you gave him an incredulous stare, he laughed a little. “We used to sleep next to each other all the time. Granted, those were stressful times, but I think I got used to it. Even when the others weren’t exactly accepting of my presence, you always treated me with kindness. I guess I’m… comfortable around you. And I think… It may be because I like you. A lot.”

His words stunned you into silence. How could this perfect man, with more power than anyone would ever need, like you? He had always treated you kindly, and that was part of his appeal. Even when he was supposedly trying to capture the avatar, he had seemed a bit on edge, almost like he wanted to hold back. A few times he had held back, even though you could see how much it hurt him to do so. When he joined you, he’d had no issues carrying his own weight, even helping relieve some of the others’ burden. He had been so patient with Aang while teaching him firebending, and with all of you when it came to your slightly odd humor and hijinks.

In short, you loved this man, and in an effort to show him, you decided to kiss him.

Your lips seemed to meld with his perfectly. He took it slow and steady, caressing your cheek as he kissed you. Your arms seemed to have a mind of their own as they curled around the back of his neck, playing with the locks of hair at the nape of his neck and pulling him a little bit closer.

The kiss was everything you had ever wanted and dreamt of; he was everything you had ever wanted and dreamt of, and he was more. His lips were soft and pillowy, he responded so beautifully to your kisses and caresses, tugging you closer and grunting with pleasure.

Zuko himself felt like he was dying. Spirits how he loved to kiss you, touch you, make you feel good. The way you played with his hair drove him absolutely crazy, and the feel of your lips was the most exquisite thing he had ever felt in his entire life. You were everything to him, and now that he knew what you tasted like, he could never go back.

Unfortunately, you had to pull apart eventually. You were both gasping for breath, lungs burning from the lack of oxygen, but you were both smiling like idiots. Everything was about to change, but neither one of you minded in the slightest.

Being sleepless had never resulted in anything better.

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ezpezlemonsquez · 4 years

Text

Okay, so basically I was in a mood for adult gaang reunion, so I wrote this. Here you are, hope you’ll enjoy ✨

“Just like old times”

“Suki, come on, we’re gonna be late!” called out Sokka, entering their hut. Again. “Everything’s ready but you two.”

His wife laughed.

“Relax, Sokka, they won’t start without us. And you know that Yue needs to have her hair done.” She raised her eyebrows, while she was running fingers through her daughter’s hair.

“Yeah, dad, you know that” she took up, making a face to him. Sokka shook his head both with disbelief and a smile. He sat down, watching his beautiful ladies.

“I’m not worried they’d start without us, though” he explained. “There’s no fun without Sokka, duh.”

Suki rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m just concerned Katara’s going to get there earlier than I am.”

His wife even turned her head from Yue’s hair to him, only to see his priceless face expression.

“You didn’t bet with Katara again, did you?” she asked, lowkey already knowing the answer.

“Well, I couldn’t let her win just like that.” Sokka shrugged his shoulders. Suki sighed.

“You’re gonna lose, sweetie” she proclaimed.

“Not if we sticked to my schedule, I wouldn’t.”

“You didn’t make the time for mom to braid my hair, dad” slipped Yue. “You knew what you were getting yourself into.”

“Why excuse me, I assumed mom can braid your hair on ship” explained Sokka, extremely offended. His daughter shook her head as much as Suki’s hands in her hair allowed her to.

“Absolutely not possible.”

Sokka looked at his wife, seeking help. Suki shrugged with a smile.

“There’s nothing I can do. You knew what you were getting yourself into.”

Chief sighed and shook his head, defeated. This whole trip already started to go totally not as planned.

***

Sokka got off the ship and wasn’t even surprised that the first person who greeted him wasn’t neither Zuko, nor Aang, nor Toph and not even Mai.

“Hello, looser.” Grinned Katara. Sokka rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, shut up” he mumbled, hugging her in greeting. “It’s all Suki’s fault, by the way.”

Katara laughed.

“It kind of is” admitted Suki, also going for a hug. “It’s so great to see you, Katara, how are you doing?”

“I’m great, I’m really great. Tenzin is growing up so fast, you wouldn’t believe it.” She laughed. “I can’t believe it’s been almost a year.”

“I know, right? You’ve been out of the South for so long, we really missed you back there.”

“I didn’t” slipped Sokka teasingly, unpacking things from the ship. His sister hit him in the arm.

“Go back to carrying stuff, Sokka” she spat.

“Wait, honey, I’ll give you a hand” suggested Suki.

“No need, I’m doing great!” cried out her husband, taking three more boxes. “I mean, I definitely can see right now, so... tell me if I step on somebody, please” he puffed, trying to see the road.

Suki shook her head.

“Excuse me” she whispered to Katara and went to help out her husband. She took from him two boxes so that he could actually see something. He smiled to her gratefully. Katara grinned. And then she saw a little girl getting off the ship, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“Are we there yet?” she asked, yawning and when nobody answered her, she looked around. Katara crossed her arms, waiting to be noticed. “Aunt Katara!” cried out Yue immediately after she spotted her. She ran towards her and before Katara knew it, she wrapped her little arms around her.

“Aunt Katara, I missed you so much!”

Katara laughed, hugging her niece back.

“I missed you, too, Yue. Look at you, all grown up! You’re a beautiful young lady.”

“Not as beautiful as you are, though.” Grinned Yue and her aunt shook her head. “Are Bumi and Kya here? And uncle Aang?”

“They are, you’ll meet them at the palace. And Tenzin’s with them as well.”

“Oh...” Yue made a face. “Is he still so squishy-looking?”

“I’m afraid he is” laughed Katara. “And you certainly are Sokka’s daughter” she added silently, shaking her head. Sokka walked up to them and took Yue’s hand.

“We’re ready, you’re coming?” asked his sister. She nodded and all four of them set off to the Fire Nation Royal Palace, where the rest was waiting for them. They saw Toph first, even though she didn’t exactly see them.

“Zuko” she started, before anyone was able to say something “needs to be put in his place. Who does he think he is, huh?”

“Uhh, try the Fire Lord” smiled Suki.

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t give a f...”

“Toph” interrupted her Suki, warningly. Toph seemed confused for a moment, but she finally understood when someone started to aggressively shake her hand.

“Right. Hi, kid.”

“Hey, aunt Toph” said Yue, very proud of herself for not giving Beifong a hug. “It’s nice to see you.”

“Yeah, I’d say the same about you but since I don’t actually see you...”

Yue grinned.

“I know. Hey, mom, dad, can I go inside and look for Bumi and Kya?”

Sokka nodded.

“Sure. But don’t forget to greet every... aaaand she’s gone already.”

“I don’t know why you sound so surprised, Chief Boomerang, you’d do exactly the same.”

“I know, right? It’s terrifying.” Smiled Sokka. “Anyways, it’s great to finally meet up. Man, I’ve been waiting for this whole reunion thing. We should do this annually.”

“We do” reminded Suki. “You came up with it.”

“Oh, right, I’m a genius.”

“You know, even with the inability to see, I can give you this look” said Toph, making a face to him, as if she’d been saying ‘really?’.

“And even with the ability to see, I can pretend I don’t get it” announced Sokka. “Come on, Toph, I’m sure Zuko has already repaired whatever you were mad with him about” he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and dragging her up the stairs.

“I am mad” spat Toph but let Sokka lead her inside the palace. “Present tense. And you didn’t even give me a chance to say hi to Suki.”

“I was pretty sure you did that.”

“What a detective” scoffed Toph.

“One more word and I’ll push you down these stairs and you know it” threatened Sokka. His friend just shook her head in response. Upstairs waited for them Aang.

“Oh, great, I was supposed to go after Toph, but I see this problem has been already resolved.” Laughed the Avatar.

“Who are you calling the problem, Twinkletoes?” tried to spit Toph, but she got quickly undermined, as no one reacted.

“Sokka, finally” sighed Aang, hugging his friend.

“Long time no see, huh, the fearsome Avatar?” Grinned Sokka. “I heard you’re doing pretty well by organising the world.”

“I am, thank you very much.” Laughed Aang. “Republic City is glowing.”

“I believe you. The South Pole is glowing, too.”

“I know. Just a little bit more and we’ll be there, promise.” Smiled Aang. “Suki, you look beautiful!” he called out, when he saw her. He held out his hands to hug her.

“Thank you, Aang, so do you.” Laughed Suki. “We missed you.”

“He promised they’ll be back soon” slipped Sokka, giving Aang a judgy look.

“Can we please move along?” Toph kicked her heels. “I gotta kick Zuko’s butt.”

“Toph, you cannot do this.” Sighed Aang, walking with her further to the palace. “We’ve been over this.”

Sokka and Suki smiled to each other. He put an arm around her waist and gently kissed her temple. Katara placed her hand at her brother’s shoulder and smiled.

“Come on” she encouraged. “Zuko and Mai are dying to meet up with you two. Besides, dinner’s almost ready.”

Sokka gave her a knowing look.

“Well, you should’ve started with that, sister!”

***

They met with the rest in the dining room. Everyone was there — Yue played with Bumi and Kya (and Kya’s waterbending), Mai was trying to calm down Izumi, who was somehow scared by Ty Lee and her tricks, while Aang tried to prevent bloodshed between Zuko and Toph. Sokka sighed.

“Just like old times, huh?”

“Just like old times” admitted Suki. She slipped out of Sokka’s arm and walked up to Ty Lee. The Kyoshi Warrior lit up immediately as she saw her.

“Hey, boss.” She smiled, bowing to her funnily. Suki shook her head.

“Hello, my dear warrior” she replied, bowing back. “Come on, bring it in.” She laughed as Ty Lee hugged her excitedly.

“It’s so good to see you, Suki. I wish you would visit us more often.”

“Me too.”

“We’re going to” assured Sokka, walking up to them. “This period of time was just super hard for both of us.”

“It was.” Nodded Suki.

“Hi, Ty Lee.” Sokka held out his hand to her and smiled.

“Sokka” greeted him Ty Lee, squeezing his hand. “Everything alright at the South Pole?”

“They’re certainly doing better than we are” replied Mai, before anyone else could answer the question. “I’d give you my hand but they’re both kind of busy.” She looked at her daughter suggestively. “It’s great you made it, though”

“We get it.” Smiled Suki. “You’re not getting much sleep, are you?”

Mai snorted.

“Much is overstatement.” She looked over her shoulder. “Oh, great, my husband’s coming. Well, Izumi, dad will put you to sleep.”

“Sokka, Suki.” Smiled Zuko and hugged both of them. “Yue’s greeted me like fifteen minutes ago, what took you so long?”

“Oh, see, she greeted him” said Suki to Sokka, smiling suggestively. Sokka made a proud face.

“She’s got great manners, she even addressed me Fire Lord Uncle Zuko.” Laughed Zuko.

“Speaking of” slipped Mai, handing his husband the baby. “It’s your turn to put Izumi to sleep.”

Zuko raised his eyebrows.

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s your turn now.”

“Nope” denied Mai, shaking her head.

The two of them looked each other in the eye for a moment, until Zuko finally gave up. “Damn it, why is uncle still in Ba Sing Se when I need him?” he mumbled. Mai smiled triumphantly. “Okay, sweetie, say goodnight to your uncle Sokka and aunt Suki and aunt Ty Lee, you’re going to sleep. I mean, I hope you are.” He gave his friends ‘I am so done’ look and was about to leave, when he reminded himself of something else.

“Oh, and of course make yourself comfortable, guys. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

Suki smiled.

“Don’t worry, we won’t start without you.”

“We won’t?” groaned Sokka.

“No, we won’t, Sokka.”

Zuko rolled his eyes with a smile.

“Thanks, Suki” he said and left with little Izumi pulling his hair, which he was totally indifferent to.

“Wait, Zuko, you forgot...” started Mai, going after her husband. Ty Lee smiled to them and went back to the table. Suki hugged Sokka.

“Just like old times.” She sighed, repeating his words. Sokka smiled and hugged her tighter.

“Just like old times.”

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zutaraxkorrasami · 4 years

Text

I never understood the decision to make Kataang canon over Zutara. Well, I do in that it’s obvious there was a self-insert with one of the creators in Aang but I mean... they had a golden chance to have all canon couples in a kids cartoon be canon and instead we got something so awful I’m not sure I have the words to express my disdain for.

My issue mostly comes from Aang as a character. He is a childish, selfish person who even when he grows seems to have more flaws than positives. He pushed himself on Katara so often and he acted like he owned her when she never even seemed to care in that way. Not saying she didn’t care, or didn’t see him as a friend, but I think she felt like she needed to be with him. This is the boy who believed the worst of her, tried to guilt her out of following her own instincts to track down the man and get justice and revenge for it. She had the right to want those things and she had the right to get that however she chose. But that wasn’t good enough for Aang. Oh no. Aang had to lay on a guilt trip, had to make it seem like she was turning into the bad guy, and had the nerve to compare what he went through to what she did. The boy never showed any grief outside of two episodes. The boy got over the deaths of his people like they meant nothing and propped up the idea their beliefs were better than everyone else’s.

In S1 alone we have Aang burning Katara and hiding a letter from her that revealed where her father was. He called her jealous because she didn’t like that he was staying because people were fawning all over him instead of realizing he was a hypocrite. Then he goofs off at the North Pole when he should be learning waterbending.

S2 he doesn’t call her Sifu until she’s hurt about it, he insults her when she suggests they kiss, he snaps at her when she’s trying to keep everyone together and he stubbornly refuses to accept the safety of the world has to come before his “love” which let’s be real is a friendly love with a crush attached.

S3 he kisses her without consent, basically calls her a monster, tries to guilt her, gets possessive and jealous when she never said a damn thing, and snapped at her in the finale when she wants to calm him down. Let’s not forget that he also ran away in the opening of the season.

Aang shows time and time again that he will always put himself and his own needs before others. He shows us that he is not a good person. He is not a kind person. He does everything out of selfish motives. He shows us he will never grow to be better or more respectful. We see that he remains the same childish person. That he will bring Katara down when he can (which is evident by her lack of statue in LOK when the others get one). He is a bully. A “nice” bully who smiles and giggles so we all think he’s great, except some of us can see that he’s not so nice.

While Zuko does start out on the wrong path and his relationship with Katara is toxic and not at all good in the beginning, we see a genuine bond form and something more. He keeps her safe, respects her autonomy and even invites her along to the most important fight of his life, because he trusts her and know she is skilled enough. He went out of his way to seek her forgiveness, something Aang never did. And I always felt like they had such amazing chemistry. They were also both very mature in the end which Aang never reached, even as a grown ass man.

I think the worst decision made in ATLA was giving Aang everything in the end and making Kataang canon. It seems like nobody cared that Katara ended up with a shitty, abusive boyfriend. He probably ended up treating her like shit when they were married.

He was the worst characters in terms of actual characteristics and ended up with one of the best characters in the show, instead of the two best characters. It... It sucks quite honestly.

TLDR: Aang is a piece of shit who didn’t deserve Katara. Zuko and Katara deserved each other.

#aang #zuko #katara #kataang #zutara #anti-aang #anti-kataang

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failedfirebender · 4 years

Text

Distance - ZUTARA

Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender Genre: Drama, Romance. Words: 2482 Paring: Zutara - Zuko & Katara

________________________________________

Zuko approached Katara; it was late and she had fallen asleep reading on the couch. No, not reading, he realized, writing. The notebook was going up and down, over her chest.

For the last year and a half, she’d been studying and collecting data of all kinds of healing. From traditional ways – including herbs and potions –, to bending ones, with the objective of putting it all together in a massive “healing encyclopedia”, as Zuko liked to call it. She was almost done with it, and had been pulling preoccupying all-nighters for the last week, excited by the view of the finish line. Even when her passion was one of the many things that’d made Zuko fall for her, he was trying to help her get it under control. It was not healthy when it took control of her like that.

He woke her up tenderly, kneeling in front of her and brushing the stands of hair that had fallen over her face. Her nose frowned and a grumble left her mouth. The tips of his lips curled and a rough chuckle slid past his lips. It was such a Katara thing to do.

As she softly awakened, he took a hairband from her wrist, proceeding to stand and make his way behind her. With all the calm in the world, he accommodated her wild curls into a bun and tied it up. His hands fell to her shoulders, helping her sit up, and massaging them kindly.

His girlfriend looked up at him and yawned, stretching her limbs as far as she could. Her hands reached up to the sides of his cheeks and squished them.

“Oh, my hero!” She giggled, her voice still dormant and low. “You saved me from the terrible fate of a back contracture!” He knew she only got all touchy and silly when sleep deprived. If any other human dared touch him like that, he’d burn their hands off. But this was Katara, and thus, her childish behavior only made his grin wider.

He kissed her forehead.

“Let's get you to bed.”

“No, no!” She whisper-shouted, shaking her head, “I am about to finish, just one more paragraph.” He raised an eyebrow. “Ok, ok maybe it’s another chapter, but who cares?”

“I do.” To these words, her sleepy eyes lit up. “Come on, you can finish tomorrow.”

He’d been meaning to talk to her forever. But between his duty as Fire Lord and the encyclopedia project, time had been a luxury they couldn’t afford. Which was good- kind of. Zuko had had more than enough time to think exactly of what he wanted to say, and practice it eternally looking at himself in the mirror. Not that he did, of course. Anyways – and just like he suspected –, all the practice in the world made him feel no closer to confident now the time came.

Perhaps it was the timing. After all, four in the morning was not the best moment to have the conversation that had been haunting him the last two months. Maybe he shouldn’t... But he couldn’t back down now. He knew that if he did, the courage he’d been gathering would be lost for good.

His fingers sunk deeper into her muscles, tracing calming circles and she sighed. But before he could tell, she was pulling away.

“I know...” a yawn interrupted her words, her hand covering her mouth. She was terribly adorable. “...your tricks, and I won’t fall for them.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot him what was supposed to be a death glare over her shoulder.

He repressed a laugh, knowing it wouldn’t help his cause, and instead lead his hands back to her nape. This time, she didn’t move.

“How is this fair?” he mocked, “The one time she visits, I have to beg my girlfriend for attention.”

Katara, who now had her notebook open over her crossed legs, tilted her head back; her features tainted with guilt.

“I know, I know... I’ve been travelling a lot, but as soon as I finish the book, I’ll settle back in the Water Tribe and we’ll see each other more often.”

The thing was, Zuko’s plans did not include a long-distance relationship.

“The book can wait a few more hours.”

“And you can’t?” Katara’s words were meant to be a joke, a playful smirk was plastered on her face, yet Zuko’s reply was overwhelmingly honest.

“I think I’ve waited long enough.”

Just like that, the waterbender tensed under his touch. With cautioned movements, she placed the book in the small table in front of her and stood up. They looked into each other’s eyes with the couch between them. Katara’s eyes flickered with fear, no trace of the previous sleepiness on her face. Zuko, instead, wondered what he did to deserve the love of such a beautiful creature.

“What’s wrong?” her voice quavered with concern. She knew him too well, how did he even expect her not to realize something was up?

He extended his arm over the couch – her hand grabbed his with hesitation – and led her around the piece of furniture and to his side. Unable to hold back his impulses, he tugged her in, trapping her in his arms. A surprised shriek was suffocated half way out her mouth, as their bodies collided and she melted into him.

They’d been together for four years, and she still had the perfume of fresh winter breeze impregnated in her hair. She still had the same freezing touch that drove him crazy, the same stubbornness and capability of arguing till death, the desperate need to help others and make this world better. He’d never get tired of loving her.

He squeezed her tight once more before letting go, and looked down to her eyes. When moonlight hit them in just the right angle, like it was doing now, their oceans seemed to shine like mercury had been melted in them, like the silver light of a thousand stars was held within.

His hand traced his way down the length of her arm and his fingers intertwined with hers. Katara’s worried frown relaxed as she realized the tips of his lips were struggling to contain a smile.

In that same silence, overflowed with both questions and expectations, Zuko guided them both to the bed in the center of the room. He sat over it with his legs crossed and invited Katara to do the same.

“I am getting really scared over here. What’s going on?” she said, fidgeting with his fingers, “I won’t do anything until you say something.” He shook his head no and chuckled, uncapable of forming any coherent sentence. His eyes went from the girl, to the bed, and back, insisting.

Few were the times he’d been as nervous as he was at that moment. He could feel his caged heart bouncing against his ribs, desperate to come out and fall into Katara’s hands. It was a tired heart, beaten up and somehow strong enough to love harder every day. Zuko hated it when she was away, his heart so passive, his head so cold and calculative. No one had ever turned his world upside down the way Katara did, and he cherished every second of it.

Once she was in front of him, he let go of her hand.

“Say something. Anything.” She begged. “You’ve been weird ever since I got here, you think I didn’t realize?” Her eyes were determined, but also flooded with worry.

He brushed the palms of his hands anxiously against his knees, not finding a good answer for any of the things that she’d said. He was feeling something he thought long lost; his blood boiling as it sprinted through his veins, his temperature way higher than usual, his cheeks blushing and his lips stuck in a smile. He hadn’t felt this nervous around Katara in a really long time. Their first couple months dating made him feel just like that; uneasy, scared to ruin it all by being the confused little boy he was. But he was a man now, and the woman in front of him was no longer a child. They’d both grown, and they’d done it right next to each other.

“You do know the first time we met I thought you were pretty?”

Katara’s eyes widened.

“This is what you wanted to talk to me about? I mean I’m glad to-”

“No, no,” he calmed her down, rising his palms. “Let me finish.” He took a deep breath, barely believing this was the real deal, not himself repeating the words over and over in front of the mirror. “You were just this pretty girl that was making my life impossible by pairing up with the Avatar. You always found a way to mess up my plans. Damn, till today I remember how I hated you after our fight in the Northern Water Tribe.” The memory made them both smile. They’d come so far from where they started.

“To be fair, you kind of wan the spar.”

“But you did save Aang in the end... and you saved me, too.” He swallowed. “You could’ve left me there to die, but you made sure I was safe. At that time... I don’t know if I would’ve done the same.” Zuko could see the engines in her head turning like crazy. They’d been over the events of that night plenty of times and of course, she had no idea of where he was trying to get. “Then there was that day in which we all team up against Azula, remember?” She nodded, patiently, “And my uncle...” the memory made him shiver “When my sister hit him you tried to help me, but I pushed you away. Back in those days, I knew nothing better than fighting alone.” An apology was written in his eyes. “And the catacombs... it’s true, you know? What you said.”

“I mean most of the things I say are, but specifically about what?” The waterbender continued to look completely puzzled.

Zuko bit his lip to repress his laugh. “Show off,” he accused her.

Katara shrugged and the hint of a smile appeared on her face.

“You told me a long time ago that you were the first one to trust me, and still, I betrayed you.” They were long past that, but Katara’s smile flickered. He knew how hard it had been on her to watch him pair with Azula after... well, after everything. “And you were talking about the guys, but you were the first one to trust me ever. Besides my uncle, no one had ever seen anything worth saving within me, anything worth healing... not even myself.” His hand had drifted to his scar, and Katara reached out to it, cupping it in her own. His eyes closed and he leaned towards her touch. “I’ll never ever forgive myself for that day-” She opened her mouth to speak, but he gave her that look that said ‘I’ve been putting my guts together the last two days to say this so please don’t interrupt’, and she shut it. “Not even knowing you did. And last, there was Azula’s Agni Kai.”

There was a pause after those words. Even when the scars that marked his skin healed, the ones in his soul hadn’t completely. Katara took his hand between both of hers and left an encouraging kiss over it.

“I think even when I didn’t realize it back then, I already loved you.” To these words, that had never been spoken before, a million feelings shadowed Katara’s features. “I’ve spent all this time loving you and I can’t do it anymore, not like this.” The grip of her fingers loosened around his hands, and when his eyes met hers, the life seemed to have been ripped out of them. Still, he didn’t let go of her. “I am tired of missing you every single day, tired of waiting for your letters, not knowing if you are ok... I can’t do that anymore.” With every word, her eyes watered up, and he forgot completely about the other one hundred things he wanted to say. He just couldn’t bare it any more. “Move in with me. Come live here, in the Fire Nation, in the palace, with me.”

The words fell out of his mouth gracelessly, way too fast and tipsy, not at all like he’d wanted them to. But it was done, and deafening expectation was now overflowing his body. The feeling was erratic, his every cell on edge, like he’d just shot a question way more dangerous than lightning. Katara’s state couldn’t be described with any other word but shock. Her eyes were about to fall from her face, her lips were parted and, except for one sneaky tear sliding down her cheek, she remained impossibly still.

And then, just when Zuko was about to apologize and take it all back for rushing things, his girlfriend’s hand struck him across the face with strength worthy of a Master waterbender. His hand flew to his cheek as he turned to her in disbelief.

“That’s for making me believe you were breaking up with me!” Her chest was going up and down agitated, another tear fell from her left eye.

Zuko was in absolute shock. He hadn’t realized his words could be interpreted that way. Why did he always have to screw everything up? Couldn’t he be a romantic average boyfriend for once? The moment he opened his mouth to try and fix the mess he’d made, her lips met his.

It was an urgent kiss, fiery and passionate, that made him fall back on the bed, Katara over him. His hands dug deep into her hair and pulled back, the messy curls being freed and falling like an endless river behind her. He loved her, spirits he loved her so much the feelings could barely be held within his body, it was as if though they were trying to escape through every touch, through the bridge between their lips.

Her hands were tangled in his mane and he took the opportunity to shift them, trapping her between him and the bed. Their lips finally separated, but as for the rest of their bodies, he couldn’t say the same.

“And what...” he was completely out of breath, his shaken words got mixed with Katara’s minted breath. Their eyes collided, burning amber against ocean blue. Hers glowed like beacons in the darkest night. “What was that for?”

“That?” a smirk took over her face “That was for all the rest.”

This time, he was the one to close the distance that held them apart. They had had more than enough distance for a lifetime, and from now on, he’d make sure to make up for every second of it.

112 notes · View notes

amixiifish · 4 years

Text

Bubblegum

Zuko laughs; god, Sokka was such a goddamn idiot. In physics that day, Sokka had caused an explosion because he was too busy flirting with him. The worst part wasn’t the explosion itself- Sokka was left with bubblegum pink hair for the rest of the day, and the teacher told him to “suck it up and deal with it”.

When Sokka and Zuko met up with everyone else, Ty Lee immediately obsessed over the beautiful shade of pink, much to Sokka’s dismay. Zuko just laughed at him (what else could he do?). Suki and Toph were wheezing as Aang and Katara at least tried to muffle their laughter. Not only had the explosion left him with pink hair, but it had also left him with pink-tinted skin.

When they get to their shared dorm, Sokka flops on the couch and pulls Zuko into his lap, burying his face in Zuko’s shoulder.

“Go take a shower!” Zuko says, irritated by the smell of chemicals on Sokka’s sweatshirt.

Sokka smiled as he rubbed his pinkness onto Zuko.

“Eugh! Don’t do that!” Zuko pushed on Sokka’s chest only to fall on the floor, pouting as Sokka laughed at his boyfriend.

Zuko pushes Sokka away into the bathroom, shoving the door shut and pushing a spare change of clothes in after him.

“I will not have sex or even kiss you unless you get rid of your Ty Lee endorsed skin,” Zuko yells.

“Fine! I’m already in the shower, goddammit!” The sound of the shower running was heard as Zuko flops on his couch only to fall off when his notifications ring so loud, it causes him to jump. He opens his Snapchat to see a message from Mai- it’s a picture of her staring deadpan at the screen with Ty Lee and Katara in the background, the former painting the latter’s face pink.

Zuko sends a picture of him growing as he holds up Sokka’s pink sweatshirt and types, “This was my favorite cloth to steal.”

She snaps back within seconds- the caption reading “Damn. That sucks.”

Zuko just grins and is about to respond when Sokka’s wet body is pressed against his back.

Zuko was mildly surprised to see the number of muscles Sokka gained. Before he can comment, Sokka’s lips or trailing up the side of his neck.

“I do believe I was promised sex,” Sokka purred, pressing against the smaller teen.

“No. Not right now,” he dismisses Sokka. “Go put on some clothes.” Sokka pouts at him.

“Come on, Zuko. Don’t you wanna have some fun?”

“Not really… ”

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Sokka smirked, pushing Zuko into the wall.

“I have baseball tomorrow morning and I’d like to be able to walk, thanks,” Zuko said, escaping from under Sokka’s arm.

“That compliment made the pink skin worth it,” Sokka said, dramatically holding his hand to his chest.

“Sure, babe,” Zuko says, rolling his eyes, walking into the kitchen. He starts making Gran-Gran’s clam chowder, boiling the water, and before long, he feels arms encircling his waist.

He also feels, uh, something else, but decides not to comment on it, continuing to work on the food.

Before long, he feels Sokka’s lips trailing down the side of his neck. Zuko froze as Sokka’s lips stopped on top of his pulse point on his neck. Before Zuko could say a thing, sharp teeth rake across the expanse of skin, biting and sucking on the sensitive skin. It would most likely leave a hickey that would stay for a week.

“Ok, Sokka, out,” Zuko said shoving Sokka out of the kitchen before he changed his mind about no sex.

“Fine,” Sokka huffs. He flops on the couch and scrolls through Netflix.

Barely even five minutes pass before Sokka calls out to him again. Zuko rolls his eyes.

“Will you caLM THE FUCK DOWN? I’M ALMOST DONE!”

“Are you done yet? I want cuddles and sex but I’m not even getting to look at you,” Sokka whined.

Zuko sighs but complies. He turns off the stove and pours both himself and Sokka and a bowlful of clam chowder.

He settles next to Sokka on the couch, placing their bowls on the table in front of them. He looks up. 10 minutes later, and they still haven’t decided what to watch.

“You’ve been scrolling through the same thing for the past five minutes,” Zuko points out. “Dad is supposed to call me. I’m just waiting for the verbal beatdown I’m about to get,” Sokka said, wrapping himself around Zuko.

Zuko hums in understanding.

On point, Sokka’s phone starts to ring.Sokka groans but grabs it and picks up the phone.

“Hey, Dad… uh, how are you?”

Zuko winces and moves away from Sokka as he hears Hakoda’s voice scream through the phone.

“ARE YOU A GODDAMN IDIOT? I KNOW THAT I TAUGHT MY SON BETTER THAN TO BEHAVE LIKE THAT!”

“Uh, sorry, Dad? I didn’t mean to do that-”

Zuko looks on in confusion; what did Sokka do?

“I can’t lose you to an accident… not after your mother... ”

“I’m sorry, Dad, really. I promise I’ll be more careful next time.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t die,” Zuko says carefully over the line.

“Zuko? Is that you?” Hakoda’s voice comes.

“Yeah. Hi, Hakoda,” Zuko said.

“How have you been?” Hakoda said.

“Good, how about-” Zuko starts before his breath hitches.

Sokka smirked at Zuko from where he was leaving another hickey on Zuko’s collar.

“Zuko?”

“Sorry. Just dropped my spoon. How have you been?” Zuko said through gritted teeth. “Good. I hope you yelled at Sokka for his stupidity.”

Zuko bites his lip to hold back a moan threatening to break free from him as Sokka slid his hands under his shirt.

“I did. Actually, the connection right now I’d pretty bad. Mind if we call later?” Zuko said, voice becoming weaker towards the end.

“See you boys later,” Hakoda said before hanging up.

“So, finally willing to-” Sokka says before being cut off by a harsh kiss from Zuko.

“Fuck you,” Zuko hisses. Sokka grins and flips them so he is on top of Zuko.

“No, love. I’m going to fuck you,” Sokka purrs. Zuko pulls him down into a kiss.

Hakoda never gets called back.

#zukka #sokka #zuko #katara #aang #toph #atla #our fic #ty lee #mai #modern au #college au #hakoda

17 notes · View notes

zuzuslastbraincell · 3 years

Note

Jet/Katara?

Azula/Sokka?

Zuko/Song?

Haru/Katara?

Jet / Katara

vomit / don’t ship / okay / cute / adorable / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

I don't seriously ship it but I think as a post-canon crack ship (where Jet lives) it's got the potential to be hilarious. Like, let's be real – to some degree Jet was trying to manipulate Katara by withholding essential info r.e. his plans, I think that would actually need to be addressed (if one is seriously going to ship it), and in the case that it does, I think it would be nice for Katara to have an anarchist friend/boyfriend (and writing the Eyeliner Incident, where Jet isn’t trying to manipulate / withold information but actually doing activism with him is a helpful outlet and they have a positive, healthy friendship behind the scenes / between the lines, was genuinely really nice) but also? IMO it's best as something comic.

Like, imagine Katara is on a break with Aang and at first it's hard and people are sad but after a while she tells Sokka she's dating someone new and Sokka is like 'great! good for you! :)'. And Katara brings home this new guy, all excited, and who is it, who is it? fucking Jet of course. The one dude that everyone seems to think is Hot Shit for some inexplicable reason (except Sokka, who has brain cells, thank you). Sokka would be livid! Literally his worst nightmare! Can’t even say anything because he’s friends with Zuko of all people, he can’t call bullshit on what Katara says about “Jet being a better-informed activist and we’re on the same page now :)”

(Really, if I'm honest while I am on team Redemption For Jet my gut instinct is not to take the episode 'Jet' seriously at all because it's so clearly a misrepresentation demonisation of collective resistance to imperialism)

Azula / Sokka

vomit / don’t ship / okay / cute / adorable / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

okay so:

I'm pretty much on the Azula is a closeted lesbian train and while in some cases I can like contradicting headcanons (in different universes obviously) this is probably an exception to that.

Like all Fire/Water ships it’s an enemies-to-lovers situation and how good that massively depends on how it is written, the specifics of the situation they meet, and whether it is in an AU or a canonical scenario (with Azula, it’s almost always a ‘no’ in canon).

I don’t see Sokka being particularly into her, if I’m honest. I default to imagining him treated a post-recovery Azula a bit like a chaotic little sister, and see them as unlikely friends with siblings vibes. (In a canon situation, I honestly think he’d probs be a little too cut up about how she taunted him about Suki during The Day of Black Sun to some extent.)

That said, while I don’t think it’s something I’m really into, I can see why some people ship it? Like, I do see the appeal of confrontational rivals, and I imagine they’d get super competitive together, and for sure Azula respects and appreciates his intelligence (which is important, as Sokka feels undervalued despite it). It would again, depend on writing, and the AU in which it’d take place, but yeah. I do feel like it’s a ship for people who care about Azula’s character more than they care about Sokka’s character as a whole. As a fan of both, I think there are better matches for them, but also I can see the appeal, even if it’s not really for me for various reasons.

Zuko/Song

vomit / don’t ship / okay / cute / adorable / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

Not something I’ve thought about much, but. She tried to touch his scar and then he stole his ostrich horse (obviously, that’s far worse imo, well done for stealing a poor family’s means of livelihood Zuko) and he’s also the fire lord now which makes it super awkward so I’m just going to go ahead and say nah? (I def can’t see it as a quick kiss/fling, just because Song did push his boundaries and Zuko feels too guarded at this point in canon.)

If you’re going to ship Zuko with a minor female character, I'd opt for Jin/Zuko. More fun, better vibes.

Haru/Katara

vomit / don’t ship / okay / cute / adorable / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

... I have no opinion on this? They’re just okay? Katara has a crush on a cute boy in proximity and he seems nice and... otherwise doesn’t compel me particularly, there’s not much story there or really much a ‘feel’ to them as a couple, but I do love Toph’s comment about ‘I knew you were having a fling with Haru’. Not as much comedy mileage as Katara/Jet or as much story potential so yeah. Good for them, but I’m not particularly interested.

#ship opinions

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mystic-kitten-writer · 5 years

Text

Limerence [M] ︳18

Pairing: Zuko x OC

Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with future smut, and if you squint hard enough - you’ll find some angst.

Rating: SFW

Words: 6700+

Notes: Ouu - someone gets punched - and highkey; I’m happy.

Masterlist ︳17 ︳ 19

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

Limerence: (English/n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

The moment their eyes locked they knew - the flames within him twisted while the water within her turned. It was a connection, a connection that would lead to love, adventure, and drama.

Backpfeifengesicht

(German/n.) A person who needs to be slapped; a face that needs a fist in it.

~ Ying Yue Jiang ~

“Come on Zuko~!”

I whined like a child as I sat on Zuko’s study, preventing him from working on the array of papers that were scattered. Aang chuckled, watching me try my hardest to look cute, although Zuko seemed indifferent; an irritable frown on his face as he rubbed his temples. The way his forehead scrunched up made him seem like an old man, a grumpy one at that. “Please~, pretty-pretty-pretty please~!” I purred as I pushed my hands tightly against my face, trying hard to look somewhat endearing.

Aang burst out laughing, his body sprawled along the chair he sat on as he watched me with anticipation, probably curious to see where this could go. I look like a complete fool, but I don’t care. Zuko pinched his nose in irritation before growling under his breath, clearly getting aggravated with me – but that was my goal. It was frustrating how little Zuko told me about his duties, the things he did as Fire Lord, and as the ‘Future Fire Nation Queen’ how embarrassing is it that I knew nothing about Fire Nation politics?

“Yue, I swear-” Zuko hissed under his breath, as he tried once again to sign a document. With a kittenish swipe, I slide the paper away from him, only for him to drop the pen from his grasp. Zuko’s head shot upwards; eyes narrowed as he glared. “My answer is no Yue; don’t start,” Zuko spoke strictly, and I pouted. I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer!

“That’s not fair! It’s my duty to know what you’re working on! At least the basics!” I moaned. Zuko let out a huff as he leaned against his chair, his arms crossed. And just like that, his whole attitude changed. An amused smile playing his lips as he watched me throw a temper tantrum on his desk. “You’re meddlesome,” Zuko said, and I scoffed, mimicking his gesture and folding my arms. “I want to know why the Earth King is visiting.”

“For politics.”

“ZUKO~!” I shrieked, annoyed at his vagueness, something which he did purposefully. It was like he was trying to annoy me with his stupidly vague answers. Is he a sadist? Does he enjoy getting me so upset?

“Katara helps Aang with his duties, Suki helps Sokka, why can’t I help?” I shot back. Aang quickly stood up, throwing his hands up in the air, “Don’t bring me into your marital issues!” Aang hooted. His voice raspy and nose still a bit stuffy from his cold. Although, his horrendous sneezes did seem to go away as well as his cough. It was amusing hearing Aang’s voice so deep – Katara would be gushing about it if she were here.

Aang walked off to the door, “Oh come on, help me out Aang!” I grumbled as I watched him pull the study door wide open. But Aang shook his head, “My job is to resolve world affairs, not marital affairs.” And with that, he slipped out the door like a breeze. Next time he asks for advice revolving Katara, I’m not giving him squat!

I pouted once again as I turned to Zuko, “I don’t understand why you want responsibilities,” Zuko spoke, a hint of bewilderment in his voice. I puffed out some air as I pushed my hair away from my face. “Zuko. I want to help you. It’s my duty to serve this Nation as much as you. But I can’t do that if you won’t give me a chance.” I never expected Zuko to open up to me wholeheartedly, hell, if he wants he can take all his secrets to his grave for all I care…well that may be a lie since I would be curious…BUT, that isn’t the damn point!

‘This’ was different.

‘This’ was work, his job, and my duty.

Every night when we went to bed, Zuko looked stressed; tossing and turning in his sleep. No matter how early he went to bed, he would wake up every morning looking restless, as if he hadn’t slept a wink and it killed me. It killed seeing someone who you loved carry so much burden when you’re right there, ready to help them with anything. If I could relieve him of just a sliver of that pressure, it would mean the world to me.

Thoroughly beaten, I got off his desk and walked over to his side, my arms swinging as I played with my fingers. I looked like a defeated child; I just want to help him. Zuko’s expression softened immediately, seeming to realize that although playful, I was somewhat hurt by his reluctance to let me bear some royal responsibility revolving the kingdom.

Reaching forward, he pulled my waist towards him. His head on my hip, as my hands lazily rested on his head, coddling him. I let my fingers play with the loose strands of hair that managed to escape his bun as he held me against his sitting figure. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, love…” Zuko muttered. I let out a sigh as I looked down at him, his eyes closed as he placed a chaste kiss over my dress. I could tell the wheels in his head were turning as he thought, clearly debating something.

“Then what is it? Zuko I’ll do anything for you, and you know that I don’t expect you to tell me everything. But this is different. I’m going to look like a fool when the Earth King arrives, and I have no clue why.” I knew I could ask Aang or even Sokka, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to go behind Zuko’s back; I wanted to hear it from Zuko, from his lips. Zuko let out another sigh as he rubbed his head against my dress, this man is the living definition of stubborn. “I know- I know…it’s just that…”

“What Zuko?”

“You shouldn’t be bothered with this stuff. You may be off bedrest, but you’re still weak. I don’t want to burden you. You need to rest, heal, not stress about things like this.” Zuko spoke distressingly as he pulled away, and I knew he was gazing at the newly formed scar that rested along my jaw. Although healed, a long pink mark formed, forever reminding me of that fateful incident just a few days ago.

Zuko looked torn, as he hugged my waist possessively. I smiled softly before letting my hand cup his chin, forcing him to look up towards me. “Good thing I’m not made out of glass hmm?” Zuko chuckled before planting another peck on my hip. A pregnant pause before he let out a huff.

“What do you want to know love?”

I grinned.

I won. I did it. I actually got my way for once with Zuko.

“I want to know why this meeting is so important, why the Earth King is even coming here. I know it’s about Republic City but why does he have to come here?” I blurted. Zuko looked up at me amused, clearly taken aback by my questions, but little did he know I had another hundred floating around in my mind. What could I say, I was curious – shoot me.

“It’s regarding the location of the new nation…” Zuko muttered into my waist.

“Why does it matter? It’s being built on Fire Nation land, is it not?”

Zuko pulled away, itching away at his chin, “Kind of.” I raised a brow, “What does that mean?”

“You see, after the war, we came to an agreeance that a piece of land in the Earth Nation would be Fire Nation land. There were too many Fire Nation citizens who settled there. They didn’t want to leave, and many Earth Nation citizens didn’t want to see them go.” I nodded at Zuko’s words, not surprised at all.

It caused quite a ruckus in the Earth and Fire Nation. Some thought another war was going to erupt since Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei had quite a few altercations regarding the land. That land was where the first Fire Nation Colony settled, and while the colony was built with malicious intent, it soon shifted and became a home. The number of families that had called that colony a home over the years, and not just for Fire Nation citizens but Earth as well, was tremendous. Ultimately, the Earth King backed down and gave the land to Zuko, and some could argue it forever caused an unspoken rift between the leaders – regardless of whether they choose to acknowledge it.

“It’s a political move – you’re asking for his permission to use the land to build the new Nation…” I muttered under my breath as I began piecing together the information. Zuko could build the new Nation without the Earth King’s approval, but it would be another thorn in their relationship. So by asking the Earth King first, out of respect, it makes the Earth King feel like a king when in reality, he wasn’t even a pawn in the matter. Zuko…that sly bastard.

Zuko grinned, tapping my nose with glee, “Ahh, you’re smarter than I thought.”

“H-hey! I was a public figure at the Southern Tribe in case you forgot; I know a few things.” I grumbled, but I still couldn’t hide the faint blush that tainted my cheeks at his praise.

“Well, there is that, but also funding. You see, us, the South and Northern tribe agreed to fund this new Nation, but the Earth Nation on the other hand…”

“They don’t want to give any money.”

“And why do you think that love?”

“Because you already stole their land.”

“Exactly. What a good girl.” Zuko cooed as he let his hand wander from my hip and up my stomach. I blushed feverishly at his praise, the first time he ever spoke to me in such a manner, and the worst part was I enjoyed it. Zuko’s words of praise sent a shiver straight to my core. The way he spoke sometimes was utterly sinful, and yet he seemed completely unfazed. As if the phrases or spontaneous pet names he would often refer to me as were innocent – when we both knew that was far from the truth.

He let his hands drop from my stomach to my waist again, pulling me in between his spread legs, causing my knees to buckle slightly. But his hands held me in place, his fingers dancing along my hips.

“S-so that is why the Earth King and Queen are visiting?” I asked flustered, anything to distract myself from Zuko’s presence; I’m drowning in him. But Zuko shook his head, “Unfortunately, the Earth Queen won’t be joining him.” I pouted, slightly disappointed. Two years ago the Earth King got married, while I was invited to their wedding, so was everyone else. That meant that someone had to stay behind to watch over the Southern Tribe, and I was the sacrifice. “Is she nice?”

Zuko’s nose scrunched up in disgust, “No, she’s a complete bitch.” He grumbled. I raised a brow, did I miss something?

“I’m sorry, what? You just said, unfortunately.”

Zuko scoffed, “I know what I said, and I meant it. Because the Queen isn’t arriving, they’re sending her brother in place, and he’s a complete asshole.” I couldn’t help but laugh at Zuko. He really was something else at times.

“I would prefer the bitch over the asshole anytime.”

“Should I bother asking?”

“I thought this was a purely business conversation,” Zuko said with a smirk, but the way his hands travelled up my back completely contradicted his words. Purely business my ass. I let my hands rest on his shoulders as I rested my head against his forehead because while Zuko was definitely playing along the lines of flirting and work, I finally felt like I had a purpose.

Aang and Zuko needed the Earth King to provide his share of funding but also agree to the creation of Republic City. And given that there was a bit of ‘political’ tension between Zuko and the King, it was really up to Aang and me to pull out all of the tricks. “What are you thinking about so much babe?” Zuko hummed as his hands ran up my back, and I smiled innocently, “Just that I finally have a job.”

Right away Zuko’s eyes narrowed, the grip on my waist tightening. Tightening to the point that I gasped out in surprise and discomfort. “I promised to tell you, not for you to do,” Zuko spoke lowly, a warning. And for a split moment, I was going to fold under his gaze and do as he said, but I couldn’t. As Imperial Consort, it was my duty to assist him, and as his girlfriend, it was my job to make sure I was his support. I swallowed deeply, as I tried my hardest to match his death stare, “No.”

Zuko’s eyes lit up, a fire in his eyes as a smirk erupted, a grin that screamed trouble. “Are you…disobeying me?” Zuko purred, the way his finger trailed under my chin with ease caused me to bite my lip anxiously. His tone was falsely sweet; venom masked in honey as his finger trailed along my face far too gently, like a touch of wind.

“Yes.” My voice nothing more but a whisper.

I was a kitten in a lion’s grasp, and Zuko knew that as well.

But despite the obvious, he was relishing, the golden twinkle in his eyes gave that much away. Any chance to assert his dominance was a great time for Zuko. “So you’re telling me, that you’re going to go against Fire Lord’s orders?” Zuko spoke eagerly, his lips just barely touching mine as his fingers wrapped around my jaw and pulled me close.

“I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”

“And why is that love?”

“Because I made an oath to this Nation, but also you. You may order me to stay put, but I would argue that my oath to this Nation is just as important – if not, more.” I said grinning to myself, because for once in my life, I spoke without a stutter, and – I made a semi-logical argument. The look of astonishment on Zuko’s face made me high five myself mentally, as he seemed taken aback. The way his mouth dropped slightly and his eyes pointed. I won. I won this argument fair-and-square, and Zuko was having a hard time digesting it.

“Were you always this…cunning?” Zuko grumbled, his eyes burning, truly annoyed that I managed to outsmart him for once. I let out a small giggle, “Truthfully…no.” Zuko let out a chuckle as he shook his head. “But if there is a need, a want, then there is a way.” I whispered before planting a small kiss on his lips, “…plus…you’re too stubborn to admit that you need help.” Zuko delightfully laughed into my lips, and I couldn’t help but giggle along, his laughter being music to my ears, I could listen to him for the rest of my life.

“I guess I can punish you later hmm?” Zuko muttered half-heartedly as he devoured my lips with his own, his tongue tracing along the ridges of my mouth teasingly; I found myself falling into his embrace. A soft moan escaped my lips as I let my hands run up his neck. But just as quick, I cheekily pulled away, a new found confidence seeming to consume me, “That threat seems empty…last time you told me the same thing if I remember right.”

Zuko’s fingers dug into my skin, forcing me to look at him as he held my head high. My eyes meeting his. It was then I knew, I got too cocky. The way his touch seemed to burn into my skin, and the dark fire that glossed over his eyes proved to me that I over-stepped, and I was going to pay.

“I always keep to my word love; I was just being nice - waiting for you to heal up. But if you want to be punished that bad, so be it.” Zuko growled. I found my mouth dropping, my lips dry as I scrambled to think. Zuko snickered at my distress, not at all pleased at my speechless stance. He let his tongue run along his lips, wetting them before teasingly brushing them against mine, “What’s wrong love? Where did that feisty attitude of yours disappear off too, hmm?”

This was the problem between us; the tension that always managed to bubble up no matter where we were. It came to the point that my skin felt like it was always on fire whenever Zuko was around, and the fact that we’re now sleeping together made it ten times worse. Yet no matter how heated it got between us, it never did escalate to much more than teasing. It was like he was waiting, for what – that was beyond me. But every time we teased, I could tell his resolve was cracking little by little, and when that time finally comes; I pray.

Zuko’s hand swiftly rose up my back, his hands expertly grasping a fist full of my black hair. Just as I noticed, he pulled roughly. I gasped, not expecting Zuko to tug at my hair in the slightest. My head forcefully titled back, as Zuko grinned slyly, an intimidating growl rumbling deep in his chest, “Now be a good girl and run off, yeah? Don’t you have a tea date planned with my Uncle in another twenty minutes?”

My eyes widen, shit – Zuko was right. The grip on my hair slacked, and I found myself straightening up, not realizing that I was straddling Zuko’s lap at this point. “Shit, I need to leave – now,” I spoke anxiously as I quickly tried to fix my dress and hair, how is it possible that I look so worn out after a simple conversation with Zuko? But Zuko chuckled to himself, resting his hands behind his head as he watched me fix myself. That is why – because a simple conversation with Zuko isn’t as simple as it seems. He’s going to be my downfall at this rate.

“Be careful, if you get tired ask a guard to help you. And make sure you take the paths, don’t try any shortcuts in the garden.” Zuko lectured, and I couldn’t help but pout, “I know~! Stop worrying about me~.” I whined. Zuko laughed before leaning in his chair, his hand gently caressing my face, “It’s my job.”

I stopped my movements to look down at Zuko, a sweet smile on his face as he gazed over me with his gold eyes. My heart tightened just looking at him, “Zuko…” I hummed, only for him to nod, “Yes love?” I opened my mouth but quickly closed it. The overwhelming urge to just tell him that I loved him at this very moment ate away at me, but I knew better.

Zuko cared for me - yes, but he was a man of sense. And there was no way in the spirit world Zuko felt the same way, I was a helpless romantic, forever driven by my emotions. I foolishly fell hopelessly in love with him. I bit my tongue, before shaking my head, “…Good luck with work.”

I swore for a minute, Zuko’s smile wavered, as if he was disappointed to hear what I had said. As if he was expecting something more. But as fast as I thought I saw it, a brilliant smile appeared once again, “Thank you, now hurry. And save me a biscuit, will you?”

“Always.”

I couldn’t help the small huffs that escaped me as I walked through the long ornate hallways. Although I was feeling better, my chi levels were still slightly off, meaning that typical tasks, like walking, was taking a more considerable toll on me than usual. I let my fingers gently brush against the walls as I walked, just in case.

I knew I could ask a guard, or a servant, for assistance. But the stubbornness in me told me otherwise. Starting next week I was set to begin my training, and the thought of bending once again made my blood run cold. But I also knew better; I had to get better, I had to move past this bump. If not for me, for Zuko, for Kiyi, for the gang. The nurse was right, I was strong, and by me refusing to bend, I was adding more stress on Zuko than needed. I refuse to be that annoying damsel in distress; I wasn’t raised to be like that.

The sound of a few maids whispering down the hallway caught my attention, my ears perking up at the sound of their hushed voices. They bowed lowly, and my eyebrows scrunched up, trying to figure out who they were bowing at. Whoever it was, they still hadn’t turned the corner. Probably just Ursa or maybe Noren…

But then again, I couldn’t help but notice the way their hands shook as if they were fearful of the person who was walking towards them. A small scowl on their faces as looked down at the floor, a look I haven’t seen on servants faces since I’ve been here…except that one time. My breath hitched, and I found myself standing still, not moving an inch. You've got to be kidding me – just my damn luck.

A tall woman walked around the corner, her hands carefully placed in front of her, although hidden underneath her long scarlet coloured robes. Her silky black hair was nothing less than perfect, her buns so tightly secured to her head that they didn’t budge a single bit as she strode down the hall. Maybe if I just stand still, I can just blend in with the wall…but oh, of course with my luck, that was far from the reality of the situation.

The moment her cat eyes met mine, a cold shiver ran down my spine, and I found myself sharply breathing. Her fair skin contrasted heavily against her dark glaze. “Imperial Consort Ying Yue…Just the person I was looking for.” Mai spoke elegantly. But her words were far from pleased. It felt forced, down to the way she spoke my name. Flashbacks of me trying to befriend her came rushing back – remembering how she scoffed at my presence as if I was nothing more than a bug. To hear her say my title, to tilt her head in some form of acknowledgement spoke wonders.

I nodded my head and smiled at her, “Countess Mai, what may I do for you?” My voice was steady, didn’t waver a bit as I tried my hardest to channel my inner Toph or Suki. But I found myself entirely memorized by Mai. Despite her cold hard appearance, she was stunning. She wasn’t your typical beauty - curvy or flirtatious, rather the opposite. She carried herself with the utmost respect, and her lean figure exhibited just how much she trained and took care of herself. Mai was the exact opposite of me…and I envied her.

While she looked like a warrior, I looked like a delicate flower. The way Mai spoke, always commanded attention, she was born to be a royal, to be a leader; things I wasn’t. I anxiously bit my lip as I took in how different Mai and I were. What could Zuko possibly see in me? Mai is nothing but a leader…she would make a better Queen than me…

“I came to say my thanks.” My eyes widen in disbelief, completely taken aback by her statement. “I’m sorry, what do you mean Countess Mai, I’m afraid I don’t-”

“You saved my brother,” Mai sputtered, although I noticed the way her eye twitched in irritation. Just breathing the same air as me was about to set her off. My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, unsure what to say. Was Mai, the Almighty, the one who couldn’t even look at me since I have arrived here, thanking me? She watched the way I looked at her, and kissed her teeth, unpleased by my dumb expression, “My brother; Tom-Tom.” She said, a hint of attitude in her tone.

Tom-Tom? That shy little adorable boy is Mai’s younger brother? I smiled before pushing back some of my hair, Mai was thanking me. Maybe I misunderstood her; perhaps she isn’t as cold-hearted as I thought…Maybe Mai is like Toph? A bit rough along the edges but sweet in the inside. This could be the start of something new between us...

“No need to thank me, Countess Mai, I couldn’t live with myself should anything-”

“I don’t need your damn speech,” Mai spoke swiftly, raising her thin hand to shut me up. I didn’t even get a chance to blink before she turned on her heel, not bothering to spare me another second. My eyes widen at her actions as I looked at her back. Her shoulders’ were tense, visibly distressed and I frowned. Why is she mad? She was the one who came to me; she was the one who spoke to me first. Why does she hate me so much? It seriously can’t be because I’m with Zuko.

I sucked in a deep breath, I knew deep down I should let her go, that I should just listen to what Zuko has said countless of times and leave Mai alone. As Zuko would say, ‘be a good girl and listen to me. Don’t try to be friends’. But that was just it, sometimes my big heart got the best of me, and I ignored Zuko’s warnings. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that someone hated me just because. I don’t expect me and her to be best friends, but damnit, you can’t just hate someone to hate. There had to be a reason; I didn’t talk to her but twice since I’ve arrived – what could I have possibly done to make her hate me this much?

“Countess Mai-”

Mai stopped dead in her tracks the moment she heard my voice. Despite her long sleeves, I could see the way her hands balled up in aggravation as if she was trying to keep her composure. With a sharp turn on her heel, she faced me. Although this time, I could see the way her jaw clenched with infuriation, her eyes glaring nothing but daggers at me. “Listen mut, listen very carefully,” I flinched at her words, did she seriously just call me a mut?

“I came here to say thank you because as much as I wish you were dead, I know when to pay my respects. So don’t you dare, for a single moment, think that there are any chances of us being friends.” I couldn’t help but take a deep breath, trying my hardest not to snap back. As my dad always said; ‘two wrongs don’t make a right.’ But the way Mai looked at me with disgust had me biting my lip to keep my cool.

“Mai, I don’t understand why you hate me so much. I know you and Zuko had a history, but that is between you two, not us. I didn’t do anything to you.” I spoke sensibly. But the last thing I expected was for her to laugh; a bitter, manic laugh that brought chills upon my skin. The way her lips twisted to a wicked smile as she shook her head.

“Did nothing? You said it yourself, you knew about Zuko and me, yet here you are. Leeching off him like a little pest.” She hissed. I frowned, a pest? “I don’t know what Zuko sees in you. You’re nothing. You’re not a royal, not a Firebender. Nothing but a sorry story.”

My hands instantly balled into fists as she stomped closer and closer to me. She was taller than me that I knew, but it didn’t matter. I’m going to tear her to shreds if she didn’t shut her mouth in the next ten seconds. To think that I envied her, forget that. But Mai wasn’t finished. As if a second wind hit her, she took another step towards me. A menacing smile on her face as she tapped her long boney fingers on her chin; “But I guess I’m not giving you enough credit. To think, that someone as useless, obnoxious, and pathetic as you could whore their way to such a rank. You’re nothing more than a royal bed warmer.”

“Jealousy is an ugly colour Mai, even for you.” I scowled.

Mai’s eyes widen for a split moment hearing my stern voice, but she quickly composed herself and grinned mischievously. Keep calm, don’t let her get under your skin- “Aww, so the slut does know how to use her pretty mouth besides sucking.”

Fuck her.

As if an unknown force overcame, I found my knees slightly bending, my hips tilting as my right hand rose. The rude remarks, the insults, the backhanded comments – I had enough. With whatever strength I could muster, my right arm tensed while my hand balled up into a fist that swung with a purpose; her face.

Mai’s eyes widen, clearly not expecting a ‘royal bed warmer’ to throw a punch; but I guess today is just full of surprises. For someone who was supposedly ‘trained’ in hand-to-hand combat, she sure had slow reflexes. I could feel my top knuckles clash against her boney nose, her eyes widening for a split moment before she cried out in pain. Her eyes teared up in reaction to my punch, as her hand instantly went up to cover her face.

My breathing was laboured as I pulled back, my left hand falling against the wall; trying to steady myself. That punch took all of my damn energy, but fuck was it worth it. The look of pure anguish and disbelief was written all over her face.

I knew I messed up.

I knew I broke every single royal protocol in the book – again.

But I also knew that the pleasure of seeing my fist in her face was remarkable. A once in a lifetime memory that I was going to take to my grave and bask.

“Y-you punched me!?” Mai screamed as she held her nose, a few drops of blood trickling down her hand.

“I’m sorry, did a pathetic, useless, ugly, mut hurt you?” I spoke sarcastically; hurling back every single insult she threw at me. Mai huffed, sending me glares of death but I easily brushed them off. I’m dating Zuko, the master of death stares, Mai’s stares were nothing more but a tickle at this point. With a tight grip on her nose, she hollered, “GUARDS!”

My eyes widen in surprise; she was going to try to get me in trouble. Right away heavy steps echoed behind me, a few gasps of surprise signalling to me that they saw precisely what I saw. Countess Mai with a bloody nose and my hand still balled up in a fist, “S-she punched me!” Mai shrieked as she pointed a thin finger at me accusatorily. The guards looked at me, confusion on their faces as they stood hesitantly, and I couldn’t blame them. Here you have an Imperial Consort accused of punching the ex-lover of the Fire Lord in the face, and the worst part was, it did happen.

“Imperial Consort Ying Yue…is this true?” A guard spoke cautiously, a hint of disbelief in his voice. Fuck. Zuko is going to kill me. “I-I-”

“Countess Mai started it! Imperial Consort was defending herself!”

My eyes widen as a voice shouted from behind Mai, and it was then I realized who it was. The maids from earlier, they saw and heard everything, they’re going to defend me. Mai hissed as she turned to stare at the group of maids that eagerly ran towards us. But instead of rushing to Mai’s aid, they ran to me, tightly gripping my arms as they helped me stand straight.

“Countess Mai was harassing Imperial Consort Ying Yue – she was insulting her and the Fire Lord.” The maid spoke breathlessly, but I could see the sparks in her eyes as she spoke. They wanted to help me, but more importantly, they wanted to see Mai get in trouble. Personal revenge for them - seems like Mai wasn’t exactly welcomed at the Kingdom after all.

Mai’s face drained white, “Y-you-” Mai stuttered, so consumed by anger she couldn’t even speak. But the maids held their ground, holding on to me as they glared at Mai.

“Countess Mai, you will be placed under house arrest for insulting Imperial Consort Ying Yue and the Fire Lord.” The guards spoke with ease. The irony – the fact that she tried to get me in trouble, but she was the one getting arrested. Mai’s eyes widen in disbelief as the guards approached her, their large hands tightly gripping her upper arms. Fuck, as much as I wish to see her get put in her place-

“No!”

Everyone stopped their actions to look at me, even Mai herself. With a deep breath, I stepped forward, pulling away from the support of the maids.

“Mai, you can say whatever you wish to me. You can make me your punching bag. But remember carefully, if I’m going to be your punching bag, I’ll make you my punching bag.”

“I'll remember this.” With that, Mai hastily shook the guard's arms off her as if their touch was venom. Mai turned on her heel, her hand still tightly gripping her nose as she dashed off. Her red robes and tight buns disappeared along with the guards, probably going to their original posts. I let out a breath; I can’t believe this just happened. I found myself leaning against the wall; trying to come to terms with just everything that had happened.

“Imperial Consort Ying Yue…?” I turned quickly, remembering the group of maids were still standing beside me. Gosh, if they weren’t here who knows what would have happened. “Ahh, uh, thank you. For defending me…I wouldn’t know what to do.” I spoke. The maids smiled, giving me low bows, “Do you need assistance…?” I smiled but nodded my head no, “I should be fine, but sincerely- thank you all.” The maids grinned to themselves before waving, “Take care Imperial Consort! It was our pleasure.” And with another step, they dashed off.

I let out another heavy breath, my right fist tingling. I can’t believe I just punched Mai in the face. Zuko is going to kill me, what am I going to say to him? How do I even begin explaining what had happened? I don’t even know what happened! I straighten out my hand, wincing a bit at the soreness, but I could only imagine the world of pain Mai was going to be in. I grinned to myself. As horrible as it was, it felt great.

A gentle hand on my lower back caught me off guard, my body turning swiftly to my right. “Iroh?” I gasped. He stood there, his hand still on my lower back while his other hand gently held mine. He wore a warm smile, a smile that highlighted every single happy line on his face. “You did a number on her didn’t you?” Iroh spoke amused. My eyes widen, and I flushed nervously, he saw. He saw me punch Mai.

“I can explain-”

“Ying Yue?”

“Yes…?”

“Thank you.” My mouth dropped as Iroh laughed, his belly rumbling in joy. “I don’t understand-”

“Do you know why Zuko and Mai never worked out?” Iroh spoke gently while carefully inspecting my hand for any damage. I pouted at Iroh’s question because I didn’t even know why Zuko would go for someone like Mai. Curiosity ate away at me every day, eager to know more about their history, but I knew Zuko was naturally a private person. Someone who would tell me his secrets, but at his pace. I shook my head, “I never asked. It didn’t feel right…” I muttered under my breath.

Iroh smiled, “Too many chefs in a kitchen.” I giggled at Iroh’s idiom, completely taken off guard. It was something my dad used to say whenever mom tried to help him cook. “What does that have to do with Zuko and Mai?”

“A lot. They’re both takers. Leaders. It’s easy for them to want – but hard for them to give.” It was like something in me ticked. They were too similar – that’s why it never worked out. Aang was careless while Katara was serious – but together they made a perfect combination. Same with Suki and Sokka – they completed each other, made each other change for the better. But Mai and Zuko…they were so much alike that instead of helping each other – they fed into each other’s flaws.

“Zuko and Mai were in a world of pain, the only stable thing in their lives was each other. It’s easy to mistake friendship for love when you're vulnerable.” Iroh spoke wisely, and I nodded. I got it now. They were friends. And a part of me felt horrible. Zuko didn’t lose a ‘girlfriend’ - he lost a friend. A best friend who had been with him his whole life. The bitterness from Mai – she misses him.

“There’s a reason why Zuko loves you-you understand him. But why do you love Zuko?” My eyes widen as I found myself biting my lip, “Zuko doesn’t love me…” I whispered before looking back down at our hands, but Iroh scoffed. “I’ve known him his whole life, and not once have I seen him look at someone like how he looks at you. So hurry up and tell him how you feel, because the Avatar only knows how long it will take him to confess.”

“Iroh…”

“Yes, Ying Yue?”

“…the better question is what is there not to love about Zuko…” Iroh grinned sheepishly, before gently patting my hand with his own, “Let me get you to the infirmary, take a look at your hand. Then we can get our afternoon tea in the gardens.” I smiled and nodded, “Zuko is going to kill me…” I muttered to myself, but Iroh laughed, “Let’s make a deal. I’ll keep this under wraps if you promise me something.” I looked up at Iroh, a curious look on my face which made Iroh laugh more.

“I’ll keep this whole ‘punching Mai in the face thing’ under wraps if you promise me to love my nephew forever.”

“…Deal.”

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

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mytholora · 5 years

Text

do you hear my heart beating

Fandom: Mamamoo

Rated: T

Pairings: Moonsun

Characters: Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, Hwasa

Summary: Yongsun knows she’s an idiot but she’d thought herself to be an idiot with good ideas.

Yongsun knows she’s an idiot but she’d thought herself to be an idiot with good ideas.

They’re in a seedy club at some inhumane hour of the morning. Byulyi has somehow managed to convince her to go even though she’s got a paper due tomorrow and hasn’t washed her hair in 3 days.

“ISN’T THIS AMAZING?” Byulyi yells over the crowd of people wildly bumping their bodies into each other and the blaring music. It’s humid. Yongsun’s sure she’s stepped on something gross. At least 2 people have tried grinding on her, she doesn’t know. What she does know is that Byulyi’s holding her hand tight and she’s about to spontaneously combust.

“It’s really loud in here!”

“WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?” Byul makes a pained face at her, stretching back to hear her better.

“WHAT Oh—never mind.” Yongsun sighs, realising that no matter how loud she shouts, Byulyi can’t hear her over the loud music. How is she supposed to flirt with Byulyi if they can’t even hear each other? Another body falls on her and Yongsun is this close to biting someone’s ear off. She grunts under the weight of a clearly inebriated body and struggles to push him back on his feet. Of course this fucking caveman has to fall on me, of all the people in this hellcave.

Suddenly, Byulyi appears in front of her and pushes the man off her.

“Hey, watch where you’re falling, asshole!” Byulyi snarls, anger flaring in her eyes, arms holding Yongsun closely, tightly, and Yongsun feels her face heat up as she presses herself closer to Byulyi’s frame.

“Thanks, bodyguard,” Yongsun breathes out.

“WHAT?”

“I said thanks!”

“WHAT?”

“Forget it!”

“...WHAT?”

“LET’S JUST GO!”

“I can’t hear you, let’s just go!” Byulyi pulls her arm to signal her to start moving and they start wading through the swamp of people once more. A light bulb flickers to life above Yongsun’s head instantly. They can barely hear themselves in the noise, much less each other. It’s an opportunity falling on her lap and Yongsun’s damned if she won’t take it.

She clears her throat. “Your hands really turn me on.”

Byulyi doesn’t even turn around to look at her, just keeps pushing forward through the crowd. Yongsun bites back laughter and squeezes Byulyi’s hand. She turns around at that, tilting her head in slight confusion, face sporting a grin. Yongsun shakes her head and they continue moving as glee at the prospect of what she can do in her current situation fills her up.

Walking deeper in still, the club gets louder and darker even though Yongsun didn’t think it was possible mere minutes ago.

“Hey, hot ass lady holding my hand,” Yongsun tries. “Could we go get some drinks before hitting the dance floor?” No reaction.

“You sexy beast. Hold me tight. Grab my tiddies and drag me into a kiss.”

Nothing. If Byulyi can hear her, she doesn’t show any indication that she does.

It’s even better than I thought, Yongsun thinks incredulously. She gives a tug to the hand that’s holding hers.

“Can we get a drink first?” She asks in her normal voice, not even trying to compete against the noise. Byulyi frowns and leans closer, lips forming a ‘what’. Yongsun smiles and gestures towards what distinctly looks like a bar and tilts her head back to mimic the act of drinking. Byulyi perks up, nods, and they head off to a new destination.

It’s a little quieter at the bar, the air still shaking with heavy bass, but Yongsun can actually hear her own thoughts now. A familiar beautiful woman with a smouldering gaze is already waiting for them at the bar, an eyebrow raised, and Yongsun fights back a blush when the woman glances between Byulyi and herself as they walk towards her.

“Surprise!” Byulyi yells and almost leaps across the counter to wrap the woman in a hug.

“How did you manage to find me? I barely started working, like, two days ago!” Hyejin laughs, arms going around to return the hug before pulling Yongsun into another smothering one.

“I have my sources!” Byulyi says and Hyejin rolls her eyes.

“Wheein! Of course.”

“Where is she anyway? She owes me 15 bucks!” Hyejin motions to somewhere behind her and not even a moment later, a young dimpled girl appears beside Hyejin and squeals, dragging all four of them into a group huddle.

“HELL YEAH! The gang’s back together for a night of booze and bad decisions!” She jumps around excitedly and Yongsun feels her heart melt at the sight. She glances at Hyejin and Byulyi and she’s sure she’s not the only one. They are all soft for Wheein and her bubbly energy.

“Making bad decisions won’t be a problem with how fucking LOUD this place is! Are the speakers busted or something?” Yongsun winces as the music somehow gets louder than before, a remix of some top 10 EDM song reverberating in her skull.

“We don’t really know why but the other bartenders tell us it’s the DJ! He always plays the music this loud just cuz it ‘sets him in the mood’!” Wheein explains and Byulyi rolls her eyes.

“What an asshole.”

“Right?! Most of the DJs we’ve met here are really nice but he’s the only one that’s a big meanie! Just earlier tonight he…” Wheein launches into a story and Byulyi listens attentively, straining her neck forward to pick up on Wheein’s excited chatter. Hyejin quickly fills up two mugs with some cheap beer for them and is off to respond to a customer calling for her. Byulyi sends a wink her way as thanks before focusing her attention back onto Wheein and her flailing arms.

Yongsun adores that part of Byulyi that is so attentive and pays attention to details. The one that tries her best to be inclusive. The one with so much kindness and care in her heart. It was a quality that attracted so many of her friends to her and helped her to easily make more.

“I love you so much,” Yongsun stares at Byulyi and the words slip out before she can stop it. A spike of anxiety stabs her before realising that it is too loud for anyone to pick up what she’s saying. “That jacket looks great around you but you know what would look better? Me.”

Byulyi doesn't react. She’s still listening attentively to Wheein’s enthusiastic storytelling. It’s a chance she can’t miss.

“You funky lesbian, why the fuck are you so perfect, huh? Wanna fight? Wanna sit on my face? I dare you. I’m so in love with you. I’m not even joking. I would lay my life down for you like a knight for her queen, except like, I don’t wanna die, so maybe not. I’d fight a man for you, though. I’d choke all the men in the world for you. Fuck, you look so good. Marry me.”

Yongsun is on a roll, spitting out cheesy compliments and flirty pick-up lines. She says it to no-one in particular, keeping her eyes on the hyper duo next to her as she nurses her drink in one hand.

That is, until she realises her phone has been incessantly buzzing in her pocket. It’s enough to get her to take it out and look through her notifications.

Hyegi: oi

Hyegi: im on the other side

Hyegi: bitch dont ignore me look here

Hyegi: are u talking to yourself or smth wat the fuck

Hyegi: who you talking to

Hyegi: oh my god

Hyegi: SKJSHDSJFH

Hyegi: omg u hopeless gay

Hyegi: sit on your face???

Hyegi: yong pls

Hyegi: pls do not start fighting here i dont wanna be fired

Hyegi: im begging you pls stop

Hyegi: o fuk that’s so NSFW im gagging

Hyegi: bicth

Hyegi: thicc byulssy???? UVE GONE TOO FAR

Hyegi: HELLO!! LOOK HERE ASSHOLE!!!

Yongsun is absolutely mortified. Her eyes quickly dart to where Hyejin is leaning against the counter a few metres away, smoothly typing away on her phone, as if she didn’t just ruin Yongsun’s entire night in a few texts. Hyejin glances up to look at her and smirks. Yongsun's fight or flight response is fully activated and screaming at her to somehow knock Hyejin unconscious and make her lose all memory of tonight.

Yong: FUCK

Yong: dkjfhsljdfh

Yong: what the fuck

Hyegi: calm down

Yong: im gonna fukcking

Yong: what the FUCK

Hyegi: CHILL i wont tell

Yong: i will die on the spot if you do

Hyegi: please dont

Yong: DIE you hear me

Hyegi: I WONT I SWEAR

Yong: this whole time

Yong: how

Yong: did you bug me with a mic

Hyegi: what?? no i can lip read

Yong: how? since when??? what the fuck

Hyegi: took a course back in college

Yong: why

Hyegi: i wanted to be a spy

Yong: uh

Yong: ok

Yong: anyway pls dont spill

Hyegi: chillax i wont. I got u babe

Yong: thanks ily

Hyegi: ily too

Hyegi: also u are one giant horndog u know that?? fuckin intense!!

Yong: and what about it? she’s hot. im hot. we’re perfect for each other

Hyegi: LMAO right so why u seducing thin air

Yong: im just

Yong: building up my offense u know

Yong: training to fight fire with fire

Hyegi: by talking to the air

Yong: im TRAINING u fool

Yong: im like zuko and she’s azula because im gonna take her down

Yong: except we’re not siblings and i wanna date her

Hyegi: fuck u dont ruin that show for me

Yong: im not supporting incense im just saying they were both hot

Hyegi: incense im its incest u illiterate

Hyegi: ok look if i give u another drink on the house will u PLEASE shut the fuck up

Yong: a nicer one please

Yong: thanks

Yong: also zutara should have been endgame

Hyegi: dont test me because i will throw this drink in ur face

Yongsun laughs and looks up only to see Wheein gone and Byulyi staring at her and smiling. She feels her heart jump out her chest and tries to not let it show. She raises an eyebrow and Byulyi shakes her head and takes another swig of her now finished beer. Hyejin walks up to them with Yongsun’s drink on the house.

“Hey, how come she gets another one?!” Byulyi pouts, shifting closer to Yongsun and her new drink.

“What can I say? I’m a natural charmer!” Yongsun shrugs, a teasing lilt in her voice, which makes Byulyi pout even more. Hyejin rolls her eyes and walks away. Yongsun realises that it’s just her and Byulyi now. She clears her throat uncomfortably, unprepared to face Byulyi one-on-one, despite all the ‘training’ she’s undergone.

“Holy shit, I love this song! For a shitty DJ, he’s got pretty good taste in music!” Byulyi perks up. She gets off her chair and sways to the song now playing through the speakers. Yongsun watches awkwardly as Byulyi dances without a care in front of her.

She thinks she’s disassociating. In another dimension.

Byulyi? Sexy dancing in front of her as she sits and watches? Not even trying to escape? Absolutely unheard of.

She’d already be running for the hills on a normal day.

I’m too fucking gay for this shit. Is this happening? Is this really happening? What the fuck.

Yongsun doesn’t budge an inch on her seat, doesn’t even grab her drink. Her eyes watch Byulyi intensely, expression unchanging as the younger girl dances without a care in the world, unaware of the quickly deteriorating mess that is Yongsun’s sanity. Byulyi’s eyes lock with hers and she feels something important escape her body.

Her phone buzzes again and again and Yongsun forces herself to tear her eyes away from the spectacle that is Byulyi and respond to it.

Hyegi: u lesbian

Hyegi: SHUT UP ur sex eyes are so obvious

Hyegi: U look like u are one blink away from pushing her down!! Fuck

Hyegi: i cant deal with this

Hyegi: remember to use protection xoxo hwasa

Yongsun rolls her eyes. Her phone buzzes again. What now?

---

Wheenie: byul-unnie

Wheeinie: i got him to play the song u wanted

Wheeinie: r u sure dis will work

Wheeinie: make sure u do wat we discussed

Wheeinie: unnie u luk v intense

Wheeinie: ya work those sexy moves

Wheein: sway ur hips more!! bat ur eyes!!

Wheeinie: she looks turned on as fUK keep doing it

Wheeinie: lmao she’s looking here?? move closer

Wheeinie: get more in her face!! blast ur hormones! show her ur willing and ready!!!

Wheeinie: wait

Wheeinie: OH FUCK

from this shitpost of mine

after more than a year here i am...... my measly attempt at comedy..

comments r appreciated and criticism even more so because i get turned on by both

#mamamoo #moonset #moonbyul #solar #wheein #hwasa #humour #humor #moowritings #had this saved in my drafts and forgot to post it???#mamamoo fanfic

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fangzeronos · 6 years

Text

Fire in my Heart

Sighing as she traced her fingers over her very pregnant stomach, Suki smiled as she looked out at the courtyard from the bedroom window of the Fire Nation Palace. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift, remembering everything that had led up to that night with Zuko, the first night they’d admitted the truth to each other.

“Suki, please. Just come back into the party and stick close with me. Asa won’t bother you, and if you want, Ty Lee can remove her,” Zuko had said as his hand took hers in the dimly lit hallway.

“Zuko, I’d rather just leave so that I don’t keep getting the “Earth Kingdom peasant” comments. I may be the head of the Kyoshi Warriors, but…being put down about my heritage isn’t something I’m going to listen to,” Suki said, pulling her hand away from Zuko’s and wrapping her arms around herself before moving away from him.. “Please, Zuko, just let me go.”

She wanted distance between them, so she didn’t do something stupid like she had the weekend before, kissing him under the stars by the lake, having enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers, the feel of his hands as they slid up and cupped her neck, pulling her against him and feeling his hands knot in her hair. The moan that slipped from her lips and snapped her back into reality, pushing him away and running.

“Suki…” Zuko sighed. He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders, feeling her tense. “Suki, if this is about that night on Lover’s Lake…”

“It’s not about that, Zuko!” Suki whispered, her hands clenching on her upper arms. “It isn’t about that. It’s just…you deserve someone more your status, not a peasant girl from the Earth Kingdom who’s also your Captain of the Guard. You know what that’ll bring to the Throne?”

“I don’t care,” Zuko said. “I don’t want someone that’s on my level. I want someone better than me, and it isn’t any of these women parading around my ballroom right now.” He sighed softly, rubbing her arms and slowly felt her relax. “Suki, you’ve been the only woman to ever have my eye.”

“We can’t,” Suki said, shaking Zuko off of her again before she started running, tears sliding down her cheeks as she picked her skirt up and took off for her room, shutting the door. She slid down and turned, wrapping her arms around herself to try and stay together, her heart thundering in her chest and ordering her to go back to Zuko. “No…I can’t…” Her head snapped up as her mind made itself up. She jumped up and started throwing her things into her bag, planning on leaving and not coming back so that she didn’t have to worry about the hole in her heart anymore.

Suki sighed softly, looking out over the courtyard and hearing the first rumbles of thunder in the distance. She rubbed her stomach softly, giggling when she felt the baby kicking at the thunder. “Oh…it’s ok, honey,” she whispered. “It can’t hurt you. Not when Mommy’s here. Besides, the thunder just means that rain is on the way. And rain, oh, rain is just the tears of your ancestors coming down and saying “It’s ok. We’re watching you.” Rain’s a good thing. Mommy promises.”

Zuko chuckled softly, walking into the suite. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Suki, kissing her neck softly and nuzzling against her shoulder. “You know we’ll have to keep telling her that until Sokka tries and tells her different,” he said.

“How are you so certain the baby’s a girl?” Suki asked with a smirk, lifting her hand up and putting it on Zuko’s cheek, leaning up and kissing him softly. “Hm? How do you know baby isn’t a boy?”

“I have a feeling,” Zuko said. He put his hands against Suki’s stomach and smiled, moving around and kneeling down in front of her. “Hi, sweetie. Are you behaving for Mommy? Not giving her too much trouble, I hope.” The baby kicked against Zuko’s hands, Suki’s laughter filling the room.

“Yeah, it’s all happy kicks until tonight when you’re getting kicked in the back again, Fire Lord,” Suki smirked.

Zuko snickered and kissed Suki, nipping her lip. “I do enjoy it though, Fire Lady. You remember how we got the little star?” he asked.

“Mm…” Suki said, leaning back against her husband and smiling. “Yes, I do. You bent me right over this window and would not let up when I came to talk to you.”

An hour later, Suki sighed as she stood in front of Zuko’s door, her bag packed beside her and orders given to Ty Lee, Siva, and Juniper to keep Zuko safe and to give messages once a week on the Warriors. She bit her lip and knocked before she had a chance to talk herself out of it, her heart beating a tattoo on her ribcage that she was sure would be visible without her robes on.

Zuko walked over and opened the door, seeing Suki and noticing her bag. “Suki?” he asked, stepping back and letting her in. He watched as she set her bag on the floor beside the door, shuffling from foot to foot softly. “Suki, what’s wrong?”

Suki walked into Zuko’s room and over to the window, sighing softly and looking down at the courtyard, seeing carriages and horses leaving with the delegates and other big names in the Four Nations. “I’m leaving, Zuko,” she said after a long few minutes. “I’m going back to Kyoshi Island before heading for the Ba Sing Se. I can’t…do this anymore.”

Zuko felt like he’d been punched in the chest with lightning. He shut the door and walked over, putting his hand on Suki’s shoulder. “Why are you leaving? Did…did I do something wrong? Did something happen?”

“I can’t do this, Zuko. Between my letters from Sokka, my letters to Sokka, and being so close to you all the time…my heart isn’t where it should be, and my head really isn’t where it belongs,” Suki said, looking away and not even having the energy to pull away from Zuko. “Just please…don’t follow me when I leave.” “That isn’t an explanation, Suki,” Zuko said. “Please. What’s wrong?”

“It’s you, dammit!” Suki snapped, turning and facing Zuko with a fire in her eyes he’d seen sparingly over the last five years. “You’re what’s wrong, Zuko! I’m up before the sun and checking the Palace from top to bottom to make sure nothing’s going to kill you, I check your suite, your bathroom, your food, your clothes, everything to make sure someone or something isn’t poised with a knife or poison or a sniper isn’t going to take you out from the window. I watch you dress when I’m standing and giving the morning reports from Ty Lee and Siva, I stand in on every single fucking meeting, and I keep finding myself wanting to sit at that table, sit on that bed, in that tub, in that shower, at that dining hall with you and wrapped in your fucking arms, but I know I can’t because I’m nothing but the Captain of the Guard and I’m not the kind of girl you deserve!”

She didn’t realize she was crying until she sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as everything she’d been holding back burst out of her like a dam separating at the seams.

“And I watch you go out with these…tramps and I have to vet them before they can get close to you and it boils my blood. I used to vent my frustrations to Sokka, but he was too damned busy with the founding of Republic City to give a damn. And he and I separated six months ago, and I didn’t bother to tell you. And I didn’t tell you because it didn’t matter. I just can’t keep living with this fucking airship sized hole in my chest…not without killing myself a little more each and every day…”

Zuko sighed softly, looking down at Suki before kneeling down in front of her, putting his hands on her cheeks and lifting her head. He looked into her eyes, the same blue he’d dreamt about for a long time, and he wiped her cheeks softly.

“It isn’t easy for me either, Suki,” he whispered, his eyes soft. “I watch you break yourself every single day going all of the place to ensure that nothing’s going to happen to me, and it breaks my heart that you don’t take time for yourself. You want to protect me, but I want to protect you just as much. I can’t…do this without you. If you weren’t here, who’d keep me in line and make sure I don’t go off on General Takashi and tell him where to shove his fleet? Asa would have sunk her claws into me by now if it wasn’t for you.”

“Only because she’s grown afraid of me since I threatened to rip out her eyes if she kept ogling you and biting her lip and finger while you walk away,” Suki said. “Her other hand quickly comes up from under the table and she always looks rather embarrassed about being caught.”

“See? You keep things going when I don’t notice them,” Zuko said. He brushed his thumb over her cheek and sighed softly. “Suki…if you left, I’d be lost. You keep things running and I need you. I…I need you here. I need you with me, beside me. You’re the only one I trust so damned implicitly.”

“Zuko, I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” Zuko said, making Suki look at him. He stood and helped her up, taking her hands softly. “Please don’t leave.”

“I have to,” Suki whispered. “I have to leave, Zuko. I can’t stand by and let my heart beat against my ribs like it’s going to explode every time I see you. I can’t stay here and let my feelings for you cloud my job, and you deserve better than me.”

Zuko sighed, shaking his head softly. “You are damn stubborn, you know that?” he asked with a small smile. He made Suki look at him and he decided, hell with it. He was already too damned in love with her to let her go, and he knew she felt the same even if she wanted to deny it.

“Yes. It’s one of my better traits,” Suki said, pulling away from Zuko and starting move past him to get her bag. “Goodbye, Zuko.”

Zuko reached out and grabbed Suki’s hand, dragging her back to him and crashing his lips into hers, pulling her against him. He felt her hands clench around his robes, hoping she wasn’t going to hit him, even though he’d really deserve it. Instead, he felt her relax, her arms looping around his neck as her hands threaded into his hair as she kissed back, pushing herself closer to Zuko.

Suki pulled back, panting softly and licking her lips as she did. Zuko’s breath was hot against her face, and she knew she was screwed, and not in the fun way. “Not just yet,” she hoped.

“Damn you,” she said, slamming her lips back to Zuko’s and hearing him laugh in the kiss, biting his lip and pushing him back against the wall behind them, not caring that it looked out into the open courtyard. Suki slid her hands down, tugging at the ties on the robes and tried to force them away, growling against Zuko’s lips and giving up, sliding her hands down further and grabbing his cock through the robes.

“Suki…”

“Don’t fucking back out on me now,” she growled. “You started this by kissing me. I’m going to finish it.”

“Yes, Captain,” Zuko said, his voice husky. There was something filthy about how he said her title, and it made heat swirl in her core and made her knees weak. “If we’re going to do this, let me help you get these off.”

Suki stepped back and watched as Zuko disrobed, her eyes following the line of his body from his neck down, unconsciously licking her lips as she watched the robes slip down and come off, Zuko tossing it to the side. She undid her own and let it pool around her feet, stepping out of it and kneeling down. “My turn,” she said, moving her hands up and slipping down his underwraps, his cock springing free and staring Suki in the face. “Mmm…is that all for me?”

“As much of it as you can take,” Zuko said with a smirk, undoing the bun of Suki’s hair. He felt her hands around his shaft, moaning softly at the first swipe of her tongue. After a few small licks and tugs, the Fire Lord growled in his throat, looking down at the woman on her knees. “Suki…damn it…”

Suki smirked, swirling her tongue around the crown of Zuko’s cock, opening her mouth and taking him in. She moaned as he filled her mouth, starting to bob slowly down him. She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling as she kept swirling her tongue around Zuko, going as deep as she was able before she started gagging, pulling back and gasping for air. “Fuck…”

Zuko moaned softly, looking down at Suki. “Are you alright?” he asked, running his hand in her hair slowly.

“Fine. Never had one this big in my mouth,” Suki smirked, diving right back in. Hollowing out her cheeks, Suki sucked as hard as she could before she started pulling back.

She went deeper again, moaning as he hit the back of her throat. Suki closed her eyes and pushed past her gag reflex, taking Zuko as deep as she could, moaning around his cock as it pulsed in her throat. She could feel him tensing, getting ready to cum, and she didn’t want that to happen yet. Reluctantly, she pulled off of him and gasped for air, bringing her hand up and stroking Zuko slowly, looking up at him. “You don’t get to cum yet.”

“Why?” Zuko asked, watching as Suki stood up, her hand twisting around him and making him groan.

“Why should you get to cum first?” she asked, moving around Zuko and leaning against the wall, undoing her own wraps and letting them fall to the floor, letting herself stand naked in front of Zuko.

Zuko smirked, walking over to Suki and kissing her, nipping her lip and sliding his fingers up her leg. He slid around her thigh and pushed against her, making her gasp and moan into the kiss as his fingers slid into her. “What do you want out of me, Captain?”

“Everything,” Suki panted, putting her hands on Zuko’s shoulders. “Please, Zuko. I want everything…”

Zuko smiled, dropping to his knees as he pulled his fingers out of her slowly. He lifted Suki’s leg over his shoulder, leaving her spread open and waiting for him. He leaned in and flicked his tongue against her slowly, tasting her. He felt her hands thread into his hair, pulling him in deeper before he pushed up with his tongue.

“Zuko…” Suki moaned, biting her lip as she felt Zuko attack her pussy with his tongue. “Fuck…”

Zuko looked up at Suki, his tongue slicing through her as he moved up and nipped at her exposed clit, making her yell out. He pulled back and licked his lips, looking up at Suki. “Do you want us to get caught by Siva or Ty Lee?”

“I don’t care. Get back to work,” Suki demanded, dragging Zuko back between her thighs as she started grinding against his mouth, feeling him slip his tongue into her. A moan tore from her lips as she panted, feeling her knees going weak. “Zuko…I’m so close….”

Zuko looked up at Suki and smirked, sliding his tongue through her slowly and teasing her clit as he did. “I should leave you hanging like you did me,” he said.

“You do, and I’ll cut your cock off and have it stuffed so I have my own personal Fire Lord sex toy,” Suki moaned, trying to grind against Zuko’s fingers.

“Naughty Captain,” Zuko smirked, dipping two fingers into Suki. “Then let me see you cum.”

Suki pushed herself against Zuko’s hand, moaning as she ground her hips against the intruding fingers in her pussy. “Fuck!” she moaned out as she came hard, coating Zuko’s fingers and hand. She whined and whimpered when he pulled his fingers out of her, falling against him as he stood up. “Fuck…”

“That’s next,” Zuko said, kissing Suki and nipping her lip.

Suki sighed against Zuko’s lips, tasting herself on his tongue. “Mm…then where do you want me?”

Zuko smirked, gold eyes dancing in the light from the candles. “Right here,” he said, turning Suki and pushing her against the wall, bending her at the waist and making sure she was facing the window.

“The window?” Suki asked, a shudder coursing through her as she felt the head of Zuko’s cock pushing against her clit, moaning softly when she realized she was grinding against him. “Zuko, if anyone looks up and sees…”

“It’ll be fine,” Zuko said, lining up and pushing into Suki slowly, feeling her clench around him. He splayed his hands out against her waist and slid deeper into her, hearing her moaning as he did. “Mmm…your pussy feels good…”

“Spirits, your cock…” Suki moaned, moving back against Zuko and biting her lip so she didn’t scream and alert anyone below. “Zuko…please…”

“As you wish,” Zuko smirked, starting to pull out and thrust back in. He started moving steadily against Suki, reaching around and playing with her clit as he did.

“Zuko…fuck…” Suki moaned, groaning as she felt him push against her clit with his thumb. “Zuko….”

Zuko smiled, leaning down and kissed Suki’s neck and nipping as he did, slamming deeper into her and feeling her push against him on each movement. He reached up and gathered her hair, pulling her head back and making her yell out as he hammered in and out of her, his fingers tugging against her clit. “Fuck, Suki…you’re so good around my cock…”

“Mmm…fuck, I love it,” Suki moaned, gasping as he slapped her ass. She panted, feeling her entire body tensing. “Zuko…harder…please…”

“Yes, Captain,” Zuko purred, biting Suki’s neck and slamming into her harder.

He felt like he’d died and gone to the Spirit World. The way Suki felt inside made his heart stop, her moans and the way she was crying out sounded like music to him, and the sight of her hanging out of his window and begging him to fuck her harder was seared into his brain. He reached down and slid his fingers against her clit and pushed against it, rubbing in small circles as he felt his entire body start to tense.

“Cum for me,” Zuko whispered, nipping Suki’s ear. “Cum on my cock, Suki.”

Suki moaned as Zuko nipped her ear, her body exploding into bliss as heat went straight into her dripping pussy. “Fuck!” she screamed, cumming around Zuko’s shaft and feeling like she was on the highest clouds as her mind tried to right itself from the pleasure in her loins. She fell limply against the wall, panting as she felt him still hammering into her. “Mmm…Zuko, please…I want you to cum…”

Zuko nodded, always one to oblige his Captain. Slamming into Suki one last time, Zuko moaned loudly as he felt himself cum inside of her, panting as his head dropped onto her shoulder, kissing and nipping as he did. “Mm…Suki…I love you…”

“I love you,” Suki moaned, her eyes drifting shut as she tried to gather herself. She was barely aware of Zuko’s arms around her, lifting her up and pouting from the sudden emptiness inside of her. She felt the softness of the bed, Zuko laying behind her and curling back against him.

“And waking up in your arms that next morning put things into perspective,” Suki said, rubbing her stomach softly. “Siva was so worried when I didn’t come to the door that morning.”

“She comes bursting into my room, sees us naked and sleeping, and she just backed out saying “I’m sorry!” and running,” Zuko laughed.

“And now we’ve got a wonderful bundle on the way,” Suki said. “Four months after that night at the window, we got married.” She leaned back against Zuko, feeling the baby kicking up a storm. “By the way. What did Sokka say to you during the reception? The two of you went off to talk and you came back looking terrified.”

“Zuko, I swear to whatever Spirits will listen to me. If you hurt Suki in any way, I don’t care where you are or how far you think you can run, I will cut your balls off and ram them so far up your ass that you’ll have to clear your throat to get a hard-on. Do you understand me?” Sokka asked, his tone even.

Zuko blinked. “I get it, Sokka. Just do me a favor. Don’t break my sister’s heart. I don’t want to have to roast you,” he said with a smirk.

“Fair enough,” Sokka laughed, heading back into the party with his friend.

“He didn’t!” Suki laughed. “Sokka, you moron.” She winced and sighed, putting her hand on her stomach softly.

“Suki?” Zuko asked, taking her hand. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Suki looked up at Zuko with fear, happiness, and urgency in her eyes. “The baby’s coming,” she said. “Baby’s coming now!”

After eighteen hours, Suki and Zuko sat and held their daughter Izumi, Princess of the Fire Nation. “I told you she was a girl,” Zuko said, kissing Suki softly. “She’s beautiful, baby.”

“She is. Why wouldn’t she be?” Suki whispered, rubbing Izumi’s hand softly. “She’s our baby. Our little Princess.”

“Aren’t you glad you didn’t leave that night?” Zuko asked, looking down at Izumi.

“Yes,” Suki said, kissing her daughter’s tiny fist. “I’m extremely happy I didn’t leave that night.”

#Zuki #Zuko #Suki #Avatar The Last Airbender #3692 words #y'all...this is the longest thing I"ve written

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