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rayshippouuchiha · 3 years

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Prompt of sorts i guess?

Read the story ‘the family you choose by TunaFishChris’ good story set in ATLA but when I finished reading it my brain threw more plot bunnies at me. Help.

Same soulmates verse but its ozai not azulon who burns zukos off, azulon does have one but its on his head covered by hair n it was for his wife so when she dies azulon goes a little mad n as this was during ozais formulation years n while iroh is away its no surprise that ozai ends up like he does. Half natural inclination n half nurture or lack there of. Sozin was soulmates with roku, loosing him n being partly responsible got rid of any sanity he still had thus war n genocide with gusto. Ozai is the only born royal with no marks n sees it as a strength, zuko gets his down his spine for his soul family always having his back n such. Ozai nearly cripples zuko getting rid of them. Lala (is easier n faster to write) gets her marks when she is with zuko, zuko is always with her, mum told him that he was a big brother n that big brothers looked after their little siblings, zuko loves his little sister, he takes her everywhere. So when her mark appear he very quickly covers them, takes them to a discreet doc in town to get cover cream for her n starts teaching her to NEVER talk about them to anyone but him, not mother not father, no one. It works the cream n the where they appear on the body mean she is not found out by ozai. This changes alot. Once azulon gets his mind back after his wifes death he is tired of war but realises that no one will believe him wanting to end the war, he looks at his sons, iroh has too much blood on his hands n likes fighting too much to be the one to take over from him. Ozai is too cruel, twisted n power hungry for it to be him. Lu ten is promising but after talking with him (under the pretences of teaching him royal politics, laws n other things that the presumed heir would need to know) azulon discovers that lu ten does not want to rule and to force him to do so would only make him resent the throne. Lu ten suggests zuko instead, zuko loves the nation n the ppl, zuko is a naturally caring n protective person, zuko already sneaks out n mingles with citizens who can’t seem to help loving him, he just draws everyone in. Lu ten suggests having zuko (and lala if zuzu is there so is she) attend these lessons with azulon n Lu ten the excuse given to allow it is that zuko is to be trained to be Lu tens advisor when he is firelord. Its the other way round really but no one else needs to know that yet, zuko can be the lord, Lu ten n lala the advisors. Lu ten is the one keeps the farce going n keeps the target for assassination on his back rather than his little cousins. Lu ten is reported dead at ba sing se but is alive just so injured n with amnesia, possibly also damage to his chi so he can’t bend. Is picked up by the boulder who was an army soldier but leaves after that battle as he can’t stand to see that much blood anymore. Lu ten has soul marks but they hang on his skin like a very log hanging belt no one is going to notice them unless he gets naked. Growing up zuko n lala discover they r soul mates, lala is far more stable as she knows her brother will always love her no matter what she does n without conditions like father. She still is terrifying but she is loyal to zuko n only plays at being loyal to ozai. When Lu ten is reported dead n ozai makes a play for the throne azulon sees his chance n when says ozai must lose a son, he doesn’t want zuko dead, he plans to remove zuko from ozai family line register n either take him in as his own son or to have iroh take zuko in. Either way zuko was never going to die. Lala not knowing this is scared her only person will be taken from her goes to mother as even though mother doesn’t love her she loves zuko n will be willing to protect him, that done she goes n spends the night with zuko in case father sends assassins. Ursa makes the poison n gives it to ozai n then runs, it isn’t fatal poison she is hoping that ozai will mess up, azulon to survive but proof that ozai tried to kill him will see ozai either in prison till he dies or being executed for treason. Either way zuko is safe from his father n azulon can’t kill zuko as he will be the only remaining male heir, ozai dead, iroh too old to have more children n azula being too young n too female for most of the war counsellors to take seriously. Ozai adds something of his own to the poison, not completely trusting ursa (I wonder y) the poison ends up stimulating death long enough for azulon to be declared dead, ozai crowned n shit started. Azulons body is secreted away by a small group of loyal followers n his health slowly, very slowly returns, he is an OLD man even if the poison doesn’t kill him it does still kick his ass a bit. Ozai ups his campaign to get rid of zuko, lala quickly becomes VERY good at acting, manipulation n fighting to counter this n keep her dum dum alive, zuko becomes paranoid as hell but reaches new heights in stealth, weaponry n first aid. Lala is counting down the days till she has a valid excuse to kill ozai. Azulon is pissed as hell that he can’t do anything from where he is apart from try to help zuko as much as he can by sending ppl he trusts to teach him n look after him. Iroh comes back n really throws a spanner in the works, dismissing his fathers ppl from around zuko, in the (how many??) months that he is back before zuko is shipped out has the highest number of nearly successful assassination attempts on zuko since ursa left. Ozai is not impressed (that they failed), lala is adding uncles name to her shit list, azulon is just mystified as to how his son who is a supposedly great tactician can be so damn stupid.

Then the agni kai happens n azulon is too pissed off at ozai to care about iroh anymore. Azula is leaving with zuko “as otherwise his only example of fire bending will be uncle father n really even dum dum is better than that, besides then if zuko dishonours the family I can kill him straight away.” She has spent too long keeping him alive now for him to ruin all her efforts now. Zuko still has the same soul mates but also has the marks for Lu ten, azula n yue. Azula has zuko, toph n yue. Lu ten has zuko, azula n boulder at the least. Toph has azula added to her group. 6 months after zuko is banished azulon manages to find their location n reach them before they leave, takes over teaching them again n rips iroh several new ones while the crew watches in awe n horror. Azulon finds out about zukos marks n what ozai did n nearly sinks the ship in his rage, lala is glad to find someone else to help her keep zuko alive even if she doesn’t fully trust him, the only one who gets that treasure is zuko. With azulon backing his thoughts about stopping the war n to start helping the ppl of his nation zuko is different by the time aang gets freed, he n lala (im still coming with u dum dum) start working with the gaang earlier n things go smoother? The fire royals end up going to the northern city with them where they meet yue, she n azula bond, azula teaches her to be terrifying, azulon just watches n makes cutting remarks on how stupid the norths misogyny is n just how under prepared they r for anything really, the small fleet of their southern sisters tribe could lay seige, win n not loose more than maybe 5 ppl n they r all non benders. Water ppl being pissed that they can’t kill azulon due to him not being fire lord anymore n is just a doting grandfather really look at how harmless n unarmed I am, they have no claimable vendetta to excuse their killing him as lawful by tribe standards, as the tribe isolated itself n has had no real damage from azulon, also he has already been declared dead which is throwing them a little. Hahn being stupid enough to try n take azulon on, azulons bitch face is epic n lala vows to replicate it one day. Political marriage betrothal between yue n zuko? This azulon is a mix of grumpy old man, sarcastic little shit n im-too-fabulous-for-this attitude. When they find toph is also when they find boulder n Lu ten, zuko n azula bond with him n that breaks the amnesia n katara might be able to help heal his chi?

#ATLA #Prompt #Oh oh damn #that's good #submission

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jaxsteamblog · 3 years

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Day 19: Hurt/Comfort

I’m re-posting my 2019 fic “Making Space.” It’s post-canon and very heavy. There are mentions of past self-harm, a statement of suicide ideation, miscarriage, blood mention, various forms of depression, and implied child neglect. Thinking about this made me sad, writing it made me sad, do not let it make you sad unless you want it to. Click on the title to read on AO3 or continue under the cut. Be aware of trigger warnings! Includes Kat-ang and Ma-ko.

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“Tenzin is an Airbender, he needs to know these things.”

“You have never cared about that. You have never made others feel lesser like this!”

“They won’t get it.”

“If you leave. If you leave with just Tenzin, we won’t be here when you get back.”

Sokka and Suki arrived on the earliest airship as soon as they heard. Bumi and Kya, knowing something drastic had happened, couldn’t be separated, so Sokka took them both out to go penguin sledding. Suki stayed with Katara, moving around the hut in silence till Katara inevitably dissolved into tears.

“They’ll hate me.”

“It’s better this way. If they hate you, you’ll be around to love them.”

“I’ve lost my baby.”

“He’ll come back.”

They stayed for a whole season, ignoring all of Katara’s anxious questioning about what they had left behind. At night, since Katara couldn’t sleep, she could often hear her brother’s angry whispers as he summoned all the curses he knew from the ocean depths. His anger lasted longer than her tears, and Katara wrapped herself in her brother’s anger like a thick fur.

Bumi did well under his uncle’s attention, though his comments about his father made Katara wince in pain. Sokka deflected each question and comment easily, refocusing Bumi on some project.

The more Katara watched them, the more she realized she should have reached out to Sokka sooner. Standing between his aunt and uncle, Bumi beamed. These were two great heroes, and both were non-Benders. With the other South Pole children - more non-Benders than Waterbenders - Bumi only stood out by the paleness of his skin. But then, there was Suki: just as bundled up and red-cheeked.

Kya was quieter, often trailing behind the others. When Katara was close by, her daughter would come and sit with her. Their mirrored sadness wove them together, a common blanket that bound mothers and daughters everywhere.

“Daddy isn’t coming.” Kya said.

“It has always been his choice to make.” Katara replied and pulled her daughter to her side. None of this made sense; Aang had always stressed the importance of living in harmony, of being friends with all types of people. As they had grown, Aang had even recognized the patronizing way he would speak of the Air Nomads. When he reminisced, it was never to compare his people to others. He never again acted as if the Air Nomads had been some sort of paragon. Letting go of that pride had allowed him to open to the new occupants of the various Air Temples.

The Air Nomads were gone, but they would never be forgotten. Aang held a pained resignation in his chest and Katara would find him staring off in thought when they stopped at the Temples.

She thought that sadness would fade with time. Aang was more present and tempered, rejoicing in everyone’s growth. The sadness returned when Bumi died, and when other pieces of his past started to slip away. But every time, her husband would return and they would go on a trip where he would kiss her till she felt her body rise into the stars.

Katara never expected that sadness to be running like a river through him, slowly eroding away his insides.

When Bumi was born, Aang cried. At first, Katara thought it was from joy. But she heard him late at night, after she had gotten up to feed the baby and found Aang gone. He wept like an animal was trying to escape his chest and Katara was frightened.

She had shut the door, feeling her heart flutter behind her ribs.

When she got pregnant again, she knew she had a Bender. She was excited when she told Aang and he had seemed like his old self. He stole her breath with kisses and everything seemed lighter.

As the midwife handed Katara the swaddled Kya, Katara squeezed her eyes shut.

Three days after the birth, Katara had woken to the pain of milk in her breasts. Going for the baby and seeing Kya missing, Katara almost fainted from the shock. Rushing about the house, she finally heard the faint lines of a song.

Aang sat in a chair on the balcony, rocking back and forth while singing a song too soft for Katara to make out. Holding her breath, she just watched. Her husband’s face was tight but his eyes were sunken. With one thin finger, he was tracing the curve of Kya’s cheek and drawing small swirls. Then he bent down and kissed her forehead before standing up. Silent, Katara walked over and took her, moving back into the house to feed her. Kya, smelling milk, started to cry, but Katara paused to look back.

Aang was still standing, looking out into the midnight air.

Tenzin’s birth was salvation. Aang had been overjoyed and could barely contain his excitement. For weeks, Katara would snap at him when his mania would wake the other children.

She didn’t notice how Aang’s sole source of happiness became Tenzin. Katara was busy, tending to the older children and continuing the work she was already doing. Aang took over most of the infant care, save for when he needed to be fed. But as soon as Tenzin moved on to more solid food, Katara would often not see her youngest for hours.

Katara thought it would pass.

Then Aang would start leaving, taking Tenzin to important Air Nomad places. That Katara could excuse, though she didn’t see why they all couldn’t go. Bumi had started school and Kya could work on her waterbending at home.

When one trip extended unexpectedly, Katara panicked. As soon as Aang returned, her fear came out as anger and they argued. He had just taken a small detour, to show Tenzin a special place. Cliffs that sang in the evening breeze and glinted like fire crystals at sunrise.

Aang had taken her there and told her that he would love her forever as they laid in the thick grass, listening as the ground below serenaded them.

It was a place they could have gone with all the children.

Katara had left to pick up Bumi and shut the door.

All of those doors being closed had ended up shielding her from what had been happening. The sadness had erased everything she loved about Aang and it was too late for her to fix it. The empty space had been filled with air.

When Sokka and Suki finally did leave, Bumi and Kya cried every night for a week. They became belligerent, fighting with her over everything from their clothes to their food. Already stressed, Katara yelled back and they cried even louder.

At night, Katara’s own sadness continued to heave out of her, like a bilge pump on a sinking ship. She would fall asleep out of exhaustion and when she woke up, Bumi and Kya would be curled around her.

They had woven a wide blanket and it covered them all.

Towards the autumn equinox, as the sun was starting to stay lower on the horizon for longer, Katara received a letter. She felt the rush of hope and the familiar lightness, but it left her as she read it. Toph, with children of her own and a job that allowed for few breaks, had written to check in on her.

Much to Katara’s embarrassment, everyone now knew about what had happened. The chain of events that led to the discovery was both mortifying and oddly satisfying.

Having stayed close, Suki had told Toph about their trip to the South Pole. Immediately after being told, Toph had tracked Aang down and dressed him down, loudly, in public. The argument had been explosive and Toph warned him to not set foot in her city. And she would know if he did.

When Toph returned, Zuko was already in Republic City. He had only recently gotten divorced and was attempting to be more like his uncle to achieve some sort of inner peace. Unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared to deal with Toph’s fury.

Zuko tried his best to defuse the situation, but then Sokka came into Republic City. With his anger still not assuaged, he reported the effect Aang’s decision had on Bumi and Kya. They talked more about what should be done; there were legal penalties for abandoning one’s wife and children, but that would involve a traumatic session of Katara testifying. Divorce was also tenuous, as Katara would have to forfeit all of her children if she won her suit.

Then Aang came to Republic City.

It had been daring, of course, as he could have gone directly to Avatar Island. Instead, he came into Republic City and it only took moments before word reached Toph.

Now with Sokka at her side, she renewed her fight. Sokka stepped in, but only to explain how Aang’s leaving had hurt Bumi and Kya.

All of this was written more like a police report, but Katara could tell from where Toph had bashed down on certain keys of the typewriter that certain sentiments had come up during specific points.

Toward the end of the letter, all Toph reported was that Aang had made an offensive comment, Sokka had lunged, but Zuko got there first.

And the Fire Lord knocked the Avatar out cold.

During all of this, Tenzin had been in the care of an Air Acolyte. At this point, the Acolyte stepped in, getting Aang up and making sure they flew to Avatar Island as soon as possible. A day later, Appa flew away again to destinations unknown.

Toph promised to visit soon, but urged Katara to return to the United Republic. There were plenty of cities far enough away from Republic City, but she would be close enough for everyone to visit.

Katara folded the letter and hid it in a small cupboard where she kept her unguents and pill casings.

At the dawn of the first twilight day, the sign that winter was fast approaching, an airship arrived. Regular shipments came into the South Pole to replenish famine rations that they were supposed to have stopped using five years ago. But the reconstruction took longer than expected, and the signs were suggesting that this would be a harder winter.

Katara brought Bumi and Kya to the dock as a reward for having a not-so-terrible day. They went shrieking like wild animals with the other children as the hydraulic ramp slowly lowered with a leviathan groan.

The flash of red the airshipmen wore at first made Katara think of Republic City and she suddenly couldn't breathe. But as the ramp hit the ground and the people began to move, she saw the Fire Nation symbol and relaxed.

Then the guards came and Katara felt lightheaded as she was suddenly pushed back thirty years.

Zuko looked so different, it scared her. Her fingers froze with electrified terror and Katara felt like she was going to cry. As he started to look around, she prayed he wouldn’t see her, but as the thought became wisps in her mind, his eyes met hers.

Then Bumi went barreling up the ramp and directly into Zuko’s stomach.

Once again embarrassed, and still on the verge of tears, Katara rushed forward toward the crowd. Her voice was thin and reedy as she pleaded and pardoned her way past people. And then, she was in front of Zuko.

Bumi was thrown over his one shoulder like a laughing sack of potatoes. Izumi and Kya stood together behind him, whispering and admiring a bracelet Kya had made.

“You didn’t have to come.”

“I know.”

“We’re doing fine.”

“No you’re not.”

Katara’s breath came in a shudder and her chest felt hot. Zuko set Bumi down and handed him a crowbar, telling him that he hid a prize in one of the crates. Kya cupped her hand around Izumi’s ear and then both girls were suddenly giggling before darting away.

“I’m fine Zuko.”

“His sadness changed him and you didn’t get to say goodbye to the man you loved. You’re not fine.”

“And how do you think that could possibly be it?”

“Because I never got to say goodbye to the Mai I married.”

Before she started to cry, Zuko put his arm around her shoulders and turned her away from the gathered people. No one was paying attention to them, as they were either unloading or going through the supplies. Still, Zuko steered her away and back toward her house.

Taking no prompting, Zuko sat her down on the couch and brought over a blanket while she was weeping. Katara curled into it, laying down on the couch and sobbing while the core of her soul ached. When he returned, Katara felt his warm hand on her back, slowly rubbing the tight muscles that seized with every arrhythmic breath.

“This is all my fault.”

“Not all of it. And you can’t be blamed for not fixing something you didn’t know was broken.”

“Why did he do this?”

“Because a sadness that deep can erase the greatest of joys.”

He gave her tea and he told her about Mai. The promises he made and how now, finally, everything would be as they wanted it. She had enjoyed it at first, the power and privilege that came with being married to the Fire Lord.

Then they started to get pregnant.

She usually lost them in the first trimester. Nothing to show of a pregnancy except the amount of blood. One pregnancy had been promising, and the doctor had ordered strict bedrest. Sages, not the Fire Sages but a new group to rise from their ashes, had said that if the spark caught, the baby would be a strong Firebender.

They had lost him during the seventh month.

Something had broken in Mai then, and Zuko insisted they stop trying. Mai needed the rest and to recover, so they traveled to various healing springs. The doctors had told him in very strong words that he must not even so much as sleep in the same bed as her, so that her body could heal. He did. She pulled away from him, receding more into herself. Maids and other noble ladies assured him that this was normal, and Mai would be fine. So Zuko had left her alone.

He had left her all alone.

During a new moon, when it was the darkest Zuko had ever experienced, he had been woken up as someone entered his room.

Mai had come to him and draped over him like a sheet. Zuko could still remember how he had traced his hands over her body and felt her ribs. And the thick scars on her legs.

She said nothing and the only sound was of their breathing.

When it was done, Mai got up and walked out of the room.

When they returned to the palace, she moved out of their shared room. And nine months later, Izumi was born.

Mai took care of all the motherly duties, but quickly handed Izumi to whatever nurse happened to be nearby. As those duties lessened, Zuko tried to reach out to her. Every time, she turned him away.

When Izumi turned five and they found out for certain she wasn’t a Firebender, Mai threw a glass into the dining room wall.

“I failed. The thing nearly killed me and I failed.”

“You didn’t fail. Please, Mai, if I ever made you think that-”

“It’s not you Zuko, it’s them. It’s this place. It’s me.”

“Mai.”

“Zuko, if I stay here one more night, I will die.”

Zuko let her go.

The divorce had been hard. Mai looked dead as she signed the papers, forfeiting her parental rights to Izumi. As her father’s only heir, there couldn’t be a chance that Mai would take her. As per the usual agreement, Mai was not permitted to remarry for one full year and any pregnancy had to be reported immediately to the palace. Just in case the baby was Zuko’s.

There was no ironic laugh. Mai only scratched out the character of her name and looked at the magistrate.

“She wasn’t even the same woman at that point. I hadn’t even been seeing her.”

“Why couldn’t they just tell us?”

“That sadness was theirs. Either they thought we wouldn’t understand or they didn’t want to drown us.”

“I love him so much.”

“Aang’s gone. Mai’s gone. And it is a terrible thing.”

“What do I do with my own sadness now?”

“Let love in.”

Zuko said he was staying until the solstice, claiming that he had never had the opportunity to spend a good one with her. Having him around, Katara tried to work on letting love in. She saw how sometimes Zuko’s sadness would seep in and he would begin to pace. He moved till he found Izumi and then pestered her, throwing handfuls of snow over her and the others while they ran about shrieking. By the time he needed a break, he was smiling and his eyes were brighter.

Katara took a chance. When her sadness lapped up her spine, she sought out her children. She taught them how to scrape furs and when Bumi started to roll over them, instead of yelling at him, she wrapped him up in one. As he struggled and laughed, Katara and Kya continued to roll him, using their bending to ultimately send him bounding down a hill. They would roll after him and end up on their backs, laughing and crying at the same time as their breath became clouds in the air.

Love began to take up too much room and the sadness had no place to linger. Zuko warned her that it wouldn’t always feel like that, and it would be difficult to push back the sadness for good. While he was prone to melancholy, it was still taking him time to recover.

At the solstice festival, she understood what he meant. Zuko had gone to help light the fireworks and the children were gone somewhere doing spirits knew what. A woman came by with a tray of sweets and Katara took two small plates. As the woman left, Katara turned.

Aang wasn’t there to take the other one.

He had been absent all this time, but her muscle memory still expected him to be there. When she washed dishes, the first she usually held out, waiting for Aang to dry. When she tucked in the children, she had to stop herself from saying their father would be in shortly to say goodnight. When she thought about the meals, she first thought about what dish could be made with and without meat.

But now, during a happy festival, she grabbed a dessert for her husband who had left her. Who had been gone for longer than she cared to admit.

“Katara.”

“He’s not coming back.”

“No.”

“I thought he loved me.”

“Katara, he’s not the same inside. There was too much of the pain.”

“It hurts, so m-much.”

Zuko held her while the fireworks boomed overhead. She pressed her face into his chest and crawled as close to him as she could. He took in slow breaths and his body warmed. Zuko wrapped himself around her and she cried.

“You have to let the pain out.”

“How?”

Her breath was hot and wet, and it curled against her flushed face. Her nose was congested but her eyes dripped.

“I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

“Zuko.”

Katara turned her head and Zuko went stiff. His sleeve had been pulled up as he held her awkwardly. There was a mark like a thumbprint burned into his skin. The skin was cracked and dry, with the flesh beneath looking dead. It had been burned repeatedly.

Her sadness and pain left her in a rush. Katara felt weak and wrung out. She sagged in Zuko’s arms and he sighed.

“I have to keep going. Even when I don’t want to, I have to.”

“It can’t be like this forever.”

“But we have to survive the waiting.”

Katara decided that staying in the dark for weeks and weeks wouldn’t help anything. An army of people packed up her house and loaded it onto the airship. Bumi and Kya were excited about the trip, hoping out loud and without subtlety that they would be able to stay at the palace for just a little bit before heading on to the United Republic.

Iroh greeted them when they landed, hugging Katara with such genuine warmth that she suddenly felt like she was drowning. She had resolved to stop crying so much, knowing that it was causing some sort of imbalance in the waters of her soul. Zuko told her it was only her body pushing out some of the pain to let in a little more love. Katara had told him that Iroh had been corny, not sappy so he had missed a lesson somewhere.

Now being outnumbered by Benders, Bumi started to act out. Iroh took every boast and bluster seriously, giving Bumi the attention he needed. When his anxiety waned, Izumi reminded him that she was a non-Bender and was going to become the next Fire Lord. She asserted that just being a Bender didn’t make anyone amazing because just look at her grandfather and great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, and then Iroh interrupted her to tell them that there were red bean buns in the kitchen.

Then Kya broke Katara’s heart as she took Iroh’s hand and asked if being a Waterbender was special enough. Iroh smiled at her and replied that he knew of one very special Waterbender who was also one of the women he most admired. Kya glanced back at Katara as she and Iroh went after the others, and Katara smiled.

That night, Katara made Zuko show her all of his scars. Working from his right arm, Katara glanced at his abdomen. Zuko put a hand over it.

“Not that one.”

“It’s just another scar you didn’t deserve.”

“It’s one I earned.”

“By throwing your life away.”

“To protect you.”

Katara found all the small burns and smoothed them away. The water around her hands stayed cool and glowed faintly, concentrating in spots as they found the damaged skin. The threadlike scars from very sharp blades were also erased.

“And here?”

“I earned that one too.”

“Don’t say that.”

“What else would you have me say of it?”

“You have earned kinder things.”

He sat up and pulled on his robe but left it open. Katara could hear the rush of blood and her limbs felt heavy. He faced her and took a loose strand of her hair. He watched his hand as she watched his face. Zuko tucked the strand behind her ear.

“I earned your friendship.”

“That hasn’t always been kind.”

Her fingers felt cold, or else it was that his skin was hot. Katara touched the place where Azula’s lightning had hit him and he smiled.

“I would take this type of kindness over your indifference any day.”

“I’m not indifferent.”

“I don’t mean to presume.”

“You have earned kinder things than my attention.”

Zuko’s hand returned to her face and he cupped her cheek. A small affection, but one so intimate that her body shuddered. This was not the touch of a brother or a comforting friend. It was a touch she had not known for a very long time.

“Then let me have your words, because you have my full attention.”

“Take them.”

And he kissed her.

As Zuko shifted to hold her, Katara cried out softly. There was nothing desperate or lustful, but her body still felt charged. Zuko only hugged her, kissing her gently, and cradling the back of her head with his fingers in her hair.

As Katara’s head started to spin, Zuko picked her up and moved her to his bed. He regarded her with a pained look.

“This isn’t how I want us to begin.”

“But I am ready for an ending.”

They spent the night together, and Katara got her first restful sleep in months.

It took two years.

Katara bought a house in Luodai, a promising city that wasn’t too far from Republic City. She met with Aang half a dozen times in various attempts to reconcile, or at least come to some sort of agreement.

Then came the proposal of a new law.

Katara had not been permitted to sit as the South Pole representative on the council as she was married to Aang, who also had a seat. Sokka had taken it instead, and had done a remarkably good job. It was because of how seriously he took his position that the proposal took as long as it did.

Called the Mothers’ Right Law, it outlined the new rules for any divorce occurring outside of any marriage where a legitimate heir was required to maintain the stability of a government. Women were now allowed to initiate a divorce on their own and did not have to forfeit their parental rights. Instead, custody must be shared between the parents in equal measure for all children. If the mother is unemployed or becomes unemployed before remarrying, the former husband must pay her an allowance.

Sokka presented it at a council meeting and as Aang rose from the table, Toph stepped forward. The other representatives all stared at the Avatar and ultimately the law was signed.

Aang signed it again, in another version, one month later.

For the spring and summer, Aang had all three children. Katara had them for the fall and winter.

And during the next winter solstice, Katara and Zuko decided they wanted a new beginning.

#zutara #fanfiction #zutara month #zutara month 2021 #trigger: self harm #trigger: blood mention #trigger: miscarriage #trigger: depression #trigger: child neglect

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zenithpng · 3 years

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TOUCH AND GO bruised | touch-starved | hungered

[“Every child is a treasure,” the chief says quietly, one hand pressing Zuko’s forehead into his own shoulder as if Zuko is a lot younger than he really is. “I’m so sorry no one has ever told you that before.”

And with that Zuko is crying into the shoulder of a man he hardly knows. A man that has shown him more kindness in the few days they’ve known each other than his own father has in sixteen years.]

Read more under the cut, AO3 link -> HERE <-

Having adults at the temple is weird, Zuko decides.

It’s not that he doesn’t trust them. Well, maybe he doesn’t quite trust Chit Sang, but Hakoda is a good man. He’s Sokka’s dad. He’s a perfectly kind person. He’s nothing like Ozai.

But for some reason, Zuko’s mind can’t seem to separate the two people.

Every time Hakoda’s deep voice echoes through the temple, he’s back in the throne room, if only for an instant. It’s stupid, and he doesn’t know why it happens, but it does. And so of course, the solution is to stay nice and far away from the whole group.

It’s not that bad really. Zuko’s used to keeping his distance from people. He tries to tell himself that it isn’t so bad. After all, it’s nice and quiet when he wanders off alone, there are no grating sounds, no yelling.

(No liveliness. No hugs from Aang or shoulder-pats from Sokka. No smiles surrounding him.)

He’s in the middle of some solitary firebending practice late in the evening when Aang runs into the room, hands grasping Zuko’s tunic. The elder stammers, thinking there’s some kind of emergency based off the way Aang is all but dragging him out of the room, but the kid just grins at him, bouncing with energy.

“C’mon, c’mon, come on!” he urges. “Get your stuff, we’re having a sleepover!”

“We literally live together, Aang!”

“Not important!” the airbender grins. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go-”

And that’s how Zuko finds himself around the campfire, Aang and Toph on either side of him, both having curled up with the excuse of “You’re the warmest one here.” Well, Zuko isn’t about to argue with the Avatar or the greatest earthbender of their generation, so he resigns himself to his fate.

Aang was somehow right in his excitement. The sleepover is wonderful.

It’s lively and warm and Zuko can almost forget Hakoda’s presence in the group as he laughs at Sokka’s jokes and listens to Aang’s stories. Hours later, long after the sun has set, Hakoda speaks up.

“All right, it’s getting late,” he says through a smile. “Bedtime, everyone.” His tone is warm, not the slightest bit commanding even as he gives an order. The younger kids scramble off to their bedrolls immediately, followed closely by the rest of the group. Zuko remains seated where he is, as does Hakoda.

“Are you going to sleep, Dad?” Sokka inquiries from where he’s spreading out his blanket. Hakoda nods.

“In a bit.” Sokka seems satisfied with this and rolls onto his stomach, falling asleep within minutes.

Just after everyone falls asleep, Zuko and Hakoda stand almost in tandem. Hakoda holds a knife and a half-started carving, while Zuko is empty-handed. They both begin to walk off, Hakoda acknowledging him with a nod.

Zuko takes off at a brisk pace, making the short climb from one of the windows to a particularly scenic cliff face. It’s his favourite he’s found so far, providing him with the loveliest view of the night sky. It’s not uncommon for him to need to step away after being around the group for hours on end, and this is the perfect spot to do just that.

He sits, tracing constellations in his mind, when there’s a rustling from the forest. It’s probably just one of the myriad creatures that roams the woods here, but Zuko’s nothing if not wary. He lights a fire in one of his hands, tensing instinctively for the possible scuffle.

But instead of an animal, Hakoda emerges from the brush.

Zuko immediately drops his defensive stance, his flame growing smaller and softer.

“Sorry, sir,” he apologizes. “I thought there was something out there. Well, there was, but it was just you, and you wouldn’t hurt me, but still-”

“Zuko,” Hakoda interrupts, halting the nervous rambling. There’s a fond smile playing across his lips, almost like Uncle used to get when he saw Zuko actually smile. “It’s all right. I’m just surprised you got up here so fast.” Zuko shrugs, careful not to jostle his flame too much.

“It’s a short climb,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that isn’t holding fire. “I can find somewhere else, if you want.” Hakoda just sits down, prompting Zuko to do the same.

“I think I’d like some company actually, if you don’t mind,” he said, taking out his carving. Zuko nods, pulling one knee up to his chest and resting his chin there.

The quiet isn’t awkward in the slightest, which surprises Zuko. The forest sounds and the quiet scrape of Hakoda’s knife blend easily into background noise and Zuko just watches the stars, lost in thought.

“So,” Hakoda begins, breaking the silence after a long while, “what’s the Fire Nation like?” Zuko ducks his head, momentarily caught off guard at the unexpected question.

“It’s, ah, nice.” He twists a flower stem between his fingers. “Warm all the time. The food is good.” Zuko curses himself for his awkwardness, but really, what is he supposed to say? Hakoda just nods though, cutting a little notch into his carving.

“And your family?”

Zuko tenses there, not having expected the conversation to go this way. Any military secrets he would readily spill but this? This is weird.

“It’s… all right,” is what he finally settles on. “My, um, sister is not the greatest as far as sisters go, and well, my father is Fire Lord Ozai, so no favours there. My mom is… gone. My Uncle is alive though! But his son is dead, so. Yeah.”

“That doesn’t sound like ‘all right,’ son,” Hakoda says, brows furrowed with a tinge of - is that concern? Zuko shrugs, going back to picking apart the flower in his fingers. Yeah, when he says it like that, his family kind of sucks. He draws in a shaky breath, thinking of the Water Tribe siblings. They didn’t exactly have the greatest family experience either, what with their mother being killed and their father leaving to fight in the war.

Still, that was somehow better than his. Kinda put things into perspective.

“Is it okay if I touch you, Zuko?”

The firebender raises his head, surprised by the question.

“Uh, yeah? Sure.” Why would Hakoda want to touch him? Subconsciously, he tenses, prepared for any harm that may be about to come to him.

But Hakoda just places a hand on his shoulder, the lightest bit of pressure on Zuko’s skin.

Before he can really stop himself, Zuko leans into the touch. It’s… nice. To have someone touch him so casually, with an undercurrent of care in the contact. Hakoda seems to realize this, and he moves slightly closer, looping his arm around Zuko’s shoulders.

And Zuko suddenly feels very, very small.

It’s been so long since he’s been touched other than Aang’s swift, squeezing hugs or Sokka’s friendly taps. It feels so wrong and unfamiliar but so right and safe at the same time. He’s not sure how to feel or what to do so he just stays there under Hakoda’s arm, trying not to lean in any closer lest he make the situation awkward.

“It’s been a while since you had something like this, hasn’t it?” Hakoda asks. Zuko’s hardly able to meet his eyes after that question, and not able to answer at all. Luckily, Hakoda speaks for the both of them.

“I’m a father, Zuko,” he says. “I can see when a child hasn’t been treated like the treasure they are.” Zuko swallows hard.

“With all due respect, sir,” he mutters, “I’m hardly a treasure.”

Hakoda meets his eyes sadly, takes a deep breath, and pulls him into a full embrace.

“Every child is a treasure,” the chief says quietly, one hand pressing Zuko’s forehead into his own shoulder as if Zuko is a lot younger than he really is. “I’m so sorry no one has ever told you that before.”

And with that Zuko is crying into the shoulder of a man he hardly knows. A man that has shown him more kindness in the few days they’ve known each other than his own father has in sixteen years.

That hurts. That hurts so bad, and Zuko only cries harder.

Hakoda only holds him tighter.

#no6 #whumptober #whumptober 2021 #touch and go #touch starved #atla #zuko #hakoda #hakuddles #avatar the last airbender #fanfic #ao3 #luca's corner

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volkswagonblues · 3 years

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(part 4/?) deleted scene from firebender’s guide: Sokka and Toph invent proto-braille

[note: going through my old drafts and realized i have a LOT of deleted scenes and materials from firebenders’s guide that got cut for pacing/plot reasons. Here’s a scene that was cut because I just could not cram any more stuff into the already long epilogue. I was very, very sad about it, because this was also the hilarious conclusion to a 90k long running gag]

“What’s that on your desk?” Zuko asked. He pointed to an open box, inside where sheets of thin metal and a tiny hammer and stylus.

“Oh, this?” Sokka pulled out one of the sheets. “This is Wager for the Water Maiden.”

He handed it to Zuko. The sheet of metal was embossed with rows of tiny characters, and Zuko ran a hand along a row, feeling the tiny ridges and indentations under the pad of a fingertip. A small mystery was revealing itself to him.

“I just have one question,” he said.

Sokka nodded eagerly; he looked so pleased with himself that the effort of holding it back was making him burst at the seams.

“I don’t understand...” Zuko said slowly.

Sokka leaped up. “Let me explain—”

“It’s a writing system,” Zuko interrupted, and stifled a smile when Sokka deflated like a punctured airship. “That’s what I’m guessing. A writing system that a metalbender can read, though, there’s no reason a non-bender couldn’t. The only thing I don’t understand is, wouldn’t it be faster to use some sort of chemical etching to score the metal? Rather than embossing it dot-by-dot by hand?”

Sokka pouted. “What’s the point of inventing genius contraptions if you don’t even get the chance to explain them?

[rest under cut]

“I apologize,” Zuko said, and mock-bowed. “Please elucidate, Sifu Sokka. If you want I can pretend like that I have no idea.”

“It’s not the same,” Sokka said, still pouting, “but to answer your question, Toph says it takes too much concentration to read acid etchings, and she says they feel kinda blurry to her. Something physical and tactile creates the best experience. I experimented by just tracing the characters, but that’s too time-consuming and not worth the effort. ”

“As opposed to using dots?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m sure that completely negates the effort of copying out a whole novel by hand,” Zuko said drily, and Sokka laughed out loud.

“I don’t do it all in one go. I’m copying it in monthly instalments, and then I send it to Toph along with my letter. We’re almost done Wager now, and for our next read I think I’m going to suggest some poetry. ”

Zuko studied the sheet of metal again. The dots look indecipherable to him, not like any script that he’d ever known – which means that, in addition to coming up with the idea of using a tactile medium for transmitting writing, Sokka and Toph must have worked out a whole system of making characters correspond to these tiny dots. It must have taken months of work. Years. He never asked Toph what she did in her time between illegal bending tournaments and wandering around the Earth Kingdom, picking up random students. He never thought she’d be interested in books, or reading, or anything to do with the softer side of human emotions, certainly nothing like romance.

But they had all changed, hadn’t they, since the end of the war? As much as Zuko felt like he could never escape it, other people had. Toph was about eighteen now, she wouldn’t be a child forever. She had the rest of her adult life to develop other interests. She would not stay a child forever.

He put the sheet of metal gently back into its box. “Incredible.”

Sokka gave him a shy, beaming smile. “Toph had the idea first, actually. And it’s not too difficult once you get into the rhythm of copying. My handwriting is bad, but not as bad as my drawing. Making dots is easier, actually.”

“Right,” Zuko said. “Sure, that’s great and all, but what I meant was, I always suspected that Toph and her “I only write to one person a month” excuse was a lie. It’s incredible you kept it from us all this long. How long has this monthly book club been going on between you two?”

He got a punch on the arm for that: proof that Toph’s influence was spreading.

“Oh, Aang and Suki both know about that we write regular letters,” Sokka said lightly. “It’s only you and Katara who believe that.”

“What?”

“No offence, but have you ever met yourself? She’ll never get up to anything fun if you two hear about it first.”

for more:

deleted scene 1: in which Zuko meets another firebender in the South Pole (here)

deleted scene 2: in which the boys discuss PTSD and therapy, and also Sokka is a stuff-gremlin (here)

deleted scene 3: Zuko and Iroh and their time in Ba Sing Se, and also Zuko has a feud going with his 80yo neighbour (here)

#Avatar The Last Airbender #zukka #my fic #thefirebendersguidetolivingLAD

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spasmsofthought · 4 years

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knife to the chest (modern spy!zuko au) [i]

Here it is! Bear in mind that this is, hopefully, only the first part. If you feel like you’ve jumped into the middle of the story, I want it to feel like that. I hope it isn’t too confusing!

This OC/reader’s character will definitely be more explained as we go along, I just didn’t want to give everything off the bat.

I’m sorry if any of this feels OOC but I wanted to adjust to the world setting, especially a modern spy one. I tried to keep Zuko in character, but writing him as a spy was a tad bit difficult for me, so I apologize if he seems totally not like he should be.

I hope you all enjoy this! I really wanted to get it out there asap, so excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes! I will try to really go over it in-depth soon!

Please let me know what you think - I’m worried this isn’t that great because this is an entirely new world to me.

Keep your eyes peeled for new chapters!

Next Chapter

---

There are snippets you remember of your childhood: the feeling of laying among the grass, jumping into puddles as it rains, and blowing dandelion wishes into the sky as a breeze ruffles your hair. Every once and a while you see the flashes in your mind when you can escape to the time when everything was normal. You miss those days.

You miss mundane life. You miss when weeks and months would go by like the snap of a finger and there was no reason to alter your life in any way, shape, or form.

Having a father go into politics changes those unvaried, innocent childhood days in an instant. Your days can no longer be filled learning at an academy with the other children your age in your village, setting dates to play on the playground, and filling your stomach.

Having a father, then, remain in politics for over a decade reshapes the entire vision of your life. It means the finest tutors available to educate you in your own home, isolated away from any of your other peers besides those of the same social status. It means you learn etiquette and how to have proper conversation. It means every move you make, every word you say, is scrutinized because your father has been part of the governance of the Earth Kingdom for over a decade.

Sometimes, it feels like even your thoughts are being monitored by those that surround you.

It is isolating to have your family be in such a position of power with no way to escape it. You are separated from those of a lower class simply because you have more wealth, and you are distinct at your own level because you are not a family with old money but a family with political power.

“Are you listening to me?” Your eyes refocus on the face of your father. His face is scrunched up and his shoulders turned inward toward himself, a sign that he is a kind of tense you cannot undo with the sweet words of an obedient daughter.

Even if people call him the “second most powerful man” in the Earth Kingdom, you can’t believe this. There is no logic.

“I just don’t understand why it’s necessary,” Calm, like a river, you remind yourself. Stay calm.

“It’s necessary because I say it is.” Your father has never been authoritarian now, so it’s only confusing to hear him use a tone with you he only uses as a politician wielding an iron fist trying to get his way. He’s never been a politician with you; always a father. He knows better.

He’s not the right-hand to the King at home. At least, not to you.

“I just don’t understand how I’m in danger here. I’ve never needed a detail like this in your decade of previous political service!” Calm, and quiet, and obedient daughter, but even your father can’t deny the facts laid at his feet.

You’re not stupid, even if you hide your intellect behind a veneer of dutiful obedience.

“Are you alright?” A masculine voice tears you away from your memories. He’s seated beside you in the vehicle, earpiece in and eyes constantly darting across the scenery flashing by him through the window. He’s always assessing, always listening. It’s like he’s always ready. You can’t imagine how exhausted he must feel.

But then again, he never tells you how he feels.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Lee,” You shrug, leaning your forehead against the window. It’s uncomfortable but cool and it gives you a brief reprieve. “I just want to get out of this dress.”

He snorts and rolls his eyes at your words, like you really are the privileged daughter of a high-ranking politician.

You want to joke about it more, but it’s true: this dress is making you miserable. Your arms have been itching since you put them in the fabric, and everything feels stuffy and hot.

Ever since being assigned to you a few months ago by your father for further protection, Lee has stuck to your side like glue. You can’t do anything to get rid of him (you’ve tried) outside of the times your bedroom door is shut or you are sleeping.

He’s there when you’re eating breakfast and he’s in the shadows during your classes and when you eat lunch with your friends. He’s there when you’re getting coffee and when you try to go to the gym and just end up wandering around for 10 minutes before leaving. He’s there standing against a wall as you silently eat dinner with your mother, the two of you seated at a twelve-person dining room table. Your father is absent at almost every meal, no matter the time or day, and you learned when you were younger to stop asking your mother where he was or if he was coming.

Lee may be competent at his job of protecting and keeping track of you, but he’s not exactly the most personable guard you’ve had.

Maybe that’s the reason why it’s so easy to tell him the truth. Maybe it’s the reason why you’ve felt like you don’t have to wear the “politician's daughter” mask around him.

His demeanor is so icy that it can feel like talking to a brick wall; a brick wall that won’t tell anybody else. A brick wall that won’t tell your father, for certain. He may report security findings to your father, but he’s not obligated to say anything else. The things you blurt out when you and Lee are alone stay right between the both of you.

He may not offer any advice or speak at all, but Lee has become a confidant of sorts.

In a world of shifting political alliances and opinions and shifting ideologies, he’s become one of the only people you trust implicitly. Solid and stoic, he’s a dependable presence in a world that is submerged in secrets and double meanings.

You sometimes think if he were normal, you might be able to love him.

“I don’t even know why I have to be there tonight, it’s just another speech.” Politicians are all the same, and you know this because you have lived ten years with one inside your house (that is, whenever he decides to have a family again). Your father’s words tonight will be no different than anyone else on that stage: promising things he know will get him support and trying to appease ears with intricate thoughts that actually pave a road to doing nothing.

Lee turns his head a little in your direction, crossing his arms. You can’t tell if it’s because he’s trying to make sure he says what he has to or if he’s trying to keep himself from bursting at the seams for some reason. Out of everyone else, you think, he’s the person least likely to spontaneously combust.

“It’s important that you attend,” Lee has never squirmed, but now he does. You wonder what’s going on to make him like this.

He’s never physically shown signs of having nerves before. By all accounts, he’s like steel.

Your furrow your eyebrows at him, at his strange behavior, but he doesn’t do anything else but stare out at the window again.

The rest of the ride is dead silent, the kind of silence you haven’t been used to since he was fired hired by your father. You try to pick apart Lee’s words but, as always, he has given you nothing to pick apart.

The stadium parking lot is already being packed with cars, suburban moms with children, men in their 40s still wearing their suits from their jobs. You miss all the inconvenience of traffic and parking out at the edge because, as being the person you are, there is already an entrance and exit marked out for you. One that must have been cleared days before you were even forced to come. It’s easy to go through the routine of letting Lee unbuckle his seatbelt and climb out of the car first, circling around to where you are. The door swings out all the way when he opens it, but one of his hands gently grabs your elbow as you bring your feet to the ground.

He’s never done this before.

Lee has never touched you like this ever, softly and affectionately. It makes you feel like you could sink into a puddle on the concrete as he brushes his hand up your arm to your shoulder and then down to the small of your back. It feels like he’s caressing, not handling or protecting.

He’s never done this before.

You feel like you’re in a different world as the car door closes and Lee walks with you inside the stadium. You feel like you’re sleepwalking as you enter a hallway simply lit with fluorescent lights spanning the ceiling.

Lee’s lips come to brush against your ear and your breath hitches as your body is tempted to stop moving altogether. But you continue walking.

“You trust me, right?”

What an unbelievable question, you think as you pull back. You almost feel like laughing.

“Of course I do, Lee.” His left eye winces slightly, like you’ve said something painful. It draws attention to the scar he’s had on his face since you met him that first time at the end of first conversation with your father.

“You have to do whatever I tell you tonight.” You nod, furrowing your eyebrows and exhaling with amusement. He’s definitely acting weird tonight. You know that it should make you feel apprehensive, but you’ve always felt safe with him. Always, since the first moment, though you’ve never really been able to understand why.

It’s an easy walk to where you’re supposed to be seated inside the auditorium, silent and like a prop until you are given your cue to smile and wave. You take a glance around at the space that has been transformed into a political rally. The colors are gaudy and there are lights and cameras everywhere. It’s almost like it’s meant for reality television and not an event meant to highlight people who want to serve this kingdom’s government. You don’t understand the reason why you need to look your best, your hair and make-up done to perfection, when all you will ever do for these people is smile and wave at them. You are a useless figurine, a pawn on a chessboard who will be sacrificed at some point for the sake of making a better and more strategic move elsewhere. Lee stands to the side, back to normal as your silent guard.

You try not to dwell over the sensation of his touch from earlier, but remembering it gives you a slight shiver. You have always been off-limits to everyone but those of your own class, and the boys that do run in your same social girlfriends either already have popular, wealthy girlfriends or have no desire to date someone whose status relies solely on political relevance and position. Lee is the only one you’ve never had to hide any part of yourself with before. He listens to your droning and your rambling, and though he never laughs, his eyes light up when you unleash your sense of humor. He’s perfectly happy to sit in silence or listen to your favorite music on a car ride home. He isn’t ashamed to go on late-night Oreo or ice cream runs. He doesn’t scold you for having political opinions of your own, even if they are ones in complete opposition to what your father says he believes.

The stadium fills with people, murmuring and holding signs, and a timer shows on the jumbo screen, altering many that it’s almost time to begin. You continue to sit in silence, even when the clock counts down to zero. You don’t cheer or applaud as your father steps onto the stage, all smiles and jolly laughter. His façade is easy to see through if you look hard enough. He’s not that hard to read once you’ve been around enough politicians.

“–my daughter came to join us today. She loves being able to participate in what her father fights for – ”

Like the obedient daughter you are, you stand up to smile and wave for a few seconds before you sit back down. And just like it always does, the focus lands back on your father. You show up for 5 seconds to give a boost to his appearance and you are discarded routinely like the old childhood you find in the back of the closet. Before he can really get going, though, you hear doors open and the noise of people talking escalates.

The sight of Earth Kingdom Dai Lee is a startling sight to see, mostly because there is no reason for them to be here.

Lee forcibly grabs you for your seat and forces you to move with him to a covered spot nearby, where you are both out of sight.

“You have to leave.” He says as he discards his earpiece to the ground and begins to loosen his tie. You have no idea what’s going on, so you stare, bewildered, at him for a moment.

“I’m not leaving,” You frown at him as your father speaks loudly into the microphone. The Dai Lee are steadily making their way to the front, occupying the four aisles that people could otherwise escape through. You can feel the tension in the air, wringed with worry and a bit of foreboding.

You stare at Lee and realize he isn’t surprised by this.

“If you don’t leave, I don’t know what will happen to you.” He’s taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. If this were happening in any other situation, you would take some time to appreciate him without a stiff uniform to cover him up anymore.

“I’m not leaving,” You step closer, trying to keep calm as you can hear panic escalate in the stadium around you. “Just tell me what’s going on!”

“If this is about the war,” Your father shouts as the Dai Lee make their way up the stage to him, “we can talk. This isn’t nece-” The mic cuts off and the Dai Lee haul your father away from the podium and start to make their way down a set of side stairs.

“What is his talking about?” You exclaim at Lee as you try to rush forward. He doesn’t let you get very far away, but you’re close enough for people to start noticing you, including some sporadic Dai Lee agents. There is no reason that Dai Lee agents should be taking your father away; they both work for the government! “What war? There’s a war?!”

There is no war your father would always say to you. There are conflicts outside of Ba Sing Se, but there is no war.

He lied.

You glance at Lee, but his face is impassive, set like stone. There are so many things going on that you don’t know what to feel. Your stomach tenses and your heart squeezes, like they both know what he says next won’t be good.

“Lee, tell me some-”

There are screams from the crowd, people throwing things and trying to escape from their seats. There are some climbing over each other. Babies are crying.

“My name isn’t Lee,” He’s so blasé that it takes a minute for you to digest his words. He starts to distance himself, walking away from you as Dai Lee agents approach you too. “And I told you, you should have left.”

The Dai Lee restrain you as they pull your arms behind your back with a tight grip. You try to wriggle free, but one Dai Lee agent holds your left arm, and another holds your right. Their hands grip you so hard, you know you’ll have bruises whenever they let you go.

“What?” Your breathing becomes shallow and you look around, trying to locate your father. You can’t find him, but based on the noise level in the room, which has erupted into complete chaos, he’s still here. You feel the panic seep into your bloodstream, and you try to buck against the restraining grip holding you back. “What is going on?”

Some other Dai Lee agents try to make a move for him, but he puts his hands up. “My name is Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.” They nod and step backwards, like the words hold weight and you become even more confused. Dread coils and squeezes tight around your heart. You can’t breathe.

Prince Zuko?

The Fire Nation?

“I was just spying on your father.” His eyes lock with yours as you gasp and then begin to physically struggle again.

He was just spying on your father?

For what purpose?

There’s too much going on: screaming in every direction, there are people trying to flee but being trapped by officers. You can’t find your father. Despite your relationship with him, losing him would devastate you. You try to rise to your toes but the agents that hold you force you back down onto your heels.

All you can think is: There is no war.

The Fire Nation.

Prince Zuko.

He’s a spy.

There is no war.

Who you knew formerly as Lee turns his back to you and walks towards the stage. It’s like he’s a completely different person.

He’s a spy.

Spy. Spy. Spy.

He was spying.

He greets a smaller girl with a hug, and you can briefly see the word “brother” form on her lips as she greets him back. She directs some of the Dai Lee to follow her and Le- Prince Zuko and betrayal sinks like a stone in you, weighing you down.

He doesn’t look back once.

You can’t catch your breath.

You try to wrestle out of the grip the two agents holding you have your body in, but you fail yet again. A black hood comes down over your face as you struggle further. The agents begin to drag you somewhere, your orientation and senses shrouded by black fabric.

The last thing you hear before you are too far away is the sound of gunfire.

---

(I never said he would be a good spy. xo)

#avatar: the last airbender #Avatar The Last Airbender #avatar: tla #prince zuko #avatar zuko #atla zuko #zuko AU #zuko x reader #Zuko x OC #spy!zuko #modern spy!zuko #spy zuko au #atla azula #avatar the last airbender one shot

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 3 years

Text

The Dragon Egg (Part 2)

Part 2 for @secrettunnelatla

“No, this isn’t good enough!” Azula grits her teeth. It is decent work--as far as sound goes--but it isn’t battle of the bands worthy. Not even close. If they wanted to make it to Audio of Agni their concept would have to be much stronger, much less generic than a silly gimmick. “What kind of lyrics are these? Who came up with this concept?”

Chan, Zirin, and Ruon all point at one another before ultimately jabbing their fingers at Zirin who points to Azula herself.

Azula pinches the bridge of her nose. “Necrophilia, Zirin? That’s what you came up with?”

“You said that you wanted ‘attention grabbing’.” Zirin shrugs.

Azula rubs her hands over her face. “Our talents need to be attention grabbing.” Hers certainly are and she needs lyrics and a concept that will do them good service. “We need something that will highlight and showcase what we can do.” An absurd gimmick will only draw attention away from the aspects that matter the most.

“You got any better ideas?” Zirin grumbles.

Ruon quirks a brow and smirks, “we can try…”

“Don’t say it.” Azula frowns.

“Surf rock.” Chan finishes for him.

“We need something bigger.” Azula declares. “Something that hasn’t been done before.” She wishes that she would have saved their dragon metal concept for a later date. Then again, dragon metal is what had given them the propulsion they needed to break out from under her father’s shadow. The propulsion they needed to get their start.

But now she is at a loss for how to top that. She can’t imagine that there are many things that can top emerging on stage with a full suit of glimmering metal scales and glowing talons. She isn’t sure what can draw attention better than staring down an audience with reptilian contact lenses.

“I heard that steampunk is in.” Chan shrugs.

“Steampunk is overdone.”

“Zombies?” Zirin suggests.

Azula shakes her head. “The Blind Bandits already did that.”

“We can hold a seance on stage.” She tries again.

“Why are you so keen on utilizing dead things?” Azula pinches the bridge of her nose. Though a seance isn’t a particularly terrible idea if, perhaps, they incorporated other elements, such as handing out tickets in the form of tarot cards. “I suppose we might be able to work with that.”

But an evening of phantoms and psychic energy is a rather far leap from dragon metal and she isn’t sure that their style of music would line up neatly with the aesthetics of a supernatural night…

She spares a glance to the clock. “Keep coming up with ideas, we need to practice.”

“We’ve played these songs hundreds of times, shouldn’t we be coming up with some new songs?” Chan asks. “From Ashes To Phoenix, just announced their second new single.”

Azula’s face reddens if only slightly. “Zuzu can release as many new singles as he wants, that won’t make them sound any better than someone chewing on a microphone with feedback for three minutes.”

Chan stifles a laugh.

She should have known then that the rest of practice was going to be a waste. She has known Chan since they were children and she knows how he can be. She isn’t particularly surprised when he makes practice hell, purposely floundering his way through certain guitar riffs and singing off key when he saw most optimal. His screw ups always through Ruon off and eventually Zirin would practically flop over her drum kit with laughter.

As per usual, Azula is the only one not laughing.

As per usual, Azula is the only one with anything real at stake.

She is reminded quite potently of it when her father calls. Chan has thrown Ruon off for the sixth time that night, they already have to take it from the top so Azula steps out into the hallway and swipes to answer.

He starts in on her before she can even put the phone to her ear. “How is it that your brother has already put out two new singles and you haven’t even come up with one?”

“Because I’m trying to come up with something that has some quality.” She has chosen her words carefully but neglected to watch her tone.

She thinks that it would be more befitting of him to simply yell violently at her. But his voice is so slick and smooth that she can’t even hide behind incoherence. “I’m not funding your band for you to disgrace the legacy. I handed you a blazing torch and you are letting the fire die.”

“I’m trying to…” she pauses. “Pick out the best kindling. Something that will burn for a long time. Zuko is just tossing random sticks into the pit and hoping something will catch.”

This seems to satisfy him, though it doesn’t keep him from ending the call with a curt, “there’s a fine line between perfecting a song and stalling.” He doesn’t even know that she hasn’t started working on a song yet.

He doesn’t need to know.

She rubs her hands over her face. The man was pissed when Zuko’s first album flopped and he’d had low expectations to begin with. She vividly recalls childhood music lessons; they’d come so naturally to her. She could pick up a violin or stroke the keys of a piano and it would come out just right after the first few tries.

Her voice, they said, was golden. A gift. A marvel. She had impressive range. She has impressive range.

And Zuko, even with extra lessons and several teachers struggled to make use of even a recorder. His vocals were ‘generic’, ‘nothing special’ and sometimes he would sing off tune. Ozai wasn’t fond of his improv either when lyrics slipped his mind.

He still forgets lyrics.

His own lyrics.

Azula isn’t sure how he hasn’t yet been booed off of a stage. She supposes there are perks in having magazine writers fawning over abs and ‘chiseled faces’.

But she wants more than that. She wants real talent. She wants a voice so sublime and lyrics so powerful that they draw focus away from any other aspect of her. She loathes and dreads the day when they push out cover that fancies her physique over her genius.

She won’t rely on that.

Unlike Zuko, she doesn’t need to.

She has a voice and she can do things with it that so many others can’t. She glares at Chan and Ruon as they cackle to themselves. She joins them once more, whatever aura she emits, their laughter cuts off. “Are you finished?”

They nod and Zirin nods.

“Good.” She says in a low hiss. “Start over. This time lets focus. We’re going to have a new song by the end of the night.”

It will be a lackluster song, but it will pacify her father, at least until she can come up with something better.

By the end of the session the only thing that she has acquired for her troubles is a headache and a sudden resentment of Zirin. Chan at least knows when to bring a terrible and tired joke to an end. Zirin is a collection of relentless crass comments.

Even if she doesn’t mean any harm by them, she doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up. Sometimes Azula thinks that Zirin is holding the rest of them back. Sometimes she regrets seeing the potential in her. Sometimes she regrets having vouched for her during music lessons until the teachers saw the same thing that she did.

Sometimes she thinks that she only lets Zirin stay because she is Chan’s girlfriend.

Sometimes she lets it go and carries on with practice as though the comments are only mild annoyances. And most of the time they are.

Tonight she has had her fill of aggravation.

Tonight she has had her fill of letting the woman pound on the drums every time she attempted to speak. She locks her microphone in its stand and without another word or a glance back, she leaves the recording studio.

As the door slams she could hear Zirin remark, “daddy’s little diva.”

She doesn’t know how long they wait for her to come back. But she doesn’t. Not that night. Were it not for her father’s expectations she would be well on her way to finding new bandmates. She can’t afford that yet; she is too pressed for time.

Too awkward and isolated to find anyone else anyhow.

She uses her walk home to come up with excuses as to why practice has been cut so short.

.oOo.

Seicho doesn’t expect a call so soon. Spirits, it would be embarrassing if her work had given Azula an allergic reaction. With the woman’s number flashing across her cellphone screen, she pictures rock ‘n roll legend, Fire Lord Ozai showing up at the shop all muscle and fury to tell her off for ruining his daughter’s flawless skin.

Seicho shudders and grins all at once. She isn’t sure if she would particularly mind getting yelled at by her idol, it would be like one of his concerts, but without the music. She picks up the call before it can go to voicemail.

“If it’s a rash, you should probably call the doctor! I’m sorry for…”

“What are you talking about?” She can see Azula’s half-frown through the phone.

Seicho clears her throat. “Nevermind, I thought that you were someone else.” She lies. “Is everything going okay with your tattoo?”

“So far, yes.”

“Are you cleaning it at least twice daily.”

“I clean it once in the morning, once at noon, and once at night. I’m not calling to talk about my tattoo.”

“What are you calling for then?”

Azula is silent for quite a while.

“I suppose I just want someone to talk to.”

Seicho very nearly asks her why she doesn’t just phone a friend, why she has decided to talk to her of all people. Instead she inquires, “what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know.” There is a long pause. “Nevermind.” The phone clicks.

.oOo.

She feels foolish hanging up just to call again. But her father is still up and about, she sees his silhouette behind the curtain and she hasn’t come up with an excuse that he’d accept. She could tell him that Chan had to leave early but then he’d ask why she hadn’t continued without him. She could say that the other two refused but then he’d question her lack of control and ask why she didn’t practice alone.

She should just enter and get it over with, it is better if she does. It is the difference between a scolding and a slap.

But today she can’t take any more berating. She hits redial and holds the phone up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Can we meet somewhere?” She doesn’t bother backtracking to return the greeting.

Seicho draws out her pause for so long that Azula nearly hangs up a second time. “Does the skate park sound good? I’m already there.”

It isn’t her scene. “I’ll be there.” She hangs up before the girl can change her mind.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Azula/Background Character #Zuko #Mai #Maiko #Fanfiction

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vannahfanfics · 4 years

Note

Hey, so I’m sure this is no surprise as my love for sokka knows no bounds! Can I request a fluff alphabet for him plz~

This took a long time to get to so thank you for your boundless patience! TT.TT Here’s your fluff alphabet for our lovely Sokka! :D

Fluff Alphabet- Sokka

A- Activities: How do they spend their time with their s/o?

Sokka doesn’t really care what they’re doing, as long as his s/o is there! Still, he won’t deny that his favorite pastime is just snuggling up to his s/o and hanging out. As much as he is a fun-loving guy, there’s just something so intimate and special about simply enjoying one another’s presences. Offer a night in, and this boy can’t turn it down!

B- Body: What does this character appreciate about their s/o? What part of their body are they most proud of, and in reverse, what body part are they ashamed of and how do they respond to their s/o gushing over it?

Sokka will worship every inch of his s/o no question, but he’s got a particular affinity for his s/o’s hands. This boy just loves to hold hands; he’ll do so every chance he gets. He also likes to kiss all over the fingers, the tops of their hands, and their palms while whispering sweet nothings to his lover. One wouldn’t think it with how goofy he is, but Sokka can be very smooth when he wants to be.

Sokka’s pretty proud of his physique. He’s not a muscle-bound monster, but he’s toned and fit. He will definitely get a swelled ego when his s/o compliments his muscles, flexing proudly for them to encourage them to touch the hard-earned parts of his body. However, this can be a sore spot for Sokka, too. Sometimes he’s a little disgruntled that he’s leaner and more toned rather than some big strong brute. He’ll perk right up when his s/o starts showering him in praises and traveling the landscape of his body with appreciative touches. He’ll instantly fall back to that snarky, confident self! Nothing can keep this boy down for long.

C- Cuddles: Is this character a cuddler? What is their favorite way to cuddle?

Sokka loves, loves, loves to cuddle! If he’s got his arms around his s/o, he’s a happy man! Sokka will cuddle all ways he can- spooning, having his s/o seated in his lap while he bear-hugs them from behind, having his s/o cling to them like a spider monkey while they sleep. He is so clingy and needy, but his s/o can rest assured that they will be showered in affection and love!

D- Dreams: How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Sokka definitely dreams of a domestic life with his s/o! He loves the idea of getting married and settling down to have some children. They are his entire world, and accordingly, his future revolves around them.

E- Equivalence: Is this character the dominant force in the relationship, are they passive, or is the relationship more or less even?

Sokka can be a bit overbearing and bull-headed, but in a relationship, he tries to maintain an equal responsibility. With someone who’s as confident and independent as he is, he sometimes might grow a little passive, because he honestly respects his partner for calling the shots. There is a lot of open communication and mutual respect.

F- Fights: How does this character respond to arguments with their s/o? What would they fight about, and who would cave and apologize first?

Sokka can be a little arrogant and stubborn, so sometimes, this can lead to strain between Sokka and his s/o. Usually, fights involve around Sokka being a little protective of his s/o; he has faith in them, but he’d hate for them to be needlessly reckless. Fights are pretty standard, shouting back and forth, but Sokka would never throw things and would never lay a hand on his s/o. When it is clear to him that he can’t get through to his s/o, he’ll excuse himself to go take a walk and clear his head. He’ll come back cooled down and more willing to see his s/o’s point of view.

G- Gratitude: How does this character show their s/o that they are grateful?

Handmade gifts, 100%. We all know Sokka has an interest in art, and so he is always surprising his s/o with hand-carved trinkets, beaded bracelets, and cute little drawings. Giving his s/o something that he crafted specifically for them is just his way of showing his deep love and appreciation for them.

H- Honeymoon: If this character had a honeymoon with their s/o, where would they go?

Ember Island! Sokka heard all about it from Zuko and has wanted to take a trip there for a while. It’s nice and relaxing and romantic at first, but pretty soon word gets out and the Gaang crashes the honeymoon. He releases his frustrations by absolutely stomping everyone in a beach volleyball game.

I- Insecurity: What is this character insecure about? How do they deal with their insecurities with their s/o?

Sokka sometimes worries that someone bigger and better will come along and steal his s/o out from under him. This makes him try to overcompensate sometimes, which can grate his s/o. It takes some occasional reassurance and sweet-talking to ease Sokka’s insecurities. He wants his s/o to be happy, but secretly he’s a little selfish and wants his s/o to be happy with him.

J- Jealousy: Is this character the jealous type? How do they deal with being jealous?

Oh, yeah. Sokka gets jealous. If he and his s/o are out and his s/o is just so radiant that they catch someone else’s attention, he is going to be so sore about it. Sokka is grumpy and clingy when he’s jealous. He’ll be all over his s/o, hugging and kissing them and following them around like a lost puppy. It’s endearing, honestly. When his s/o gets a little annoyed with his clinginess, he’ll just bat his pretty eyes and croon about how much he loves them, and it’s kinda hard to be irritated with him when he’s just so dang adorable.

K- Kiss: What does the character want their first kiss to be like with their s/o? How does it end up happening?

Sokka is totally the type to obsess over the “right” moment. He’ll plan it in meticulous detail, setting it up around a romantic date, but when the moment comes, he’ll get super flustered. He’ll blush bright red and just stare at his s/o’s mouth like it’s an unsolvable puzzle. Eventually, when questioned, he’ll bashfully admit that he wants to kiss them. He’s a lot smoother during the actual act; it’s a super sweet and exhilarating kiss!

L- Love Confession: How does this character first profess their love to their s/o?

He’ll start off with a cheesy pick-up line, purely for comedic effect because at this point, he and his s/o have been dating a long time. He loves to make his s/o laugh, and it’ll throw his s/o off the scent of what he’s about to do next. He’ll grab their hands and look deep into their eyes, and then just tell them how he really feels. He’s not the most eloquent guy at moments like these, so he’ll fluster and stumble a bit, but he’ll get it out. It’s super sweet!

M- Marriage: How does this character view marriage? What is their ideal wedding like?

Sokka totally wants to get married! He fantasizes about the day he’ll propose with a hand-carved necklace. Sokka would of course honor the wishes of his bride, but he can’t deny he dreams of a traditional Water Tribe wedding. He wouldn’t mind combining the traditions of his bride into the mix, too, if they happen to hail from somewhere else. Honestly, he just wants to seal his bond to his beloved, so as long as this guy can profess his undying love to his partner, he’s all for it.

N- Nicknames: What does this character like to call their s/o?

Sokka hates gushy nicknames; hearing how his sister goes on and on with them drives him nuts. So, he’s pretty simple with the pet names- “babe” is usually his go-to, but when he’s feeling a little more in love, he’ll drop a “honey” or “baby.” When he’s in a teasing mood, he’ll call his s/o “sweetcheeks” or “babycakes” just to fluster them.

O- On Cloud Nine: What is this character like when they’re in love? Is it obvious to others, or are they good at hiding it?

Oh, no. There’s no hiding when Sokka’s head-over-heels. He’ll be daydreaming about them 24/7, and his friends will constantly have to snap him out of it. He is totally spacey and clumsy when he’s in love because his s/o just dominates his mind, especially in the beginning.

P- PDA: Does this character like PDA? If so, what kinds of things do they do in public to show off their s/o?

Sokka’s not to into PDA, because he just doesn’t like couples who are all over each other, but he does love to hold hands. Whenever he and his s/o are out somewhere, his hand it glued to theirs. It’s very rare for him to peck them on the cheek and even rarer to kiss them on the mouth, but it happens sometimes, when he’s in a good mood.

Q- Quirks: What random traits or quirks does this character have that positively affect the relationship?

Sokka’s sense of humor definitely makes the relationship fun and interesting. He’ll randomly hit on his s/o with cheesy pick-up lines, no matter how long they’ve been dating. When his s/o is angry with him or sad, he’ll start cracking totally corny jokes until they smile.

R- Romance: Is this character a hopeless romantic, or a bit on the low-key side? Are they cliché when it comes to romantic gestures, or can they get a little bit creative?

Sokka is totally a hopeless romantic. He won’t admit it aloud, ever, but he loves being in love and doting on his s/o. Sokka is very imaginative, so most of his gestures are personal and creative. Of course, he knows the importance of tried-and-true methods, so sometimes he’ll surprise his s/o with something classic like jewelry or flowers.

S- Secrets: Are there any secrets they hide from their s/o? If so, how do they deal with it when those secrets finally come out?

Sokka doesn’t have any secrets per se, but he does find it hard to talk about the death of his mother. It’s something that haunts him. Eventually, his s/o can coax it out of him and talk him through his trauma. He’ll feel much better with his s/o reassuring his feelings.

T- Thrill: Does this character prefer routine in their relationship, or do they like to shake things up every once in a while?

Sokka’s kind of a meticulous guy, so he prefers routine in the relationship. However, he knows that spontaneity is important to keep the fun alive, so he’ll plan impromptu outings and fun little dates.

U- Understanding: Is this character level-headed and empathetic toward their partner, or do they sometimes have trouble figuring them out, which leads to some butting heads?

Sokka is usually very in tune with his partner and knows how they work. Every once in a while, his s/o will do or say something that causes them to butt heads. It’s usually something that triggers Sokka’s protective nature. But, for the most part, dating Sokka is pretty smooth sailing.

V- Value: How does this character value their relationship with their s/o? How does it hold in comparison to their goals, ambitions, etc.?

At first, Sokka’s own personal ambitions outweigh his relationship. However, after some time, his goals become intertwined with his s/o. He wants to achieve them to make them proud. At that point, his relationship is his pride, joy, and motivation.

W- Wild Card: Any random fluff headcanon that does not fall within the other categories!

Sokka writes poems for his s/o. They’re usually silly things to make them laugh; he’ll leave them places for them to find and just make their day.

X- XOXO: How does this character show affection?

Physical touch and gifts, 100%. When they are alone, Sokka is clinging to his s/o like a koala bear, getting as much skin-to-skin contact as he can. He just loves the clingy intimacy! As I mentioned before, he loves to make stuff for his s/o. It’s his chief way of displaying affection, because he’s not one for honeyed words or eloquent sweet nothings.

Y- Yearning: How does this character deal with time apart with their s/o?

Mopey. Mopeyyyy. Makes everyone around him miserably because he is a whiny mopey baby. He hates any prolonged time apart from his s/o. At first, he’s pretty good at hiding it and will go off to sulk by himself, but after too long, he craves attention and will start flopping around and whining to anyone who’ll listen. As soon as his s/o is back, he’s attaching himself to them like a leech, PDA be damned.

Z- Zeal: Is this character willing to great lengths for their relationship? If so, how far, and how long does it take to get to this point?

Sokka will literally throw hands with an entire army for his s/o after about a good six months of dating. Anyone hurts his s/o and he is a man on a mission to wipe out anything and everything that made them cry. His s/o is the world to him.

#sokka #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla sokka #fluff alphabet #headcanons #atla headcanons #sokka headcanons

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lone-star-ranger · 3 years

Text

How to Scam Your Way Into Marriage Bonus content + new chapter announcement

Ok, next chapter (Injury Recovery) is drafted; sitting at 1320 words. Now to get my wife to look at it tomorrow (Friday) and publish it either early morning CST or late evening CST depending on whether I can get it on Ao3 before my shift. Bonus content below the cut; my hurt/comfort draft that I felt was too repetitive to post as a standalone chapter. Rough draft; not edited; read at your own risk.

Tagging @thereviewguest; this was the chapter I was going to try work Hakoda in based on our discussion, and @ljf613; tagged because “Scam” is your gift fic.

CHAPTER 2 1/2 HURT AND COMFORT

Toph stormed away from the dining hall in a huff. She wasn’t sure why she and Zuko hadn’t been talking except to fight more and more. If they weren’t careful, rumors would begin to spread. Throwing open the door to the training arena, she began hurling rocks at the targets. The door eased open behind and she scowled before burying herself in a stone igloo.

Hakoda sighed as he saw the rocks rise into place. “Toph, I’m just here to talk if you want.”

At his words, a small hole bent open and Toph’s voice floated out, “Well, excuse me for my lack of decorum at the breakfast table.”

Hakoda shook his head, “I’m not upset at you. It sounds like you need someone to talk to or someone to listen to you and since my kids aren’t here yet, I’m willing to listen.”

“Yeah, right, old man.”

“How many times did we talk in the temple, Toph? You know I’m not interested in changing you. I just want to help.”

Toph snorted and Hakoda sighed, sitting down and drawing a blade. Reaching into a pocket, his fingers closed on nothingness. Checking all his pockets, he realized Malina must have taken his whetstone out when she set everything out for him this morning.

“I felt that.” Toph called out to him.

Hakoda blinked out of his thoughts, “Hmm? Excuse me.”

“The disappointment. It radiates through the stone and I can feel you judging me.”

“Ah, sorry. Right emotion, wrong target. I don’t have my whetstone to sharpen my blade while I wait.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

The hole widened a bit and a perfectly formed whetstone leaped out from the hut.

“Thank you, Toph.” Hakoda settled in and let the rasp, rasp, of the whetstone over steel settle his mind.

The sun moved slowly through the sky as Hakoda calmly sharpened his sword, his saxe knife, and his boot knife. As he finished the last blade, he walked over to the used weapons pile and picked up two swords to sharpen. Returning to his bench, he settled back down and began sharpening the sword dulled by use against an oaken pillar. After a few strokes of the whetstone, the hut crumbled and Toph stomped over to him.

“Fine, old man. You win.”

Hakoda nodded, “Would you like to sit?”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Admiral Jee opened the door cautiously. “You asked to see me, my lord?”

“Drop the ‘my lord’ nonsense and come with me.” Zuko opened a door in the wall that led to a passageway that plunged deep into the caldera and they walked to a platinum bunker held aloft by thick chains.

Jee lifted his eyebrow at the bunker. “I take it, whatever we’re discussing has to do with your fiancée?”

“Good guess.”

Stepping in and sealing the door, Zuko lit the air-warning candle and pulled out a thick packet of papers only to find Jee studying a painting of the Wani. Jee spoke without turning, “Would this have anything to do with the argument at breakfast, my… Zuko?”

Zuko scowled, “Yes and No. I need you to sign this.”

Jee lifted up the papers, “The Fire lord’s official MOST secret protection act? A specialized act even more restrictive than the Secrets protection act?”

“Yes, what I want to talk about is not to be repeated to anybody at all.”

Jee signed his name with a flourish. “Very well…Zuko, spit it out.”

Zuko froze as he debated how to start, but finally blurted out, “I’m in love with Toph.”

Jee nodded slowly, “Yessss… Isn’t that why you’re marrying her?”

“NO! The council invoked the bloodline security act and her father threatened to have her dragged back to the Earth Kingdom if she didn’t marry! This was supposed to give us cover for a few years until we figured something out, but now, RAAHHAGH!!!” The sconces flared as Zuko yelled before he threw himself into a chair and put his head down in his arms on the table. “I can’t do anything about it either.”

Jee furrowed his brow, “You can’t talk to her about it? If she’s a good friend…”

“The best”

“Your best friend, then, why don’t you talk to her?”

“It’s not honorable.”

Jee barked out a laugh, “Kid, I was stuck on a ship with you for three years and you’re still going on about honor?” Zuko looked up and scowled at him and he added, “my lord?”

“It’s not honorable because everything she depends on right now, friends, housing, work, leisure, everything she has here, I can snap my fingers and make it all disappear.”

“Pretty sure she’d snap you if you ever tried that.”

Zuko glanced up from the table, “Really? You lack that much faith in my combat prowess?”

Jee snorted, “No, I just have more faith in the ‘Melon Lord.’ How fast did she win the Caldera benders brawl?”

Zuko smiled at the memory, “3 minutes, 44 seconds against 49 benders, 10 of them Imperial Firebenders from my personal guard.”

“I rest my case.”

“Fair enough.”

“Anyway, since she’s such a threat… why don’t you talk to her? She’s your best friend and if you have a chance for this friendship to blossom into something more, shouldn’t you take it.”

Zuko shook his head, “I can’t do that to her.”

Jee shrugged, “Personally, I understand your concerns, but she’s an earthbender. I think she’d appreciate knowing the situation entirely so she can face it head-on.”

Zuko nodded, “I’ll take that under advisement.”

“Pleasure as always, my-“ Jee broke off at Zuko’s exasperated look, “Zuko.”

#TOKO #toph x zuko #toph beifong #Zuko #zuko fanfic #hakoda #lt jee #rough draft #discarded draft

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mycomfortblanket · 3 years

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If I Lose Him Like This

Chap 5

Zuko’s birthday party is the the next day and the palace seemed to be buzzing with activity as maids hurried to their destinations carrying out various tasks. Toph’s on her way to the arena to bend a little to get away from all of the pounding feet she can feel throughout the palace.

When she arrives, she notices that Aang is already there practicing various forms for all the elements. She hesitates for a moment before stepping into the arena. She kicks up a good size rock and chunks it at him and it just barely misses him before crashing into the wall behind him.

He whirls around, not expecting anyone to be in the arena with him and when he sees her, Toph can feel his heartbeat falter for a moment in shock and then speed up at the sight of her. She fights down the blush that threatens to come to her cheeks.

“You wanna spar, Twinkletoes?”

He feels slightly lighter on his feet at her question which she smirks at. “Always. Are we doing just Earth or what?”

“Nah, don’t go easy on me. I’ll still kick your ass either way,” she drops into her fighting stance. She hears him slightly chuckle before getting into his stance as well. He doesn’t go easy on her either, but it doesn't matter, she still has him knocked down and with him underneath her, her forearm resting against his throat.

“Do you yield?” She asks, breathing heavily, their faces just inches apart.

It takes a moment for Aang to respond; he can’t take his eyes off of her dirt smeared face, the bleeding cut she got on her chin, her hair falling out of its bun and hanging around her face. His heart is beating fast and hard, and for just a moment, the feeling of her on top of him is all that matters.

Her smile falters when she realizes his rapid heartbeat is not from the exertion but rather because of her. She quickly climbs off of him and is suddenly standing a few feet away, a blush staining her cheeks.

“Toph, I-”

“Master Beifong, Avatar Aang,” A voice cuts him off, “Dinner is being served in the guest dining room, Chief Sokka and Princess Azula have also arrived,” a servant says to them before turning on his heel and walking out of the arena.

Toph raises an eyebrow, “Azula and Sokka? When did that happen?”

They begin walking out of the arena and towards the guest dining room where the rest of their friends are waiting. Toph pulls her hair out of its bun and does a quick braid to keep it out of her face.

“About a year or so ago? Him and Suki called it off a few months after you left, they're still really good friends though. And then, when Azula was released from the hospital, she was wanting to travel, and Sokka was traveling to make trade deals with other nations and cities, so she tagged along with him. Not entirely sure on the exact details of how they got together though. She's actually really cool once you look past the fact she tried to kill us,” he explains.

Toph is still hesitant about the whole ‘Azula’ thing, but once they round the corner into the guest dining room, she can't help but the large smile that comes onto her face. She remembers everyone's heartbeats and footsteps, they’re almost all the same since she last hung out with them, and she didn't realize how much she missed them until she felt them.

The only person she doesn't recognize is standing at the edge of the table near Zuko, speaking to him in a quiet tone. The person in question has light footsteps, similar to Aang's, but are more hesitant and not completely sure. Her heartbeat isn't steady, constantly changing rhythms and patterns as if fighting something within herself.

“Toph!” She hears Sokka exclaim and his footsteps come running towards her. The smile she is trying to hold back breaks free when he picks her up off the flood in a hug and spins her around. “Oh my Spirits, look at you! You're all womanly now, and your hair! I don't think I've ever seen it down!” He sets Toph back on her feet and runs his hands down her braid.

She smirks and punches him in the arm, “Nice to be assaulted by you again, Snoozles. Last time I saw you, you still felt super punny.”

“I was not puny!” His voice almost cracks as he yells at her. “Come on, I want you to meet someone,” he grabs her elbow and drags her over to the person standing beside Zuko.

“Toph, you remember Azula?” He says, and she can hear the pride in his voice.

“This is Azula?” The way her footsteps feel are completely different from how they use to be. Before, she was sure and determined, but now, she was as fluttery as a butterfly.

“So nice to see you again, Toph. Glad we can meet under different circumstances.” She's still able to pick up on the sharp edge of Azula’s voice but everything else about the girl in front of her feels different, like she's a completely different person.

“Right, nice to meet you… again,” she replies awkwardly. Not knowing what else to do, she turns and moves to sit in an empty chair next to Aang. Azula and Sokka sit directly across from her and Toph with Zuko and Iroh at the heads of the table and Katara on the other side of Aang.

The chatter continues around them after the quick introductions. She’s grown enough that her feet now touch the floor completely when sitting in chairs so she is able to still feel everyone's vibrations even as they talk amongst themselves.

Dinner seems to fly by as Iroh and her talk throughout the meal. Anytime she would laugh, Aang’s heartbeat next to her would speed up for a moment before calming and going back to its regular pace. It was hard to ignore and but she want to draw attention to it.

After everyone has finished and said their goodnights, Toph closed the door to her guest room and made her way over to the bed, shedding her top tonic and pants as she goes leaving her in just her bandu and bottom wraps.

She crawls onto the bed and pulls the covers around her and breathes out a deep sigh of comfort.

“Hey.”

Toph jerks herself into a sitting position at his voice, “Spirits fuck, Aang. What are you doing in here?” She feels the dip in the bed where he sits down next to her.

“I can't come hang out with you? We used to do this all the time,” he says, laying down and pulling her pillow over to him and lays back on it.

Toph snatches her pillow back and smacks him in the face with it, “Yeah, when we were kids and it wasn’t scandalous for you to be laying in my bed,” she huffs and sets the pillow back behind her and lays down, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

Aang reaches over her and grabs the extra pillow that is beside her, “True. But still, I miss hanging out with you.”

Toph fights back a blush and brings her hand up to her mouth, biting at her nail as an excuse for keeping quiet. The two of them lay there in semi-awkward silence until he lets out a deep breath and rolls over onto his side to face her, “So, what have you been doing the past three years?”

“What?”

“What have you been doing? I know you left because of me, but it wouldn’t be like you to be boring on an adventure like that.”

“Well, this may come as a shocker, but I didn’t do much. I got a measly job, a shit apartment- as you saw. I didn’t really do anything, I hardly even earthbended,” her voice slowly lowering until the last part comes out as a whisper.

----------

Aang snaps his eyes over to her at that admission. Hearing that she had been doing absolutely nothing the past three years, including earthbending was heartbreaking. He so badly wants to continue their friendship, but the more he talks to her, the more he finds out how badly he actually destroyed her.

He searches her face and can see small signs of her heartbreak and how it has changed her. “Well, if you want, we can spar tomorrow. I promise not to go easy on you again,” he says with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Toph lets out a snort, “Oh please, you couldn’t beat me even if you use the damn avatar state.” Aang laughs at her confidence and rolls back onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. They continue to talk through the night and it isn’t under the sky starts to lighten that Toph finally falls asleep. She is lying on her side facing him, her mouth open just slightly and her puffs of air move the strands of hair that is hanging down around her face.

He watches her face for a moment, reaching out a hand, he moves the hair out of her face and behind her ear. His heart breaks for her and all that he has put her through, but he vows to make up for it in any way.

He knows he should get up and go back to his designated room with Katara, but he closes his eyes instead, just wanting to rest for a moment longer.

----------

Katara is spread across Zuko’s bed watching him as he paces back and forth, venting about a meeting he had recently gotten out of.

“I mean, it’s been what, 6 or 7 years since I took the throne? You think these assholes would have started listening to me!” Katara can’t help but smile at how riled up he is; he’s so cute running his hands through his hair and waving his arms in over-exaggerated motions.

Katara moves off the bed and walks over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop him from pacing, “Hey. You need to stop worrying about it. It’s over for day, you can’t let small things like that affect your life after the fact. Okay?” Zuko looks down at her and the tension leaves his shoulders.

She’s right, she’s always right. He needs to calm down. He continues to look down at her, into her crystal blue eyes, and he can’t help but think about how beautiful she looks.

Mentally, he shakes his head and pulls away from her and walks over to the bed and throws himself down on his back. He hears Katara make her way over to the opposite side of the bed and do the same, so that their heads are right next to each other.

“So, tell me what life has been like since I was last here,” She says, as if nothing awkward had just happened between them.

----------

When he wakes up, his eyes are still closed and he is so warm and comfortable. He can’t remember the last time he has slept so soundly or comfortably. Aang buries his head into Katara and inhales her scent of fresh turned earth and mint.

Wait. Fresh turned earth… mint?

Aang picks his head up and looks down at the girl in front of him. Toph has her face buried in his chest, one of her hands clutching the fabric of his tunic, his arms wrapped around her, holding her to him, and he has a leg slotted in between hers.

Fuck.

He fell asleep in Toph’s bed; she is going to kill him when she finds out. But, at the same time, he can’t bring himself to pull away from her either. He lifts one of his arms and runs his hands through her hair and it’s so soft and silky.

Katara’s hair is thick and easily tangled, but Toph’s hair just slides right through his fingers and he doesn’t think he will ever be able to run his fingers through Katara’s hair without comparing the two.

As he lays there, he thinks of their interactions before she left for those three years and how blind he was to see everything. It was so blindingly obvious how much she was hurting and he just never took the time to notice. He isn’t one hundred percent sure that he completely has her back, that she won’t run away from him again, but he is willing to do almost anything to make sure she stays.

The longer Aang thinks about how much he would go through for her, he starts to compare it to how he feels about Katara. Would he do the same for her? Would he have crossed nations at a moments notice to see her? He can’t bring himself to say yes and be completely truthful about it.

His train of thought is interrupted by Toph stirring. He had waited too long to move out of her embrace and now she is waking up and really about to lay into him. She rubs her face against his chest and smacks her lips a few times before turning her face upwards towards him. She is still for a moment before her eyes snap open and she quickly shoves him away.

“What the fuck, Aang?!” She yells at him.

“Shit, Toph! I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry!”

“Why are you here? Why didn’t you go back to your room?! Back to your fucking wife ?”

“I’m sorry Toph, I meant to, I just fell asleep,” his voice sounds dejected, Toph’s face softens ever so slightly, “But, Toph-”

“No, it’s fine, Twinkletoes. Can you just go, please?” She walks over to the door and holds it open for him. Feeling like total shit, he moves towards the door

Her face is pointed downwards, but whenever he comes closer, she raises her face towards his, and he couldn’t hold himself back.

Aang reaches out and grabs her by the waist, pulling her against him. He catches her lips in a hard kiss, her mouth opening just slightly. There was nothing gentle about this kiss, but rather, full of white hot need. He closes the door with his hand and pushes her up against it, rattling it against her back.

He takes her face in his hands and kisses her deep. Every thought that was in Aang’s head about his duties and Katara are forced away by the pounding of his heart and the dark curl of desire that begins to twist inside of him.

It has been so long since he felt like this, so turned on and needing to be with someone. Toph pulls away from him “Aang, no. We can’t.”

“Yes, we can,” and he pulls her lips back to his. It felt just like it did back when they were 17 and he had chased her through the abandoned hallways only to end up in that abandoned coat room. She is sliding her hands under his tunic and pulls him closer to her.

Toph releases a small moan from the back of her throat and the sound drives Aang wild. He moves his lips from her and begins to kiss down her neck, biting down on her clavicle.

Toph tilts her head to the side as his lips make their way down her throat. All coherent thoughts have left her and all she can focus on is the sensations he is giving her.

She runs her hand over his back and her fingers brush against the scar that Azula had given him and he shutters against her. Feeling frustrated with the garment that is keeping her from feeling all of him, she yanks at the material until he pulls back slightly and she is able to pull it over his head.

Aang dips his head to press his lips back against her and his hands move from her face to rest on her lower back, pulling her in close. She can feel his arousal brushing against her lower stomach as they kiss.

He pushes a leg between hers and without realizing it, she grinds down against him. A moan comes from her and Aang smiles against her neck. He remembers these sounds all too well; he hadn’t realized until he heard him again, that whenever he was with Katara or pleasuring himself, he would listen for her.

----------

This is wrong. She knows what she is doing is wrong, but she can’t bring herself to push him away. The feeling of his bare skin on her fingertips, his lips on hers, his taste in her mouth, all of it is so intoxicating.

He has her crowded against the door and she knows that if anyone walks too close to it, that they will hear her. Toph pushes him off and towards the bed; she follows him, never quite leaving his grasp.

He sits down hard on the bed and Toph steps between his legs, her hands on his shoulders, “Are you sure about this, Twinkletoes?”

Aang grabs one of her hands from his shoulder and pulls her to him. She brackets her thighs around him and sits in his lap and his hands come to rest on her hips, pulling her even closer to him, “I’m so sure about this, T.. I’m only ever going to want you ever.”

Toph bites her lip and slides her hand over his heart to feel for his pulse, but only feels the honesty of his words in his heartbeat. He lifts himself slightly to reconnect their lips and at first, the kiss is soft and gentle. Aang lifts his hands from her hips and cradles her face, and that’s when he feels it.

She wasn’t even aware she is crying until he pulls away, and suddenly, she can’t get enough air and these giant sobs are coming from her. She can hear Aang panicking and trying to get her to talk to him, but can’t make out what he is saying over her sobs.

She scrambles off of his lap and stays a small distance away from him, her sobs calming down until its just a slight hiccup and a few tears rolling down her face, “No. No, you don’t get to do this to me again. This is the second time, Aang. The second time.”

She feels him get up from the bed and start to walk towards her, “Toph, I-”

“No! Don’t you see how fucked up this is? What you’re doing to me? What you’re doing to Katara, your fucking wife?!” She thrusts her hands into her hair and pulls at it, “Spirits, dammit!”

She can feel the heartbreak and despair in his vibrations, she didn’t think so much was able to come off of someone.

She turns towards him, the panic clear on her face, until suddenly, she decides enough is enough and she just turns off her emotions. She puts up that wall that she has had for the last three years, the one that had kept her out of any type of relationship and protected her from anymore heartache she felt towards him.

“Get out, Aang,” she says softly.

“Toph, please-,”

“Get the fuck out before I bend you through a fucking wall, Aang! I swear to all fucking Spirits, I will do it!”

She feels him hesitate so she shifts her foot, just about to throw him out, when the bedroom door opens and Katara and Zuko walk in.

#taang #taangst #angst #aangst #toph x aang #aang x toph #avatar the last airbender #atla #toph beifong #toph #aang #katara #zuko #hahaha #yheah

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faerhardyn-the-raging-ethereal · 4 years

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Synesthesiac Zuko

Growing up he always thought seeing colors physically infront of him was a normal thing to him until Azula made fun of him for it and didn't believe it. So he hasn't shared this ability to anyone else since then but he always has questions that he knows no one will understand and look at him weirdly

When it comes to music even after post fresh scar he'd always be mesmerized by the multitude of colors. It'll automatically make him smile and put him at ease unless he's in a situation he will try to hide it. If the music is bad and the colors are sparodic he will cringe and inwardly yell at the person to perform better. Music always draws him in.

He's able to pick up an instrument and play. But he prefers not to because he doesn't want to be questioned.

When it comes to certain foods he likes he will feel a sensation on his skin. Certain flowers too. So having a smell for white magnolias he can find them easily because with the smell he can feel the sensation, like soft caresess, on his skin. When he knows he's near he'll start feeling a slight comfortable tingling sensation and faint transparent lilac will disappear and reappear in his vision

In the Firebending Masters he was seeing a whole lot more colors from the dragons fire than Aang

Even though he tries to hide the fact he sees colors, feels sensations, and pinpoint certain smells he sometimes accidentally, without thinking, slips up about it when he's talking about something with the Gaang. He gets embarrassed once he realizes what he had said when he gets confused looks. He excused himself the first time he said it and went to go be alone. But slowly as they accepted him into their group and listened to the little things he says and shares they become curious as he shares what he sees. He once said that lilac is a calming and comforting color to him and that she's nice.

He's also a good singer. First few weeks with the Gaang he would sing to Appa and Momo when the others weren't in the vicinity of his voice. Only Aang knows he can sing as he hides when Zuko can't see him. He would also play a lute, or whatever asian equivalent it is.

Iroh knows about Zukos synesthesia and he knows what it is. He just doesn't share that tidbit with his nephew till after the war

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #zuko headcanon #headcanon #avatar headcanon #avatar headcanons #zuko #appa #momo #synesthesia #the gaang #azula #iroh #headcanonz

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the-badger-mole · 4 years

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Arranged Marriage Remix

I have an idea for a sort of Dharma and Greg style arranged marriage fic.The set up is crown prince Zuko has to choose a bride from a pool of eligible women picked by his uncle, the Fire Lord's advisors. He isn't thrilled, but accepts this is part of his duties as future Fire Lord.

But when the women begin to arrive from all over the world, he is overwhelmed and decides to sneak out in the middle of the banquet welcoming his guests. He wanders into a tavern on the outskirts of Caldera. Basically it's the closest thing to a dive bar the capital has, and the bartenders and patrons are the type to mind their own business, so he isn’t worried about being found out.

It's a busy night, and soon Zuko's has to share the little table he found in the darkest corner of the bar. But the person joining him is a pretty and chatty woman who draws him into a conversation, despite Zuko’s taciturnity.Soon he finds out that she's from the SWT and she was having a last hurrah before her parents married her off to some snobby noble. Zuko tells her he's also probably going to be married off soon!

Quelle coincidence!

They still haven't exchanged names, but they both feel a serious connection. There's some drinking involved, but not heavy. Just enough that when Zuko says he wishes he could skip the awkward matchmaking part and go right to married life, the woman says "Let's do it!"

“E-excuse me?" Zuko choked out. "Let's do what?"

"Get married!" She said. "Why not?"

"We just met!' Zuko pointed out. "And we've been drinking!"

"I'm not drunk!" The woman insisted. "Are you?"

"Well...I wouldn't be comfortable operating heavy machines, but I'm lucid," Zuko replied hesitantly.

"Then let's do it!" She said again. "We enjoy each other's company. We already know we have a ton in common. That's more than most arranged couples get!"

"Didn't you say your parents were trying to arrange a match for you?" Zuko pointed out. "Won't they be upset if you tell them you got married behind their back?"

"Yes," she said with a wicked grin. "They will be very angry with me." She reached across the table and took Zuko's hand. "Don't you want this to be your decision? don't you want to pick who you marry?" Zuko shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He technically was allowed to pick his own bride, but he was supposed to choose from among the eligible young ladies his uncle's advisors had preselected for him

“This is crazy," he chuckled nervously, shaking his head.

“Exactly!" She said. "I've never done anything this impulsive, but right now, I think you and I have just enough alcohol in our systems to do something stupidly, life-changingly crazy before we realize just how crazy and stupid it is."

Zuko looked up and met the young woman's eyes. They were sparkling mischievously in the dim light of the tavern. He knew that he'd never find another woman like her among the polite, well-bred ladies that had been brought to the palace for him. But, he also realized, she was exactly the type of woman he wanted to marry. Zuko found himself smiling to match hers and he nodded slowly.

"Alright," he said. "Let's do it. Let's get married!" The woman threw herself into his arms with an excited squeal. As Zuko leaned in to kiss her, she brought her hand up over his mouth.Zuko stared in confusion, fearing he had crossed a line, but the woman still looked amused.

"If we're going to elope, we should at least be properly introduced. I'm Katara."

Zuko smiled, thinking that the lovely name suited her. "I'm Zuko."

#Zutara #atla #this will probably not go much further #but i like this idea #arranged marriage au #but remixed

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guiltysecretpasttime · 4 years

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Adversity

A fanfic story

Overview: Lin and Tenzin are both at the height of their respective careers – she with the Metalbending Police and he with the Air Nation. Questions about their future begin to arise and things come to a head when Lin responded to an emergency call. Would her job take them from each other forever? Eventual HEA. Non-canon compliant, AU. (Notes at the end of the post.)

Chapter 1

Lin was once again pulling a double shift, finishing up this month’s crime stats report that needed to be filed at city hall tomorrow. Aside from having the routine meeting at city hall, tomorrow also marks Lin’s first ninety days as the chief of police.

She lightly rubbed a crick at her neck as she proofread the document.

Having taken over the Republic City Police Department when her mother, the metalbender Toph Beifong, stepped down, Lin Beifong recognized that taking on this responsibility goes beyond upholding the family legacy.

She pushed on, double checking the figures. Hoping that this was enough at least to keep the council contented. While some of the council members saw her growing up, she knew they were going to be fair as in all their dealings. However, the rest of the members were likely to be more difficult with her, with the mistaken notion that they needed to compensate for the perceived bias of the city founders. It also did not help that her mother was not as charismatic as the other founders.

Lin sighed tiredly as she pulled out another case folder; she had her work cut out.

-------------

Tenzin frowned deeply at his bowl, as though the stew his mother prepared offended him greatly.

His sullen mood was out of place amidst the boisterous laughter of his family at the dinner table. On another day, he would have eaten his sea prune stew with gusto. Tonight, he should have done so as well, given that his mother went all out with the dishes as the extended family was present.

Bumi, his eldest brother, arrived two days ago on shore leave. His uncle Sokka, meanwhile, landed at Air Temple island that afternoon, in preparation for tomorrow’s council meeting.

His uncle continued to regal the table with stories, getting more and more exaggerated as the night wore on. His father, the Avatar Aang laughed accordingly at the right moments, encouraging the stories further. Beside Sokka, his wife Suki held his glass upright without skipping a beat as he pounded on the table in emphasis on how heavy the imported cabbages were in the Southern Water Tribe. Tenzin’s sister Kya chatted their aunt’s ear off at her other side.

It was a lovely meal indeed and the company was not so bad either. In fact, Tenzin was looking forward to this family dinner. The week was ending and it was particularly challenging one.

He had a long session with the new Air Acolytes earlier and he had a vague impression that they were not taking him seriously as they would his father. He just wanted to have a relaxing night with the family and Lin.

Granted, Lin was practically family. But it was her that Tenzin was specifically anticipating to spend time with that night. He had a lot of things on his mind but he knew Lin’s presence would help tamp down his worries.

Katara noticed her son’s preoccupation as the dinner went on. Every couple of minutes or so, Tenzin would look up at the doorway, as though expecting someone. As the night went on, his mood turned sour.

Presently, he attempted to stab the sea prune with his spoon.

“Tenzin, dear, would you like a fork?” Katara called out, lightly touching his arm, startling him from his reverie.

“Wha-?” Tenzin was drawn out of his thoughts, as the stew splashed on his robes when the prune slipped from his utensil.

“Fork? Or a knife?” His mother held out a small table knife to him. “Is something bothering you?” Katara had an inkling on what (or rather who) was on his mind. “How was the session today?”

Tenzin shrugged but took the knife. “It was fine, mother.” He wanted to share his misgivings about the air acolytes but did not want his siblings to overhear. “We were able to start and end on time.” Lame as it was, that was the only positive outcome of that meditation session.

“That’s good to hear,” Katara took a bite of her own stew. “They are from the Southern Air Temples, right? How is the restoration going on from their end, did they share anything about it?” She intended to draw him away from his obviously stormy ruminations.

Just as Tenzin was about to respond, Sokka suddenly turned his attention to mother and son. “Heeey – I knew I forgot something! Where’s Lin?”

Tenzin grew uncomfortable as the table went silent, each person looking at him expectantly. He cleared his throat as he loosened his collar. “She’s still at the precinct, I believe.” He did not miss Katara and Aang share a look but he chose not to acknowledge it.

“That young lady is working too hard,” Sokka run his hand at his beard. “On the other hand, look at her sister Suyin, with two kids at the age of twenty-four. I mean, sure they’re both productive, if you get what I mean. Am I right?” He elbowed his wife, looking for affirmation. Suki looked nonplussed. So he leaned to his other side, elbowing Bumi instead, who gave him a thumbs up.

-------------

Finally, at half past eleven in the evening, Lin found herself unlocking the door to the apartment after satisfactorily completing the documents in time for tomorrow’s meeting.

“Tenzin, I’m home.” She called out, as she took off her boots and removed her armor. “I’m sorry I’m late.” She pulled her long black hair from the bun it was in the whole day. “Had to finish up some paper-.” She finally realized she was alone. “Work.”

The dark and empty room puzzled her but she ignored the unease that crept and proceeded to the bathroom to wash her face.

Seeing the empty space where she and Tenzin kept their toothbrushes and toiletries, Lin cursed.

She just realized she forgot something tonight.

-------------

After somewhat successfully averting the disaster called Sokka’s big mouth by introducing dessert, Katara followed her youngest child who excused himself to the patio once dessert was served. She studied his stiff posture as he gazed at the distant lights of Republic City.

“Son, is everything okay with Lin?” Katara was not one to beat around the bush. “She’s not in trouble, is she?”

Tenzin shook his head quietly. “She’s fine, Mother.” He really did not want to discuss his relationship right now.

“Don’t mind Sokka,” Katara plodded on. “He’s just probably excited to hear about more grandchildren within our group. You know how he doted on Iroh when Zuko used to bring him over.” She smiled in recollection how Sokka had pranced around with the toddler on his back, pretending to be a dragon.

“Iroh is just a couple of years younger than me.” Tenzin grumbled, not liking where the conversation was headed.

Katara waved him off. “You were well in your teens by then – a far cry from toddling little Iroh.” Seeing no further comment coming from her companion, she gestured to the side buildings. “Do you want me to call on the Air Acolytes to prepare Oogi tonight? I had them bring him to the barns as I thought you’d be staying overnight. They can easily prepare him for your quick trip back to Republic City though.”

“No, it’s fine.” The tall airbender was starting to hate that word: fine. “Oogi’s probably resting already. And I haven’t decided yet if I’ll stay tonight,” His equanimity would be sorely tested should he see Lin now. “I can always borrow a glider to get back to the mainland.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” His mother gave him a side hug. “You know your father and I are always here for you and Lin, right?” She felt him nod. “Don’t stay out too late – it’s a bit chilly these nights.”

-------------

Lin fought with herself as to whether she should drop a call to Air Temple Island at this time. She wanted to speak to Tenzin. Correction: she needed to apologize for forgetting about the family dinner.

Seeing that it was almost midnight with no hint of Tenzin or Oogi in sight, Lin decided to risk waking the household up.

“Pick up, pick up,” Lin murmured as she heard the phone ringing.

-------------

Unbeknownst to her, the raucous cacophony made by a drunk Sokka, Bumi and Kya drowned out other noises within Aang’s house.

Rolling his eyes as he saw Bumi throwing back a large tankard, Tenzin decided to retreat to his bedroom to bid his time before going home to Lin. There was no way he would allow himself to be dragged into Sokka’s drinking game, which was likely to happen should they see him crossing the threshold to glide away. With a highly skilled waterbender in said drinking group, he did not want to take any risks of possibly being pulled into the ocean at this late hour.

-------------

With fatigue eventually overcoming him, Tenzin barely felt the mattress shifting nor did he feel the bed dip with the weight of another person joining him. He sighed sleepily as he curled closer to the source of warmth beside him.

-------------

Note: Hello to my lone reader! So here’s my trial in creating a Linzin fanfic (cross-posted in archiveofourown too). I’m hesitant to post something online but it felt nice to share it with you. Not sure if this plot has already been done, or if this is a familiar trope already, but just the same I’ll be posting it here as I’ve started to rediscover the fandom recently. I’ve been fascinated by the Linzin pairing and I wanted to give it a shot. There was something very poignant about them and while I’m a sucker for angst, I wanted to try to give it a try to give them a happy ending. This is also non-canon compliant, obviously. Let me know what you think! 😊

Other chapters here:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

#linzin #linzin fanfic #lin beifong #tenzin #legend of korra #lok #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina adversity

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jaxsteamblog · 3 years

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Cherry Blossoms

Click here to read the entire fic on AO3

For dinner, the family stayed in the large estate near to the village. The festival had attracted the Air Nomads for years, and this time they brought along the workers from the oilrig for a well-earned reprieve. All that meant Katara and Zuko couldn’t always be out in public or else they’d be swarmed.

And Katara wasn’t keen on getting attacked or kidnapped again, especially when she was in such a good mood.

“So what do you think of the festivities, Zuko?” Malina asked as she and Hakoda brought out large platters of food. Sokka followed after them with a covered tureen that still couldn’t contain the smell of seaprune stew.

“It’s been amazing. I have a weakness for festivals like this though.” Zuko replied.

“The kind that won’t piss off the spirits if you do them wrong, you mean?” Sokka asked, setting the tureen down on the table.

Katara leaned over and plucked off the lid, breathing in the steam. It smelled right for once.

“Who made this?” She asked, looking around. Hakoda opened his mouth but, looking past her, quickly shut it.

“It’s Gran-Gran’s recipe, Kat. Don’t worry.” Sokka interjected, picking up a ladle and slopping a generous scoop into a bowl. She narrowed her eyes at him but took it.

“Do you have a favorite festival?” Suki asked.

“Does it have to be Fire Nation?” Zuko asked in return.

“No?” Suki looked confused and Zuko leaned over to look in Katara’s bowl.

“I only ask because my favorite is an Earth Kingdom one. But I do have one I like a lot in Caldera.” He said and started pulling the bowl. Katara shoved it over and returned to the tureen.

“Let’s hear the favorite.” Suki said.

“I can’t remember what it’s called because I only got to see it when I was a kid.” Zuko started, picking up a spoon. “I must’ve been really young because my cousin was…”

Zuko smiled sadly and focused on the seaprune stew.

“Anyway, my mother had taken Azula and I to visit my uncle and a festival was going on when we got there. My cousin took my sister and I out to attend, and it was a lot of fun. The cherry blossoms were in peak bloom and there were picnics and tea; I knew it was probably my uncle’s favorite festival too.

“But at night, the town had set up these lights under the trees and you could walk around this garden looking at them. When the sun had fully set, other lights went on and they made sculptures with them. It blew my tiny little mind.” Zuko explained.

“So, a colony.” Hakoda said.

Katara sat up, but Zuko nodded.

“Yes.” He answered and looked back at Hakoda.

“I think,” Malina said slowly, resting her hand on Hakoda’s arm. “We can all appreciate what Zuko went through to end up here with us.”

Hakoda looked at Katara’s face and grumbled.

“My favorite is Avatar Day.” Suki stated, loudly clattering food onto a plate. Katara relaxed, rolling her eyes.

“We’re lucky Thuy’s not here.” Zuko said.

“That’d only be a problem if Katara said it was her favorite.” Sokka corrected.

“Oh for sure.” Suki said, drawing out her accent for effect. “Zuko can never leave Katara or else Thuy will smack him down.”

“Like she did his dad.” Sokka quipped and Zuko burst with a laugh.

“What’s your favorite festival, Sokka?” Malina asked.

“Love Day.” Suki and Katara shouted together and started laughing. Sokka groaned with loud exaggeration and Malina laughed lightly.

“I don’t like most festivals if they have fireworks. Those bug me.” He did say, tearing his flatbread into shreds.

“I like the solstice stuff. I get a kick out of how serious everyone gets when in reality they’re talking about Yue and my bratty sister.” He said finally and Katara launched a seaprune at him.

“What about you, Malina? Hakoda?” Zuko asked.

“Anything with good food is the best in my opinion.” Hakoda answered gruffly.

“Mine is similar to Zuko’s, actually. But I lived in the northern part of the Earth Empire and I think what you were talking about is in the south.” Malina said.

“Cherry blossoms bloom all the way up there?” Zuko questioned.

“Not natively, but for a long time the trees were a common gift the kings would send to each other. You can find them dotted all over capitals but only in the south are they everywhere.” Malina explained.

“They’re really something.” Zuko said.

“Oh yes. They reminded me of the North Pole, or at least, how my parents talked about the North Pole.” Malina said in a rush.

“Flowers?” Zuko asked.

“What about them?” Sokka snapped.

“How are they at all like the North Pole?” Zuko asked, bewildered.

Sokka looked over and met Malina’s eye, making Katara frown.

“I mean, have you actually looked at snow?” Sokka asked, turning to Zuko.

“You are clearly Piandao’s favorite.” Zuko murmured and Sokka scoffed.

“My parents would always talk about the North Pole when it snowed. Maliq and I would go crazy seeing how little it snowed inside Ba Sing Se, and how quickly the snowplows would come through.” Malina laughed and tapped Hakoda’s arm. “We were not prepared for coming back home.”

“Did you know that some places pickle cherry blossoms and make tea out of it?” Sokka asked and Zuko choked on his soup.

“Oh spirits what.” Sokka croaked.

Katara patted Zuko’s back and shrugged.

“Apparently it’s a wedding sort of tea and Iroh gave it to Zuko and me a while back.” She said.

“I was trying so hard not throw myself at you at that point too.” Zuko said, wiping his eyes.

“Excuse me?” Hakoda interrupted sharply and Malina snorted.

“Well, turns out you’re married by swamp standards so we should probably go pick up some more.” Sokka said.

“Excuse me?” Hakoda repeated.

“We have to get married before them, really.” Suki said, looking at Sokka.

“We should probably elope then, because at this rate they’ll be married twice over.” He said.

“Now hold on…” Hakoda leaned over the table and Zuko put his arm around Katara.

“We’re going backwards through the Avatar cycle. We just have to figure out which temple Aang was born at so we can get hitched there.” He said.

“No.” Hakoda said firmly, and everyone turned to him. “Both of my children are getting married in the South Pole.”

“Dad, we were just kidding.” Sokka said.

Hakoda sighed and leaned back.

“I know.” He said.

“And Suki and I are getting married in Kyoshi.” Sokka added.

Hakoda sputtered and even Katara turned to stare at Sokka. Her brother took Suki’s hand and stared down at their rings.

“I hate being in the Poles.” He said softly.

“What?” Hakoda and Katara shouted.

“O-kay.” Zuko stood up, jostling the table. “I’m taking Sokka to show me the penguins.”

“I can fight my own battles!” Sokka protested, but Suki also stood and the two of them grabbed either of his shoulders.

“I love you man, but I am trying to keep my future wife and father-in-law from hating my guts.” Zuko muttered as he and Suki started dragging him out of the room.

“That’s not my problem! Hey wait the stairs guys wai-” Sokka’s voice was cut off by the sound of chaotic thudding.

“So, Katara, what do you want to do for your birthday?” Malina asked.

Katara lowered her face into her hands and groaned.

“Cherry blossoms, huh?” Katara asked, laying on her back and looking up at Zuko.

Zuko’s long hair acted like a curtain as he propped himself over her. He was doing what he normally did when they were able to sleep together; trying to see which parts of her were ticklish as he lightly kissed her.

“They’re pretty.” He said with his lips against her shoulder.

“And very dainty.” Katara added.

“I’m not in love with cherry blossoms, Katara.” Zuko murmured, moving down to her collarbone.

“I’m just saying.”

“And I’m just saying. Though it would be nice to see you in a bath with some cherry blossoms. Seeing them stick to your skin.” Zuko laid himself on her and went back to her neck. “Mmmmm.”

“You just constantly run hot don’t you?” Katara said with a laugh threading through her words.

“You should have seen me as a young man.” Zuko said, pushing himself up to look directly at her. “And when I was plagued with thoughts of a very mysterious spirit.”

“You’re still a young man.” Katara retorted, putting her hands on his chest.

“Did you ever think of me?” Zuko asked.

“The Blue Spirit?”

“Yeah.”

Katara paused then, trying to recollect. Her memory was shoddy at best, and some events were warped by time and trauma.

She remembered her first kiss with Haru before staging a prison break to rescue his father. She remembered seeing Yue in the moonlight and knew love and heartbreak in the same moment as she saw Sokka’s face. She remembered digging her nails into Jet as if she could mold him into something else.

And she remembered the vigilante that she could never figure out.

“I used to dream about running into you over and over again in the war. We’d fight the same villains, we’d tease each other because we are always suspicious, and you would unmask yourself while proclaiming your eternal love for me.” Katara said.

“Funny, I always imagined the same thing.” Zuko said.

“I would never have unmasked.” Katara scoffed.

“There’d be no need.” Zuko said with a smile and then lowered himself again. “I told you that you sweat your stripes off.”

“Zuko!”

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#zutara #fanfiction #jax writes #modern au #the fic that prompts built #zutara month 2021

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winterknight1087 · 4 years

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Flower from the Fae (ch 8)

Chapter Title: The Proper Response Was to Laugh, Not Scold!

Summary: Virgil likes plants, but when he goes to investigate a plant his friend, Remy, tells him about, he doesn’t exactly check out the plant. Little does he know that the handsome man he meets there is a fairy who is about to challenge the world Virgil knows.

Word Count: 1260

Chapter Warnings: Sympathetic Deceit, Sympathetic Remus, cursing, mention of a drunk, sword mention

Chapter Pairings: Minor Demus; Minor Sleep/Picani

AO3 Link My Writing

A/N: this is chapter 8, so read the first chapter here!

“So, let me get this straight,” Dee said, using his fork as if checking things off on some invisible list in front of him. “Some drunk guy came to rant on the hill you were stargazing from. He called you a peasant several times while pretending to be some pompous prince. Then, he essentially threw a gauntlet–or a glove in his case–at you, challenging you to a sword duel, which your dumb, gay ass decided to accept? AND you didn’t call us to pick your dumb ass up immediately afterward?”

Virgil felt like his face was on fire but nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Have you lost your ever man-loving, gay-ass mind?”

“I’ve been asking myself that since it happened.”

“Remus, did you happen to escape Dee’s cuddles to pull some prank on VeeVee?” Emile asked.

“Mmmmmmmm” Remus hummed. “Nopity-nope. Too bland to be me. Plus, leave my precious serpentine love here freezing! Nopity-nope!”

“Rat man is right, it’s too vanilla for it to have been him. Plus, we’ve all been on the receiving side of Dee’s cuddles. Remus wouldn’t have been able to escape, even if he wanted to.” Remy stated.

“Yes, I am absolutely some touch-starved, cold-blooded snake that insists on always being given affection.” Dee sarcastically muttered.

“Glad you have finally admitted it, but we were not discussing your hunt for warmth. We’re discussing Virgil being a dummy.” Remy grinned at the unamused man.

“Guys, aren’t you all being a little harsh in this conversation with our young air-bender here?”

Dee and Remy glanced at each other before Dee said, “You be Sokka and I’ll be post-Western Air Temple Zuko?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Remy answered before looking back at Virgil.

“Oooooh, who am I?” Remus asked, happily.

“King Bumi” The two answered, without even glancing at the other.

“Uh, not what I meant?” Emile commented.

“Oh, hush, Uncle Iroh,” Dee said before he and Remy got started on roasting Virgil.

For his part, Virgil accepted the roasting, understanding that he kind of deserved it. Emile excused himself from the table for a few minutes before coming back with two small pieces of paper. He passed one to Remus, whispering something to him. Together, they shoved the pieces into their partner’s face.

“In the name of the Order of the White Lotus, we deem it our responsibility to take over the adult responsibilities of scolding the young avatar,” Emile announced, grinning.

“Did you really go and draw two Lotus flowers?” Remy asked.

“… maybe?”

Remy blinked as their internal “I Love Emile” alarm repeatedly went off. “Alright, fine. I’ll lay off the case, this time. Just because you’re cute.”

“Alright, guess it’s Uncle Iroh and King Bumi’s turn,” Virgil commented. “Let’s get this scolding over with.”

Emile shrugged. “Don’t get into a literal sword fight with some random person you think is drunk. Now, how about a nice cup of jasmine tea?”

“That’s it? Really?” Dee looked unimpressed.

“You and Sokka covered everything, so I’m now in search of a nice cup of jasmine tea and a game of Pai Sho.”

“So, anyone else has any sort of news?” Virgil asked, trying to turn attention away from him.

Remus giggled. “DeeDee’s heat arrived two days ago and he loves it more than me!”

Dee went bright red before stuttering out an “I do not.”

They finished breakfast shipping Dee with Remus and his new heat lamp and cracking jokes that at least it was better than accepting a midnight duel with a stranger. Once breakfast was over, the group went their separate ways. Remy and Emile dropped Virgil and his stuff off before heading home for their traditional weekend cartoon binge. For a moment, as he put away his telescope, Virgil imagined Dee kissing Remus then kissing his lamp, sending the man into a laughing fit.

He decided that he was going to try a do-over of a recharge day. Thankfully for him, the day went better than yesterday. The store that he got his greenhouse stuff from even called to let him know that they had a single hose in stock and were holding it for him. He got his greenhouse back in proper working order and that was great.

The cherry on top? When Virgil checked his mailbox, he found an official letter approving his request to transfer the Ixia from its current home into his greenhouse. Virgil filed it away with the other official acceptances, happy with how today went.

He went to bed and forced himself to get up early in order to head to the hill. Walking, Virgil decided that he wasn’t going to freak Lo and Pat out about the weird thing that had happened the night before. They seemed to like him well enough; he didn’t need them thinking that he had gone mad. He also didn’t need to tell it and have either of them giving him the same lecture that Dee and Remy gave him. Plus, after the roasting his friends gave him, he didn’t feel the story was as hilarious anymore.

Pat was already there softly singing to the flowers with a twittering bird chirping along. He smiled up at Virgil as the purple-haired man moved over but didn’t stop singing. Virgil didn’t know the song he was singing, but hummed along, which made the man smile brighter than the rising sun.

“That was so cool!” Patton squealed once he finished the song. “You have a really pretty voice, Anxie!”

“Nothing compared to yours,” Virgil answered, before realizing that he just said that aloud!

Patton blushed. “Thanks.”

“So, I finally heard back about the Ixia. The request was approved.” Virgil said, quickly.

“Oh! That’s… uh… great?”

Virgil looked over the other, who suddenly had lost the smile. “Pat, what’s wrong? Did you change your mind about having it moved?”

“No, no, it’s not that.” He answered.

Virgil sat and offered the other an arm, which Patton accepted for cuddles immediately. “Then, what’s up? I don’t want my bestest friendo upset.”

“It’s just silly, you don’t need to worry about it. It’s fine, really.”

“Pat,” Virgil said gently. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but I can see that you’re upset about something.”

“I’m just worried that once you have the Ixia in your greenhouse, I won’t get to see you as much anymore,” Pat whispered.

“Oh… well, you can stop worrying about that, Pat. I tend to cling to the handful of friends I have.” Virgil grinned. “Or, realistically accept my fate as Dee’s cuddle buddy for however long he clings onto me.”

Pat giggled. “Can I ask something then?”

“What’s up?”

“Is Anx your real name? LoLo told Ro and me that was what you introduced yourself as, but it seems like an odd name.”

Virgil blinked, thinking back to the day he met Lo. “Huh, I don’t think I did ever say my name. It’s Virgil. Most people just call me Anx or a couple go with Vee, so I didn’t realize…”

“I like that name. I don’t think we gave you our full names either! Lo is Logan or to the meanies at his work call him Logic. I’m Patton!”

Virgil grinned as he stuck out his hand. “Well, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Patton. And a pleasure to become so close of friends that we only knew nicknames of each other before real names.”

Patton was giggling as he accepted the other’s hand. “And you thought we couldn’t become friends!”

“Glad I was wrong,” Virgil agreed, laughing.

Next Chapter

Taglist: @that-one-nb-kid, @hufflepuffxfox

#Flower from the Fae #sympathetic deceit #deceit #sympathetic remus #remus #sword #tw cursing #Sage writes

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