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reinerispretty · 3 years

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reminiscence. (? x f!reader) pt10

hello!!!!!! we r back with another edition of this fic hehe. thank u all for ur support, i appreciate u so much! it’s also five am and i am not even tired so rip.

also!! who do u think reader should end up with? i have it decided but i’m willing to hear reasoning and perhaps be persuaded ;)

pt1

pt9

pt11

“So, where do we find this Iroh guy?” Mako asked.

“You think he has any relation to General Iroh?” Bolin questioned. “I mean, how many Iroh’s can there really be, y’know?”

“He’s Iroh as in, Zuko and Iroh,” Korra informed them, and Bolin let out a shocked gasp. While she was nervous about getting her memories back, (Y/N) would definitely be grateful not to be absolutely lost when things were discussed.

A Republic City winter was nothing compared to a South Pole winter. (Y/N) was cold while she slept, cold while she moved, cold while she stood still! Korra’s mom had her wrapped up in so many different coats, furs, and blankets that she waddled while she walked. “How are you okay right now?” She asked Korra as they walked to breakfast together. “I feel like my nose is going to fall off.”

Korra looked back and flashed her a smile. “It’s all I’ve ever known! You just kind of get used to it.” (Y/N) frowned. She couldn’t imagine ever getting used to weather like this.

As they sat and ate their breakfast--(Y/N) tried to eat, but the layers made it hard to bend her elbows--they discussed their plan for the day. Led by Tonraq, they would travel by snowmobile to the Spirit World Portal. It was a long trip, so they would have to camp for the night, but the next day they would be trekking through the Spirit World looking for answers. “It’s warm there,” Korra said, nudging (Y/N) with her elbow. She smiled gratefully.

She decided to ride on the back of Korra’s snowmobile. Bolin would be on the back of Asami’s and while Mako also had his own, (Y/N) wasn’t sure if she wanted to have her arms wrapped around him for the entire trip, especially when they hadn’t discussed the things that happened between them. Her and Mako hadn’t discussed things at all, really. She knew they were on better terms since the first time they met, but he was so guarded and she was so scared that anything Mako had to say to her, she might not want to hear.

So, she waddled over to Korra’s snowmobile. “Mind if I ride with you?” She asked as Korra secured their supplies.

“Not at all!” Korra said, her face lighting up. Then she cleared her throat and turned her eyes back to tying knots. “Just be sure you hold on tight, okay?” (Y/N) nodded, managing a joking salute.

She wrapped her arms around Korra’s middle as tightly as she could, but it must not have been enough because as soon as Korra hit the gas, (Y/N) was flung off, landing on her back in the snow. She let out a shout of surprise, followed by a groan as she opened her eyes and saw Korra staring down at her. She wore a humored smile on her face. “I told you to hold on tight!”

“I was!” (Y/N) insisted as Korra helped her get back to her feet. She pulled some rope from their side pouch and wrapped it around (Y/N’s) waist, then tied it to her own.

“We do this for little kids sometimes, so they don’t get lost in the snow.” (Y/N) narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her. Korra laughed at the childishness and helped her get back on the snowmobile. Then they were off, (Y/N) much more secured this time around.

As they rode through the snowy hills, (Y/N) leaned her head on Korra’s back, taking in the sights of the Southern Water Tribe. Far out where the sea was, icy glaciers poked through the inky waters, shimmering against the sunlight. Everything was rather sparkly; if (Y/N) looked at the snow for too long her eyes felt sore. She turned her head and waved a gloved hand at Bolin, who gave her a thumbs up from his position behind Asami.

Sometimes, when she looked at Bolin, it physically hurt her heart. She knew it was some sort of physical reaction, something her body remembered that her head didn’t. The feeling increased when he had referred to them as being friends. There was nothing wrong with being friends, in fact she supposed that was better than any other alternative, but even now she had always thought there was something more between them. Perhaps she had interpreted everything wrong. There was a giant piece of her memory missing, after all, and all she knew was that she had really messed up Bolin when she had left. It was probably better if they were just friends. Bolin was great and she didn’t want to lose him a second time.

Their ride was so long that (Y/N) had eventually fallen asleep against Korra’s back, only to be awoken by the snowmobile coming to a jolted stop. She awoke and squeaked in fear, gripping on tighter to Korra.

“Sorry!” She said. “I’ve never been really good at breaking.”

“You’re going to tell me that after I spent hours on a giant metal deathtrap with you?” (Y/N) huffed.

“It wasn’t that bad considering you were snoring into my back,” Korra quipped, quickly turning herself around so she could untie them. “You sounded like a lion turtle.”

“I don’t even know what that is, but I’m sure you’re wrong.” (Y/N) slid off the snowmobile and began untying the packs.

“Lion turtles used to carry cities on their backs and bestow the gift of bending to humans occasionally.”

“Think we’ll find one in the Spirit World to grant me some powers?” (Y/N) asked. “What element do you think I’d bend? I think fire’s pretty cool but-”

“Oh, you’d be an airbender for sure,” Korra said as she hoisted two packs onto her back. (Y/N’s) face lit up.

“Really! Why do you think that? Is it because of my calm and collected nature?”

“It’s because you talk so much,” Korra explained. “You’re constantly bending air with your mouth.” She booped (Y/N) on the nose before making her way to the rest of the group.

“You’re hilarious! (Y/N) called after her, gathering her own packs onto her back. “Why don’t you stop being the Avatar and become a comedian instead!”

They set up their tents and made fire, which was easy work considering two out of the six people in the party were firebenders. As soon as (Y/N) finished her tasks she sat in front of the fire. She was probably too close, but she didn’t care. It’s warmth, albeit small, made her feel just a smidge less cold than she had been, and she’d take it. The rest of their group soon joined her, Asami sitting on one side and Korra sitting on the other. She appreciated the girls protecting her from any awkwardness that could potentially ensue from being near the boys.

“I’m thinking when we get to the Spirit World, we’ll try our luck at finding Iroh,” Korra explained. “He’s always got spirits around him, maybe one of them will know who took (Y/N’s) memories.”

“And if they don’t?” Mako questioned. “We can’t just wander around the Spirit World hoping for some clue.”

“Maybe I’ll start remembering again,” (Y/N) suggested. “Like when Bolin took me to the spot where we met. I got that memory back.”

“You also threw up and passed out from that,” Asami reminded her. (Y/N) pursed her lips.

“I can handle it,” (Y/N) reassured them. “At this point, I’ll do whatever it takes to get my memories back.”

“The Spirit World is magnificent, but it’s also dangerous,” Tonraq said. Night had fallen, and his face was illuminated only by the fire. “They might not be happy to see humans there, especially after what happened last time.”

“I’m the Avatar,” Korra said. “They have to at least listen to me.”

“I just want you all to be careful. Whatever took (Y/N’s) memories has to be powerful. Maybe dangerous.”

“We’ll be careful, Dad,” Korra reassured her father. Tonraq trusted his daughter’s abilities, that was obvious, but the worry he held for her was still evident on his features. (Y/N) swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. She hadn’t really considered that this could be a dangerous mission. If she was being honest, she had never really thought this far ahead. She had spent every day maneuvering around the different dynamics of the four friends, making sure that she didn’t overstep her boundaries or create unnecessary problems. She hadn’t considered what would be waiting for them on the other side of the Spirit Portal, or that the people she had grown to cherish would be put in danger for her sake.

Asami passed around their food and (Y/N) ate silently, considering this information. Her friends talked around her, but she was so distracted that their comments went in one ear and out the other. Once she finally zoned back in, it was just her, Korra, and Mako sitting around the fire.

Korra let out a big yawn, stretching her arms. “I’m absolutely beat,” She said. “I think I’m gonna turn in. You coming?” (Y/N) shook her head.

“I think I’ll stay near the warmth just a little longer.” Korra nodded and gave them a sloppy salute as she waded through the snow and to the tent she shared with Asami and (Y/N). It was just her and Mako now.

She stared at the flames of the fire and how they danced in the cold night air. Should she say something to Mako? This was the first time they had been alone together and neither of them had immediately made up somewhere else they needed to be. They’d be heading to the Spirit World tomorrow, so if there was any time for them to communicate, it should be now.

(Y/N) adjusted her coat, huddling further inside it. “Want me to make it bigger?” Mako asked, and (Y/N) nearly jumped, surprised to hear him talking to her. She looked at him, eyes wide and not quite understanding what he was talking about. “The fire, you want me to make it bigger?”

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” She said. Mako stared at her for a moment before making the fire larger and while she had said she hadn’t wanted that, (Y/N) was grateful. It was so hard to be straightforward with Mako sometimes, because of the way he jumbled her brain. It was like she didn’t even recognize herself when she was around him anymore. Before, only one emotion accompanied being around Mako, and that was anger. Now, (Y/N) felt a whole range of emotions when she looked at his amber eyes. “I think we should talk,” She said finally, wincing at how small her voice sounded.

“I think so too,” And he gave her a half smile. (Y/N) nodded, but both of them remained silent. How should she start? How did people even communicate properly? Perhaps the thing (Y/N) was most excited about getting her memories back was how to talk to people normally. She felt so awkward!

“Why’d you kiss me?” She asked suddenly, her face heating from embarrassment. Mako’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead.

“Oh,” He coughed. “I mean, well, it’s a little--it’s like--” (Y/N) couldn’t help giggling. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing!” She insisted, biting down her smile. “You just...you seem so tough and confident and aloof sometimes that it’s funny to see you act so...”

“Embarrassing?” He guessed. (Y/N) shook her head.

“Normal?” She tilted her head and shrugged. “You don’t always have to wear this tough guy act, you know.”

“It’s not an act,” Mako insisted, but he and (Y/N) exchanged a look that had them both stifling back their laughter. “Maybe sometimes. People believe you’re tough if you act like it. Keeps you from getting your stuff stolen when you’re sleeping in a gutter.”

“You grew up on the streets?” (Y/N) guessed. Mako nodded.

“Sometimes I forget what you know and what you don’t.”

“Me too, if we’re being honest.” They paused into a silence that wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, just full of anticipation. “They teach you how to dodge questions on the streets, too?”

Mako sighed, running a hand through his black hair. “It’s not easy for me to explain stuff like this. Bolin’s the one that can talk about emotions and feelings.”

(Y/N) smiled. “Bolin can talk about anything.”

“When we were arguing on that balcony, I wasn’t just angry at you for being here. You hurt Bolin a long time ago, but watching you be with my brother and knowing that I could never be with you...that hurt, too. You were so close to me that night and something inside of me said I should kiss you and once the idea popped into my head, I couldn’t get it out. I think I hoped that once I did it, it’d be some sort of release. Like a way to get it all out so I’d stop feeling like that.”

“Was it?”

Mako looked directly into her eyes. Normally, his gaze would make (Y/N) feel weird and she would have to look away. She couldn’t bring herself to do that tonight.

“Not at all,” He admitted. “I thought I had gotten over you once you disappeared, but once you came back it all hit me full force.”

(Y/N) thought for a moment about what she wanted to say. Then, she took a deep breath. “I don’t have any memories to base my feelings off of. But there are certain things, feelings, that I remember that I can’t place. They’re just there.” She placed a hand over her heart. “It happens when I look at Bolin. I remember feelings, like sadness and regret, but I don’t know why. It’s overwhelming sometimes, discerning emotions. The things that I feel for Bolin, they’re like past feelings that I’m remembering. Kind of.” She squinted her eyes shut. She wasn’t sure if she was explaining this right, but she was trying her best. “But when I look at you, now that the anger has subsided, I feel things now. Being around you feels nice and when you talk to me, I feel very...light and relieved. I can barely hold your gaze without blushing, and--and I think about you. A lot more than a friend should, I think.”

“But,” She continued. “I don’t have all of my memories back. I don’t know how or why I left and I don’t know if things will change once I do.”

“I get it,” Mako said. “As much as someone with memories can.” (Y/N) gave him a small smile. “And I don’t want to confuse you even more, because I’m sure being around Bolin is confusing enough as it is.”

“You have no idea,” (Y/N) breathed.

“I’m glad I told you. Almost two years and I finally admitted to my brother’s ex-girlfriend that I had a crush on her the whole time. This is a big day for me.”

“The whole time?” (Y/N) questioned. “When did you realize that you liked me?”

“I think Kya told us that we couldn’t share too much about the past with you, or else you might lose your memories forever?” (Y/N) pouted. “Fine, but if you can’t get your memories back, don’t blame me.” The wind picked up over them and he scooted closer to her so that he wouldn’t have to shout over it.

“Aye-aye, Captain,” (Y/N) said, giving a small salute. She rested her chin in the palm of her glove in order to pay attention.

“There was this one time when you got to our place. Bolin wasn’t there yet, I think he was out performing tricks with Pabu. It was cold outside, one of the coldest days Republic City had had in a while. You came in and you were like an icicle. You were shaking and had forgotten your coat and decided to walk halfway across the city to our place. I gave you a blanket and one of Bolin’s coats, but your hands were still like ice, so I used a little firebending to warm them up.” Mako remembered the feeling of your hands completely encased in his. “I held your hands for a while, until they were warm enough. I got up to leave for work and you grabbed my hand and pulled me back down onto the couch. You said, ‘Stay, Mako! I love having you around.’ So, I stayed. We talked all day until Bolin got home, and I ended up losing that job, but spending that time with you made it all worth it.”

(Y/N) sat silently for a long while before saying, “I’m sorry for making you lose your job.”

Mako laughed. “It’s cool,” He said. “I wasn’t a very good delivery boy anyway.”

(Y/N) pulled off her gloves, exposing her hands to the cold winter air. “Do you think you could...?” She offered her hands to Mako. He gave her a small smile and nodded, removing his own gloves and taking her hands in his. (Y/N) let out a happy sigh of relief at the feeling of warmth that emanated from his skin.

“I’m sorry for being so mean to you at first,” Mako said. “I just didn’t want Bolin to get hurt again.”

“I understand,” She said quietly. “I’d probably do the same if I were you.” Cautiously, she leaned her head on Mako’s shoulder. They sat like that for a long while, staring at the fire as Mako held her hands in his. While she was probably even more confused about her emotions than before, part of her hoped that whatever happened in the Spirit World wouldn’t change how she was feeling right now. She wanted to see where this could go.

---

Once the cold became too much for either of them to bear, Mako and (Y/N) parted ways. Korra and Asami were fast asleep when she entered their tent and slid into her sleeping bag. She fell asleep quickly, her hands still warm, but it felt like she was asleep for only moments when Korra shook her awake in the morning.

“One more hour,” (Y/N) grumbled, rolling over to avoid Korra’s gaze. The Avatar scoffed.

“I already let you sleep in as late as possible!” She gently kicked (Y/N’s) butt. “Up! Spirit World today, woohoo!” A very groggy (Y/N) reluctantly left the warmth of her sleeping bag. The early morning sun was absolutely blinding as she walked out of the tent. (Y/N) let out an unhappy grumble.

“Tea?” Asami offered, handing (Y/N) a thermos. (Y/N) smiled gratefully at her and took a long sip of the beverage, feeling it warm her from the inside out.

“Thank you so much!” (Y/N) said. “I needed that.”

“You were up pretty late,” Asami said, giving her a knowing smile. “Any particular reason?” (Y/N) shrugged playfully as she loaded her sleeping bag onto Korra’s snowmobile.

“Mako and I finally talked.”

“And? How’d that go?” Asami glanced over at Mako’s who sleepily nodded at whatever Bolin was excitedly saying to him. (Y/N) lightly slapped her friend’s arm.

“Don’t stare!” She laughed. “It went fine. We talked about our feelings, actually.” Asami’s eyes widened in excitement and she opened her mouth to say something, but (Y/N) cut her off. “And while there are some feelings there, I told him how until I got my memories back, nothing could be certain.”

Asami hummed in approval. “Seems like a good resolution.”

“What’s a good resolution?” Korra came over to tie her own belongings to the snowmobile.

“Mako and (Y/N) finally talked about their kiss.”

“Woah!” Korra exclaimed. “Are you guys dating now?”

“I’m missing like seventy-five percent of my memories and you think we’d be dating?” (Y/N) snipped. Korra shrugged.

“I don’t know what goes on in your head!”

“Like I told Asami, it was a good conversation. We talked about our feelings but I said that until I got my memories back, nothing could be done. I mean, what if I get them back and there was actually a non-Spirit World reason for why I was so awful to Bolin?” (Y/N) shook her head. “I was honest about how I felt and I think that’s good progress.”

“You know Korra,” Asami started. “Weren’t you telling me yesterday how much your bag hurt from having (Y/N) hold onto you?”

“What? No?” Korra said, furrowing her dark brows. Asami elbowed her sharply in the side.

“Remember? You said she held on too tight? Don’t you think that today you should ride on the snowmobile by yourself, since you’ll need to be at your best Avatar abilities in the Spirit World?”

“I know what you guys are doing and I’m having absolutely none of it!” (Y/N) insisted. “I’m riding with Korra, end of story.”

“Oh, I see what’s happening here,” Korra said. She placed her hands on her lower back. “Oh, yep, there’s definitely a tough knot there and it’s all (Y/N’s) fault. I don’t think I can ride on a snowmobile with you anymore.”

“I thought the Avatar was supposed to bring peace, but all you’re causing is chaos,” (Y/N) hissed.

“Hey, Mako!” Asami called out. Mako looked over to them, raising a questioning eyebrow as (Y/N) banged her head against the snowmobile. “Do you think (Y/N) can ride with you for today? Korra’s back is absolutely killing her.”

“Ow~!” Korra drawled dramatically.

“Uh, sure?” Mako questioned. He walked over to Korra’s vehicle and untied (Y/N’s) pack from it. “I think Tonraq said we were leaving in a few minutes, so I’ll be over there.”

“Sounds great, she’ll be right there,” Asami said.

“I’m not going,” (Y/N) said with a shake of her head.

“I thought you said it was a good conversation?” Korra questioned.

“You guys are so lucky I’m not a bender and I’m not very good at hand-to-hand combat because--” She shook her fist at both of them. “You’d be getting it!” She stomped over to Mako, a frown etched on her face.

“Everything alright?” He asked. She let the frown fade from her face.

“Everything’s fine,” She said with a sigh. “Korra and Asami are just being big pains.”

“Don’t I know it.” Mako strapped his helmet and placed (Y/N’s) on top of her head, buckling it underneath her chin. He then tied a rope that connected the two of them, as Korra had done yesterday. “Safety first,” He said with a smile. (Y/N) felt her face flush as he helped her onto the snowmobile. Shyly, she wrapped her arms around his middle, and then they were off toward the Spirit World Portal.

This trip was much shorter than the previous day’s. The portal was only an hour or two away from where they had camped. While (Y/N) was surprised that they had arrived so soon, there was no doubt that they were there, as the portal was a beam of warm yellow light that shot into the sky. It lay in the middle of the woods, only accessible by foot.

They parked their snowmobiles on the outskirts of the woods. Tonraq began setting up his tent; they had agreed that someone should stay behind with a radio just in case anything went wrong and they needed backup. But to (Y/N’s) surprise, Asami was setting up her own tent as well.

“You’re not coming with us?” She asked. Asami raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

“We agreed before you woke up this morning that someone else should stay behind with Korra’s dad to help keep watch. You obviously need to go, as does Korra, and I knew Bolin and Mako would be absolutely horrible if they had no idea what was going on inside. So, I decided to stay.”

(Y/N) frowned. While the reasoning was sound, it still made her sad that Asami wouldn’t be accompanying them on their journey. She and (Y/N) had developed a real friendship over the last few weeks. They had spent nearly all of their time together. It would be strange, not having her around.

“Be safe, okay?” (Y/N) asked, throwing her arms around Asami and squeezing her into a hug.

“You’re going into a completely new dimension and you’re telling me to be safe?” Asami laughed, but she wrapped her arms around (Y/N’s) frame and hugged tightly. “I can’t wait to hear all about your memories.” The two friends parted and (Y/N) lifted her pack onto her back.

“Ready?” Korra asked, and she, Bolin, and Mako nodded. Their group said their goodbyes to Tonraq and Asami before Korra led them into the woods.

“The last time I was here, I was frozen into a block of ice by an ex-girlfriend,” Bolin said. (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at him. “It wasn’t you! It was Korra’s cousin from the Northern Water Tribe.”

“The one with the evil dad?” (Y/N) asked.

“That’s the one!” Bolin nodded.

“This is it,” Korra said as they stopped in front of the Spirit World Portal. (Y/N) could feel its energy radiating from outside the forest, but now it was even more prominent. “Next stop, Spirit World.” She turned around to look at (Y/N), whose face looked as if she had seen a ghost. “Everything alright?”

(Y/N) nodded, gulping. “I’m okay,” She nodded again, trying to convince herself that she was speaking the truth. What if getting her memories back wasn’t necessarily a good thing? Something had blocked them out. Perhaps they had done it for her own benefit. But they had come this far, so she remained silent as she stepped through the threshold and into the Spirit World.

It was an odd feeling, transitioning between two planes. It felt like each particle of (Y/N’s) body was buzzing, until suddenly she was on the other side and staring at so many colors, some that she was sure she had never seen before. She released the breath she had been holding as she stepped through.

Indescribable beings flew overhead, cawing and cooing at them. Korra had been right: the Spirit World was significantly warmer than the South Pole. The group removed their jackets as (Y/N) took in her surroundings. Currently, they stood in the middle of a rocky wasteland, but patches of flowers and grass popped up here and there. In the middle stood a gnarled tree with a hollowed out middle.

“That’s the Tree of Time,” Korra explained. “That’s where the first Avatar had imprisoned Vaatu, the dark spirit that I defeated a month ago. His energy made this part of the Spirit World a wasteland, but it’s healing.”

“It’s beautiful,” (Y/N) breathed, and Korra smiled. Their group walked across the barren land to the greener parts of the Spirit World. Butterfly-like animals flittered around them as they walked and Korra explained her many trips to this place. Mako and Bolin had been here as well, although they had never been further than the Tree of Time. That helped (Y/N) feel less out of place.

“So, where do we find this Iroh guy?” Mako asked.

“You think he has any relation to General Iroh?” Bolin questioned. “I mean, how many Iroh’s can there really be, y’know?”

“There it is!” Korra exclaimed, and then she started running. The others dashed behind her, not quite sure of where she was going, until a small house appeared seemingly out of nowhere and they were right in front of it. A small tea party of spirits and one human sat at a table in the garden.

“Korra!” The old man exclaimed. “Welcome back! We were just about to start afternoon tea.” He peaked behind her at her friends. “And you brought company! The more the better, I think I have some extra teacups in the house.”

“Hi, Iroh,” Korra said. “We really appreciate it, but we don’t really have time--” But the old man was already headed inside his house. When he returned, he held four additional teacups and a bright smile on his face.

“Sit, sit,” He insisted. Korra looked to (Y/N), who shrugged, and dropped her backpack to the ground and took a seat. If having tea was what she needed to do in order to get her memories back, then she would do it. “You!” Iroh said as he placed (Y/N’s) teacup in front of her. “I’ve heard many things about you. Welcome back.”

“Back?” (Y/N) questioned, looking at her friends. “I’ve been here before?”

“You are (Y/N), yes?” She nodded. “When Korra first visited me to ask about you, I did not know much.” He placed a hand to the side of his mouth. “Spirits are horrible gossips sometimes, and I did not want to lead the Avatar on a path different from the one you must take. But I have asked many a visitor about you and they have all said the same thing: you were here, not too long ago, but you were here for a while.”

“Why was she here?” Mako questioned before (Y/N) could. Iroh sighed as he poured their tea.

“Whatever the reason, it was not good. Many of my friends say they saw her enter the dark part of our realm and she did not leave for a long time.”

“It’s true!” One of the spirits interjected, an oddly blue wolf. “I saw you months ago with my own four eyes. You looked nothing like you do now. You came through the portals, yeah? Last time, someone brought you here the other way.”

“You mean through meditation?” Korra asked. The spirit nodded.

“Whatever it was, something powerful had to do it. I couldn’t do nothing like that.”

“So, powerful spirit in the dark parts of the Spirit World. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but it doesn’t sound like something a good spirit would do.” (Y/N) looked to Iroh to confirm her suspicions.

“Spirits are neither good nor bad, unless we are discussing Vaatu and Raava. But there are some spirits whose motives become skewed.”

(Y/N) deflated in her seat. The spirit who had taken her memories was powerful and most likely dangerous. And if they found it, she would be leading her friends right to them.

They finished their tea with Iroh before continuing on their journey. Bolin had talked excitedly with him about his adventures with Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, whoever those people were, and Iroh gave him a Jasmine Dragon teacup to take back to the mortal realm. The entire time that they talked, (Y/N) was incredibly distracted by what Iroh had told them.

“We should go back,” (Y/N) said suddenly. All three of her friends stopped and looked at her as if she were insane.

“But, you need to get your memories back,” Bolin said.

“I’ll just start over,” She insisted. “I can start fresh. Whatever this spirit is, it isn’t good, and I don’t want to hand you guys to it on a silver platter. We’ll go back and I’ll just learn to live without my memories.”

“There are pieces of you you’ll never get back. Important memories that might have meant a lot to you. You deserve answers, (Y/N), for everything that’s happened to you.” Bolin grabbed her hands and she felt that same shock of electricity run through her body every time he touched her.

“It’s not worth it if it means you guys will get hurt.”

“Stop trying to play hero,” Mako said suddenly, his voice much harsher than it had been the night before. “If we didn’t want to be here to help you, we wouldn’t be.”

“You shouldn’t be helping me. You guys fight every day for the greater good, for the people of the world. I’m one person. You can’t get yourselves hurt over one person. This,” She gestured to the entirety of the Spirit World, but referred to their mission. “Isn’t as important than whatever is going on back in the mortal world.”

“But you’re important,” Korra said suddenly. “You’re important to Bolin and Mako and you’ve become important to Asami and I. The Avatar fights for the greater good, but as your friend, I’ll do whatever it takes so that you can feel like yourself again.”

(Y/N) felt her eyes watering. Why weren’t they getting it? “If anything happened to you guys while we’re here, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

“And if we gave up on you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself,” Bolin said. She looked up at him through watery eyes. “No matter what we’ve been through, we care about you. I care about you. And we’re going to get that dumb spirit to give your memories back.”

(Y/N) looked from him to Korra to Mako, whose head immediately turned as soon as her eyes landed on him. “Okay,” she said. “But I think this is a horrible idea.”

“I find that horrible ideas make the best stories,” Bolin said with a smile.

---

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#lok #legend of korra #korra x reader #asami x reader #mako x reader #bolin x reader #avatar #the last airbender #writing #fanfiction #korra #mako #bolin #asami

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melzula · 4 years

Text

The Blue Spirit

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

warnings: angst, mentions of blood and injuries

request: could i request a princess!readerxzuko fire lillies blurb with the blue spirit ?

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

You knew better than to walk the streets of the lower ring by yourself at night, but you also knew that if you stayed another minute in that house you’d explode. Zuko’s sour mood was beginning to suffocate you, and you knew that if you didn’t give yourself the chance to cool off you’d feed right into his negativity and create a hostile environment in your new home, so you chose to excuse yourself from dinner and venture towards Miss Tai’s place in search of some company and an outsider’s perspective on your relationship troubles.

You understood that it would take Zuko some time to adjust to your new life as peasant refuges in Ba Sing Se, but sometimes it felt like he wasn’t even trying. Living in the lower ring was vastly different from the way you both grew up, but if you could get used to it then why couldn’t he? It didn’t matter what you said or did, he was constantly irritated and easily agitated and you were starting to second guess everything. Zuko would have to come to terms with his anger and shame in order to heal the years of heartache he’d endured, but the way in which he fought tooth and nail to hold onto the past had you questioning if you could ever truly have a future together. He loved you, that much you were sure of, but would you ever be enough for him? Could he stand to love you without his throne, without his father’s recognition?

“It’s a little late for you to be walking all by yourself, isn’t it?” A voice calls from the alleyway. You startle, so lost in the depths of your turmoil that you hadn’t even noticed you’d passed Miss Tai’s home and were now in a poorly lit, unsafe street. Three men appear from the shadows and just as you raise your arms to water bend a pair of hands hold your wrists in a tight grip and restrict your movements.

“Looks like we got a little water bender on our hands,” the man behind you chuckles.

“Get your hands off of me!” You protest as you thrash around in his hold. The man doesn’t budge, and a small gasp leaves your lips as you realize they’re beginning to close in on you.

“You know, you look a lot like that lost Princess they’ve been looking for,” one of the men points out. “I heard the Fire Nation would pay good money to whoever brought her in.”

“You’ve got the wrong girl,” you argue weakly, frantically glancing around in search of help. But the streets are empty, it’s too dry to pull water out of thin air, and with your hands restrained it seems you’re left completely defenseless. They’d hand you over to Azula and Ozai and then you’d be finished for sure.

“You’re close enough,” he chuckles. Tears well in your eyes at the thought of being taken away, of never getting the chance to see your family again, your home. The last memory Zuko and Iroh would have of you would be a moment full of bitterness and unhappiness before you stormed off, and you’d never get to say goodbye or express how much you cared for both of them.

“Let’s go cash in that reward,” their leader says with a smug smile, but before he can even take a single step forward he’s iswiftly swept off his feet and disarmed of his weapons by the masked assailant who stands above him. Your eyes meet the stoic face of the perpetrator and widen in recognition at the sight of him: the Blue Spirit. You always thought him to be a ghost, a fable passed between soldiers to scare fellow recruits, yet here he stood before you with his duel swords drawn at the ready. The men who hold you captive hesitate, but before you know it they charge towards your savior to attack.

You’re still kept in a tight grip by one of your captors, but you’re able to watch on in awe as the Blue Spirit fights off the thugs. His movements are quick and agile, fluid like a stream of water, and he has no trouble in scaring off his opponents until the only one left behind is the one who holds you in his grasp. You can feel the man tense, his hold loosening before he shoves you forward.

“H-Here, you can have her,” he insists. “She doesn’t even look like the Princess anyway!”

He runs off before the Blue Spirit can retaliate, leaving you alone with the mysterious stranger. You take in the silent man who stands before you, the haunting eyes of his mask seemingly staring straight into your soul, and it’s with a small gasp that you notice the trickle of blood that seeps from the gash on his bicep.

“You’re hurt,” you say, immediately reaching for his arm only for him to flinch away. A small frown plays upon your lips, your fingers cautiously extending towards him in the same manor you would approach a frightened animal, and this time he remains completely still. “Let me help you.”

There is no reply, and you take the silence as your cue to pull water from your pouch and focus it’s energy on the wound. Your eyes never leave the gash, but there’s a gentle smile on your face as you work in the comfortable silence you share with the spirit.

“Thank you,” you silently utter much to his surprise, “for saving me. I was so scared they were going to take me away from the people I love and send me off to the Fire Lord.”

Silence.

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

The Blue Spirit tilts his head at you, prompting you to laugh and causing his heart to flutter in his chest.

“Well, it’s nice to have someone who listens for once,” you note thoughtfully, your smile slowly dwindling to a frown. “That’s why I was out here in the first place. I had to get away from home because the person I love... well, he’s had a hard life, and often times he takes his anger out on others. I try to be supportive and understanding but I can only stand so much. Sometimes I wonder if he still loves me.”

It seems the Blue Spirit has heard enough due to the way he suddenly yanks his arm from your hold. The wound is healed and your life is no longer in danger, so it’s time for him to leave. Your eyes soften, almost as if you don’t want him to leave you, and a pang of guilt resonates in his chest at the sight of your disappointment. It seems he’s been disappointing you a lot as of late.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to talk so much,” you apologize. “It’s just... I don’t know, I can’t explain it, but there’s something about you that makes me feel comfortable enough to share my thoughts and my feelings, and I haven’t felt that way in a long time.”

His gloved hand reaches out to you almost hesitantly then, as if afraid he’ll hurt you, and before you can feel the touch of his fingers against your face he’s gone in a flash, leaving you all alone once again.

“Princess!” A voice calls. You turn to see a worried Iroh approaching you in a hurry, relief obvious amongst his features at the sight of you safe and sound. “Thank goodness you are alright. I was afraid something might have happened to you. It’s dangerous to be walking alone at this time of night.”

“I know, I’m sorry Iroh,” you profess quietly, eyes casted downward with guilt. The old man only smiles before gently resting a hand on your shoulder and escorting you back home.

“Let’s get you home before Zuko makes himself sick with worry,” he says with a small smile, one you return faintly before casting a glance over your shoulder. The streets are empty and your mysterious savior is nowhere to be seen; you won’t mention anything to Zuko or Iroh about what happened that night, but the memory of the Blue Spirit will stay with you forever.

~~~

Zuko watches from the rooftops as Iroh guides you back home, your curious gaze peeking behind you in search of the Blue Spirit. A part of him feels guilty for keeping this from you, for not revealing himself right away, but you had looked so peaceful in the Blue Spirit’s presence, and he hadn’t seen you smile like that since your arrival in Ba Sing Se.

How terrible of a boyfriend had he been that you had to find comfort in a stranger rather than in your own partner? Your words had struck something deep within him, and it was with a guilty heart that he made his way back home before you could notice his absence.

When you return Zuko is sitting silently at the table mulling over a cup of tea, but he rises instantly at the sight of your shaken form. Neither of you say a thing as he pulls you into his arms and buries his nose into your hair, holding you close and secure to chest.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers softly only for you to hug him even tighter.

“Me too...”

| tag list: @rainteslerrrr @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @zukh03s @taeeemin @user12345321 @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 |

#this is only her first encounter with him she sees him again later #zuko #zuko x reader #zuko imagine #prince zuko #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko imagine #zuko and the princess #blue spirit #iroh #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla x reader #atla imagine #fire lilies #forbidden lovers au #request

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gladerwolfstarkimagines · 3 years

Text

Not just a soft princess - Azula x female reader imagine: Part Three

Your relationship with Azula develops but a reality check makes you question if you are wise to trust the princess of the fire nation...

Part one here

Part two here

Part four here

Part five here

Part six here

Your POV

Since the day Azula stood up to Ozai for you things changed. You supposed word got out Azula was protecting you that’s why people started treating you better but it could also be due to Azula’s presence herself. After that night you saw a lot more of her and you weren’t complaining. She attended your lessons more frequently and even took over some portions of them herself. You got more freedom granted to you and when you were with Azula you didn’t even need a guard anymore. Thanks to the clause Azula placed in the contract there was no reason to force you and Zuko together and so you no longer dreaded all the formal occasions. Instead you were free to do as you wished at such events and that often included Azula. You found her presence comforting but also enjoyable. She was witty and clever, making you laugh with her deductions and well timed quips. You liked the proud blush that would fill her cheeks when she made you laugh and the only thing better was when she’d laugh at one of your own jokes. The way her mouth upturned into her signature smirk, how her shoulders would shake lightly and then she’d realise you were admiring her and be unable to meet your eyes for a few seconds. You’d never seen a sight so beautiful and were convinced there wasn’t anyone as beautiful as Azula, ever. You realised you’d developed more than a fondness for her when you found yourself thinking about her when she wasn’t around. The realisation made you nervous but also excited for one reason in particular. You were pretty sure the fire princess liked you too.

You were thinking about Azula as you dressed for the party that night. You had been at the fire nation for 2 months now and the constant feeling of dread and uncertainty was now more of a memory. You still missed home but it was no longer painful being here, you were adapting. That thought in mind you frowned when your maid asked you what dress you would like to wear tonight. There were dozens of beautiful options but they were all green given Ozai’s desire to make you up as a earth kingdom doll. You were sick of the colour green now and wanted to wear any other colour at this point. You’d noticed Azula constantly wore red and it always looked flattering. You couldn’t tell if that was because of Azula herself or if red was simply a flattering colour but the fire nation certainly did fashion better than the earth nation and if you were forced to live here you thought you should benefit from that. "Are there any red dresses?" you asked and the maid looked at you "red?". "Yes...i just thought as i’m part of the fire nation now maybe i could show it?". The maid smiled 'that sounds lovely princess y/n, i’ll go find one right away".

Azula’s POV

Azula stared out of the window as her father complained about some nobleman. Typically Azula would hang on her father’s every word and rush to assure him he was superior to everyone but lately her mind had been elsewhere...well it’d been on you more accurately. The truth was Azula had greatly enjoyed her time with you and found herself looking forward to the next chance she’d get to interact with you. Sure she’d had her friends Mai and Ty lee growing up but she’d never had someone she could relate to or feel solidarity with. With you Azula felt that. She’d always figured she was the exception to the typical princess role but you had made her see that was incorrect. You were smart and outspoken, you weren’t intimidated by the fire nation anymore and it showed. Your confidence seemed to grow each day and while it clearly bothered her father Azula relished in it. Despite the nation you were from, she couldn’t help but root for you and it had nothing to do with the fact your fate was tied to hers. It was because she genuinely liked and cared for you, something she’d never expected to happen.

Azula was ironically pulled out of her thoughts about you because of you.

"What is she doing?" Ozai snapped and Azula was so distracted she didn’t turn around for a few seconds. When she did her breath was knocked out of her. Her eyes were drawn to you immediately and they widened as a smile formed on her face. You were wearing her favourite shade of red and you looked amazing. The dress was simple and so was your hair and makeup but that seemed to make the effect all the more impactful, Azula remembered when she saw you back in Ba Sing Sei and how then you’d been dressed simply but still managed to look amazing. You didn’t need to dress up a diamond, it was beautiful no matter what adorned it. Azula was biased but saw this as a good sign, you had donned their colours, surely this showed your willingness to cooperate?

Her father didn’t agree. "I ordered all the maids to give her green clothing only! What use is she to us if you cannot identify her as earth kingdom royalty at a glance". Azula thought the emphasis on colour scheme a tad ridiculous but tried to appease her father "i think it is only for one night, this is good though. It seems she is showing loyalty to us". Ozai scoffed "as she should given all we’ve done for her, less of a prisoner and more of a honoured guest considering we’re housing and educating her for free". "She will get us the whole of the earth empire". "So you keep saying but so far all she has brought is Ba Sing Sei". Azula’s eye twitched. Ba Sing Sei was the biggest victory for the war in decades and was the brightest piece of the earth empire. For her father to disregard that was ludicrously idiotic but Azula knew he was just in a strop. He knew your use he was just annoyed he couldn’t exploit every drop of it at once and she was more determined than ever to prevent him for ever being able to do that to you.

Your POV

"You must've been dreadfully bored to make such a bold statement" a silky voice called and you didn’t even have to turn to know who it belonged to. Azula always found you sooner or later but she was definitely getting quicker. When you looked at Azula confused by her comment she gestured to your outfit "the dress, I can’t imagine what provoked you to don our colours". You laughed smiling "i thought a change would be nice, plus if this is to be my home now i thought showing some loyalty to it couldn’t hurt, but given your father’s reaction...". Azula almost scoffed but caught herself. "He was anxious but i made him see it correctly, that this a symbol of unity. How you were proclaiming your support and love for the fire nation simply by wearing a colour...a very subtle but effective political statement”. You smiled "yes but honestly? I’m just sick to death of the colour green". That thought never occurred to Azula and it caught her off guard making her laugh aloud. Something the princess had never done at a formal event. She caught herself quickly but blushed to see you were beaming at her reaction. "I’ve seen you wear it so successfully i thought i would try" you smiled and Azula looked at you surprised. "I...i am flattered". Azula’s slight blush deepened making you more confident and so you stepped back from her and opened your arms "so what’s the verdict? Did i pass in red?". Azula glanced over you very quickly her blush still very evident as she purposefully avoided looking you in the eye "you know you did, the colour suits you rather well, especially with your skin tone...." Azula trailed off before coughing "so yes you passed". You blushed smiling too "i would wear it more but i do not know if that is wise". Azula shook her head "i think green is safer". You nodded your head but felt deflated "i thought as much". "It’s lucky you look good in that colour too then i suppose" Azula commented suddenly and you looked at her in shock. "Maybe it is simply all colours?" she suggested "that wouldn't surprise me". "It wouldn't?" you asked and Azula shook her head "not at all princess". You looked away first, flustered and now blushing too and Azula grinned widely.

Mai and Zuko’s POV

Mai and Zuko watched you and discussed your show quietly. Zuko was worried what this would provoke from his father and Mai was worried Ozai would like seeing you in red. They were discussing which outcome was most likely when Azula approached you. They carried on talking when they noticed Azula laugh. An actual genuine unprovoked laugh. The couple went silent and Zuko spoke first after a delay "did my sister just....". "Burst out laughing? Yes". "When has she ever...". "Never" Mai finished "i’ve only seen her laugh when somebody falls or says something stupid". Zuko nodded "what on earth did y/n sat to her?”. Mai narrowed her eyes wondering just that too. "Could Azula...are they friends?" Zuko asked watching you two talk and Mai paused "Azula did keep her promise to protect her and she did add that marriage clause to her contract risking your father’s wrath". "But Azula never likes anyone" Zuko frowned "especially enough to put her neck on the line". "She must really like y/n then" Mai frowned as Azula suddenly blushed. Her and Zuko watched the two of you both blushing vividly, glancing at each other excitedly and they both inhaled. "She really really likes y/n" Zuko gaped and Mai nodded "and y/n her it appears .

Azula’s POV

Azula knew she had secured your place theoretically but she still worried you were physically vulnerable. She knew you were a skilled earth bender but you didn’t know how sneaky fire nation fighting was. The earth nation was upfront in their attacks but the fire nation was a fan of knives in the back and so Azula thought it wise to prepare you. So she invited you to join her for an hour a day to train.

Your POV

When Azula first invited you to spar with her your initial thought was suspicion. Why would the fire nation want to train you physically? However that was quickly overshadowed by excitement as Azula assured you that you’d be alone and that she just wanted to show you some basics. You’d seen Azula fight and were more than eager to receive tips from her. Not to mention it would make the seemingly never ending days go faster. You arrived at the sparring yard before the agreed time to find Azula already there. "You’re early" she commented dismissing your guards and you frowned "i apologise i thought the walk would take longer". "Do not apologise being early or on time are the only two acceptable options". You smiled getting the feeling Azula was early for everything and your smile lingered as the princess had you warm up. After your cardio Azula started showing you forms. Basic crucial ones first like how to avoid a knife strike or block a blow. She made it look so easy but was also a very good teacher. By the end of your third session you were able to successfully block Azula at her fastest pace and you were thrilled. Azula had been springing surprise attacks at you all session and even once she declared the session over she attacked you once again. You didn’t even register it but instead your body reacted and blocked her using perfect form. Azula looked at you impressed and a smile broke your face "i didn’t even think about it I just blocked you! I did it Azula!". Azula smirked at your endearing excitement "yes well done". "You are a very good teacher, i am a slow learner but you helped me master that in three days!". "It is only one of many forms" Azula replied "we still have many more to go before you are truly a master or i a good teacher". "Of course but this is a good first step is it not?" you asked. Azula would’ve said no. She was always hard on herself and didn’t believe in small victories but your smile was infectious and so she agreed "yes, you did well".

Azula’s POV

As your hand to hand combat improved Azula turned her attention to your bending. She was more than excited to have you display your bending again and not just because she found it enjoyable to watch. She also knew you’d been strictly forbidden from bending ever since you’d stepped foot in the fire nation. She figured it might make you more comfortable to be able to bend again and so she quickly worked it into your curriculum. She was impressed again as soon as she saw you bend. Earth was the element of strength and you were very skilled in that aspect. Azula would catch herself admiring your back and arms as your muscles tensed before she’d catch and scold herself for being unprofessional.

It soon became tradition that at the end of every session you and Azula would spar using your bending and it was the favourite part for both of you, You were both in your element (no pun intended) and Azula could get caught up in the feeling easily. Sometimes too much...

The two of you were sparring and it was going as it always did. You would stubbornly hold territory and refuse to move while Azula would flit around attempting to dislodge your stance. It took a while for either of you to wear the other down and so when Azula saw you starting to grow tired she got excited. She attacked your left side with a flurry of attacks coaxing you into exposing your other side to attacks. Azula knew you’d block the attack with your quick reflexes but when she finally saw you neglect your right side defences she acted. Azula reached out for your exposed arm directing a whip of fire straight for it. She smiled as you noticed and went to block it when you lost your footing. The floor was littered with debris from all your rocks that Azula had shattered and a piece had wormed it’s way directly between your feet. You stumbled over the rock your defence forgotten as you tried to regain your balance and Azula’s fire sped at you. Azula tried to yell but it was no use as her fire hit you knocking you over, a trail of smoke following.

Your POV

“Y/n” you heard Azula yell as the blast hit you. You had been knocked flat on the floor but managed to sit up. You arm had took the brunt of the attack and you clutched your arm tightly into your side as it pulsed in pain. Azula appeared by your side and stared at your arm horrified. The moment you saw her worried look you tried to play it off and smile. "I’m fine" you assured her but Azula shook her head "no you’re not, come here". You glanced down at your arm but held it out to her.

Azula inspected the burn and frowned. It wasn’t serious, the skin would be healed in a few weeks and it shouldn’t cause you too much pain in the meantime but it would scar. “It’s not too bad but it needs dressing...come on”. Azula soaked your arm and apologised as you winced. She carefully dried it and applied a cooling balm onto it. You flinched and she frowned “does it hurt?”. “Yes but that feels nice, it feels cold”. Azula nodded. She waited for the gel to soak in before bandaging your arm carefully. “We’re lucky it was just your arm...if you’d fallen and my fire hit you somewhere else...” Azula paused “I should’ve been more careful”. “It wasn’t your fault, it was just an accident” you tried but Azula shook her head “fire benders aren’t allowed accidents, accidents get people killed”. You watched Azula’s concentrated tense face and wished you could ease the guilt she seemed to feel. Azula finished bandaging your arm and tucked the bandages away expertly, you watched amazed as her fingers worked softly and swiftly. For the first time you noticed there were many small scars from burns and cuts along her fingers and you watched her face closely. The princess was immaculate but on closer inspection, you could see the small scars and flaws of any person. It didn’t surprise you Azula kept hers hidden, she seemed like the type to tightly guard her weaknesses and you frowned wondering if she’d been told to do that as a child. From how faded some of the scar were you were guessing she had and it made you angry. Azula was a powerful force of nature but she was still a human with flaws. Not despite those flaws but because of them you viewed her as the most beautiful and intelligent woman you’d ever known and you wanted her to know that.

"Finished" Azula declared and then looked up to see you staring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked. In response you blinked and leant across the table to kiss her. Azula jumped pulling away as soon as you touched her and you jumped back too, upset and horrified you’d read her signals wrong. "You shouldn’t do that" Azula said and you blinked "i’m sorry i just thought...we’ve been flirting and I thought you might like me...". "No i meant here" Azula said cutting you off "we shouldn’t do that here but other places...". You paused and slowly smiled at Azula’s tone "other places....so you do like me?". Azula shushed you "not here too many ears come on" and held a hand out to you "but yes" she whispered as you took her hand. You smiled at her and Azula’s cheeks turned a shade of pink as she shot her eyes away from you. Azula led you through the palace confidently and to the royal gardens. You frowned figuring this was an open space with many prying eyes and ears but Azula just smiled more "as a child i learnt all the best places to hide are in here". "You had need of many hiding places?" you asked as Azula led you into the maze. She nodded "this was my mothers favourite place and so the last place she'd think to look for me when she wanted to yell at me, i hid right under her nose and avoided detection". Azula led you deep into the maze before she stopped suddenly "here". A large hedge stood before you and you frowned “Azula it’s...” but Azula just smiled “watch”. She pressed her hands under the left side and pushed the bush to the side. It moved aside easily and Azula stepped through. You followed and found yourself behind large grass sculptures. They perfectly obscured you and gave you a small secluded area. You were still admiring how the hedge just bounced back hiding your entrance perfectly when you realised Azula was close behind you staring at you. Suddenly she couldn’t wait any longer and she kissed you. You laughed at her eagerness but kissed her back. As you were taller Azula wrapped her arms around your neck to be able to reach you easier. You rested your hands on her waist and smirked as Azula almost made you lose your balance in her excitement. You were thoroughly enjoying the kiss when Azula broke it and shot away from you "come on we have to keep moving" she laughed and tugged you out of your hidden area. “Why?” you asked and Azula smiled “you only go undetected as long as you keep moving so that’s what we’ll do”. Azula tugged you into another perfectly hidden alcove and brought her lips to your again before pulling away again just as you were slipping into it. Azula smirked at you exasperated look and you got the feeling she was toying with you. So in the third hiding spot Azula brought you too as soon as she had hidden your entrance you trapped her against it. Being taller had it’s advantages and you gripped Azula’s waist while hovering over her “No more running princess”. Azula grinned and happily accepted her fate.

You liked these hiding places in the garden and apparently so did Azula. She leant against your arms the most content you’d ever seen her. You could see why she loved it here. You could hear other people in the gardens but it felt so wonderfully private. The weather was beautiful and you laid down looking at the sun. “This is one thing I have grown to love about the fire nation, the weather...it’s so nice and warm here” you smiled. “Well it is summer” Azula smirked leaning on her forearms to look down at you “but it is beautiful, wait until you see the festival for the summer solstice. The sky stays light all night and the streets are lit with lanterns everywhere, the whole city glows and all night you just bask in the beauty” Azula sighed “I can’t wait to show it you all”. “Yeah?” you asked and Azula nodded “it’s beautiful even in winter too! We don’t get snow but it gets colder meaning there’s fires on every street corner. They even make a hot chocolate with fire flakes that you have to try” Azula told you “we can take a trip into town and get one....and the restaurants serve festive dishes that are spiced to perfection we will see it all” Azula declared and you smiled. “That sounds amazing”. Azula smiled up at you before leaning further into you.

A while later with a large sigh Azula sat up moving off you “I have to go...my father requested to see me and Zuko, it must be important...if it wasn’t there’s no way I’d go” she told you and you smiled “I know, it’s fine i’ll find someway to manage without you”. Azula smirked “I know Mai and Ty lee were going shopping, you could always tag along with them...they’re not as good company as me of course but it may distract you until i’m done”. “Until you’re done?”. Azula nodded “how about I come join you when i’m finished?”. You nodded your head “sounds perfect” and kissed her softly. Azula smiled and lingered with you as long as she could before pulling back “come on”. She stood up swiftly before helping you up. You walked out of the gardens together and Azula stopped at one path “Ty lee and Mai will be that way, you should hurry so you catch them”. You nodded “have fun at your meeting” and with a purposeful brush against her hurried away. You noticed Azula stayed long enough to watch you walk away before she rushed off for the meeting and smirked, she was definitely going to be late for that.

You came around the corner abruptly and both Mai and Ty lee jumped. “Y/n” Ty lee said surprised “are you okay princess?”. You nodded “I was actually looking for you both, I was wondering if i could accompany you into town? Azula mentioned you were going and suggested you wouldn’t mind”. “Of course we don’t” Ty lee cried and Mai shot her a look. You glanced at Mai who paused before sighing “of course you can come princess”. You smiled “thanks” and went to walk out of the open door but Mai held out her arm “are you forgetting something? A royal can’t leave the palace without a quadrant of guards and a royal precession”. “But she’s not fire nation does she really have to?” Ty lee asked and Mai sighed “you know she does” and turned to call the nearest servant.

It was easy to forget everything the fire nation stood for while you were running around the gardens with Azula but it had a way of reminding you. Mai and Ty lee were not permitted in the royal procession with you and had to walk behind you. The fire nation guards cleared the way through the streets mercilessly and you could see why Mai hadn’t wanted you to come. The citizens were either excited to see you and got beaten back or had been pushed forwards accidentally and suffered the same fate. When you finally reached your destination you felt so malevolent and cruel as the towns people stared but dared not come close. You’d never left the palace in the earth kingdom but there were often parties when normal people could come and they never hesitated to approach or touch you, here you bet the guards would have their hands if they tried. “Y/n?” Ty lee asked as you stared at the guards *controlling* the crowd. “Are you okay?” Ty lee asked and you paused before nodding “i’m fine” and you followed her inside.

Everywhere you went caused a fuss and you felt like you stuck out like a sore thumb. Ty lee wanted to go clothes shopping with Mai but because none of the shops sold green clothes you couldn’t join in. Every time you left a store you had to get back into your stupid cart even if the store was simply down the street. Each store you went into ignored Ty lee and Mai and only focused on you being the royal. You hated all the special treatment you received. You didn’t deserve it and you didn’t want it but there was no escaping it. This was the fire nation.

“What’s wrong y/n?” Ty lee asked “ you’ve barely touched your food” she said noticing how you were just pushing it around. You frowned “I just feel like i ruined your day, everywhere I go I causes a scene, it must be so annoying”. Ty lee shook her head “you haven’t ruined anything we’re used to it”. “How?” you asked and Mai fixed you with a look “you’re not the first royal we’ve travelled with, Azula and Zuko have the same rules but they revel in it a lot more than you”. “They enjoy it?” you asked shocked. “Well not so much Zuko” Mai admitted “but Azula does, she says it reminds people of their position....beneath her”. Mai’s disgusted tone wasn’t lost on you but it did make you think. You didn’t doubt Mai was being truthful, you’d seen first hand how Azula could act but recently you’d started forgetting. You realised with a crashing taste of reality that Azula was probably only like she was with you, with everyone else...who knows how cruel she was. You stared down at your hands feeling guilty for your morning activities with her. What on earth had you been doing sneaking around with the princess that conquered your city. Azula had taken over your home and sent your uncle into exile. The only reason you were here was because she liked you, if you hadn’t have appealed to her would you be exiled too or worse? These thoughts worried you and you couldn’t help but feel like a hypocrite. You’d personally sworn to detest the fire nation but had fallen for the princess? You couldn’t allow that and so you decided to call whatever this was off with Azula. As soon as she joined you.

However Azula never made it to the cafe. When you returned to the palace in the evening there was still no word from her and you weren’t sure if you were relieved or not. The evening pressed on when suddenly there was a knock at your door. You opened it to find Azula smiling widely. “I know I missed this afternoon but I have a good reason!” she waved some servants into your room and you watched confused as they started packing your belongings. “Azula what on earth....”. “We don’t have time!” she said excitedly “we’re leaving tonight! Mai, Ty lee and Zuko have to come too but it will still be great y/n”. “What will be...where are we going?”. “Ember Islands” Azula smiled.

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leossmoonn · 3 years

Text

mind games [part eleven]

masterlist | part ten | part twelve

zuko x fem!reader fluff, angst smau (it has the social media elements, but not as much as the last series)

avatar: the last airbender

summary - being zuko’s best friend is the easiest thing in the world. until he gets a girlfriend and you realize you’re in love with him

warnings / includes (this counts for any/all chapters) - fighting, suggestive, language, crying, alcohol, cheating, talk about injuries, making out, alluding to sex, talks about sex. you are sokka and katara’s older sister. you, mai, and zuko are seniors in college, sokka and suki are juniors, katara, aang, and toph are sophomores.

note - so for this one im gonna be switching pov’s. so for the first half it’ll be 2nd point of view with y/n and the second half it'll be like 2nd point of view but with jet (hope this made sense lol)

————

“so, how has living with jet been?” aang asked.

“really good,” you smiled. “he’s a really good housemate. he cooks, actually cleans. doesn’t mind that i had to take up a little more closet space.”

“wow, sounds like you have the perfect man,” suki smirked. “i do,” you sighed dreamily.

you and jet had been dating now for a little more than 4 1/2 months. you two decided that it was time to move in together. you two had already practically been living together so it seemed right to start the next phase of your relationship. you weren’t at jet’s, though. you were at an ice cream shop downtown with your friends.

living with jet was amazing, as stated, but you rarely saw your friends. college was coming to an end, too. with you and between that and looking for jobs and picking up extra shifts at the JD, it had been very busy. but you had just finished all your finals and was now ready to graduate in the next week, so you were able to relax, finally.

“how about you guys, how have you been?” you asked.

“really good! i can’t believe you won’t be at school with us,” katara frowned.

“yeah, i hate to admit it, but i’m gonna miss you,” sokka said.

you chuckled, “thanks, sokka. well, i’m not planning one really going anywhere. i’ll just be out of school, which thank the spirits for that.”

“must be nice knowing you don’t have to deal with finals anymore,” toph suck her tongue out in disgust.

“yeah, i definitely won’t miss that,” you snorted, taking a bite of your ice cream cone.

“have you found a job yet?” toph asked. ”i’ve found a few. i have yet get interviews, though. i’m waiting until the july to so i can enjoy there summer,” you explained.

“makes sense. we’ll miss you at the JD,” katara said.

“yeah, you’re the only one who makes good frappuccinos,” aang chortled.

“i know. zuko and katara just can’t grasp the recipe,” you teased.

“i can! i just prefer to make the tea. it’s a lot easier,” katara deafened.

“don’t worry. i agree,” you smiled. your phone vibrated on the table.

you turned it over, seeing that there as a text from zuko.

“is that zuko?” aang asked. “yeah, how did you know?” i asked.

“he’s been missing you lately,” sokka explained.

“oh, really? we hung out a couple weeks ago, though,” you said. “exactly. he knows you been busy so he hasn’t asked you to hang out yet, but we told him you’re less busy now,” aang said.

“oh,” you frowned. “well, he asked if we could hang out today. you guys okay if i go?”

“yeah, of course! we’ve been here for hours, anyways,” suki said.

“great. still on for the sleepover tonight?” you asked, getting up and grabbing your purse.

“you know it! have fun,” katara smiled.

“will do,” you smiled back, waving goodbye at them.

you walked to your car, getting in and driving to your friend’s and sibling’s house. you parked in the garage, going in and seeing zuko on the couch.

“hey, stranger,” you smiled, taking off your shoes.

“hey, long time no see,” zuko smiled, getting up. you hummed in reply, opening your arms out and hugging him.

“i’ve missed you,” zuko whispered.

“i’ve missed you, too. i’m sorry i haven’t reached out,” you sighed, pulling away.

“no worries. we aren’t kids anymore. we have our own life,” zuko smiled reassuringly.

“right. so, you said you wanted to talk about our plan?” you asked, walking over with zuko to the couch.

“yeah. so, how do i approach her?” zuko ask. “well, i wouldn’t suggest doing it over a date. do it at night so you can go somewhere else and sleep immediately. you two are living together, right?” you asked.

“yeah,” zuko nodded. “great, well, just tell her you need to talk to her. don’t hint at anything, be neutral about it all and break the news to her,” you explained.

“easier said than done,” zuko chuckled.

you furrowed your brows and studied his face, seeing the guilt and confusion in his eyes. you leaned against the couch and put your hand on his forearm comfortingly.

“are you sure you want to do this?” you asked. “i am,” zuko nodded.

“are you sure? like 100% positive?” you checked with him.

zuko chuckled, “yes, i am. plus, i…i like someone else.”

your eyes widened, “o-oh. this is new info. who is it?” your heart started to race and you began to feel very nervous thinking about who he could like.

“i’d rather not say just yet,” he said, averting his gaze from you.

“alright. well, no pressure,” you smiled softly. your phone then started to vibrate in your back pocket. you pulled it out, seeing that jet was calling you.

you answered it quickly. “hey, babe, what’s up?”

“hey, when’re you coming home?” jet asked.

“oh, um…” your voice trailed off as you looked at the clock. “tomorrow? i’m hanging out with zuko right now, and you know i’m having a little sleepover with the girls.”

“oh, right,” jet muttered. you furrowed your brows as he sounded annoyed and sad. you stood up off the couch, holding your first finger up to zuko to let him know you’ll be back in a minute.

you walked into the kitchen and leaned against the island counter. “hey, you sound sad. everything okay?”

“yeah, i just miss you,” jet sighed. you smiled, “i miss you, too, but i haven't seen zuko or my friends in a while.” “i know, i know. i wasn’t going to make you come home, don’t worry,” jet said.

“i didn’t think you were. i know you’re understanding.”

you and jet sat on the phone in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before you spoke up. you did a little awkward cough before speaking.

“so, um, i better go,” you said.

“oh, yeah, yeah, of course. i’ll see you tomorrow,” jet said.

“see you tomorrow. i love you.” “i love you, too,” jet smiled, hanging up the phone.

he sighed and gently threw his phone on the bed. he laid down, running his hands through his hair and down his face. he felt so jealous. so jealous of you and zuko. he knew it was silly since you have been nothing but loyal to him, but the unwanted thoughts of you and zuko still crept into his mind every so often. he was thankful you two didn’t live together anymore and that you lived with him now, but jet was beginning to think that wasn’t enough.

even though you and zuko weren’t living together and didn’t hang out as often, you two were constantly texting and calling. jet often found you downstairs late at night texting zuko, smiling and laughing at whatever he said. it made jet’s blood boil to see another guy making you happy, especially since it was a known fact - not between you and zuko, though - that you had a thing for zuko a while back. jet was positive that you still had a thing for him, no matter how much you denied it.

he sat up on his bed and grabbed his phone, getting up and going to the only person he knew would understand; mai.

he drove to her house, going up and knocking on the door. mai answered the door almost immediately, a surprised but pleasant smile on her face.

“hey, jet. what’re you doing here?” she asked.

“i was just seeing if you were free. y/n and zuko are hanging out, and we haven’t hung out in a while,” jet shrugged.

“right, right. well, come in,” mai held the door open for him. jet stepped in with a smile, walking into the living room.

“i like what you did with the place,” jet noted, looking around at the new furniture and decorations. there were a lot more brighter colours than he remembered.

“thanks. ty lee said i should make the place more lively,” mai chuckled.

“glad you took her advice,” jet smiled.

mai nodded, “are you hungry? i was just about to eat some leftover pizza.”

“yeah, sure. you got any beers?” jet asked.

“yep,” mai said, going over to the kitchen. “make yourself comfortable!”

“thanks,” jet said and sat down on the couch.

mai came in with a pizza both and a six pack bottle of beer. mai and jet watched tv for a while, getting drunk on the beer. after a while of silence, mai decided to ask jet about what he thought about you and zuko.

“so, you jealous of zuko and y/n, too?” zuko asked.

jet’s brows raised, “w-what?”

mai smirked and turned fully to him. “that’s the reason why you came here, because of zuko and y/n.”

jet sighed, turning to her. “yeah. you caught me.”

“they act like they’re dating each other,” mai rolled her eyes. “zuko is always like “y/n this”, “y/n that”, “look what y/n said”, “sorry, i’m talking to y/n”. god, it’s all so annoying.” “and they always stay up late talking to each other! like, i understand they’re each other’s best friends, but we’re here, too.” “right!” mai nodded. “i wouldn’t be surprised if they were making out right now.” jet frowned and looked down. “you think they are?”

“mmm, i wouldn’t doubt it,” mai shrugged.

jet looked up at mai, his eyes meeting her’s. he studied her face for a few moments, his eyes roaming her face and stopping at her lips. mai noticed his gaze and smirked, scooting closer to him. she put her hand on his thigh, her fingers snaking up his leg.

“m-mai, what’re you doing?” jet stammered. his heart was racing a million beats per second.

“c’mon, we both know zuko and y/n are in love with each other. plus, i’m pretty sure zuko is going to break up with me soon. let’s just have some fun, okay?” mai gave jet a flirtatious look, biting her lip and batting her lashes.

jet sighed, looking into mai’s eyes. he knew in his heart that you weren’t cheating on him with zuko, or anyone, but the just thought of you with zuko, kissing him, running your fingernails all over his back, moaning his name, it clouded jet’s mind with anger and fear. without thinking rationally, jet smashed his lips onto mai’s.

both melted into the kiss immediately, grabbing at each other and pressing themselves closer to each other. after a few moments of kissing, jet pulled away, looking a mai with wide, shocked eyes. the kiss with mai honestly felt amazing.

mai smiled at him, taking his hand into her’s. “wanna go upstairs?”

jet nodded furiously, getting up off the couch, mai leading him up to her bedroom.

————

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note - hey guys, sorry for not posting this series for a while, but im back now so :)

taglist is open, just lmk if you wanna be on it for this series by messaging me, commenting, and/or send me a message!

@theblueslytherin @thatarthistorynerd @coldlilheart @akiris @serenitytomothings

#zuko x reader #zuko imagine #zuko x reader fluff #zuko x reader smut #zuko imagine fluff #zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla zuko #atla zuko x reader #jet x reader #atla jet #atla x reader #atla jet x reader

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milkywinnie · 4 years

Text

"𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧" || PRINCE ZUKO

𝟎𝟎. 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 (2,579 Words)

"You know, I live with many regrets, but the biggest things I regret at this moment was not bringing a jacket..."

You huffed, shivering from the cool breeze that swept past in your direction. Shakily, you rubbed your hands together, and lifted them next to each other to ignite a small flame from within your palms.

'It's so cold that I have to spare my breaths.' You sighed, spreading out the map down on the wooden surface. "I need to find a village soon. My food supply is running low." Ever since you had escaped from the Fire Nation and its kingdom, times have never been harder, especially knowing that you're constantly on the run.

The water currents shifted and swayed in a variety of directions, signaling the upcoming of a dangerous storm. "Oh no...! This can't be any good." You clenched your fists, discarding of the flames rising upon your palms, and rushed to find a secure shore to rest upon.

The tides raised chaotically as you let out a muffled scream as the waves crashed against the frail boat. With haste, you tucked the letter securely into your bag, before you felt your body being submerged into the icy waters below you. 'I can't go out like this...! I have to find the Avatar!'

But the air escaping from your lungs refused your desire to call for help. Desperately, you clung onto a scrap from the broken boat. "Someone, please..." You coughed out, your consciousness slipping from your being, feeling your body become lethargic, and your mind hazy and clouded.

In the distance, figures approached you, but they were too late - you had passed out.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

When you woke up, you realized that you were in an area unfamiliar of your own. "W-Where the hell am I...?" You murmured softly, lifting yourself from upon the firm polar bear skin you were snuggling upon. All you could actually recognize was the throbbing headache that was pounding against your head.

"Hey, I think she's waking up!" A feminine voice exclaimed, causing you to rise from your dazed state. "Who's there?" You stated in a demanding tone as you scrambled from the floor to get into your fighting stance. "O-Oh, don't worry! I'm not a threat to you!"

You skeptically glanced over at the pretty, young girl in front of you. Her long, deep brown hair that was braided into a singular braid. Her sapphire-colored eyes shined brightly - maybe out of fear or bewilderment from your actions.

Her custom tribal clothing let alone made you immediately aware of the fact she was from the Water Tribe, and knowing your directions, most likely from the southern district.

"My name is Katara, and I come in peace. My brother and I found you washed upon a glacier." She introduced herself, extending a hand out in your direction. Relaxing your posture, you shook her extended hand. "Thank you for rescuing, I'm in your gratitude." You thanked her, before pulling your hand away.

"I'm sorry, but where is my bag? I must continue my venture as quickly as possible." You wondered, looking aimlessly in multiple directions in search of you beaten and probably soaked luggage, much like your cloak.

"Oh, everything was soaked to the bone in that bag, so my tribe took the custody into warming it up." Katara explained, placing a bowl of soup down on the low tea table in front of you. "I'm sorry, but I must be on my way! I have to meet up with the Avatar!" You instantly froze at her statement.

"The Avatar?!" You yelled, rushing up to her to clutch her shoulders tightly. Katara, obviously, flinched from your sudden burst of energy, but she nodded nonetheless. "Yes... His name is Aang, and he brought us back here while we were trying to reach out to you."

You were completely stunned with the news that you had received. "T-This is amazing! I'm actually speechless!" You gasped in amazement as you giddily embraced the younger girl into a hug. "Yeah, I definitely agree!" She beamed, hugging you back. Now that you've realized that your hunt was over, you felt a little more at ease.

"Wow, Katara, real professional, and you say I couldn't snuggle up with her while trying to warm her up." A make voice whined with disbelief. "And I'm going to assume that he's the brother you speak of, right?" The both of you giggled, pulling away from the rather warm hug.

"Hey, the name's Sokka, gorgeous." "And I'm not interested, lover boy." You hummed, winking playfully at the boy in front of you. His brown hair was shaved amongst most of its perimeter, leaving him with a parting on the top of his hair, which was formed into a bun. The boy, most likely the same age as you, eyes burned in your direction, mentally plotting as to what to do next.

He wore a familiar uniform, much like Katara's, but with his own weaponry slung around him. "But now..." Sokka began, before aiming his dagger, which was constructed into the form of a boomerang, pointing directly at you.

"What are you doing within this region?" He sneered shakily, but his voice demanded answers. You chuckled at his brute approach, watching how Katara attempted to calm her elder brother down. "Me? I'm just a mere traveler who sought to travel the world..."

The lies slipped past your lips with ease as you faked a wry smile. "It was so frightening on my own, and I appreciate such kind, humble citizens like yourself saving me." Sokka and Katara exchanged glances between themselves, watching their facial expressions shift into ones that displayed guilt.

"It's no problem, miss, really." Katara comforted, patting your shoulder gently. Sokka released a stream of incoherent words muffled under his breath in defeat.

"Fine, she can stay a little while longer, but by sunrise she must go." Sokka declared, looking over at you. you could feel his distraught, suspicious demeanor still wavering from off of him, but for now, you knew that you were in the clear.

"Great! Now you can stay, and even meet the Avatar!" Katara grinned happily, pulling you along outside of the tent. You squinted from the harsh sunlight that was being emitted, and reflecting from the pale white snow. Looking further, you noticed several little children and adults in awe, watching an entity fly throughout the cool winds.

You couldn't believe it, you were in amazement to the sight you were viewing. There he was, flying his in the bright blue sky. "Amazing..." Was the only word you could muster as you watched what took sight from above. Well, it was amazing up until the point where the poor boy crashed into the watchtower.

"My watchtower!" Sokka cried out, rushing to the pile of rubbish that as left behind for him. "That was amazing!" Katara gushed before rushing to Aang's side to help him up. "Definitely, I dare say that I am impressed." You smiled, clapping your hands together. Though the Avatar was much younger than you thought, it he was intriguing.

As Sokka was digging through the broken watchtower, Aang released a powerful gust of wind, causing snow to topple down upon him. You tried to muffle your giggle by covering your hand over your mouth.

"Great. You're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender, together you can just waste time all day long." Sokka taunted, patting the snow from off from his body. 'A waterbender, huh? Duly noted.' Your [e/c] eyes glanced over at the pair of teens conversing happily about their abilities, knowing that you couldn't put your input of your firebender powers.

'People fear others from the Fire Nation, they hate them...'

Sokka noticed your discomfort, and decided to approach you. "Hey, it's okay to be uncomfortable around benders. They're overrated, anyway." Sokka blushed slightly from your little laugh, watching as you shuffled closer next to him.

The invite to converse with another was refreshing, along with Sokka's vivid personality. Despite his misogynistic conceptions, you could tell that he was genuine with his passions., and you liked that especially about him.

"Hey, I've gotta go train my men, but you're allowed to observe, if a girl like yourself is into that type of thing."

You had to scoff at Sokka's comment. "Although I'd love to show you off at your little lesson, out of gratitude, I'll watch."

Sitting on the frozen water, you watched as Sokka assembled the team together with haste. While he was getting everything together, you quickly looked around for your bag, and an escape route, if things went in the wrong direction for you.

You were astonished to see a flying bison that was sleeping on the floor across from you. Its arrow symbols that trailed up and down its body made it easy to realize that it was Aang's, but then again, only the Airbenders wielded such useful and kind creatures.

'Maybe the flying bison wouldn't mind helping me...' You pondered, also mentally noting to grab your bag as well. Hopefully, no one bothered to look through it, or else you'd be given away.

"Now men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a Firebender. In the Water Tribe, we fight to the last man standing. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?" You quickly realized that Sokka's training has begun, and decided to pay a bit more attention to him.

Not to mention that his "men", were a group of little toddlers who clearly didn't want to be here, especially one kid, who was desperately trying to go to the restroom. "I gotta pee!" He cried out, trying to hold his bladder best that the poor boy could.

"Just let the boy go, Sokka." You intervened, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Though Sokka was ready to protest, you asked, "Actually, who else needs to go on a potty trip?" Every other kid raises their hands, and Sokka sighs at the sight.

You send them off to the bathroom, watching as Sokka slaps his forehead in embarrassment and disgust of his mini crew mates. "It's okay, Sokka. They're just little kids, after all."

After Sokka's failed lesson, Katara approached the two of you. "Have you seen Aang? Gran Gran said he disappeared over an hour ago." Katara's voice wavered, concerned for the younger boy as she looked around for him.

"No, I haven't seen him around, but I'm sure he's fine, Katara." As if on cue, Aang exits the bathroom with a childish grin. "Wow! Everything freezes in there!" The children laughed at his statement as Sokka becomes upset from the constant interruptions.

"Ugh! Katara, get him out of here. This lesson is for warriors only." Sokka grunted, making a shooing motion towards Aang. You barely managed to suppress a laugh. "I think your lesson is gonna be cut short, Sokka." You mentioned, directing your eyes over to the children playing around the bison.

"Haha, yeah!" Aang nodded, noticing your presence. "Hey, you're the girl Appa and I saved!" He grinned, making his way over to where you and Katara stood. "Appa?" You raised a brow at the unfamiliar name.

"Yeah! Appa's my flying bison, and I'm Aang!" He introduced himself, smiling proudly. A slight smile crossed your face as you waved politely.

"Nice to meet you, Aang. My name is-"

"Stop! Stop it right now!" Sokka yelled, finally done with putting up with all the chaos going on around him. "What's wrong with you? We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on." He seethed, pointing his finger directly into Aang's chest.

"What war? What are you talking about?" Aang stopped playing around at the mention of a war. He was so stunned at the fact that the world he used to know was changing all around him in an instance, and that scared him.

Though the feeling wasn't as severe as it were have been for you, knowing that your father had left for the war, and knowing that he would never return back home was always a sad thought. Knowing this, your mother was forced into careers that wasn't a pleasant lifestyle, but was something that she could provide for you.

"You're kidding, right?" Sokka's jaw dropped in surprise, unable to believe that Aang was unaware of the constant war that was occurring for over one-hundred years. "Something's not right here..." You murmured softly to yourself, mentally connecting the dots as to why Aang didn't know everything that had transpired.

You were about to investigate deeper with Aang, but he was gone with the wind, along with Katara following after him. "Now that there's no more distractions, care to observe in peace?" Sokka flirtatiously wiggled his eyebrows as you rolled your eyes in amusement. "Sure, after I find my bag. I have a change of clothes in there." You motioned to your beaten up satchel.

"Fine, go look through your purse, I'll start again with my men."

"Sure, ponytail, but you'll be upset when I won't see what's going on."

And you wished you were out there when a sudden strike was laid upon the once peaceful village, and the heat of the attack made it all to familiar as to the enemies that were fighting.

"The Fire Nation..." You growled in disgust, quickly changing into your other outfit that covered more of your [s/t] skin, and covered your hair. You reached through your bag, grabbing your silver-trimmed fan with thin blades that structured the weapon.

You rushed out of the tent to see a large, metal ship heading in the direction of the village, already see part of the once frozen grounds melted with ease. "Oh no, they've already started attacking." You muttered, running up to where Sokka was tightly wielding his weapon, his hand shaking out of either fear or anger.

"You told them about us being here!" Sokka yelled, jabbing his pointer finger in my direction. "Maybe you just infiltrated our home, so that they could take over!" "And why the hell would I do that when I'm on the run from them!?" You shot back, aiming your weapon into his chest.

"Well, because we don't even know a lot of information about you like your name?!" Sokka defended his case, crossing his arms in protest. "Well, I tried to tell it to Aang, but you interrupted our conversation, dumba-"

"What the heck is going on here?"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[NOTE]: Thank you all for reading my Zuko x Reader Story! The purpose of this story was not only to relive one of my first childhood crushes, but to allow everyone who is new to this community to experience a proper fanfic that follows the plot of the story, and still with a hint of romance with our best boy, since I am aware that there is not many! Please know that this story will be a slow burn, and will have some moments of smut, so be aware!

Any who, please make sure to like, comment, and share this story to others who may enjoy it as well! Much love, and I hope to see you all in the next chapter, lovelies!

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justcallmehermione · 4 years

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Sad chapter update: Please don’t hate me

Title: Small Bump Rating: M for some delicious smut Pairings: Linzin, Tokka (implied), and Kataang

FF.net

AO3

***Just a reminder that this fic is based off the song "Small Bump" by Ed Sheeran, and if you listen closely to the last couple lines, you'll know where this chapter is headed. Please be advised that this chapter contains a birth scene, including some details people may not like to talk/think about. There is also some violence in this chapter. Viewer discretion is advised.

Chapter 13: When Reality Slaps You in the Face

The couple arrived in the Fire Nation after an easy journey on Oogi’s back. When they arrived, Izumi was looking very pregnant and confided in them that she was ready for her pregnancy to be over.

“I can barely walk. I feel like I go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. And my back is constantly sore,” she complained one evening. “I'm just ready to meet this little guy or girl. I think it has been long enough at this point.” Tenzin and Lin laughed, but still tried to console her.

“I'm sure the baby will be here before you know it and you'll have a whole new set of things to complain about,” Lin chuckled.

“That, or you will be really distracted with figuring out this whole parenthood thing,” Tenzin offered.

“Wow thanks guys. You sure know how to cheer up a pregnant lady,” Izumi deadpanned.

A few days later, Izumi’s labor had started. Lin, being a steadfast and loyal friend, did not leave her side while she labored and helped in any way she could. The labor had been going on since the night before and Tenzin tried to keep himself occupied but did not stray too far from the delivery room in case his wife needed him for anything. He spent most of the time with Zuko and Izumi’s husband, Daichi. They played some Pai Sho, drank tea, and read books while they waited to hear the news that the baby had arrived. Tenzin was about to leave to go meditate near the turtleduck pond when he saw Lin exit the delivery room.

“Lin!” Tenzin called out to his wife. She did not stop or turn in his direction. He noticed a worried look on her face and that she was clutching her abdomen protectively. He wondered if she felt sick and was going to vomit, so he immediately ran down the hall to catch up with her.

“Lin, please wait for me!” he begged, reaching out to grab her and stop her. He spun her to face him and he studied her face. She was definitely worried.

“Is everything okay? Is Izumi all right?” he questioned.

Lin nodded and said in a quiet, shaky voice, “Yes, she and the baby are safe. I just need a minute to myself is all.”

Tenzin sighed in relief and said, “If you’re sure. Let me know if I can do anything for you.” He let his wife go with a peck on the cheek. He waited in the same spot and watched her retreating form disappear from view.

Lin wandered around for a while not really taking in her surroundings. She was very shaken up after watching her friend give birth to her firstborn son. It had been a very long, painful labor and there were times when she was scared for her friend. Izumi had felt defeated on a few occasions and wanted to give up during the process. Lin had overheard one of the midwives quietly commenting to another that if the labor had continued for much longer it was possible they would have to go in and pull the baby out, putting both mother and baby in grave danger. When Lin let her mind picture that scenario she blanched and almost excused herself from the room. She assured herself it wouldn’t come to that though. She would do everything she could to lend her strength to Izumi and help her deliver the baby safely.

When the Royal Physician announced it was time to deliver the baby, Lin grabbed Izumi’s hand tightly and whispered, “You got this,” to her lifelong friend.

Izumi smiled weakly back and said, “Thank you. Now, let’s get this over with.” Lin watched as her friend mustered every last ounce of strength to bear down and push the baby out without any assistance from any tools.

“It’s a boy!” the doctor exclaimed once the baby was out. He handed him over to one of the midwives to clean and dress before giving the baby to its mother.

“Congratulations! You did it!” Lin cheered her friend on. Izumi squeezed her hand with only a fraction of the force she had used during the delivery. Shortly after the baby arrived, blood started pooling around her friend’s legs, staining the white linens on the bed. Lin looked over at her friend and noticed she was rather pale and very sweaty. She looked over at the doctor who looked a little concerned, which alarmed her.

“We’re not out of the woods just yet,” the doctor announced, beckoning for one of the midwives to come and help. The midwife who was wiping the baby stopped what she was doing and rushed over. She saw the blood and immediately got to work. The midwife started to massage Izumi’s stomach while the doctor tried to absorb some of the blood. Lin stepped back and watched in horror as a very large, bulbous object slid out of Izumi. The doctor caught the sac in a bowl and handed it to the midwife to examine.

After looking at it and flipping it over, the midwife declared, “This isn’t all of it. We have to help her.” Lin watched as the doctor got up and took over rubbing Izumi’s stomach. The midwife rolled up her sleeve, grabbed some oil from a table, and covered her forearm in it.

“This is going to feel uncomfortable, but try to keep relaxed, Your Highness,” the midwife declared. Lin continued to watch from her corner of the room as the midwife slid her arm up inside of Izumi, a look of concentration on her face. Izumi gasped when the woman entered her and scrunched her face up in pain.

“Breathe slowly, it will help,” the doctor ordered. After what felt like an eternity, the midwife pulled out of Izumi, another dark red blob in her hand.

“That should be it,” the midwife told the doctor, “I think we’re clear.” The doctor nodded and patted Izumi on the shoulder. Lin looked at her friend, tears were welling up in both their eyes. A sob escaped Lin’s throat and she bolted from the room, not wanting to make Izumi feel any worse than she already did.

Lost in the memories of what just took place, Lin blinked away tears that had started welling up again. She looked around as her vision cleared and noticed she was no longer on palace grounds. The gate must have been open, and she had walked right through it because she now found herself in the middle of the high street of the Fire Nation capital. The street was still fairly busy, despite the late hour of the day. Lin guessed they were mostly people returning home from a long day’s work. She saw a sign for a nearby park and decided to go visit it, hoping it would be a little quieter so she could collect herself better before returning to the palace and celebrating with everyone.

She finally came across the park as someone was lighting the lanterns that lined the pathway. It was winter time, but since she was in the Fire Nation, the air was not freezing, but there was still a chill. Lin wrapped her arms around herself as she walked through the park. She wished she had brought a shawl to wrap around herself to keep out the chill. The park was quiet, the only other person she noticed was the firebender who was finishing up lighting all the lanterns. It was quiet and peaceful, the perfect atmosphere for clearing her head after the jarring events from earlier.

Lin never really thought about giving birth. She hadn’t really been close with or known other women who were pregnant. Sure, she remembered her mom having Su, but she was only 6 when that happened. She wasn’t there to witness all the pain and blood involved with bringing new life into the world. And if she thought about it, she realized that no one ever really talked about it either. Well, if they did talk about it, they certainly didn’t talk about all the gory details. Lin battled with the positives and negatives of this situation and was engrossed thinking about what her own impending delivery might be like now that she had seen one up close and personal.

Lin was so lost in her head that she hadn’t heard the figure approach her from behind. He struck so fast that she didn’t even have a chance to defend herself. A series of quick jabs to her pressure points paralyzed her and blocked her bending. Chi blocking she thought immediately, remembering the stories of Ty Lee and the Kyoshi Warriors. Her eyes widened and a scream got stuck in her throat as her body crumpled to the ground. Luckily, she fell on her side and not directly on her stomach.

“How dare you try to undo what Fire Lord Sozin worked so hard for?” a deep, male voice spat at her. Lin raised her eyes as far as she could and saw a dark figure standing in front of her. The person was wearing a cloak with the hood drawn to cover their head and face thanks to the shadows cast by the lanterns. “He eradicated the airbenders for a reason and the only way the Fire Nation can return to its glory is for them to stay gone,” the figure continued as he began to draw lightning from out of nowhere. Lin’s eyes widened realizing what was about to happen. She felt so useless because she couldn’t move to defend herself, defend her baby. All she could do was lay on the ground and wait for the pain. Tears were streaming down her face as she felt the electricity course through her body, the majority of the pain in her abdomen since that’s where the man had directed the lightning.

It felt like an eternity, but really the man had only been in front of her for a few minutes. He disappeared in the bushes just as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Lin on the ground in an excruciating amount of pain. Lin writhed on the ground as electricity still coursed through her body, causing her muscles to spasm all over. The last thing she remembered before the world going dark was feeling a warm, wet sensation between her legs.

Tenzin had been pacing in the royal palace for the last several minutes. Once they had realized Lin was missing, he felt frantic, worrying for her, as well as the baby. Zuko had convinced him to stay at the palace in case she returned while he and a search party went out looking for her. Despite the years of meditation, Tenzin had never felt more impatient than he did now. He could be on his glider, using the aerial view to his advantage to find Lin faster, but instead he was told to wait here.

“Master Tenzin!” a servant shouted, running towards him. Tenzin raced over to the servant, eager to hear the news.

“Come quickly,” the servant managed to say between breaths, “They found her.” Tenzin’s eyes lit up at the great news. They had found Lin and brought her back to the palace. He followed the servant to the room they had been staying in while visiting the Fire Nation. Tenzin had a huge smile on his face when the doors were flung open, excited to see Lin again. The smile quickly disappeared when he saw her laying on the bed, unconscious while the Royal Physician and a midwife he recognized from Izumi’s birth earlier were fluttering around her.

“Lin?” Tenzin called out to them, “What’s going on?”

“Master Tenzin, I think it would be best if you waited outside for a few minutes more,” the doctor ordered.

“But,” Tenzin tried interrupting.

“Leave, now,” the doctor ordered again, glancing at the servant who brought him here, imploring him to shoo Tenzin out. The servant read the expression and pulled Tenzin out of the room, shutting the doors behind them.

“What’s going on? Why was the midwife there?” Tenzin interrogated the servant.

The servant shook his head and responded, “I’m not quite sure. The Fire Lord should be here momentarily to explain.”

Just then, Zuko appeared in the hallway and called out, “Tenzin!”

Tenzin looked over to the aged firebender and saw the grief in his face. Panic had set in then. Zuko was usually a stoic man, rarely showing any emotions unless they were strong ones. He knew something was wrong when he could read the Fire Lord’s expression.

Tenzin gulped, “What happened?”

Zuko drew in a deep breath then explained, “Some of my guards were questioning people on the high street if they had seen Lin. Some woman said that she saw someone who looked like Lin heading towards Lu Ten Park which is tucked away off one of the side streets. When we heard that, the woman’s friend mentioned that the lantern lighter of the park lived on the way there. We checked with the lantern lighter and he confirmed that he saw Lin, walking alone in the park as he was doing his job that evening. He said the park was empty other than her. My guards and I continued to the park, expecting to find Lin wandering the park or sitting on a bench, but when we got there… Tenzin, you may want to sit for this next part…” Zuko hesitated before continuing his story, noticing the horror stricken look on Tenzin’s face.

Tenzin slid to the floor, nodding for the Fire Lord to continue. Zuko slid down to sit next to him and continued, “We found her on the ground along one of the paths, unconscious with blood pooling around her. There were no wounds that we noticed upon immediate inspection, which made us act fast. I grabbed Lin and ran her back to the palace while some of my guards searched the area for anyone suspicious. One of the guards noticed a set of footprints in front of Lin that looked like they belonged to someone fleeing the scene of a crime. I’m so sorry this happened, Tenzin. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to find who did this and serve justice.”

Tenzin didn’t respond. He rubbed his hands over his head, trying to imagine what could have happened to Lin and figure out why there was blood around Lin if she wasn’t wounded. Something clicked in his head and Tenzin gasped, “No!”

“Tenzin?” Zuko asked.

“It’s the baby, isn’t it?” Tenzin looked in Zuko’s eyes, his vision blurring as tears began to pool there.

“I think it might be,” Zuko whispered dejectedly, looking down at the ground not wanting to watch Tenzin cry.

“That’s why there was all that blood. We lost the baby,” Tenzin said the words out loud, making the pain feel more real.

Just then, the doors to the room opened and the Royal Physician appeared, clearing his throat, he approached the two men who were still seated on the floor. “Fire Lord Zuko, Master Tenzin,” he bowed to the two men and then crouched to their level, “I’m afraid I have terrible news.”

Tenzin met the doctor’s eyes and asked, “We lost the baby, didn’t we?”

The doctor nodded dejectedly. “Yes, I’m afraid so,” he confirmed.

“And Lin… is she…?” Tenzin couldn’t bear the thought of asking what he was about to.

“She is stable for now,” the doctor explained, “After closer inspection, it seems like she may have been attacked with lightning. She has some severe burns on her abdomen. I’m afraid all the electricity caused her muscles to spasm, which in turn caused trauma to the uterus, causing the unborn child to become detached, and no longer able to get what it needed to survive.” At this point, Tenzin let out a soft cry as he openly sobbed. Zuko reached over to put an arm around his shoulders in comfort.

Zuko nodded at the doctor, “Thank you. I think that’s enough information for now. May we go see Lin?”

The doctor got up and bowed to the men again, “Yes, you may go in. Things should be cleaned up there. Lin is only resting now. She is going to be very sore all over for a while, so I gave her some calming tea to help keep her relaxed as her body recovers. I’ll be back to check on her in a few hours.” The man backed away, leaving the two men in the hallway.

“I know you might have a lot of questions, but they’ll get answered in time. Go and be there for your wife,” Zuko urged Tenzin.

Tenzin, still crying openly, managed to stand up on his own two feet and head into the bedroom. He crossed to the bed and gently sat on the edge. The tears were making it difficult to see, but he was able to find Lin’s hand and grab it, grazing his thumb over it.

Lin’s eyes opened slowly and squinted over at him. “Tez,” she managed to whisper before a sob escaped her throat.

“Shhh,” he hushed, “Don’t talk right now. I’m here, just relax. Everything is okay now.” He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her temple, squeezing his eyes tighter as another sob rippled through his body.

“Hold me,” she whispered, half asking, half demanding. Tenzin silently acquiesced and molded his body around hers, holding her close. The couple cried together in bed until the tears and sadness felt so heavy, they could do nothing but fall asleep, hoping the morning did not come too quickly.

A/N: So, the lyrics I was referring to in my first note were: " 'Cause you were just a small bump unborn for four months then torn from life Maybe you were needed up there but we're still unaware as why." -Small Bump by Ed SheeranNow that you read this difficult chapter, I hope you don't hate me and will continue to leave comments/kudos and finish the fic! There are only 3 more chapters and I should be posting them sooner rather than later!

#linzin #sad chapter #fanfic #tw: miscarriage #atla #tlok #ed sheeran #my writing #justcallmehermione

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thecaroliner · 5 years

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That awful CBR Kataang article

I don’t normally do metas but this was so bad I had to respond. I think I actually had a stroke reading it

1. She shouldn’t teach him waterbending

At the beginning of the series, Katara was a waterbending novice, barely capable of maintaining a feeble orb of water in midair. As she traveled with Aang, they grew as waterbenders simultaneously, each growing through their journey to the north pole where they were taught by the same teacher.

After that, Katara assumed the duty of Aang’s waterbending tutor, which doesn’t really make sense considering that they should both be at the same approximate place in their training. In fact, Aang was shown to be more naturally adept at waterbending and capable of picking up the techniques easier.

So, like, did you completely miss the episode where Katara is shown to have advanced more than Pakku’s other students who have been training for months or maybe even years at this point? Yeah it’s a little weird considering that she’s only been there about a month, but Katara is just really, REALLY good at waterbending once she had a proper teacher. And yes Aang did pick it up really quickly but we also see in said episode he was lounging around playing with Momo rather than practicing, unlike Katara who it seemed like practiced hours each day.

2. They did their best work separated

Both Aang and Katara were intensely powerful benders who accomplished many amazing feats through their powers. However, it’s interesting to note that their most formidable feats were accomplished by themselves and separate from one another. Katara learned her most powerful techniques, bloodbending and water healing, completely without Aang’s aide. And the amount of incredible things Aang accomplished without her are immeasurable.

For starters, he was able to embody the spirit of the ocean, beat Fire Lord Ozai, and impressed the last dragons. In fact, he had to intentionally abandon her to attain his highest form and gain control of the Avatar State, pretty much definitively proving that they are more powerful when separated.

....What does this have to do with anything. Like, seriously, anything. Should they not be amazing, powerful benders unless the other is there to help them?? I genuinely don’t understand the point you’re trying to make here. Also do you not know how the Avatar state works?

3. The Cave of Two Lovers

One of the defining moments in Aang and Katara’s romance was the episode “The Cave of Two Lovers.” In it, Aang and Katara are separated from everyone else in a system of caves on the way to the city of Omashu.

The romantic nature of the story inspires Aang to hint his true feelings to Katara and, after some rom-com levels of shenaniganry, the two almost kiss for the first time as their light goes out. Without the light, however, the pathway of glowing crystals becomes clear and the two are able to escape. The episode is generally never brought up, both in discussion and the show’s lore, because it is, for lack of a better word, cringy.

Great argument, just explain what happened in the episode and then don’t explain why it’s bad or weird

4. Political Disagreements

Their biggest obstacle came in the comics, where they came within moments of splitting up over political disagreements. Specifically, their fight was over the Harmony Restoration Movement, which attempted to remove Fire Nation colonies following the end of the war. After Zuko had a change of heart and wanted to keep the older colonies in place, Katara agreed with him.

Aang was initially of the mind that all Fire Nation presence in the Earth Kingdom needed to be removed to ensure peace. Their conflict came to the point of violence when Katara had to talk Aang down from the Avatar State to prevent him from ending Zuko.

Again you just explained what happened and not why it was bad

5. Aang’s grandkids are better without him

There’s clear evidence that Aang and Katara weren’t the best parents, as evidenced by the emotional and psychological hang-ups of their kids, but the most telling proof that they weren’t fit to raise kids is how their grandkids turned out. Given that Aang never met them, Tenzin’s kids were never directly influenced by their grandfather and they were all nearly ideal children. Sure Ikki and Meelo are hyperactive, but they’re kids and are shown to mature somewhat with age while retaining their energetic personalities.

Free from Aang’s influence, Jinora even becomes a more powerful spiritual advisor than her father, who was so burdened with Aang’s pressure that he was never able to fully embrace his spiritual side.

Um, WHAT? Are you freaking serious right now? Of course we gotta go with the dumb “Aang was a bad dad” argument, AGAIN, which obviously was blown way outta proportion. But I can’t believe you’d actually say that they are better off not knowing him

6. They both have PTSD

While to romance between Aang and Katara is often framed as being between two kindred souls who knew from childhood that they were meant to be together, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even from the first moments they met each other, both exhibited acute symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.

Katara’s maternal instincts are likely derived from witnessing her mother’s demise and the prospect of vengeance. Aang had a tendency to misdirect, project, and avoid his issues over abandoning his culture and being lost in time. He also demonstrated a consistent lack in ability to process his anger, often snapping and yelling at his comrades over his perception of their failures.

ONCE AGAIN. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING. Also, are you literally implying that PTSD victims shouldn’t be in a relationship? ok

7. Aang kept her from seeing her dad

In one of the most despised episodes of the entire series, “Bato of the Water Tribe,” also featured a moment that probably should have destroyed Katara and Aang’s relationship. In the episode, Aang intercepts a letter that would provide Katara and her brother information on where their father, who they haven’t seen for three years, might be stationed and give them a chance to see him. Worried that they might abandon him, however, Aang hides the letter from them.

Katara’s father was at war and could have died at any time. If Aang had prevented the water tribe siblings from seeing their father, there’s no guarantee that they would have ever seen him again.

This is as close to a legitimate point as this article gets. But I guess they’re forgetting how Aang felt guilty about it and how neither Katara nor Sokka took it lightly and it took a while for them to forgive him.

8. They gave their kids inadequacy issues

If there’s one thing that could be gleaned from the Legend of Korra spin-off series, it’s that Aang and Katara weren’t the best parents. The oldest, Bumi, was born a non-bender and even in what appear to be his mid-50s, and after an illustrious military career, was still dealing with the inadequacy issues imparted by his father who always wanted an airbending child.

His sister Kya was so affected by her parents’ pressures that she spent several years traveling the world by herself before being forced to return to the south pole to take care of her co-dependent mother. Tenzin, the only airbending child was denied a childhood by his father hoisting the burden of an entire culture on his young shoulders.

Nothing in the show implies Kya was forced to come back and live with Katara. Katara was an elderly woman, devastated by the loss of her husband of 50+ years. My grandpa died many years ago, and if we hadn’t already lived in the same town as them, my family would’ve definitely moved up there to be with my grandma who was all alone. Taking care of your family is bad, I guess.

9. Their relationship got worse in the comics

The romance between Katara and Aang was a slow build on the show, developing infrequently from beginning to end. After the show ended, the generally laudable comic series took over the narrative and fumbled their relationship worse than a clumsy wide receiver. After affirming their relationship, the series depended entirely on an unfair dynamic between the two.

Katara was jealous of Aang constantly flirting with other girls closer to his own age, Aang bragged about being able to kiss her to everyone who would listen, and neither could think of a better pet name than “sweetie.” Overall, their romance just sort of went on automatic in the comics.

Show me ONE TIME where Aang flirted with other girls. Being friends with other girls is not flirting with them. Aang only mentioned being able to kiss her ONCE, and it wasn’t in front of close friends. He didn’t freaking go out in the middle of a crowd and go “HEY EVERYONE LOOK I CAN KISS KATARA”

10. Their kiss at the end was weird

The only time when Katara and Aang’s romantic relationship really picked up steam was in the final season of the show, culminating in the final scene of the original series where the two finally share a reciprocated kiss. As romantic as the tone was, it was offset somewhat by the atmosphere between the two leading up to that moment.

Mere episodes earlier, with the looming threat of genocide, death, and continued global war hanging ever-present over their heads, Katara was still uncertain and upset over Aang’s advances and made that abundantly clear to him.

Whoa, Katara took time to think about her feelings before jumping into a relationship?? Wow, how stupid of her.

11. They worked better as friends

The Kataang relationship was present throughout much of the series, but was only addressed and developed a few times at sporadic intervals. For the vast majority of the series, their relationship was one of matriarch and dependent. Aang needed Katara to keep him humble and focused while Katara’s motherly nature made her want to keep Aang safe.

Put bluntly, they were friends and their relationship worked well in that regard. But whenever romance was forcibly inserted into the equation, Katara began questioning how she felt about Aang and stated openly that she was uncomfortable with his affections. I.E. red flags that they probably should just stay friends.

Man, how dare Katara and Aang have a solid friendship before being romantically involved!!!!!!! You’re not supposed to be FRIENDS with your significant other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12. The age difference

Though Aang is technically over 100 years old, he’s biologically only 12. And though Katara herself is only 14 at the start of the series, the gulf between a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old is far greater than that between a 30-year-old and 32-year-old.

Despite having moments of genuine sage wisdom, Aang’s everyday behavior is more on par with an 8-year-old than anyone in his actual age bracket. This might not be his fault as his isolated, holistic upbringing instilled in him a strong sense of detachment, which might have prompted some of his more selfish actions, but even the most mature 12-year-old should not be making out with someone two years older.

I am forever baffled by y’all thinking that someone with a fun-loving, carefree personality is childish. When you get to a certain age are you supposed to stop having fun?? Stop telling jokes??? What a miserable life that would be

13. It was a one-sided relationship

When Aang was freed from the iceberg he’d been trapped in for the past hundred years, his first instinct was to fall head over heels in love with Katara. However, she didn’t see things the same way for quite some time. In fact, during the entire series, their romance was viewed through Aang’s lens with little to no input from Katara’s opinions on the matter.

In fact, she made it obliquely clear from the beginning of the series that she saw Aang more as a little brother or pseudo-child rather than a potential love interest, a view that didn’t change until very late. And even then, she was more embarrassed and confused by Aang’s affections than reciprocal.

Yeah, because relationships in real life are always 100% mutual from the beginning, and one person is never interested before the other is. That NEVER happens.

14. Their romance was unnecessary

While they were one of the primary pairs of the show, Katara and Aang’s relationship was only focused on in a handful of episodes in the original show’s three-season run. And those episodes tended to be considered weaker or filler between more significant arcs. Overall, their ship was not integral to the narrative of the show, both figuratively and thematically. You could remove all the Kataang content from the show and it wouldn’t change anything.

It wouldn’t even effect the series’ general quality, only improve it slightly. This might have been an issue in the writing staff as central breeding pairs are a trope in most shows, animated or otherwise. But just because stereotypes exist doesn’t mean they have a purpose or need to be used.

This was a show about magic, martial arts, and war. All the romance on the show was technically unnecessary. Doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have happened.

15. Zuko would’ve been a better match for her

The main rival of the Kataang ship is the Zutara vessel, the faction of viewers who believed that Katara would be better off with the series anti-hero Zuko. And they’re probably right. Zuko and Katara have expressed an interest in each other before, launching their ship in the first place, but it’s more because Zuko is more mature and, for lack of a better word, attractive than the alternative.

There’s also the pretty significant matter that they both have similar emotional baggage. Katara has issues with her father abandoning her for the war, Zuko has problems with his father being a dictatorial jerk, and they both lost their mothers at a young age due to the intricacies of politics and conflict.

*eye roll* “Zuko and Katara have expressed interest in each other before” Where? Show me where.

Ok so before you said that one of the reasons Kataang doesn’t work is because they both have PTSD. Buuuuut Katara and Zuko having PTSD is a reason..they should’ve been together? And full offense, but Katara having hard feelings towards her dad for a short time in one episode that was resolved quickly is in no way equal to Zuko experiencing lifelong physical and emotional abuse by his father. I’m actually really angry and kind of offended you would even think this was a reasonable comparison.

16. Their personalities never changed

One of the most important aspects of fictional characters is how they change. Round characters are indefinitely more interesting than flat, one-note characters. And while Aang and Katara are in no way flat characters, they didn’t change much within the confines of their relationship. That is to say, while their presence in each other’s lives changed the others’ personalities, they did not change all too much to each other after their childhood.

As seen in Legend of Korra, Katara is just as maternal and wise as she was in her youth. Korra’s brief flashbacks to Aang’s life demonstrated that he grew somewhat more serious as he aged, but was still immature enough to pose for pictures of him doing his marble trick.

fklafj;afjea;fef; if AANG MAKING A FUNNY POSE FOR A PICTURE IS IMMATURE. god i’m just. i am so done with this article.

17. Aang decided how many kids they had

One of the biggest decisions a long-term couple can make together is if they want to have children. It’s a choice that, if made in the affirmative, can never be taken back, and if they do decide to have kids, they both need to determine how many kids they want or can afford to have.

While Katara never said anything on the subject, their kids were more than happy to discuss how Aang was insistent on having children until at least one of them developed airbending so he had a surefire way to pass on his near-extinct culture. Presumably Katara was more than happy to have three kids with Aang, but if Tenzin had turned out to be a water- or non-bender, he would have demanded that she continue.

LITERALLY WHAT SHOW ARE YOU WATCHING HERE, MY DUDE. Where was this EVER said or even implied. Might I point out in Legacy where Aang literally says that he and Katara were open to the idea of having more kids after Tenzin

18. She lived without him for 20 years

t’s stated in Legend of Korra that Aang died when he was 66. Given that Katara is approximately two years older than him, that means she was about 68 when he passed. By the end of the spin-off series, Katara was 89, according to the official wiki.

That means that she had around 20 years to live, grow, and evolve as a person without Aang around. In all likelihood, if Aang had somehow returned to her after all that time, he might not even recognize Katara as the same woman he fell in love with. As far as the series is willing to tell, Katara’s only company after Aang’s death was her daughter, the Order of the White Lotus, Korra, and infrequent visits from her other children.

Wow, how dare Aang DIE and leave Katara all alone. What a jerk!!!!!!!! I guess my grandpa is a jerk for dying and leaving my grandma all alone, too! Men SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

19. She had a crush on Jet first

Kataang shippers tend to consider the start of the relationship to be the moment Aang saw Katara. He looked at her through rose colored glasses the moment she broke him out of the iceberg, framing her in light and a romantic breeze. It took Katara a little while to come around to having feelings for him, but she had a few different non-starter relationships along the way.

The first, and by far most impassioned of these, was with the freedom fighter Jet, who she met all the way back in the first season. Her crush was apparent and strong enough that she was disproportionately upset when she saw him several months later. She may have wound up with Aang, but she clearly had stronger initial feelings for Jet.

Wow because nobody in real life ever has multiple relationships throughout their lifetime or crushes on other people before meeting their significant other. And yeah, Katara totally shouldn’t have been upset to see the guy who tried to wipe out an entire innocent village unless she was madly in love with him

20. The (older) age difference

Despite only looking like a pre-teen, Aang is actually over 100 years old. He was born and raised before the start of the 100-year war at the Southern Air Temple. Upon learning he was the reincarnated Avatar, Aang was surprised. He and Appa were caught in a ferocious storm that sent them below the waves.

In a moment of self-preservation, his Avatar state activated for the first time and he bent himself into a frozen iceberg, which preserved him as he waited for a century beneath the seas near the Southern Water Tribe. The series is riddled with Aang’s hang-ups about his long-dead culture. It often causes rifts between himself and the other characters.

What does this have to do with their age difference or Kataang at all

#kataang #kataangtag #meta #atla

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royaltealovingkookiness · 5 years

Text

30 Days of Zutara - Day 21: Costume Party

She helps him slide on the red tunic, the silk is cool and smooth to the touch.

Her fingers brush over lightly the star-shaped wound, still so fresh and he winces from the pain. “Thank you, Katara,” he smiles gratefully. “I still feel like an invalid, I can’t even dress myself.”

“You should be in bed, you almost died.” Katara looks at him sternly.

Zuko ignores the comment about dying, and simply shrugs, “You know I’d rather be lounging around, but it’s important that I show up to my first meeting as Fire Lord with the military commanders. I have to demonstrate that I’m in control, it’s a delicate time.” The complexity of the political situation doesn’t escape Katara, but it’s surreal that the awkward dork who was washing dishes with her a few days ago now suddenly has an entire country to run.

The burgundy west with the golden hem comes next.

He continues. “If they think I’m weak, they’ll pounce like puma-hyenas, to tear the whole thing apart. We’ll end up with warlords sitting on their islands again.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Katara thinks that the empire needs to end, and learning to be small again may not be the worst thing for the Fire Nation.

“I understand how you feel about the empire, Katara, believe me, I do. But that doesn’t mean we should go back to the days of the tribal wars and bloodshed.”

He raises his arms and she twists the golden belt around his waist.

“I didn’t mean that.” She doesn’t wish war on anyone, there has been enough lives lost.

Zuko sighs. “I know you didn’t. I’m just nervous.” He bites his lips.

Katara ties the intricate knot, taking care that the lines are perfect. “You’ll be fine, Zuko. You prepared for this your entire life. It’s your destiny.”

“Well, not for the three years I was banished,” he sighs.

“Especially those three years,” she says firmly. “Think about it, what did your uncle teach you?”

Zuko pauses for a moment then smiles. “You’re right. Strategy, politics, diplomacy, leadership, patience...tea.” Mentioning his uncle lightens him up without a fail. Katara thinks that maybe it reminds him that even with a missing mother, an imprisoned father and a crazy sister, he is not all alone in the world.

“You forgot pai sho,” grins Katara.

“Don’t even remind me of the pai sho,” he grimaces.

She helps him get into the ornate long robe.

“I still feel like a kid playing dress up… What if they don’t listen to me?” Zuko is back to worry-mode.

“They will. You are their legitimate ruler, and more importantly, they will see that you are right.” At least she hopes they will.

He bows his head slightly, so she can tie up his hair.

The black locks feel like pure silk under her fingers. They never touched much before, but since she has been healing him constantly in the past few days, she has become more tactile with him. He closes his eyes and leans into the touch lightly. Katara fusses with the knot for an unnecessarily long time; both of them unwilling to break contact.

Katara pins the three-pronged golden headpiece into the topknot.

He raises his head and his transformation is complete. In this moment, she’s acutely aware that he’s not only her dear, awkward friend, but also the Fire Lord, who belongs to his people. The feeling of closeness is replaced by a feeling of grief as she realizes that the part of their lives roaming free as a group of friends is irrevocably over. Something whispers inside her that it was probably the best part, only they didn’t realize it then.

“Aang said that he’ll leave for the Earth Kingdom tomorrow,” Zuko says quietly. There is a question hidden in the statement which he doesn’t say, but Katara hears nonetheless. Will she leave as well?

“Iroh needs his help to prepare for the peace conference… I mean it’s good no? We’ll be together again in two weeks.” Katara rambles instead of replying because she simply doesn’t know. It’s all hellishly complicated. In wartime, necessity ruled their life often leaving them no option, but now that peace is here, the future is wide open. Zuko’s and Aang’s destiny is written, but she’s free to become who she wants to be. Suddenly it feels like a terrible weight and she’s unsure if she’s capable of making a choice.

“Yeah, it’s good,” mutters Zuko, but there is a sadness in his eyes. He takes a deep breath and motions to his attire. “How does it look?”

Katara steps closer.

She smoothes her fingers over his eye gently, purple-red mark blooming under her fingertips.

The scar feels dry, scaly and warm. It reminds Katara that pomp and circumstance is only the surface, her dear friend underneath remains who he is. Reckless, brave, heroic, caring. She’s unsure if the caress is a good-bye or a promise. He goes very still and surrenders to her touch, just like he did that day.

“Perfect,” she nods.

They are yet again on the crossroads of their destiny, except this time the choice is hers to make. And now she feels the agony he must have felt, torn between the familiar and the new. She breaks away.

She squeezes his arm and nods at him encouragingly. “Go, knock them out…”

“...moose-lion,” she says and he flashes a big toothy smile at her. He runs out of the hut. One of his friends, dressed as a penguin, greets him. “Cool Zuko-costume, Bumi. But I think the scar is on the wrong side.” “No, it’s not on the wrong side,” retorts Bumi, and waves back at Katara one last time before the boys race towards the communal hall where the costume party is about to begin.

Katara watches his son skipping away happily, dressed as Fire Lord. Before, it would have been unimaginable for someone in the water tribe to pick a Fire Nation costume, but Aang and Zuko working tirelessly on peace have managed to turn things around in a surprisingly short time.

But there is more than that. Zuko is Bumi’s personal hero since he took the devastated boy last summer on a trip to the Fire Nation, while his siblings were training with their bending, introducing him to swordfighting, theater, white sandy beaches and other exciting adventures. Things he should have done with his father, but...well,...never got to. The trip changed the boy, he came back all laughter and confidence.

Katara looks at the frayed golden thread stuck to her hand and wraps it around her finger. In the last pale rays of the setting winter sun it looks like a golden ring. She closes her eyes and as the fading light caresses her face, she lets herself think about the life she didn’t choose.

When darkness falls over the South Pole, she goes home and starts preparing dinner. The kids will be back from the party soon and hearing their excited chatter over the family meal is the favourite part of her day.

AO3 link

#atla #atla fic #30daysofzutara #zuko #katara #zutara #canon compliant #therefore a bit melancholic #sorry #brusselssprout writes #zutara month 2018

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katara-s-blog · 7 years

Text

Breathing Exercises, a Zutara oneshot

Written for day two of @zutaraweek 2017! I hope you enjoy it. Read on AO3

Summary: After two years, Zuko and Katara meet again in the South Pole, and a confrontation quickly turns into a swim in the Antarctic sea. Or, Zuko learns the difference between drowning and being underwater. Rated T.

He looks in the mirror, and finds Ozai staring back.

The faucet runs, and he cups his hands under the water. He throws the water at his face, desperate to wash off his father’s eyes, his father’s grin. In the mirror, nothing has changed, so he claws at his flawless skin. The faucet continues to run, and soon the water is up to his waist. Then his chest. His neck. He continues to claw at his face until the water in front of him starts to pink with blood, until it rises up to his eyes.

Gasping awake, Zuko reaches for his cheek. Relief washes over him as his fingers brush the plastic smoothness of his scar. His room, too large for one man, is lit with early morning light, and he focuses his attention on the soft edges of the bed, and then the doorframe, and then the tapestry. He turns his head to the right and traces the window with his eyes. I’m here, he reminds himself, I’m here. He presses his palm on his chest, feeling a scar there too, as if to still his rapid heartbeat. Too many mornings he wakes up this way, gasping, jolted awake by his ghosts. Each time he wonders how much time has to pass before he no longer feels like drowning.

It has been two years since the war ended, two years since he assumed the position as Fire Lord. It has been two years of atoning for a century of terror and atrocities. It has only been two years, Zuko thinks as he begins his day as he usually does: getting dressed, having breakfast, reviewing newly arrived letters of requests and complaints. The work is tedious, but necessary, and Zuko is determined to bring honor back to his nation. There is nothing else he’d rather do. Some days, however, or perhaps too many days, he wishes he could just breathe without thinking about what his people will eat, about what to do with the remaining colonies. He can only imagine what it must be like to not worry about things often too big for himself on a daily basis. Even before becoming Fire Lord, Zuko lived with a pressure around his neck. As a boy, he had his prodigy of a sister to constantly catch up to. He needed to prove himself as a skilled firebender, and soon enough, a worthy heir to the throne. With the latter backfiring, he lived out three years of his life in banishment, forced to capture the Avatar no one believed was even still alive. Three years at sea, surrounded on all fronts with water that never seemed to end, has trained him to resist more than just pressure. Now, as the Fire Lord during the first era of peace in a hundred years, Zuko is expected to make reparations with other nations while keeping his own stable and satisfied. He has to quell rebellions, to be vigilant of assassination attempts. He worries, too, about his sister, who, in her recovery, refuses to civilly interact with Zuko. Underneath all that, the fear that he will turn out to be just like his predecessors runs deep: every day he struggles to cope with Ozai’s legacy, with being Ozai’s legacy.

It’s too early for this, he thinks, rubbing his temples. He closes his eyes for a moment and focuses on his breathing until he feels calmer. One day at a time. Picking up the next scroll, Zuko finds its contents pleasantly surprising. It’s an invitation to the inauguration of the Southern Water Tribe’s new town hall. As Fire Lord and friend of Sokka and Katara, who have become political leaders of their tribe themselves, Zuko had been regularly receiving updates regarding the state of the SWT. He knows that its sister tribe heavily assisted in rebuilding it, and that establishing a school for benders and non-benders alike, in order to preserve their culture, had been a priority. So too was reestablishing a political organization, a better one, since their population has been steadily increasing in the past few years. This inauguration, the letter says, is basically an opportunity for the Southern Water Tribe to present itself to the rest of the world as a political power. Having been one of the more heavily damaged nations during the Hundred Year War, the inauguration is their way of announcing that they are back on their feet, and they have invited the leaders of each nation—several from the Earth Kingdom due to its size—to witness it.

Politically, attending the inauguration would be advantageous: it would be an opportunity to meet and discuss with world leaders again, the last summit having been almost four months ago. It would also be a show of goodwill on his part as the Fire Lord: firebenders have not set foot on the South Pole in a hundred years without bringing fear and terror with them—and that includes him. The last time he was there was the same time he first saw the Avatar and terrorized the small village. He had been too busy as Fire Lord to pay a visit since then, and international conferences have so far only been held either in the Fire Nation or in the Northern Water Tribe. He had provided financial assistance, of course, but that was as far as his relationship went with the South Pole.

Personally, attending the inauguration would be a chance to see his friends again. He does not need more motivation than that.

A week later, Zuko sights the South Pole.

It hadn’t been too long since his last voyage. Last time, almost four months ago, the North Pole had been his destination for the biannual summit. He came with his uncle then who served as his adviser shortly before deciding he wanted to settle down and return to managing the Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se. Taking this voyage reminds him of that fact, of his uncle, and the reminder is a knot in his chest. He had been happy for his uncle, he is happy for him, but he is still adjusting to not having the wise man to regularly turn to.

Attendance during the last summit was complete, with each nation-state represented, but Zuko noted that, despite his expectations, Katara was not there. She was present at the first one in Caldera, representing the SWT along with her brother, so he was surprised she wasn’t at the second summit. Sokka explained that she had projects she needed to focus on back in the South Pole, but he had the inkling that there was more to her absence than that. He didn’t pry, though. He didn’t really have a reason to.

It is for this reason, perhaps, that Zuko is incredibly excited and nervous that he is going to be seeing her this time around. They have not spoken much since the war ended, exchanging only small conversations at the first summit, and mailing each other mostly business letters sprinkled with a couple of pleasantries. He has been secretly disappointed at how their friendship turned out since then. Zuko tries not to think about it too much, but Katara was one of the few people he could confide in that he knew would empathize, not just sympathize. Their short time together in the days leading to Sozin’s Comet had been comfortable, no, more than that. Like I were at ease. Not completely, of course, as those were days of war, but in the midst of the worry and anticipation, Katara’s company put him at ease. She understood him, respected him. She saw him at his worst, and forgave him twice. He felt like a person in her presence, not the prince of the Fire Nation, not a firebending teacher. Just Zuko, the firebender.

“Hey Fire Lord,” Zuko hears from a distance, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Are you going to get down here or what?”

He notices just now that the ship has docked at the South Pole. The soldiers he traveled with are lined up by the railing, already ready to disembark. For a moment he feels embarrassed, thinking that someone probably informed him of their arrival and that he must not have heard it. He thanks his crew anyway, and makes his way down to the pier. A small group of people in Southern Water Tribe garb are waiting to greet them, and he squints through the cold air to see their faces. He immediately sees Sokka waving, and realizes it is him who must’ve called out. Beside him stands Katara, and he tries not stare. He tries not to reveal his anxiety as the cold begins to register in his body.

“I forget how cold the Poles can be,” is how he starts his greeting. Sokka laughs, drawing him into a hug.

“Says the guy who swam in Antarctic waters.” He sees Katara’s bright, smiling face before she tackles him in a tight embrace. She smells like warmth, and the sea, and her arms around his torso feel like safety. “It’s been a while.”

Pulling away, he regards how Katara has changed since he last saw her. Her face is sharper, and her blue eyes still carry the same fire he remembers. She is taller, too, and fuller.

“I, uh, we missed you at the last summit,” he says, hoping they did not notice his error.

“Yeah, well, I was busy,” Katara says with a small smile. Then, gesturing to the other people around them, she introduces them to Zuko one by one. They are officials, he learns, and he tries to remember their names. He loses them in a minute, but he maintains his composure throughout the introduction.

“You’re two days early, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up,” Sokka says as he pats Zuko’s back, pushing him further inland. Drawing his eyes away from the small group, he looks up and is awed—the South Pole is unrecognizable to him. Gone were the tents of animal hide and small fences of snow, replaced by large, intricate ice structures creating an incredible skyline. On their walk towards the old town hall, where he will be housed for the meanwhile, he learns the following: He is the first foreign dignitary to arrive, Sokka and Suki are finally engaged, and the recently renovated school is successfully operating. He and Katara do not speak the whole time, but he is hyperaware of her presence beside him.

After dinner, Katara invites him to take a walk.

“I’d love to.” He is telling the truth, but he doesn’t tell her how nervous she is making him.

It’s still bright out, to his confusion, and then he remembers that, half the year, the South Pole does not experience nights at all. Not being able to approximate the time based on the sunlight disconcerts him. Among other things.

“So,” he begins as they pass by the small school behind the town hall. “What were you up to at the last summit?”

Beside him, Katara remains quiet, but he doesn’t push her. They just continue walking, and Zuko pays attention to his surroundings first instead. Patterned textiles hang outside many of the ice structures. He reminds himself to ask Katara about them, but perhaps not today.

It takes a while before she speaks again. In a soft voice, she says, “I owe you an apology, Zuko.”

He stops in his tracks and faces her. She keeps her eyes down, avoiding his gaze. “Why would you owe me an apology?” Zuko asks, confused.

“Let’s keep walking,” Katara says, and he follows.

He respects her silence, but the longer she kept it, the more anxious Zuko became. He could not think of a single transgression that he could fault her for. If anything, there are many things to thank her for. So what did she mean?

They reach a quiet part in the outskirts of town, away from curious eyes. The nearest structure is a small house that does not seem to be housing anyone at the moment. Nearby, he could hear the sea, and they seem to be walking towards it. Of course she would take us to the sea, he thinks.

Then, “I shouldn’t have left you.”

Again, Zuko stops. To this, he does not have anything to say. He’d be lying if he said that it was okay that she did. He understands why, he understands both their circumstances. Katara had obligations elsewhere, and he had his. Personal and political ones. He has gone through this in his head many times. But he’d be lying if he said he was okay when she did.

“You had no obligation to stay, Katara.”

Katara exhaled heavily and sat down on the snow. “I know. I just—you needed people, too. I didn’t know Iroh would move back to Ba Sing Se. Or that,” she pauses, “Mai would join her family back in Omashu. I’m sorry.”

That everyone left, you mean.

He sat down beside her, focusing his gaze on the horizon. “Katara, none of that’s your fault.”

“No, Zuko, I just mean”—she takes a deep breath—“that you’re my friend too. And that I didn’t treat you like one these past few years. And, I’m sorry for that.”

This time, Zuko was the one who kept quiet. Neither of them looked at each other.

“You might have noticed,” she continued, “that Aang and I aren’t, uh, together.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but I wasn’t sure if it was in my place to do so,” he replies, trying not to sound embarrassed. “Are you okay?”

Hugging her knees, she answers, “I am, I suppose. I broke up with him. This was right before the summit, so it was a big reason why I decided to stay behind, to be honest. I hated that I did, I hurt him, you know?” She sighs, turning away. “But I had to. I felt like I was losing myself along the way. I just knew that the life he needed to live as the Avatar couldn’t involve me. I was miserable, to say the least.” At that last sentence, her voice drops almost to a whisper.

Zuko was shocked. To him, and perhaps to many people, Aang and Katara were the perfect, happy couple, leading the world’s transition into an era of peace and equality. It surprised him, and made him sad, to discover she wasn’t happy at all. “I’m sorry, Katara. I didn’t know.”

She went on, “I just followed him around. I didn’t get to pursue what I wanted. I barely corresponded with my friends, even with Sokka. I barely talked to you, after everything you’ve done for me,” she trails off. “You didn’t deserve that.”

His chest keeps tightening, as though he’s about to burst. He feels consoled by the apology he didn’t know he needed, but he still doesn’t see it as her fault, or anyone’s fault. “Katara—“

“And then when Sokka got home from the summit, he told me about how you’ve been doing, all the work you’ve been doing. And then he told me Iroh was officially retiring, and in Ba Sing Se, and I couldn’t help but think of difficult it must be to be the Fire Lord and be alone.”

A pause. “I could have been there,” she says, turning her head to face him this time.

Zuko presses his lips into a line. He couldn’t articulate what he’s feeling at that moment. Everything Katara is saying is true, but he has tried not to think of it that way, that he’s alone. It shouldn’t matter, he thinks. I have my duty as Fire Lord. It was always going to be difficult. And it is.

Instead he says, “I wish I could have been there, too. Given you support when you needed it. It must’ve have taken a lot of courage to stand up for yourself when it comes to someone you care about. I get that, and I’m proud of you.”

“Now you’re just being too nice,” Katara laughs, and Zuko is relieved when the air around them becomes lighter. “But thanks, Zuko. That means a lot to me.”

He shrugs, smiling at her. “Friends should be there for each other, right?” He sighs. “I try not to think I’m alone. It makes the job much more difficult, but you’re right. It’s there. Sometimes…” He bites his lip, trying to find the words. “Sometimes I can’t breathe, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Hey,” Katara gently places her hand on his scarred cheek and tilts his face toward hers. He tries not to quiver under her touch. Her eyes are bright, glistening with concern. “I want you to know that you can talk to me, Zuko. That’s what I wanted to get at, basically. You can tell me.”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t want to hear about the failing trading policies between the Fire Nation and Omashu,” he half-joked.

“I would actually,” she corrects, her eyebrows raised. “I could even give you advice. You may be Fire Lord, but you’re not the only leader around here.” She grins playfully, and Zuko feels a weight leave his chest, replaced with something electric.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Zuko says, taking her up on her offer. “Today, I am not going to think about that.”

He feels Katara’s eyes on his face but he doesn’t return the gaze. Katara seems to understand and sighs, looking towards the horizon again. She gently places her hand on his shoulder instead, and squeezes.

“Do you want to hear a terrible idea?” Katara asks, breaking the silence.

Zuko perks an eyebrow. “What?”

Standing up, she says, “Let’s take a swim, like you once did.”

Zuko stares at her incredulously. “I barely survived the last time, and last time I was just desperate.” He laughs. “And why would I willingly subject myself to that if I could stay warm up here?”

“I don’t know, for the fun of it, come on,” Katara urges, all traces of their previous conversation washed away from her face. “I’ve only ever accidentally fallen into the water, so this’ll be a first for me. Sort of,” she smiles.

Amused, Zuko shakes his head, but agrees anyway. “Fine,” he looks up at her, locking their eyes. “Remember that this was your idea,” he says, standing up, secretly excited by the rush of adrenaline he knows he’ll get upon falling into the frigid waters. He removes his shoes and outer robes, leaving on his tunic and pants. The wind pierces into his thin clothing like needles.

Katara, looking fierce and almost victorious, also takes off her parka, leaving on as much as Zuko did. “I will regret this in a minute.”

“I know. Let’s jump for it. Are you ready?” Zuko prompts, bracing himself. He’s not too worried about himself, knowing that he can breathe warmth through his body like last time. He’s more worried about Katara, who, despite having lived in the South Pole all her life, would probably not be resistant to the biting cold of the water.

She grabs hold of his hand, and for a second the heat between their hands is sharper than the Antarctic wind on his face, and in another, they are jumping into the ice-cold sea.

The cold registers like a shock, and his body automatically regulates its heat. Focusing on his breathing, he exerts a bit more effort to make himself warmer, until he is almost comfortably so.

“Terrible idea,” he hears Katara stutter through chattering teeth. “Terrible, terrible idea.” She’s laughing, though, as she embraces herself for warmth. Without a thought, Zuko pulls her shivering body to him, and shares his warmth with her. He laughs, too, to hide his embarrassment and awkwardness. Katara, still shaking from both the cold and her laughter, breathes a warm sigh on his shoulder and puts her arms around his body.

They stay like this for a moment, pressed up against each other as they tread in the water. Zuko feels light, as though nothing waited beyond the ice and sea. Extending all around him are just the whites and blues of water, and in his arms, Katara breathing against his skin. He runs a hand slowly down the back of her head.

“Zuko,” she looks up at him, her lips pale.

“Do you trust me?” He asks boldly, resting his hand on her cheek. She nods, then tilts her face towards Zuko’s palm, sending a rush of heat through his body. What cold, he thinks to himself.

“Hold your breath, then.” He has already been holding his, he realizes.

Her eyes, inquisitive at first, light up when she realizes what he has in mind. Slowly, then, he pulls them both underwater, holding Katara close to him, keeping her warm. In his ears, he hears the static of water. He keeps his eyes closed and focuses on their connected bodies, regulating both their heat. Katara clings to him, to his warmth, moving her hands around the plane of his back. Underwater, she is weightless and tender, and warm, despite it all. He keeps one arm around her waist, and another at the back of her neck, pressing her head gently against his chest. He feels her long hair floating behind her, and he imagines what they must look like, their bodies tangled like that. She nuzzles her face in his neck without warning, as if digging for more warmth, and did it feel like warmth. Like being at ease. Holding his breath like that, in the arms of someone he begins to realize he has always loved, he feels like he’s breathing for the first time in a long time.

#i might edit this tomorrow it's almost 6am here jesus christ #the things i do for this ship smh #zutara #zutara week #zutara week 2017 #fanfiction #lian's works

118 notes · View notes

zutaraverse · 7 years

Text

Chapter 3 Part 1: Old Letters and New Deals

Chapter 3 of Blood, Chi and Full Moons :)

Find previous chapters: Chapter 1 Part 1 | Chapter 1 Part 2 | Chapter 2

Zuko stared at Katara’s open palm for an eternal minute before looking back up at her face. It was worried, he registered distantly, but it seemed a world away from his thoughts right now. He took a few deep breaths.

“Katara… did you just fire bend?” he whispered, face paler than usual.

“Do you want me to do it again?” she said, trying a meek smile to cover her anxiety.

“How… how many people know you can do this?” he asked, already calculating how much damage the knowledge that this was possible would do to the world. Of course it was not as if there was some kind of law against it, but there was a sort of unspoken fear of such a thing. The fact that the Avatar was inhabited by the spirit of light somehow made it alright. But if somebody else could do the same things without being bound to do good, to bring balance, they could just as easily create chaos.

“Two. You and me. Do you think I would let anybody else know? I told the sages that the book was interesting but too obscure to really understand, and that I thought it meant meditation techniques. They bought it. And then I came straight here.” She was looking down at the grapes again, nervously awaiting his judgement.

“So, let me get this straight: you control blood which controls your chi flow. By changing the chi flow you can bend different things. And now you can bend fire. Have I missed something?”

“No, you’ve got it.” Zuko’s mind was still whirling with all the possibilities this opened up, and trying hard to ignore the image of Katara - beautiful Katara - dressed in red and fire bending alongside him.

“Zuko.. Fire is, well its beautiful. Water is powerful, it consumes and recedes, it flows through life everywhere. But fire! Fire is a spark of energy - it creates and destroys in a second - it is colour and sun and freedom - it cannot be contained and it is as infinite as life itself. It is exhilarating! I love it Zuko.”

Zuko looked at her with wide eyes. Of course she would understand his own element better than he had! It had taken him and Aang finding a lost civilisation and dancing to dragons to figure it out. But she had had to study it and learn it rather than having the ability innate. And Aang… well Aang was a scared kid with the weight of the world on his shoulders - finding the true meaning of fire was never going to come easily to him at that time. Katara wasn’t taking fire for granted.

“The dragons would love you,” he muttered, mind spinning.

“Zuko, I need somebody to teach me…”

They were interrupted by loud confident knocks at the door. They both visibly jumped, leaning back to their original positions - they hadn’t noticed how closely they had been leaning into one another over the table.

Zuko glanced nervously at Katara and cleared his throat.

“Come in,” he called, trying to compose himself.

“Prince Zuko,” started the messenger - this one was far more sure of himself than the morning one. “The Youth Army representatives have arrived and are waiting for you in your office. How long should I tell them you’ll be?”

Zuko groaned. He had forgotten he had this meeting, and undoubtedly it would go horribly.

“Don’t, I’m coming now. Katara, this may take a while, I hope I can join you for dinner. In the meantime Messenger Wang will take you to your rooms.” Zuko hated the fact that he had to talk to two grumpy old men while Katara was alone in the Palace. On the other hand, he did need time to think through things, so maybe he could zone out for a bit and process all that she had told him.

Katara was bored. She was bored because she refused to think about the conversation she had with Zuko earlier that day. She was so nervous but she knew that she had done the right thing by telling him. Honestly, who else could she tell? Sokka was going to freak out and do something irrational - or let it slip out of his big mouth - or both. Suki was probably a good option but Katara seriously doubted Suki’s ability to keep things from Sokka. Plus, she probably wouldn’t understand since she couldn’t bend. Hakoda was absolutely out of the question! Although if he knew he would probably stop bugging her about taking a Northern Water Tribe husband; that little secret would get out and it would probably get very ugly. Aang would go on about what was right and natural and balance and blah blah blah and then either make her change her chi flow back or remove both her fire and water bending! Which would probably kill her.

Toph and Zuko were the only ones left. Toph was a very real possibility but she was La knows where on her own little missions - and besides, she couldn’t fire bend. And Katara wanted to fire bend before earth bending….

Shit, when had she made the decision to learn earth bending?!

Zuko was her last option. And actually she was quite happy about that.

During her journeys, she had sent messenger hawks to all her friends from various locations, telling them she was alright and about the odd people she had come across. Leaving out, of course, what she was doing. Their replies had been predictable.

Toph’s were sparse because she was travelling much too, and sometimes they would need to be sent on to Katara’s next location from the last. And besides, Toph needed somebody to read them out to her and then write what she said down - which had the pleasant side effect of being exactly what Toph would say had she been there, sarcasm and all!

Sokka and Suki’s were a clash of the two personalities (how did they end up together again?), and they eventually settled with writing separate letters on the same scroll and sending them both. Often they described the same things in entirely different ways - and Katara knew to trust Sukki over her brother.

Ty Lee and Mai always made Katara smile - Mai’s cynicism was light hearted for once, and Ty Lee always drew something entertaining. At first Katara wasn’t so sure about their friendship, but over the year that they had spent cleaning up after the war they had proved themselves worthy allies.

Mai knew politics inside out and her stern voice coupled with her impassable features made her indispensable in negotiations. And Ty Lee - well - she was good fun, although it still spooked everybody out when she did her acrobatics.

They both grew to respect Katara more than they originally had - unlike Azula, they respected their opponents - and Katara loved being around girls more or less her own age for once. They talked about boys and hair and music and make up… as well as chi blocking, knives, fans and water whips… but sometimes, when it was just Mai, Ty Lee, Suki and Katara, it almost resembled a group of girls in a normal town discussing normal things. It made Katara more confident in herself, in her looks, her dancing - she learned to flirt and chi block from Ty Lee, negotiate and knife throw from Mai, dance and manipulate fans from Suki. From her they learned how to cook and sew, how to hunt and gut, and how to really really get on Zuko’s nerves. In the end, Ty Lee had been serious about joining the Kyoshi warriors, and Mai had suddenly decided to do the same, after coming to the realisation that she loved Ty Lee as more than a friend.

To be honest, Katara could understand that. The two friends were the only people in the entire world that understood one another. Nobody else had been friends with Azula. Sure, people had worked with her, followed her orders, been around her a lot but nobody else had crossed that line into some semblance of friendship. Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko had been the only three crying after Azula’s suicide. She had completely lost her mind and in a frenzy set herself on fire, screaming that fire was the most powerful element and it was the only thing that she would allow to consume her. Katara shuddered at the harrowing memory. So it was natural and unquestioned when Mai and Ty Lee took solace in one another’s arms.

Aang. Well. Aang never replied. She knew he got the letters because the messenger hawks always came back, but never with any reply. Whether he actually read her letters she did not know. He might have burned them immediately for all she knew. But in the two years she never stopped sending them, hoping that one day he might grow out of his self imposed seclusion from his friends. That day hadn’t come.

Zuko’s were the ones she most anticipated though. They had a sort of unspoken agreement not to discuss their ‘work’; letters could always be intercepted. Zuko’s meetings were mostly confidential, and Katara didn’t want anybody to know what she was doing. Instead they discussed people (whose names they replaced with numbers) they had each met - how annoying or obtuse or frustrating, lovely or kind or wise they were. Zuko told her about life at the Palace and she told him about all the places she was seeing. Eventually they started daydreaming in their letters - sharing little fantasies and dreams, stories they had come up with. What if everybody had wings? What if the Water Tribe had decided to dominate the world instead of the Fire Nation?

She loved these because when she was stressed or angry or alone she knew that in his letters she would find her same emotions mirrored or a complete distraction from the world they lived in. It turned out better than she had even expected - in the two years she had got to know Zuko in a way she doubted the others did. In person he was quick to anger and low in self confidence. He was always painfully aware of his tendency to say things in an odd way or not get his point across. In person, in the year after the war, she found him infuriating! He was constantly berating himself for his blunders and mistakes rather than taking the lead. To be fair, he had improved tenfold during that year, but she still saw it in him by the year’s end. In letters, though, he could think about how he was phrasing things and the conversation was never interrupted by fits of frustration or anger from either of them. She knew that he took time in what he wrote and that he was proud of the things he sent her.

She kept all her letters, but she re-read Zuko’s most often. In fact… she should have them just here…

#zutara #zutaraverse #blood chi and full moons #fanfic #worldcrawler #fanfiction #avatar the last airbender #atla #firebending #zuko #katara #fire #fire palaca

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reinerispretty · 4 years

Text

rotations. bonus! y/n is in labor

Hey hun. So sorry for asking for a rotations thing bc idk if you still wanna do those. Anyways y’n going into labor with her first child and Zuko loosing his shit bc we all know he would. And the rest of the gaang having to wait with a literally insane Zuko while they just hear y/n screaming in the distance birthing a child. Thanks

happy weekend everyone :) i thought it would be fun to do a rotations request!! tysm for requesting ily <3

(Y/N) laughed, but as she tossed her head back she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She leaned forward, cradling her bump as she hissed in a breath of pain. Katara grabbed her arm. “(Y/N), are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just um, a cramp or something.” (Y/N) gave her friend a reassuring smile. “I’ll be okay.”

“I thought you were impulsive when we were kids,” Katara said as she walked by (Y/N’s) side. “But flying halfway across the world in the middle of night while pregnant just to have me make you sea prunes really takes the cake.”

(Y/N) hummed as she waddled, using chopsticks to shove sea prunes into her mouth. Her distaste for them had been clear for years, but she had woken up last night with an insufferable craving. She could have ordered the servants to whip up the traditional Water Tribe dish, but she was craving both Katara’s cooking and her companionship.

“I’m the Fire Queen,” (Y/N) said. “I’ve gotta give the people something to gossip about.” Katara laughed and rolled her eyes.

“You’re just lucky I was still here. We’ve been traveling so much lately.” (Y/N) had taken a stab in the dark by flying to Republic City. Katara’s last letter, dated almost three weeks ago, had said that she and Aang would be traveling there to see to some building projects. He, Zuko, and Sokka had been taking turns overseeing the development of the cultural epicenter of the four nations. It was coming together rather nicely. A few housing developments had been erected here and there, and the city hall was nearly finished.

(Y/N) stopped as they walked down the sidewalk to inhale a few deep breaths. Constantly carrying a child in her stomach had proven to get more challenging as the pregnancy continued. Katara looked at her with a worried frown. “You shouldn’t be traveling so close to your due date.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes.

“You sound like Zuko.” (Y/N) had been traveling all over the world lately. When she woke up with a craving, she sought to satisfy it. Since reaching the ninth month of her pregnancy, her doctors and Zuko had urged her to relax her duties as queen for the time being.

“Maybe he can be right sometimes.” (Y/N) gave her friend an exaggerated gasp.

“Blasphemy!” Katara giggled, taking (Y/N) by the arm as they continued their walk to the center of the city. Aang stood in front of city hall with his hands on his hips as the construction workers did their jobs. Katara called out to him and he turned around, a wide smile on his face.

“(Y/N)!” Aang cheered, walking over to them to give her a big hug. “What are you doing here? You look great! Are those sea prunes?”

“I had a craving,” (Y/N) said with a shrug, eating another prune. Aang’s face contorted in amused disgust.

“She took an air balloon and left the Fire Nation in the middle of the night.” Aang shook his head.

“(Y/N)-”

“No one can scold me!” (Y/N) insisted. “I’m pregnant, I’m pulling the pregnancy card.”

“How about we fly Appa back to the Fire Nation? It’ll be nice to see Zuko,” Aang’s smile was bright and hopeful.

“That would be amazing! We haven’t had visitors in so long.” She looked to Katara. “You’ll come right?” Katara had been so busy these past few months. Between traveling with Aang and building up her own tribe, she and (Y/N) hadn’t spent proper time together in ages.

“Of course.”

Getting on Appa’s saddle with large belly had proved to be almost impossible, but with a little of Aang’s airbending, (Y/N) was able to roll onto the sky bison. “I’ve missed Appa so much,” (Y/N) sighed as she tilted her head back. It was nice, to feel the wind on her face and blow back her hair. Being on Appa, she felt young again.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Katara said, nudging (Y/N) with her elbow. She smiled.

“I’ve missed you too!” Aang called back. “In case anyone’s wondering about me.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just um, a cramp or something.” (Y/N) gave her friend a reassuring smile. “I’ll be okay.”

But minutes later, the feeling returned, lasting for a much longer amount of time. Katara stared down at (Y/N) in shock. “I think you’re going into labor!”

“That’s ridiculous,” (Y/N) muttered.

“Is it? You’re practically about to burst.”

“You said I looked great for being nine months pregnant!”

“You do! But your baby’s coming, whether or not you’d like it.” Katara turned to her husband. “Aang! Is there any way we can land Appa?”

“We’re over open water, there isn’t anywhere to land!”

“Alright, then we’re going to have to go faster! The baby’s coming.”

And (Y/N) had never seen Aang become so serious and determined, not even when he was about to fight the old Fire Lord.

Aang and Appa had managed to cut the travel time by nearly half. The poor sky bison was panting by the time they landed in the courtyard of the Fire Nation Palace, but even as her contractions were occurring, (Y/N) was shouting at servants to get him hay and water. Aang was attempting to airbend (Y/N) off of Appa when Zuko arrived.

“What’s going on?” He demanded, a light smile on his face. “I arrive in the morning to find my wife missing and then walk out here to find the Avatar practicing his airbending on her?” Katara hopped to the ground, her face grave.

“She’s going into labor. Where are your doctors?”

The smile instantly faded from Zuko’s face. “I-I sent them into town if the citizens needed anything. Should I send for them?” Katara sighed.

“There’s not enough time. Have the servants bring hot water and towels into one of the guest bedrooms.”

“The guest bedrooms? But the master bedroom is bigger.”

“Do you want blood all over your sheets?” Katara questioned. Zuko was too stunned to answer. “That’s what I thought.”

Aang helped (Y/N) land on her feet, but she cried out and doubled over as another contraction formed. Zuko rushed to her side and lifted her into his arms. “I can’t believe you, (Y/N)! You’re so--so--”

“Insufferable?” She asked, grinning sleeping up at him. Sweat beaded on her brow, but she still lifted her hand to pat his cheek. Zuko shook his head, but a smile still crinkled at the edges of his lips.

Servants were ordered around as Zuko set laid (Y/N) into bed. Katara immediately went to work. (Y/N’s) contractions were becoming increasingly more painful as she lay in bed. Zuko flinched as he heard his wife shout. He and Aang hung toward the back of the room, watching Katara. She whirled around on them.

“If you’re going to stay, you’re going to help. Otherwise, stand outside.” Aang ducked out immediately, giving Zuko a quick pat on the back. The Fire Lord had a decision to make.

“I’ll stay,” He decided, but his voice was shaky. (Y/N) smiled at him from her position on the bed.

“Alright, grab some towels.”

The birth of their child was proving to be more difficult than (Y/N) had expected. The pain that tore through her body was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head, laying back on the pillows and sobbing. “I can’t do it, it’s too much!”

“You can, (Y/N), you can do this.” And while she loved Zuko very much, he had never been very good with words. She sobbed again.

“What if I won’t be a good mom? I can’t do it! I don’t want to do it!” Katara came round to the side of the bed and took (Y/N’s) hand.

“You are the strongest person I know. You are brave, kind, and inconceivably wonderful. You will be an amazing mother, (Y/N). I don’t have any doubts about it.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my friend,” (Y/N) said as she calmed down.

“We’re not friends, we’re family. And I would never lie to you.” She stroked (Y/N’s) sweaty hair. “You are more than capable of doing this.”

(Y/N) looked up at Katara and saw the honesty in her eyes. Silently, she nodded, and Katara moved back down to the bottom of the bed. “Alright, now push!”

And in just three more pushes, a beautiful, healthy baby girl was born. The room was filled with her wails and (Y/N) couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. She had done it. She and Zuko were parents.

Katara cleaned up the child to the best of her ability and handed her to (Y/N). She took the baby in her arms and cradled her close to her chest, smiling up at Zuko as she beamed down at her. He kissed his wife and then kissed the baby girl’s head ever so gently.

Katara stepped out of the room to give them a moment of privacy and met an eager-looking Aang waiting in the hallway. “How is she?” He asked. Katara smiled.

“She’s great. They have a healthy baby girl.” Aang grinned and took Katara into his arms to hug her.

She and Aang reentered the room to find Zuko and (Y/N) still cooing at their baby girl. “She’s beautiful!” Aang breathed as he rushed over to (Y/N’s) bedside.

“She looks just like Zuko, I think,” (Y/N) said. Zuko shook his head.

“No way, she’s way too pretty. She looks just like you.”

“Have you decided on a name?” Katara asked as she joined Aang’s side. (Y/N) nodded.

“We both decided to name her Izumi,” (Y/N) said, and Katara inhaled a sharp breath and her eyes glistened with tears. “It means spring of water.”

---

Tag List!

#writing #fanfiction #atla #avatar #the last airbender #zuko x reader #aang x reader #katara x reader #sokka x reader #toph #zuko #aang #katara #sokka #suki #azula #iroh #momo #appa

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