#100 days of azutara drabbles challenge

[marvelousazula]

Mask

Prompt #068 from 100 Days of Azutara Drabbles Challenge | masterlist | post-canon, relationship status open for interpretation, cw: burns and past child abuse

Azula was eccentric, to not say outright weird. Weird could be a good word to describe her, but it was an insensitive one to use to refer to a fellow literal child soldier. She had scary skills and a rigid routine, old habits die hard, people said. Azula was trained to be a ruthless killer when she needed to be a ruthless killer, and even the princess struggled to kill those habits that made her life a little more miserable.

Trauma made Katara quite the emotional one, even if she was pretty good at controlling those emotions. From what she has seen, trauma made Azula the queen of expressing her emotions. It was interesting, if you asked her, to think how one of the most powerful Firebenders in the world – if not the most powerful Firebender alive, – didn’t seem to use emotions when they seemed to be meant to be a Firebender’s fuel. 

Even a couple of years into whatever this relationship really was ,Katara still only saw her cry once. It didn’t mean she couldn’t tell when Azula was having a bad day, but still, she would have expected to have seen more of it.

However, her reaction to physical pain? That was unnerving.

Katara was healing quite the nasty burn that spread over her shoulder, partly over her chest and went midway down her left arm. It was quite the luck shot from the opponent, and it would have thrown down most Firebenders. If anny Firebender at all, she saw how powerful the burst was and the way Azula staggered on her feet for half a second. It could cause permanent damage without immediate medical attention, so good thing Katara was right there and ready to mak sure Azula wouldn’t lose any function of her arm.

Here she was, glowing water over her… friend’s shoulder. Years of experience as a healer didn’t guarantee that she got used to fresh nasty burns. But she thought that the queasiness of her stomach came from the way Azula showed no sign of being in pain, no sign at all, always something that made shivers run down her spine.

At this point, maybe she should be a little bit more used with the way Azula repressed her reactions, the way she seemed to always wear a well-carved mask. A mask Katara would like to not think about how it was forged in a house where a parent wanted her to be a firebending weapon and the other neglected her in favor of the firstborn. Azula could have turned out much worse, being honest.

“‘Zula?” Katara said gently, aware that the princess seemed to respond well to the nickname. Actually, she tended to even perk up when Katara used it.

“Yes?” She even sounded a little happier under the positive attention.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“That’s already a question,” Azula and her adorable little pleased grin, Katara rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. “Ask away, love.”

It was hard to keep convincing herself that she was not in love with the princess when she could sct smooth like this: “You never seem to feel pain, why’s that?”

“Oh,” Azula looked between Katara and the skin knitting itself back together under the water. “I just, uh, don’t really feel anything most of the time, when I get hurt. You know when a part of your body falls asleep, so it’s there but you don’t feel it?” Katara nodded. “It’s something like that.”

“Were you born like that?”

“No,” the princess looked so adorable when she stopped to think of an answer like that. “You’ve people being hit by lightning, there’s this shaking after it.”

“Yes, not a pleasant thing to look at.”

“So, that’s when the charge is strong enough to cause damage. Hits enough and I think pain receptors are fried. Not pleasant, but made me quite the efficient warrior, don’t you think.”

“Yeah, it seems.”

The more she knew, the more she wants to take a trip to Ozai’s cell.

[marvelousazula]

Scar

Prompt #007 of the 100 Days of Azutara Drabbles Challenge | masterlist | post-canon, established relationship, same 'verse of I'll Show You Lightning

Azula says it doesn’t hurt, Katara does not believe her. 

She also doesn’t tell her that she has nightmares about it. About the day when the sky was painted red like blood, and Zuko decided the throne was worth killing someone. Not that she’s surprised, in hindsight, didn’t he send an assassin after Aang? At least he was willing to have his own hands dirty with Azula’s blood.

The scar is surprisingly mild, it’s ugly nonetheless. Larger than the one on Aang’s back, enhanced by the comet and by the hot metal in contact with it, it’s a miracle she survived – because of you, I survived because of you. Azula doesn’t seem ashamed of it, she looks almost proud. Which makes sense, Katara thinks, the most powerful Firebender of her generation and surviving her own comet-powered strike.

“You can touch, it doesn’t hurt,” Azula doesn’t even open her eyes. No need, not when she can feel the warmth of Katara’s hand. If she was a great Firbender during the war, she’s a goddess by now. “I’ve mentioned it a few times, I believe.”

“Still… I don’t like it.”

“Well, I don’t like it either, I’m just not ashamed of it. Not anymore.”

Katara nods, her fingertips touch as gently as humanly possible. She did it multiple times before, she never gets used to the raised texture from it. The best healers in the world worked on it for months, and it’s still quite the reminder of that one time Zuko decided to kill her.

She thinks Azula doesn’t care enough about that little fact.

Those were different times, it still hurts to think she almost lost Azula even before she wanted to have Azula. 

The scars on her chest and back from that hit aren’t even the only lightning scars she has, they just grab Katara’s attention first, every time she’s allowed to see more skin than usual.She wonders if that’s because they’re marks of the closest to death Azula has ever been, or if it’s her own role in making sure they became scars instead of open wounds of when Azula died.

She hates them, but she’s glad they mean Azula is alive, and safe now.

buy me a coffee?

[marvelousazula]

Mood

Prompt #043 from 100 Days of Azutara Drabbles Challenge | masterlist | modern au, established relationship, cw: implied mental health issues

Sometimes Azula had a mind-numbing bad day, followed by multiple unpleasant but bearable days. It could be tough. But not as exhausting as when she had days and days that she could almost bedrot. A couple of weeks in which there was nothing Katara could do other than try to make sure she was still drinking water and didn’t starve herself.

It was easy for Katara to feel like she was the worst girlfriend in the world even if it wasn’t something they couldn’t control. Trying to force help onto her would make it worse, a heartbreaking situation.

But Azula had been getting better, with the therapy and medication and a support system. (It also made it a little easier for Katara, knowing she wasn’t the only one that wanted nothing but Azula to heal, keep making progress). A slow process, it had downs, but still a process moving forward and Katara couldn’t help being proud of all the progress Azula has made recently.

The last few weeks had been tough, Azula had finally got enough energy to get off bed. She had been really talking again and last night, she even cooked them a simple dinner. Simple but it was still better than how she acted when her mood was down. So Katara decided to give her a little bit more help.

Something that seemed to cheer Azula up was one of their silly little dates in downtown Republic City. It was adorable, in Katara’s opinion, that Azula was all stoic and cold, but actually loved to do silly little things with her girlfriend. 

It was just a walk, getting an ice cream and maybe some flowers, nothing much more than that. Katara was aware that just being together in peace was special enough, Azula seemed to think all their time together was special. Adorable, lovely girlfriend. (Really, Katara would never get tired for calling Azula her girlfriend). It was really cute, Katara had expected that basically a princess would need more than just quality time together to be satisfied by their dates.

“Where are we going?” Azula had the cute little frown she always had when she was confused. 

“I know how last days had been… rough. So I’m taking you out,” Azula flushed red when she got a cheek kiss. “Is that alright?”

“Everything we do is alright.”

“Good answer, babe.”

It didn’t matter for how long they’ve been in a relationship, there was always a hint of surprised when Katara did this kind of simple, but nice thing for her. I twas sadder than adorable, but Katara could handle all heartbreak for Azula’s sake.

[marvelousazula]

Spirit

Prompt #008 from 100 Days of Azutara Drabbles Challenge | masterlist | post-canon, relationship status open for interpretation, "I see dead people" AU

“I don’t think it’s a hallucination,” Katara says.

“What?”

“Your mother. I don’t think it’s a hallucination,” Azula is still frowning at her. Granted, Katara said it out of blue when Azula was in the middle of enjoying her mochi. “Aang says more spiritual people sometimes see… spirits.”

“Do I look like a spiritual person to you?”

“Miss I meditate for five hours every morning and I have a shrine for Agni and other great spirits is not beating those allegations.”

“I don’t meditate for that long…”

“And the shrine.”

With all the smug superiority of a Crown Princess: “The Fire Lord is chosen by Agni himself and therefore-”

“Yes, sure.”

“But what do you mean you think my mother isn’t a hallucination?”

“I think she might be a spirit.”

“Like… a spirit disguised as her.”

“No.”

“Oh, you think I can see dead people?”

“More or less. The way you described seeing shadows and humanoid figures since you were quite young, I was doing research to find how to help you. The too. It just… fits. Also, uh, it explains why the drugs and the therapy doesn’t really make them go away.”

“I’m not crazy? I just… see dead people?”

“Yes. Aang agrees. He can’t see and hear one specific person like you, but it’s a similar experience.”

Azula bites one of the sweets, chewing slowly, then she asks: “But why do I see my Mother so clearly?”

“I think it has something to do with emotional attachment.”

“I’m not attached to her.”

“You’re the one alive, you’re the one tethering her to the physical world.”

“Hm,” she takes another bite. How this is arguably the most dangerous Firebender in the world is almost a mystery. “Can I get rid of her?”

“I don’t think you can. I think you can learn to cope better with seeing, well, things mortals aren’t supposed to see.”

“You said the Avatar sees them too.”

“He’s the bridge between the worlds, it’s part of his job description. Last time I checked, your job description doesn’t include communicating with the dead.”

“I see,” she takes yet another mochi, it’s a little funny that she doesn’t stop eating them until there’s no mochi left, the sweet-tooth little princess. “I imagine I can give it a try. It’s better than just being crazy.”

buy me a coffee?

[marvelousazula]

Toy

Prompt #078 of 100 Days of Azutara Drabbles Challenge | masterlist | post-canon, omegaverse AU, cw: implied past child abuse & mental health issues, minor mental breakdown I guess

Azula’s laughing like a maniac.

She knows she’s scaring Ilah, the girl clutches what was left of the turtleduck plushie that had caught fire just now. The first time she actually firebends, and she burns a toy, it’s painful. And Azula can’t stop laughing as Katara comes, probably attracted by the noise and by the smell of burning fabric. She can’t stop laughing as Katara puts off the fire, says something soothing and leaves, probably handing Ilah over to one of their visiting friends, more than probably leaving her to play with Kya. She doesn’t stop laughing until she’s sobbing on Katara’s lap.

It’s very humiliating, actually, she’d care if she was still trying to be the alpha her father wanted her to be.

They’ve known Ilah is a Firebender since she was born, even if she’s almost a perfect copy of Katara except for the bronze eyes, the test done in newborns was proof enough. The small cotton ball caught fire as soon as it was close to Ilah, not very different from how it had been when Azula was tested, she was told. And at six, she’s also as young as Azula was when she first actually firebent. 

A turtleduck toy, too.

It’s her earliest clear memory, Azula has told Katara about it one night, before they even decided to have a child. Playing alone with the wooden turtleduck – before she met Mai and Ty Lee, after Zuko had already decided she was his enemy. The servant keeping an eye on her ran to fetch her parents.

Ozai was absolutely ecstatic about it, Ursa reacted like she burned a real, living turtleduck.

(Azula never had a chance of not being a monster in Ursa’s eyes.)

“It’s fine, it’s fine, you’re safe. It’s fine,” Katara repeats like a mantra. Her hands warm as the go up and down Azula’s back, her voice, her scent, and her warmth sooth Azula more than anything.

It still takes a few long minutes for her to calm down, and she doesn’t want to move away from the comforting bubble that being on her mate’s lap provides. Like that, it’s easy to fully forget the unspoken expectations on her shoulders.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No,” feels bratty, feels whiny, but it’s just honesty.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry, Ilah won’t be scared of you.”

That’s a surprisingly unexpected fear, her children scared of her (maybe because she had been taught you are supposed to fear your parents). She nods, she hopes Katara is right.

For now, she avoids looking at what was left of the plushie, as to not remember of the ashes and broken pieces of wood that cemented her fate as anything but her mother’s daughter.

buy me a coffee?

[marvelousazula]

Coat

Prompt #001 of 100 Days of Azutara Drabbles Challenge | masterlist | established relationship, modern AU

It’s not that she’s actually cold, she’s a Waterbender from the South Pole, and a prodigy at that, a person like her doesn’t get cold at hardly 10°C.

It’s that she dates a conveniently taller girl who happens to be a Firebender with very, very comfy coats. Other than possibly her armor, Azula doesn’t seem to own a single uncomfortable piece of clothing. Which meant that Katara will whine and complain until Azula rolls her eyes, huffs in mock irritation and hands whatever coat, sweatshirt or jacket she carries (as if she needs something like that, miss I have the hottest fire in registered history.)

It’s an adorable habit, Katara thinks, Azula always smells like bonfire and jasmine (somehow her favorite scents – quite a coincidence.)

It’s all Azula’s fault for being tall and warm.

buy me a coffee?