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frost-queen · 7 months

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My mortal flaw (Reader x Zuko)

Requested by: Anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly @denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury, @imagines-by-her, @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn, @iixchloee, @cherrysxuya

Summary: Reader is a watertribe princess, intended to marry Prince Zuko as an offering of peace between the nations. Zuko never wanted you as his wife and finds you a weakness. A weakness he never saw coming. Upon the discovery of the Avatar, you try to sneak away, only to be discovered by Zuko leading to an arguement. At Kyoshi island you find an escape with Sokka and Katara which makes Zuko derranged and furious. Doing anything in his power to get you back. Finally realizing he might love you. [ part 2 & part 3 & part 4 & part 5 & part 6 & part 7]

There were loud knocks on the door to your cabin. It made you lift your head up. You didn’t respond immediate as the next following knocks turned into banging. – “Gentle, gentle.” – you heard a muffled voice speak from the other side. There was a deep sigh, followed by a gentle knock. Almost too gentle. – “Yes.” – you responded having kind of clue of who was at the other side.

“Are you done staying inside?” – It was Prince Zuko speaking at the other end. – “No.” – you responded hearing Zuko barely loose his temper on the other end. – “Calm, calm now nephew.” – you recognized it was Iroh’s voice, soothing the prince’s temper.

You heard some movements till Zuko’s temper took over. – “Then perish inside!” – he yelled at the door as you saw the light of flames through the cracks. Jumping up you went up to the door. – “I will!” – you shouted back in frustration. There was a loud groan with a hard stomp against your door. Startling you away from the door.

Footsteps died out It made you near the door again, holding your ear against it. Once the storm had passed, you exhaled deep. You knew you couldn’t stay in your cabin. It wasn’t deliberately, but you sometimes wanted to avoid Zuko.

Almost at every occasion were you forced together in close proximity. The waterbending princess promised to him. A peace treaty between nations. Honestly you didn’t know what possessed Fire lord Ozai to accept your father’s proposition of simply handing you over on a silver platter to his son.

Being on Zuko’s ship for almost four years now, you had a bit of a clue. Perhaps the fire lord accepted it, to taunt Zuko more. A way of shaming him further against his nation. Water and fire weren’t meant to be together. It was an extra nudge to keep Zuko out of the fire nation. If he wasn’t so bad tempered you might feel sympathy for him.

Opening the door, you decided to head out. Probably the first in days. You missed the ocean breeze, the salty water, the cold, the moon. You missed everything that felt close to you. Looking cautiously around for Zuko, you snuck your way up to the deck. Feeling the breeze on your skin, you inhaled deep. Composed you went to the railing, holding tight to it. Feeling the rocking of the ship on the water, you leaned back to take it in.

With a satisfying breath, you looked up to the moon. The deck was mostly empty. Most soldiers below deck. Playing some cards or drinking. It was a bit too quiet as you missed the buzzing life of your village. Leaning with your chin on your arms by the railing, you stared into the water. Wondering how your tribe was doing without your presence.

“What are you doing here?” – A loud voice raged. You jumped up, startled to bone. Turning your posture a bit, you saw Zuko braising as he came your way. You rolled your eyes at him. – “Make up your mind where you want me.” – you replied raising your voice a bit as well. Zuko puffed up his chest with anger, standing face to face with you. His hands radiating heat. His gaze scanning yours. He hated how vulnerable your gaze was. Soft and mesmerizing as the moon.

A wind picked up from the east as it made you shiver. Zuko noticed it, observing you. – “Fetch the princess a blanket!” – he yelled without a glance away from you. From behind Zuko at the other side, you saw a soldier rush to get you a blanket. You tilted your head a bit. – “Your uncle isn’t looking.” – you told him.

Knowing he only showed kindness when his uncle forced him to be civil. – “I know.” – Zuko responded with a soft glare. The soldier returned with a blanket as Zuko snatched it from his hands. He rose his hands, intending to place the blanket over your shoulders as he stopped himself. He caught himself being nice. Showing a weakness, he couldn’t afford.

He brought his hands back to his chest, throwing the blanket at you. You caught it when it hit your chest. – “How gentle of you.” – you said sarcastic, putting the blanket over your shoulders. Zuko huffed loud as he staid in your presence. Close as it made you uncertain at this point. What was he still doing around you? He never staid this long around you. Not if it wasn’t forced on him.

There was a rumble in the sky followed by a strong gush of air. It knocked you right against Zuko’s chest. His hand subtle on your back as the wind kept blazing through. Zuko’s eyes lit up, lowering his hand on you. From the corner of your eye, you saw a bright blue light.

Making you turn around to bestow upon the beam of light in the sky. – “What is that?” – you asked a bit nervous and frightened. Unconsciously you leaned back, coming in touch with Zuko’s chest. Zuko stepped back as you felt the loss of touch. He started ordering commands to his crew to set coarse to the beam of light. It might be a clue for his search for the Avatar.

The ship neared the village of the southern water tribe. It cracked the ice open when it steered frontal through it. The village nearing. Zuko stood on deck. Uncle Iroh a step behind him to the side. You stood beside Zuko, your fiancé. With worry, you looked up to him. – “Stay on the ship.” – he said firm, keeping his hands behind his back. – “but…” – you started. – “Stay here!” – Zuko yelled at you, making you gulp nervously. – “Zuko!” – Iroh called out.

“Show the princess some kindness.” – he told him with a soft glare. Zuko breathed with a scoff. He lowered himself a bit to speak to you like a he would do to a little child. – “That’s an order from your prince.” – he made clear. Something you caught in his eyes, made you see a smidge of desperation in him. Did he perhaps think you’d stay here with the people of your own kind?

That once you left the ship, they’d see you as a prisoner and claim you as theirs? Before you could think of it more, had Zuko turned away. Zuko accepted his helmet from one of his men, following them. Iroh came joining your side as you watched Zuko and his men descend onto the ice. – “Best to stay out of a fight, princess.” – he said to you.

Being on the ship was boring. You hardly had any sight of what was happening down at the village. You saw flashes of fire as you hoped Zuko wouldn’t burn down the village. It was small. Smaller than any village you had known. You had lost sight of Iroh. He was probably up on the high deck to overlook the happening. A gush of wind made you bring your hands up to protect your face. – “An airbender?” – you questioned.

Hadn’t they gone instinct? For over a hundred years there haven’t been an airbender. – “The Avatar!” – you heard the soldiers shout in unison. – “The Avatar.” – you gasped in shock. Looking up, you knew Iroh’s eye was on Zuko. As it always was. You duck down, rushing to the railing. Below the ice had cracked where the ship had broken through.

Grabbing the railing, you jumped over it, swaying your hand up. A trail of water spiralled up, flowing around you as it slowed your descend. Your feet hit the ice as the water splashed on the ice. Ignoring Zuko’s order, you needed to see it for yourself. Keeping yourself low to avoid Iroh spotting you, you snuck up in haste to the village.

You neared the entrance of the village, eyes wide with shock of what you saw. People running around. The soldiers causing fires to scare them into handing over the Avatar. You snuck into the village trying to look for the Avatar. A deranged fire blast went your way as it hit an igloo near you. The impact made you duck down, receiving some exploded ice on your back.

“It isn’t save here!” – A boy called out, taking your hand as he pulled you away from the burning igloo. He came to a stop, taking a moment to fully look at you. – “Who are you?” – he asked, still holding your hand. You panicked pulling your hand out of his and taking a run for it. – “Hey!” – the boy called out coming after you.

He knew everyone from his village, yet you were unfamiliar. He got stopped in his tracks by fire. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his sister. – “Katara hide!” – he shouted with a wave of his arm. You came to a stop seeing the Avatar in the air. Never did you think you’d see the Avatar.

Your gaze got pulled away by a hard pull on your wrist. Forcing you to look another way. Zuko’s way. – “You ignored my order!” – Zuko shouted at you, tugging hard on your wrist. You tried pulling your wrist out of his grip as he held it tight. – “I’m not your soldier!” – you yelled back at him. Zuko glared at you. – “Get back to the ship!” – he ordered with anger. – “I will stay!” – you stood your ground, not wanting to leave. – “Y/n! Get. To. The. Ship.” – he repeated trying to compose himself.

Feeling himself boil with anger over you. Angry that you deliberately ignored his order. You pulled your wrist out of his grip with force. – “I didn’t sign up for this!” – you replied with fury. – “For what?” – Zuko fired back. – “These are my people Zuko!” – you told him. – “I just want the Avatar!” – he responded. In the corner of his eye, he saw a spear heading your way. Zuko tensed his jaw, grabbing you as he tackled you to the ground. Rolling over in the snow as the spear flew over your heads.

You laid in the snow, feeling Zuko half on top of you. His hand protective on your head. He pulled you up as he created fire, bending it towards the tribe member who threw the spear at you. – “Zuko!” – you called out, pushing his arm down. – “The ship now!” – Zuko yelled with a rage unlike you had ever seen. Before you knew it, grabbed two of his men you by the arms. Dragging you out of the village back to the ship.

“Stay with the princess!” – Zuko ordered one of his men. They bowed as a response. – “Don’t let her out of your sight.” – he added tracking up the hill. Iroh right behind him. You followed in line as Zuko lead the expedition to capture the Avatar. Having been spotted on Kyoshi island. – “The Avatar is mine.” – Zuko said out loud.

Up on the hill was a bright blue light shining. Hinting the Avatar was up there. Up ahead you saw a water tribe girl take a stand as defence. She let her arms sway, letting a whip of water splash at Zuko’s feet. Zuko stopped, pulling his foot up to see the wetness on his shoes. – “Pathetic.” – he called out.

The girl furrowed her brows at the sight of you. – “Stand aside girl.” – Zuko ordered. The girl moved her hands up. – “You’ll have to go through me.” – she replied. Zuko laughed. – “That won’t be a problem.” – he answered preparing himself. He fired at her as she fell backwards onto the grass. A sudden gush of wind made you all look away. Zuko’s eyes widened when Avatar Kyoshi landed in front of them. With one wave of her fan, were you all pushed back by air. Falling back.

“Protect the princess!” – Zuko shouted as he tried to get back up. The soldier enlisted to keep you save, pulled you up by your arm. Dragging you away from the others. He led you down the hill through the woods. You had little time to stand still and think about what was happening. Soon you neared the town as the soldier kept a grip on you, looking constantly over his shoulder. You froze when a fan flashed at him, hitting him in the head. It knocked him down.

Your gaze met up with a young girl looking a lot like Avatar Kyoshi with her make-up. The same boy from the water tribe at her side. – “Hey I know you!” – he said with a confused point at you. – “You were at my tribe too.” – he stated with furrowed brows. You turned around taking a run for it. – “Hey wait!” – Sokka called out, coming after you with Suki. You stopped, brought your hands up your face, then you pushed them forwards. The crackling of ice sounding. Sokka and Suki looked down, their feet slippery on ice.

“She can bend.” – Suki told Sokka out of breath. Suki grabbed Sokka by his shirt, pulling him off the ice. They went back in pursuit. In the woods, you couldn’t tell the direction apart. Not knowing where it might lead you. – “Hey wait!” – Sokka shouted to get your attention. Panting you tried to stay ahead of them. You screamed when you nearly bumped into the girl that came out of nowhere. You fell back, caught off guard. – “Katara get her.” – Sokka called out, out of breath.

Katara took a stand, ready to whip you with water if you dared to move. – “Why are you with the fire nation?” – she asked rudely. Suki extended her hand to you as you accepted it, letting her help you up. – “Are you their prisoner?” – Sokka questioned as you remained silent. – “There’s no need to be scared.” – Suki spoke rubbing her hand on your back, soothingly. – “We’ll save you.” – Sokka responded proudly. Before you knew it, were you dragged along with them.

Zuko was panting, taking a look around. – “Where is the princess?” – he asked loud. All his men looked at each other uncertain. Zuko felt himself grow angrier. – “Where is Y/n!” – he shouted unleashing fire from his fists. – “Don’t worry Zuko, we’ll find her.” – Iroh said to sooth him. – “Find her!” – Zuko ordered to his men. – “Burn this entire island down if you must to find her!” – he moved his fist forward, a blast of fire hitting a tree as it set it on fire. His men scattered away in search of you. – “We’ll find her Zuko…” – Iroh spoke placing a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko brushed his hand harshly off. He was panting. Braising with anger that he had lost sight of you.

If this would’ve happened years ago, he would just leave, being glad to be rid of you. Now, he felt like he couldn’t. You weren’t around him for a few moments and he already missed the argues with you. He missed your presence, more than he would ever admit. It wasn’t easy being forced on this mission with someone you were signed up to marry. Yet you were there. Day in and out. You were there at every step of the way. The water tribe princess he learned to admire… in secret.

Admitting it to himself that he actually… cared was scary. You were a weakness. You still are a weakness to him. One he didn’t intended on. Zuko called it out, burning the trees nearby. A tree’s trunk cracked. The top bush falling to the side. Zuko narrowed his eyes when he saw something familiar blue trotting up the hill. Instead of one, he recognized three. Taking in deep breaths, he bald his hands into fists.

He called it out as the fire coming out of him startled Iroh. It was blazing hot. Iroh saw it now as well, swallowing nervously. – “Zuko…” – he started moving his hand forwards. Before he could reach Zuko, had Zuko ran off. Huffing and puffing with anger to get you back. The grass catching fire from where he passed. His wrath waiting to be unleashed.

“So why were you with the fire nation?” – Katara asked as she pushed you up the hill. – “It’s complicated.” – you answered. – “How is it complicated?” – Sokka asked scratching the back of his head. – “It’s…” – you started cut off by loud shouting. You leaped aside when a fire blast went your way. Looking back at the trail, you saw Zuko panting with anger. His fist out where the fire blast had come from.

“He’s back!” – Sokka called out, helping his sister back up. Sokka then rushed over to you, helping you up. – “We have to go.” – he told you. Zuko fired once more, preventing them from going further up the hill. – “You are not going anywhere with her!” – he made clear. Sokka pulled you behind him. – “She’s not your prisoner!” – Sokka shouted at Zuko.

“No.” – Zuko replied composing himself a bit. – “She’s my intended.” – he said out loud making Sokka’s jaw drop, gawking at Zuko. – “Now hands off before I burn you!” – Zuko threatened. Sokka immediately pulled his hands off you, having no intention to die. Zuko’s gaze met up with yours, softening as he extending his hand to you. – “Please…” – he asked.

The sincereness from him made you realize he’d truly cared for you. For long you didn’t think it was possible. But here he was burning bridges to get to you. You took a deep breath, making the intention to reach your hand out to him when a gush of wind knocked him back. The Avatar landed soundless between Zuko and you. – “Leave my friends alone!” – Aang called out.

Zuko pressed his fist into the ground, groaning in anger. He got up firing at Aang. Aang deflected his fire with a defence of his own. Aang swayed his stick, knocking Zuko further back down the hill. Zuko got back up, going with all his might against Aang. Using all his power against the Avatar in order to get you back. – “Wait!” – you called out loud. Aang and Zuko stopped.

Aang looking confused at you. – “Don’t hurt him.” – you told Aang. Aang stared dumbfound at you. Zuko slowly got up as you ran up to him. Slamming yourself against his chest when he had gotten up. Your arms around him. Zuko moved his arms around you as well, lowering his head on your shoulder to feel your embrace deeper.

“I need you Y/n.” – Zuko whispered to you. You hugged him tighter as a response. – “Can someone explain to me what is happening?” – Aang said out loud, looking back at his friends. Sokka and Katara could only stare in shock at the two of you. – “They’re intended.” – Sokka said finding it hard to believe and finding it odd that he was saying it out loud. – “Huh?” – Aang responded.

“We should probably leave.” – Katara whispered to her brother. – “Good idea.” – he whispered back, slowly backing away. The three of them ran off. Zuko and you stopped embracing. He smiled at you, touching your cheek. You brought his hand down, keeping it in yours. Holding hands, you went back down the hill with Zuko.

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singswan-springswan · 6 months

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ficlet under the cut

The crate tipped with a sudden lurch and broke open on the ground. Zuko spilled unceremoniously with the motion. Inelegant. Graceless. Normally his movements held much more regality, but he'd been kidnapped and stuffed in a scratchy box and out of the water for some indeterminable length of days, so cutting himself some slack here felt appropriate.

It wasn't much brighter outside the stupid box. His scales were dry, his head was killing him, and the floor held a pleasant cool against his mounting fever. He really needed water soon. Every part of his body felt... scratchy. Discomfort would escalate into pain, and then asphyxiation. He would suffocate if he dried out. Idly, he wondered how long it would take. The humans seemed to know. They hadn't acted worried yet.

"Our latest bounty." The voice looming over Zuko was muffled in weird places. "I thought it might spark an interest. You collect fire fish, isn't that right?"

Zuko bit down a hazy groan and fumbled to prop himself up. The loss of the tile's cool against his cheek was one he mourned, but there would be time for relaxing when he found a way out of this mess. He could barely think straight. The humans—the pirates who'd ransomed him from the girl in blue—were standing guard around him now. He could see their boots. They were facing all the same direction, same way the voice was talking towards, and Zuko turned to observe.

The surrounding space was large, a room, and very dimly lit. This wouldn't normally be an issue, being that he was a mer, but his headache made his eyes lazy and bad at adjusting to the dark. If he squinted, he could see the ripple of light along the walls. Blue. Weird. In the direction of the pirates' attention, something like the outline of a table was visible—as large and imposing as the room itself. A single shadowy figure occupied a seat on the far side. He looked weird with the backlight. Zuko's vision was getting spotty.

He didn't get much chance to scan the rest of the surrounding space, because the pirate captain decided to be a jerk and grab his hair. It'd long since escaped its neat topknot, now bunching and sliding strangely in dry heat. The pain and the change in angle made Zuko rapidly lose sight of the shadow man.

"This one's quite a specimen." The pirate tilted Zuko's head back, baring his throat—maybe as a joke; it was always hard to tell if humans knew the significance of such a display—and lifted him enough to catch the light. So their potential buyer could get a better view.

Zuko would like to rip the pirate's skin off and feed it to him, but he was weak with dehydration, and his previous struggles against the man's crew had left him exhausted. All he managed was a low hiss. If humans could understand mer speech, he’d be cursing them as soundly as possible. Someone was standing on his tail. Not that it made much difference. He doubted he could have swung it if it wasn't pinned.

"I've seen a lot of the fire mer in my day, but this one's real pretty. Don't feel bad turning the offer down. We'll keep 'im if you won't." His crew laughed. Bastards. Zuko could hear the leer in the pirate's voice. It made him dizzy with anger.

Then a low grind echoed softly, and the humans cut their chatter short. Zuko distantly registered the shadow at the table moving. What made that noise? Was it his chair? He stood, rounded the massive table, and drew closer. All Zuko could see was a dark, unfocused blob. Vaguely humanoid.

"Yeah, don't be shy! Come get a closer look!"

The fist in his hair tightened. His scalp burned. The fins all down his back shuttered, and a stinging ache began to form in his gills. He needed water. He needed to get out of here. He shouldn't have wandered so close to the shore, even if that pretty girl in blue seemed so friendly at first glance. She did sell him out to these pirate scum. He should have known way better.

Even standing an arm's length away, the lighting continued to cast shadow on the pirate's potential client. It could be reasoned, then, that Zuko and the humans around him were washed in the room's best luminance. Certainly his scar could be seen clear as day. Maybe his tail was pretty, but there were parts of him imperfect. Maybe the stranger wouldn't want to buy him for that. Maybe Zuko would be stuck with these idiot pirates forever.

A smooth voice came from the stranger. "Release him."

"Sure, sure."

The pressure on Zuko's scalp vanished. He collapsed to the cool tile with no more grace than before, even further disoriented, and with a worse headache. He grit his teeth in frustration. That bastard was still on his tail.

Cool fingers tilted his chin up before he could lift his head on his own again; he hadn't seen the shadow man crouch down. Startled, Zuko yanked back and hissed a second time. He made sure to reveal far more fang and fan far wider with his fins; he just wanted these stupid humans to stop poking and grabbing him however often they pleased. Was that too much to ask? He wasn't an ornament. And he sure as heck had no intention of being a pet.

The stranger's face was close, and shadowy, and out of focus. Zuko's head was killing him. The room spun.

"The shape of the fins—” The stranger’s voice began.

“Really something, isn’t it? Never seen a mer so fancy before.”

There was a beat of silence, then the cool fingers returned to Zuko’s jaw and held him firmly in place. He growled. It didn’t make a difference. He was exhausted and hot and vulnerable, and everyone could tell. There was no way to stop them from doing as they pleased.

“There’s a scar.”

“Wasn’t us, mate. Looks like the beast’s had it for a while. I think it adds to the aesthetic, don’t you agree?”

Zuko glared. It was the sort of one-sided remark he’d only accept from Uncle Iroh, though Azula had made attempts to express similar sentiments in that weird way of hers. He’d always hated the scar. At least the monster who put it there was dead now.

The stranger gave no comment. He reached another hand out and pushed Zuko’s hair aside, away from his eyes. Zuko did his best to meet the unfamiliar gaze as steadily as possible, despite the awkward backlight. He was being stared at. He refused to show how unnerved it made him. His trembling and fever didn’t help much in that regard.

Finally, after a dreadful length of scrutiny, the shadow man spoke. “How much do you want for him?”

Zuko could hear teeth in the pirate’s smile. “How much are you willing to pay?”

“Ten-thousand.”

Zuko didn’t know how humans calculated their currency. He’d assumed mer in general to be expensive, but they called him a stupid something fire fish, and it sounded like exotic. Even so, the pirate captain seemed shocked. He let out a high chuckle.

“Well! Show me the gold and you’ve got yourself a deal!”

The stranger waved an uninterested hand over his shoulder, and another grinding sound reverberated through the floor. Zuko couldn’t see the source of the sound with multiple different shadows clouding his vision. Judging by the pirates’ hushed tithering, their payment had been offered.

“Excellent! Pleasure doing business with you, as always.”

“Zaheera will see you out.”

The group broke formation around Zuko and floated away, whispering excitedly. Though they’d been awful to him, he couldn’t help a flicker of fear at their absence. At least with the pirates, he knew they’d avoid causing permanent damage. He knew they’d want to sell him for the highest price possible. Now, he had no idea what to expect. This stranger could have any number of sinister plans in mind; Zuko had certainly heard the horror stories. All young mer were warned about the brutality of humans, and now he was at the mercy of someone who really wanted him. This was bad.

The stranger let him go, and the world tilted as Zuko crumpled. He was very dizzy. And angry. And he really wanted to sink his fangs into human flesh.

But when he turned (against his better judgment) to snap at his new captor, a firm hand was already pushing down the back of his neck. The same way one might handle an unruly pup. Zuko was too tired to be insulted by the gesture. He wasn’t a pup anymore, but a move like that with the human’s advantage was enough to subdue even a full-grown mer.

“Watch out with that one!” The pirate’s faint voice called back. “Quite a monster at full strength. He killed two of my men when we—”

“Get out.”

The heavy thud of the door confirmed their absence, though the human didn’t seem to pay any attention to it. He ducked another snap of Zuko’s teeth, and ignored his crackly snarl, and slid his arms beneath scratchy scales. The world tilted again. Zuko would consider puking if he wasn’t so close to blacking out. The human was carrying him. Impressive. Zuko was heavy outside the water. His fins trailed the floor as they moved, but he was very much in the air, solidly in the man’s grip. Almost cradled, even if he was too big for the pup-hold to have effect a second time. The use of such familiar techniques should have rung a bell in his mind. Zuko’s headache and exhaustion wouldn’t let him dwell on it.

After a dizzying stretch, something wonderful happened. Zuko heard water. The noise was still muffled, and it faltered clarity with every stray tilt of his head, but Zuko knew what water sounded like. He’d been fantasizing about it for the past few days.

There was a splash, and with distant elation, he felt his fins trail. He wasn’t lucid enough to hold back the happy trill.

“I know.” The man huffed, and it rumbled through his chest. “I know—those bastards.”

The water rushed up around him, deliciously cool, salty, clean. It took Zuko up to his gills to realize he’d been lowered into a pool of some kind. It was shallow, but not cramped. He drew a deep breath. That felt very nice. The hands were gone.

He didn’t bother confirming he was alone before passing out soundly.

<~><><~>

Zuko was alone when he came to, and his headache had finally retreated to the realm of faint discomfort. Incredible what a good long sleep in water could do for one’s health. The pirates hadn’t put him in a tank. They were mad about what a fuss he caused the first time they brought him aboard, and they’d rightly concluded he’d be easier to handle if he was dehydrated and exhausted and dizzy. They’d doused him with lukewarm buckets every few hours, just to keep him from dying. Zuko was relieved to be back in water now. Even if trepidation about the uncertainty of his new circumstances wouldn’t let him relax.

The pool he’d been placed in was shallow; he couldn’t move without some part of his tail skimming the surface. It was still comfortable in spite of that. The edges spanned a decent length, so he could turn with ease, and the basin interior was cut from smooth, white stone. His fins shone stark against it. The pool itself seemed to be laid into the ground, flush.

Zuko scanned his surroundings while he waited for something to happen. He still seemed to be indoors. The walls here weren’t as high as the one from before—from the sale pitch—and most of them were made of a clear material. It shone with sunlight from outside. The rest of the space was occupied by greenery. The taller ones reaching the ceiling had been planted in beds in the ground, surrounded at the base with bushy, leafy shrubs, and brilliant flowers, and crawling vines. The faint sound of water also trickled through the maze, but Zuko couldn’t see the source of it from where he was. It was peaceful. Uncle would love this place.

But Zuko hadn’t forgotten how he ended up here, and he had no illusions about being treated fairly, even if he’d been left undisturbed in such a pleasant area. He had to keep his guard up. He was being held against his will. He was trapped on land with no way to escape or get home. He didn’t have much experience with humans, but so far they’d only beaten him, used him, or treated him like a pretty ornamental object, and he had no reason to believe this behavior would change soon. He had to be prepared for the worst.

In truth, he really wanted to murder someone. The urge had become so intense during his captivity with the pirates, and he hadn’t had a real outlet, being close to dying of dehydration. Now that he was rested, his jaw nearly ached to bite through bone.

He spent the time waiting for an opportunity by pacing around the pool. The space didn’t allow for much more than tight circles. Still, it was better than sitting around stewing in all his problems.

Mother was probably worried by now. Him being an adult with a life of his own didn’t stop her from worrying that he wasn’t home every day. Azula didn’t feel the same. Azula would kill for him though; she’d done it before.

Eventually, after what seemed like an hour of thinking to himself and going crazy for it, the faintest vibrations thrummed through the water, and Zuko froze. Footsteps. Someone was approaching.

He lifted his head above the surface. The sound drew closer, brushing through the plants with a practiced gait. Zuko coiled his body. There was deliberation in the person’s movement. They knew he was here. They were coming to see him. The likelihood that he’d be attacking an innocent servant or something alike was low, and that brought him a hint of reassurance.

When the human came into view, bathed in green filtered sunlight, stepping out to the pool’s edge, Zuko took an entire second to appraise the figure. Tall. Male. Dark hair, luxurious silk robes in green and pale yellow. When he spoke, it was the same smooth voice from the shadowy stranger that paid for him.

“Hello.”

Zuko didn’t wait any longer. He launched himself at the human with a vicious snarl. His vision was red. His heart was pounding. How dare they treat him with such contempt? He wasn’t some prized bounty. He wasn’t an ornament for some rich knave’s garden. He wouldn’t take this insult and abuse lying down, and if these humans continued to assume so, they were in for a shock.

To some degree of satisfaction, the man did seem shocked to be bowled over. The air left his lungs in a massive wheeze, and his eyes went very wide. He was also—however—quick. He reflexively shoved Zuko’s head away when Zuko tried to bite, and he managed to lurch free enough to dodge an elbow to the face.

“Wait!” The man yelped.

But Zuko had a size advantage, and the man was on his back, and Zuko really wanted him dead. He slammed his shoulders into the grass, pinned his legs with his tail, made another attempt to remove the throat with his teeth. This time, the man brought his arm up in a hasty block. Zuko was too busy biting down to be upset he’d missed his target. Blood and the creak of bone filled his mouth.

There was a shout of pain. “Wait wait—Zuko, stop!”

The words pierced his hazy red anger like ice through fresh snow. Zuko froze. Even being slightly feral at the taste of blood and festered indignation, he rapidly came to his senses and dropped the arm. His mind spun.

How did this man know his name? The pirates didn’t know. The pretty girl in blue didn’t know. And he wouldn’t be able to tell them if he wanted to (which he very much had not). It wasn’t a lucky guess. No one shared his name that he’d ever met. So why—how could a random human—

“Get off!” The human fumbled to shove Zuko’s face away. His sleeve was ruined, and rapidly turning red.

Zuko slowly obliged. The man didn’t seem angry. He only seemed annoyed, even as he bled profusely from an arm that might be broken. There was something unnervingly familiar about the twist of his scowl. He shuffled sideways and sat up.

“Spirits, kid, you’ve got a strong jaw.”

“I’m not—” Zuko cut himself off before he could complete the retort. The human wouldn’t understand him. The human knew he wasn’t a kid. Zuko was very obviously a full grown mer.

“You could have let me explain myself before trying to kill me.” Why did his scowl look so familiar? The man untied a sash of his fancy outfit and wrapped his arm with clinical efficiency. Then he looked up to meet Zuko’s eye, and his scowl faltered. “Are you okay?”

What.

Zuko stared. Was he seriously… asking if Zuko was okay? There was blood in the grass and in his robes and he might have a concussion and his ribs might be bruised and Zuko would at worst have a sore jaw. He shifted back warily. In his experience, crazy men often did cruel things.

When he made no move to respond, the man sighed roughly and looked away. “Guess I should have waited on that tea. Zaheera will be by with some shortly.”

“What?”

What on earth was he talking about? Tea? Of all things? How did he know Zuko’s name and why was he so relaxed about the bite on his arm and why did the slope of his nose look so familiar and why was he talking about tea in the blood and the grass?

“You were always more civil with it around.”

Okay, now Zuko was thoroughly weirded out. He wished he had an exit. An escape route. He was stuck on land in an unfamiliar house and the closest thing he had to sanctuary was a fake pool of water barely deep enough to sleep in. This was freaking him out just the slightest.

“You’re nuts.” He said. Just to say it. The man wouldn’t understand the words or the insult in them, but Zuko was sick of just sitting around not saying anything, waiting for stupid humans to come to the right conclusions.

For his effort, he was rewarded with the faintest thaw of the man’s grumpy expression. It looked amused somehow. “And why is that?” He asked.

What.

A trace of alarm made Zuko flinch. “...Because you’re… talking to me.” He probed. Just to see. Humans weren’t supposed to understand.

“Why would that make me crazy? You’re real, aren’t you?” He glanced at his sleeve, now mostly red. “I’m pretty sure you are.”

Zuko blanched. He considered backing away, back into the pool. The safety it offered was purely psychological, but it would be something at least. It’d be better than lying vulnerable on the ground next to a crazy person. His fins twitched.

“What—but—you understand me?”

“Of course.”

“But humans aren’t supposed to understand.” From what he’d heard, humans interpreted mer speech as primitive and animalistic: nothing more than a series of harsh vocalizations strung together. Zuko had demanded an explanation for the phenomenon when he was younger. After all, mer understood human speech just fine. No one was able to give him a satisfactory answer.

“Well, I’m not human.” The human said. “Technically.”

“Then what are you?” Possibly a witch? Zuko had heard of their strange abilities. Or maybe he was a spirit. In which case Zuko was screwed. He probably couldn’t get away with attempted murder on a spirit; he’d totally be cursed or something. It could also be a shapeshifter of sorts, from the myths.

But the man quickly dispelled any outlandish theories. For the first time that Zuko had seen, a flicker of hurt crossed his features. It made him look older than he likely was. Haunted.

“Wow Zuzu, you don’t remember your favorite cousin?”

No.

No, he definitely didn’t mean that. Zuko didn’t have any cousins. Not for eleven years. And there’d only been—one. Just one. Now there weren’t any.

But looking closer, Zuko could see why the scowl looked so familiar. He saw the same face in the mirror. And this man wasn’t human, clearly, even if he had legs in place of a red streaming tail. In place of the gold ribbon fins their family shared—that he must have recognized when he first saw Zuko.

He knew Zuko’s name. Zuzu. Azula tried to call him that—maybe out of nostalgia—but it belonged to them both, and Zuko hated to hear her say it because there was only one person who tried to bring them together like that, and hearing her say it reminded him of… of… a dead man.

Except he couldn’t be dead. He was right here. His blood tasted very real.

“Lu Ten?”

He looked so much like his father when he smiled. “Yeah.”

Zuko gaped. That felt like the only appropriate thing to do. Maybe the dehydration actually got to him, and this whole series of events was an elaborate hallucination. Maybe Azula spiked his tea with a psychedelic for her weird sense of humor, and he was hallucinating. It was too strange. This didn’t make any sense. Zuko’s cousin was dead, and if he wasn’t, wouldn’t Uncle know? Would Uncle have cried so hard so many private times if this was real? It felt so real.

“How did you get that scar?”

“How are you not dead?” Zuko’s head was spinning, though thankfully not from dehydration. He wasn’t sure if this was worse, actually. “Uncle thinks you’re dead.”

The comment earned him a flinch. “There’s actually a good explanation for that.”

“Which is?”

“I’m cursed.” Lu Ten squinted into the middle distance, looking uncomfortably close to being emotional. “To live as a human. And I can’t… go near the sea. I tried. It almost turned me into sea foam.”

Zuko dropped his head into his hands and groaned.

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soopersara · 6 months

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Me: Zuko's scar is kind of shaped like a flame.

Me: I mean, no shit, it's a burn scar.

Me: But it has the three little pointy bits at the back, which kind of make it look like the Fire Nation's flame emblem, but turned sideways.

Me: ...

Me, scribbling furiously: The resistance movement in the Fire Nation comes to see Zuko as the symbolic leader of their movement toward the end of the war, and because voicing support for the traitor prince isn't tolerated, the resistance needs a subtler way to make their position known. All across the Fire Nation, banners are stolen and re-hung sideways, official seals on documents are deliberately printed crooked, and disillusioned soldiers deface their uniforms by tearing the flame emblems away and reattaching them sideways. What most people know but no one will say is that the sideways flames represent Zuko's scar, and that the symbol indicates support for him as a leader and for his mission to bring an end to the war.

Me: ...

Me: Am I gonna have to start another fic just for this idea?

#atla fanfiction #for the record I think the answer is no #assuming that things don't drift too far off course #I should be able to cram it into a certain behemoth of a WIP #... eventually #if you know the fic then you probably know that I'm still a ways off from Book 3 #zutara #zutara fanfiction

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manias-wordcount · 7 months

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I hope you’re having a good week I have a request if you’re interested in Azula X read reader has the personality of scar from the lion King the animated version obviously

S/o with the personality of Scar HCs (Azula)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗺! 𝗶 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆!!

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

With this type of personality, your relationship with her tends to have two modes

Mode one is like lovey-dovey sickly sweet because you guys just get each other

In that classic children’s media villain way y’know

Like every conversation between the two of you will be fluid and you can complain about things to each other openly because you guys just understand each other and have such similar personalities

Literally, it’d be so easy to just shoot the shit with each other like this and boss other people around because you two just radiate power and confidence

(although she’s the only royal here, you’re faking it to you make it lmao)

But since you guys are so similar, mode two is when you guys can’t stand each other

You both can be powerful hungry and uncaring towards others, so it can be really hard to stand each other when one sets the other off into a bad mood

To be frank, getting this relationship to work is going to be difficult since Azula and someone with Scar’s personality are bound not to be good people

But there’s someone out there for everyone- including you and her too

#azula #azula x reader #azula atla #avatar #avatar x reader #avatar fanfic #avatar fanfiction #avatar the last airbender x reader #avatar the last airbender fanfic #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla x reader #atla fanfic #atla fanfiction

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kyoshi-week · 6 months

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KYOSHI ERA WEEK 2024: PROMPTS

To commemorate The Rise of Kyoshi's 5th anniversary on July 16th, the Kyoshi Era Week 2024 will happen from July 14th to July 21st! Please, save the date and check the prompts below to start planning!

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Sunday 14th - Team Avatar || Found Family || Daofei

Monday 15th - Parental Figures || Protectiveness || Possessiveness

Tuesday 16th - Yokoya || Fire Lilies || "Damned if you do, damned if you don't"

Wednesday 17th - Growing Old Together || Spirit World || "Distance makes the heart grow fonder"

Thursday 18th - Hair Brushing || "Blood is thicker than water" || "Do as I say, not as I do"

Friday 19th - Avatar State || Companion Animals || "Touch her* and I'll kill you"

Saturday 20th - Recovery || Healing || Jealousy

Sunday 21st - Gay Panic || Touch Starved || Flirtation

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

*Feel free to change this to any other pronoun.

The prompts are supposed to inspire you, not to restrict you. So, do as you wish with them!

Thank you to everyone who voted and/or reblogged the prompt polls! We hope you enjoy the event!

Do you want to be a mod? Do you need a tw/cw tag? Do you want to join the Discord server? Please send us an ask and we'll answer privately.

Click here to check the event rules!

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girlkisser13 · 2 months

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dating azula would include

• it’s canon that azula has no game, so you’re the one who’s making all of the moves on her. she’s so oblivious when it comes to love.

• this girl is ALWAYS blushing around you. even after you guys start dating she still blushes around you.

• she's always trying to impress you with her firebending, constantly making sure you're watching her.

• she will 100% pout if you miss something.

• azula enjoys the finer things in life. being royalty allows her to spoil you with extravagant gifts and grand gestures.

• loyalty is paramount to azula, so she expects complete loyalty from you. betrayal is something she would never forgive.

• azula enjoys engaging in strategic games and intellectual debates with you.

• despite her tough exterior, azula has moments of vulnerability. these are extremely rare, but you would see glimpses of her softer side, especially when she feels safe and trusted.

• azula thrives on challenges and would appreciate if you aren’t afraid to challenge her back.

• she loves you because you challenge her, not because you roll over for her.

• your relationship makes her feel alive.

• azula enjoys excitement and adventure, so dates would often involve thrilling activities, from exploring ancient ruins to sparring matches.

• understanding azula's emotional complexity would be crucial. you’re patient and perceptive, recognizing when she needs space or support.

• if you’re a firebender, azula would take a keen interest in your training, often giving tips and pushing you to improve your skills.

• she isn’t to big on pda because she doesn’t want to appear weak. she loves holding your hand under the table though.

• when the two of you are alone it’s a whole different story.

• she and zuko are the DEFINITION of touch starved.

• at first, she never initiated any type of physical touch. you were always the on who wanted to hold her hand or tried to cuddle with her.

• over time, she began to feel more comfortable with the idea of physical touch and began to crave that intimacy. now she ALWAYS has a hand on you.

• azula values quality time and would appreciate activities that allow her to bond with you, such as sparring, strategizing, or even watching the sunset together.

• as azula works through her past traumas and emotional scars, you would play a significant role in her healing process, offering support, understanding, and unconditional love.

• azula’s loyalty to you is unwavering. she expects the same in return and would go to great lengths to ensure your safety and happiness.

• your relationship with azula would be built on mutual respect and admiration. she values that you’re able to respects her strengths and supports her weaknesses.

• she loves you deeply and intensely, making the relationship thrilling and deeply fulfilling.

• you’re the first person to show her what love truly feels like. you’ve got this girl HOOKED. <33

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system-to-the-madness · 5 months

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Cherry Blossom Comfort 🌸 Zuko x Reader

Pairing: Zuko x Reader(can be read as any gender, no pronouns used) Genre: fluff Word Count: 1 724 Warnings: Major Spoilers for the graphic novel “The Search” Summary: Zuko opens up to you about his feelings about his family

Sakura Festival Masterlist - Masterlist

Zuko’s head was heavily resting in your lap, cushioned on the deep red fabric of your gown pulled over your soft thighs. His amber eyes watched your face closely as you ran your hands through his dark hair, admiring the way the soft strands so effortlessly slipped through your fingers. It had been a while since you had sat like this. Between the conflict at the former colony of Yu Dao, now its own state, and the immediately following search for Zuko’s mother, there had been little time for any kind of quiet intimacy between Zuko and you.

After you had found his mother, and had returned to the palace, Zuko had been quieter than you knew him to be. He had spent a long time talking to his mother before leaving her and his half-sister in order to return to the palace, and you suspected that whatever they had discussed, was still occupying his mind. Usually, he talked to you about whatever thought he couldn’t get rid of, but so far, he had kept it shut inside, making you wonder if it simply was something he did not want to share, if he didn’t want to share it with you, or if he only needed a little more time to think about it.

A few days ago, he had eventually asked if you wanted to come to Ba Sing Se with him, an invitation you had gladly taken. You were staying at his uncle's place, a small house with only a few rooms, which gave the two of you the opportunity to share the narrow bed and cuddle up each night. In the palace, there were always guards around, and Zuko had been advised that it would be better if the two of you were not to sleep in the same room, at least not too often, to avoid gossip. Zuko had been in an especially bad mood after that for a while, grumbling about how he was your boyfriend and why anybody other than the two of you should be concerned with your relationship. But if he had learnt anything in the year of being Fire Lord, it was that certain advice was better to be followed, and as much as both of you hated it, this was one of the instances.

This in turn meant both of you cherished the time at Uncle Iroh’s home even more. With the excuse of not enough space, you got to share a bed each night, falling asleep in each other’s arms without the concern of guards walking in or starting rumours.

Both of you were aware that you could not hide out in Ba Sing Se forever, but you had agreed that a holiday of a few days would be acceptable, and so you spent the days either helping in Uncle Iroh’s tea shop or talking long walks in the parks that spread wide and far through the city.

Now you were sitting in the garden that belonged to his uncle’s tea shop, back against the trunk of a blooming cherry tree, Zuko laying spread out on the ground, his head resting in your lap. Usually, you would have taken the opportunity to ask him what he was thinking about, but considering the events of the past month, the almost-war at Yu Dao and the reunion with his mother, which he still hadn’t talked about, you thought it would be better if he were the one to talk first. Or not. While you were curious about what had happened, you never wanted to make him feel like you were prying into parts of his life he wasn’t ready to share with you.

His eyes flickered from your face to the pink blossoms above your heads, before focusing back on you, a smile tucking at his lips before he spoke.

“You know,” he began, his voice soft, “For the time in which I was thinking Ikem was my father, I was almost relieved.”

Ikem, the man his mother had loved before having been married to his father Ozai, and the man who she had returned to after leaving the palace.

Quietly you nodded, more to yourself than Zuko. You had suspected as much, judging from his behaviour and how he had talked about Ozai in these days.

“If Ikem had been my father, I’d never have to worry about turning out like Ozai again,” he explained, his eyes almost absentmindedly tracing your features, like a routine that brought him comfort. “I wouldn’t be in danger to turn as crazy and delusional as him, or Azula. And I could have stopped feeling guilty for not being as powerful a firebender as them.”

You wanted to disagree, tell him he was as good as them, but the truth was they were more powerful than he would probably ever be, even though he had by far the better techniques and his skills were more refined. The only ones who had ever looked down on him for that had been the two of them, and to you it couldn’t matter less how good at firebending he was, or whether he was a bender at all. But you had a feeling this talk was better to be had at another time. Right now it was more important that Zuko got to share his thoughts uninterrupted, while he felt safe and comfortable enough to confide you.

“And Azula…” He trailed off, his eyes leaving your face and returning to the blossoms above him. “I always got told these stories when I was little, about siblings sticking together, through thick and thin, like Sokka and Katara. But Azula and I never were like that. Even when I tried to be what I thought a big brother should be like, she only ever took pleasure in humiliating me. If I had been only her half-brother, it would have felt like an explanation, and I could have stopped feeling guilty for it.”

A crease was forming on his forehead, and you brought your hand from his hair to his face, brushing over his forehead with your thumb.

“Why would you feel guilty for the way she was treating you, hm,” you asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Zuko agreed. “Still there were times when I just wanted to get along with her. I just wanted a normal family. For my father to love me the way my mother had, for Azula to treat me like her brother, even if that includes the one or the other rivalry. But not like some second-class human being.”

“In Azula’s eyes everyone who isn’t her is a second-class human being,” you mumbled.

“I know,” Zuko sighed. “But still.”

“I’m sorry that you never got the family you wished for,” you whispered. “You have every right to be upset about that.”

“For a moment I thought, I could have that family, you know,” Zuko admitted. “If Ikem really would have been my father- I could have had a normal family, the one I always wanted, a father who’s proud of me, my mother who never made me feel small or irrelevant and a sister who actually sees me as a human and not just a challenge.” He took a deep breath. “But I always would have doubted my position as Fire Lord,” he continued. “I wouldn’t have known where I belonged anymore.” He hesitated for a moment before he added: “I think I would have even started to doubt that I belong at your side.”

“I wouldn’t have allowed you to doubt that,” you told him, and the crease on his forehead softened under your insistent brushing over it. You could have been only of little help if he had started doubting his position as Fire Lord, but you would never let him question that the two of you belonged with each other. That was not a matter of heritage, it was a matter of your hearts, your souls. As dramatic as it sounded, you were convinced that Zuko and you were bound together by more than the emotions you were aware of.

Even before you had really gotten to know another, back when you had still been enemies, you had always found and saved each other, even when all rationality had dictated the opposite. You had defied probability and logic again and again, consciously, and subconsciously, so much that by the time Zuko had turned up at the Wester Air Temple with an awkward “Hello, Zuko here”, you had been convinced you were cursed to always run into him.

Now you were convinced it was something else entirely, something that would lead you back to find each other no matter when and where you were. For a while Zuko had loved to throw around the word ‘destiny’, and even though you hardly believed in that concept, you couldn’t imagine to not be bound to him by destiny.

Zuko’s eyes found yours, clear amber staring up at you on a mixture of wonder and admiration.

“No,” he finally agreed with you. “I belong with you. No matter who I am, or where, or when. I’m yours.”

You smiled at the certainty in his voice, knowing that right now there was absolutely no doubt in neither of your hearts about that. Gently you brushed his hair aside and leant down to press a kiss to his forehead. His eyes flickered closed blissfully, and you grinned at the way he puckered his lips, expecting a kiss there too, but you pulled away teasingly. When he realised you weren’t going to kiss him, he blinked his eyes open, frowning at you disapprovingly, while snuggling into the palm with which you cupped his face. Sometimes it still surprised you how touch starved he was.

“And I’m yours,” you whispered, making him blush. After almost a year of exchanged whispers like this you would think he had gotten used to them yet, but you loved how you were still able to fluster him so easily.

“I’m just glad I get to be by your side,” Zuko confessed, making you smile.

“I’m glad, too,” you replied before leaning down again, this time softly kissing his lips, pretending like the soft sigh that slipped past his lips did not make your heart skip a beat, but you had a feeling Zuko knew either way.

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writtenbyaperson · 3 months

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"Peace" Zuko x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Drabble Length: 432 Words Summary: Zuko is meditating and you're making it difficult.

"Quit. Now."

Zuko is meditating and you're bending spears of water at the fire in his hands. It hisses.

"How do you know it's me? Your eyes were closed." Your mirth is testing him. His eyelids and brows fall and you smile back.

Iroh instructed him to prioritize meditation in the mornings, afternoons, and before he rested. Zuko struggled at first but he's gotten better each time. The others retired to their rooms a while ago when the campfire died out, just the embers simmered on. Coolness blanketed the temple.

"I have to do this. You can go to bed without me." His voice firm.

The playfulness stops. Zuko ignites a new flame and the other hand grounds him on a knee.

You shrink, shuffling and sitting a little bit closer. "I'll stop."

He couldn't see you, but you could see him and he was partly smiling. He goes back to focus on his breath and heartbeat and the minutes fly by. The longer he goes the higher his temperature climbs. Night plunges colder.

You're fidgeting. A heaviness wars on your body. The soreness from training blooms from your shoulders, legs, and core. Nerves scream at you to rest and replenish, but you can't. You can't sleep without Zuko.

The lack of sabotage should be making this easier but your impatience is prodding him. Scrapes of pebbles grind along the ground each time you readjust. Flaps of fabric brush together and echo. Steam comes out of Zuko's nose; breath and skin incredibly hot.

He looks at you. The blue fire in his palm turns back to red. "Come here." His voice raspy. The last word dragging.

You muster enough energy to settle into his arms and sit on his lap. His frame wraps around you. You hug his torso, drinking in the comfort. His head slots softly into the nook of your neck. Both of you regain your peace. You fit perfectly. Zuko breathes into the well of your neck and the embrace buzzes with ardor. Goosebumps travel up his neck and deafens his ears. He thinks you smell so good. His muscles melt into you. Zuko's hands slink tighter around your waist. He wants to absorb you until you became one, the contact soothes him like nothing else. He can get drunk off you. His hair tickles your exposed collarbone. He is so warm.

The firepits black ash whisper a final bellow of thin smoke that takes its carriage inside a passing current. Zuko decides that the session is over, you're getting cold. And so he takes you to your room.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar the last airbender fanfic #atla fanfic #zuko x reader #zuko atla #zuko fanfic #zuko fluff #fanfic #fanfiction #atla fanfiction #atla zuko #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko imagine #prince zuko #zuko #fluff

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bisexuallsokka · 27 days

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“You know, if you ever need more canvas space for your chalk art, my driveway is always open to you,” Sokka says to Izumi, glancing at Zuko, which— wow. He had almost forgotten how gorgeous Sokka’s eyes are. That, plus he is being sweet to his daughter? Zuko quickly covers up whatever cheesy expression is certainly on his face. Izumi’s smile widens a little bit and she nods. Zuko manages to wish Sokka a good day at work and Sokka’s gaze on him lingers for a second before he thanks him and gets in his car. So no, he doesn’t need Iroh’s help in setting him up with anyone. Because he has spent the last few months fantasizing about Sokka, and he is not ready to give that up nor to cue Iroh in and risk any interference. (or, Zuko and Sokka are neighbors, Izumi is a sidewalk chalk enthusiast, and Iroh and Azula love pestering Zuko about his love life)

my contribution to @zukkabigbang2024!!

a thousand thanks to my amazing artist @purplew for creating this masterpiece to go with this fic!! <3

#zukkabb24 #zukka #izumi #my writing #atla fanfiction #ITS FINISHED.........ive spent the last few days editing this a ton until i was happy with it while also taking care of my nieces and nephe #this one is too sweet i fear i need to write more divorced zukka for my soul #also i decided to not explain how zuko got izumi. it is none of my business how readers choose to interpret how she came to be #i get tired of explaining details in modern aus like i brushed over a few other things too because i decided idgaf #anyway. this was a lot of fun. i hope u guys like it!!!!!!!!!!!

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shortprince-cos · 6 months

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A list of my ATLA AUs so far!

Hidden Masks

Zuko wears a mask since he got his scar, so no one from the gaang recognizes him, causing him to infiltrate the group to try and catch the Avatar

Just a Man

Zuko is kidnapped by Hakoda as a baby on vacation at Ember Island. Hakoda raises him as his own.

Jet Sucks (name wip)

Jet kidnaps Zuko and Sokka, causing them to become reluctant allies that escape together.

Of Pirated Princes

Zuko gets kidnapped by pirates and is sold to Hakoda and crew, though they don't believe that he is actually Prince Zuko. They offer to take him home and end up keeping him while they look for his uncle with him.

A Flame Snuffed Out

Zuko gets amnesia after hitting his head too hard in the North Pole. The Gaang convince him that he was planning on teaching Aang firebending and take him with them for book two.

Salvage/TAOB w/Sokka (name wip)

Zuko gets purposefully captured by the Southern Water Tribe in order to get information about their war efforts, only to bond with Chief Hakoda and his son Sokka.

The Blue Spirit of Ba Sing Se

Zuko is permanently banished from the Fire Nation, so his uncle takes him to Ba Sing Se to live as war refugees. Zuko eventually becomes the vigilante known as the Blue Spirit.

Lying with Honor

Azula stands up to Ozai after he burns Zuko and ends up banished in her brother's place.

Moon Spirit Sokka

Sokka and Yue are swapped. Zuko is tasked with taking down the Northern Water Tribe and ends up falling in love with their prince.

Its a Long, Long Way to Ba Sing Se

After Katara decides to take her mini vacation away from the gang while they go to a library, she runs into Zuko in the Misty Palms Oasis. Before long, they both get chased by two random men (were those Toph's teachers?) and have to team up and travel to Ba Sing Se together.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla fanfic #atla fanfiction #atla zuko #atla sokka #zukka #fanfiction #fanfic #hidden masks #of pirated princes

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hanasnx · 6 months

Note

this might be kind of an obvious assumption but i’ve always pictured zuko (aged up or in his fire lord arc) to be very into praise. now this could work in a soft dom kinda way or maybe even a subby way but personally i like the idea of a praise kink!soft dom zuko idk

MINORS DNI 18+

“There you go. That’s it.” ZUKO croons, stroking your hair back with his hand. Loving and tender, he eases you into taking him, the sensation of your hole ever so gradually opening up around him causes his breath to hitch in his throat. “You’re doing well, how does it feel?” Oddly formal, you still find him endearing, scoffing into a tired smile. Foreplay was tumultuous as usual, a wrestle match of eager tongues and reaching limbs, pinning each other and by the time he’s reintroducing his cock to your sex you’re already spent from the orgasms leading up to it.

“Good, my lord, feels so good.” The affectionate petname plays coyly off your grinning lips, and he tsks.

“Enough of that. You know what I want to hear.” he reiterates, calling back to a time in which he scolded you for addressing him as your superior.

“Zuko,” you breathe, and he sighs at the sweet sound, capitalizing on the momentum by sinking in to the hilt. You gasp at the sensation of being filled, your soft tissue already overstimulated from how long he’d gone down on it prior to this.

“Yes,” he encourages in a grateful exhale, bowing his head to tuck between yours and your shoulder. His hands clutch onto you, pressing you as close to him as possible, until your lungs have little room to inflate. “Say it again.” he whispers.

“Oh, Zuko,” you purr, pleasure running away with you. Fire ignites within him as his name is chanted, using it as drive to rut into you. Back and forth, the velvety skin of his cock drags across your insides that send tingles like electricity up your spine. His lips brush your collarbone every time he bottoms out, a new layer of sweat permeates both of you, mixing the salt together as his pace quickens.

“Very good. Please—continue.” The subtle beg spurs you on, and his name on your lips grows in volume and haste as he matches your energy, fucking into you as you encourage him. The son of the Fire Nation had gone by many names, especially in enemy territory under disguise. His identity was concealed for his safety, and now you may speak it freely. Call him by his name.

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frost-queen · 3 months

Text

Omashu's beholder (Reader x Prince Zuko)

Requested by: anon Forever tag:@missmelodramatic , @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22 , @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers , @merlieve , @queen-of-books , @glimmering-darling-dolly ,@denkisclown , @wildieflower ,@meyocoko , @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl , @m-rae23 , @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr , @swampthing07 , @melsunshine , @panhoeofmanyfandoms , @venomsvl , @the-uncoordinated-house-cat ,@rosecentury , @imagines-by-her , @evilcr0ne , @vviolynn , @niktwazny303 ,@avada-kedavra-bitch-187 , @markive-m , @sweetheartlizzie07

“You are not coming along.” – Zuko made clear. – “Why not?” – you answered, setting your hands on your hips. Zuko groaned loud as you once again went against him. As if his rule meant nothing to you. – “Because I say so.” – he replied a bit annoyed. – “So you expect me to sit and wait while you get to explore Omashu?” – you spoke back, glancing at Iroh that is was ridiculous. – “Yes!” – Zuko called out making you roll your eyes.

“I’ve seen nothing but these damn walls and darned sea for more than a month Zuko!” – you let out, pleading with him to bring you along. – “I want to see cities again Zuko… cities…” – you begged wanting to get off the ship. – “This isn’t some sightseeing trip. I’m only here for the Avatar.” – he responded slowly losing his patience.

“And?” – you let out making Zuko inhale deep. Turning away, to hold his fingers under his nose to compose himself. – “Nephew.” – Iroh pleaded giving him a nudge. – “She’s not coming along.” – he said to his uncle.

Iroh tilted his head your way for his nephew to approach you a different way. Zuko exhaled loud, rubbing his forehead. – “I’ll… I’ll bring you a souvenir… if I have the time.” – he told you. You puffed loud in surprise at his ridiculous request. Iroh shook his head. – “We’re leaving.” – he shouted to his men. He made eye contact with his first in command. Having a fierce gaze. He pointed his fingers at his eyes, than at you. A warning for him to keep watch on you. The first in command bowed his head in response.

Zuko moved a bit closer to you, holding you by your elbow. – “Stay here… I’ll be back soon enough.” – he said in a husky voice. You ignored him, having turned your posture away from him. Zuko let his grip falter on you, leaving with his uncle. You walked up to the side, grabbing onto the railing as you watched them get lowered in a smaller boat. Watching them descend into waters to reach the mainland.

Sighing loud, you leaned your hand under your chin. Once more left out. It was always ‘stay here’, ‘it is too dangerous’ or ‘it’s business’. You disliked being excluded from it all. What good were you with being his betrothed if you were never allowed to come. Never allowed to prove your worth. Simply sit and roll over as your dearest betrothed commanded. Deep down you hoped Zuko harboured some feelings towards you.

Any were enough to not feel alone in this. Otherwise it was nothing but a political match. Glancing over your shoulder, you noticed the first in command observing you keenly. His gaze piercing through you. Making sure you wouldn’t run. Since you had a habit of going against your prince’s words. Something he surely was the cause of. If only he involved you more. There was absolutely no way you were going to sit back and wait.

Stepping a bit to the side, you noticed the fist in command take a step in the same direction as you. Moving back, he did the same. Sighing loud with roll of your eyes, you knew you’d never get rid of him. You thought for a moment, staring down into the waters. Seeing your own rippled reflection. An idea crossed your mind as you turned round. Locking eyes with the first in command. You started moving as he walked up to you. You moved towards the cockpit where the quarters were downstairs. He came behind you.

“I’m feeling a bit exhausted. I’m going rest a bit…” – you spoke quickly widening your eyes. – “Since I have nothing else to do but wait.” – you added not wanting to rise any suspicion. He’d knew your character a bit. With him on your tail, you went down to your quarters. Opening the door to enter. You looked surprised at him when he entered your quarters as well. – “I beg your pardon?” – you said. – “Orders from my prince, my lady.” – he outed very loyal. It made you quirk your eyebrow. – “Did your prince tell you to enter my quarter and watch me sleep?” – you asked.

“No my lady.” – he answered honourable, keeping his gaze up. – “Then give me my privacy!” – you called out, showing him the door. – “I have orders my lady…” – he pleaded as you had no ears for it. – “Privacy!” – you shouted giving him a shove towards the door. – “You can do your duties at my door.” – you suggested forcing him out. The first in command stumbled out of your room. – “My…” – he started, greeted by a shut door in his face. He took a soft breath, turning around to stand in front of your door.

Arms crossed to make sure no one would enter or leave without him knowing. Exhaling loud with your hands on your hips, you looked around the room. Opening your closet, you searched for a disguise. Then you climbed on your bed to the small window, just big enough for you to fit through if you squeezed. Setting your hands, you jumped on your bed to hoist yourself up. Stiffening your lips to keep a scream out, you nearly tilted over, head down into the water. Holding yourself, you squeezed and squirmed yourself through the window. Knowing you had to dive head first out anyways.

After a lot of wringing and squirming your body plopped out of the window, diving into the water. There was a big splash as you hoped no one had heard it. Slowly rising from the water, you gasped loud. Before any of the soldiers could come and see what it was, you took a deep breath. Lowering yourself to swim underwater and out of sight.

Only once you were at a clear distance from the ship, you emerged above water. Swimming the last to shore. Drenched and out of breath, you got on land. Letting yourself fall on your back to catch your breath. Limbs spread out to let the sun warm your clothing. After a good few minutes, you got up. Hiking up to Omashu. Having no idea what you’d find there. One thing was sure. You needed to avoid Zuko at any cost.

After a while of hiking, you found a trail of people making way for the city. You followed them, trying to fit in as your clothes were still wet. Some people turned their heads confused or with prejudice towards you when you caught up with them. The trail of people seemed to be endless as the great city of Omashu rose up against the sky. An immense city taking your breath away.

Quickening up your pace, you wanted to reach the city doors sooner. You staid close to some of the people in front of you. Keeping your head low as you pretended to belong with them. Entering the city unnoticed. The city was buzzing as it made you feel alive once more. The energy of the city shooting through you like spark.

With dazzling eyes and wonder you ran from cart to cart. Seeing their wares. If you could you would’ve bought so much. Standing by a cart with a melon in your hand, your eyes widened. Through the cart, you saw some familiar faces. The flying monkey being so obvious. Adjusting the hood better over your head, you turned around not wanting the Avatar to see you.

Placing the melon back, you lowered yourself a little to sneak away. Peeking to them once more, your eyes locked with an unfamiliar boy. He did seem to tag along with them. His gaze narrowed on you as you quickly looked away. Hurrying away. Moving through the streets, avoiding to bump into others, you gasped loud. Turning around immediately at the sight of Iroh.

You knew Zuko would be nearby. With your head low and hood pulled the farthest down, you walked back. Without seeing much of where you were walking, you bumped hard against someone. – “Apologies.” – you mumbled out without a glance, simply moving your hand up for them to not draw any attention to your face. The person you had bumped into yelled.

“Watch it!” – you immediately recognized the voice. Zuko’s voice. Trying to steady your alarming beating heart, you hurried away, leaving him clueless of who he had bumped into. Zuko furrowed his brows watching the cloaked figure disappear into the crowd. Slowly tilting his head as their step seemed familiar. Anxiously, you weren’t enjoying the city anymore.

Every turn it felt like you’d bump into the Avatar or Zuko. Sure to be exposed. Panting loud, you needed to escape the city as you wanted no more. You wanted to leave. To return to the ship save and sound. Constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure you weren’t followed. Rounding a corner, you bumped into something sturdy. A pair of hands clasping tight around your arms. – “Well, well.” – the person spoke as you gasped loud.

Your hood got pulled back by him so that he could see your face. Slightly panicking, you tried to break free. – “What’s got you on edge?” – he questioned as you noticed more people came crowding around you. – “Let me go!” – you insisted. He smiled with that stupid twig between his teeth. – “Now why would I do that?” – he replied teasingly. With a snap of his finger, his friends approached. You tried to scream for help, but got muzzled.

A rope went swiftly around your hands before you could do anything. – “Don’t be so difficult.” – the boy said removing the twig from between his teeth watching you struggle. – “I just want to have a little chat with you.” – he grabbed your chin, holding your face up to him. – “Take her away.” – he ordered as they pushed you forwards.

“Let me go!” – you called out, struggling against the ropes. No one seemed to assist or even make an effort to help out. Turning your head, you looked around for anyone that would help. By a cart he stood as your eyes locked on him. The boy slowly pulled his disguise down in shock. Zuko. There was no denying it anymore. He saw you. He saw you being dragged away as you hoped he wouldn’t be too mad. You disappeared into the shadows led away from the busy city.

You got sat down with a shove. – “Jet what are you going to do with her?” – one of them asked. Jet raised his hand to silence him. He set his foot down on a log to lean down to you. With wide eyes, you stared back at him. His eyes fell on your chest, seeing something red under your disguise. He started disrobing you, removing the cloak to reveal your clear fire nation attire. He gasped loud, stumbling back. – “She’s fire nation.” – one of the smaller one’s called out.

Jet’s face seemed to contract with anger, grabbing you by your shirt. Lifting you a bit up from the ground. – “You filthy fire girl! Here to commit more murder?” – he yelled at you, making you shake your head rapidly. If only he removed the cloth from your mouth, you would be able to speak with him. Plead with him that you had no such desires. – “I know your kind. You only bring ruin and death.” – he clenched his fist harder around your clothing.

He let go of you, dropping you to the ground. Jet was brazing with anger. Scratching his fingers furiously through his hair. He grunted loud, grabbing for a stick, holding it into the crackling fire. It started to burn as he spun back around to you. – “I’ll show you just how much pain you caused.” – he called out. Your eyes widened with fear. Unable to defend yourself. Shaking your head, you wiggled further away from him as he approached. Jet kept coming closer till he stumbled forwards by a sudden force.

“Hands off!” – you heard loud. Jet looked back as you looked surprised at an angered Zuko. Zuko grunted loud throwing a fire punch towards him so the torch dropped out of his hand. Jet ordered his men to attack Zuko. Zuko kicked a flying speer aside with his foot. Sweeping his other leg up to bring a man down with one swift kick. He needn’t even use his fire bending to take them on. Jet called it out, revealing his weapons as he ran towards Zuko.

Zuko backed away when Jet’s weapon swung down on him. Trying to rip him open. Zuko kicked at his wrist, so that the weapon flew up. With still one weapon in hands, swung and slashed Jet it at Zuko’s chest. Zuko deflected it, kicking another boy back that wanted to approach him from the back. Zuko hit Jet in his stomach, making him stumble back. – “You think you can take in Omashu?” – Jet called out to taunt him. – “No!” – Zuko shouted back. – “You shouldn’t have taken my wife!” – he made clear swinging his leg at Jet. Jet got hit, falling back.

Out of anger, Zuko let the ground burn, forming a burning circle around Jet. Jet looked panickily around him. Zuko stepping through the fire with a murderous look in his eyes. His hands burning with fire ready to hurt Jet till he heard your muffled cries. Lifting his head up, he saw one of Jet’s friends was near you. You were kicking him back to keep him away. Zuko inhaled sharp, sending his fire at him. It hit the kid, making him roll over. Zuko ignored Jet, making his way over to you. Jet scrambled to his feet, rallying his friends up to leave. They scrambled as Zuko knelt down to you.

With a sour expression he undid you from your ropes. His silence was chilling as he removed the cloth from your mouth. He didn’t help you up as you had to get up on your own strength. His silence was even worse. You’d rather have him yell at you than this treatment. Zuko started walking as you went after him. The two of you neared the city once more as you dared to speak. – “Zuko…” – you said softly wanting him to say something. Zuko turned around, grabbing you by the arms and pushing you hard up against the wall.

“What did I tell you?” – he yelled out, giving you an extra push against the wall. – “Why do you always disobey me Y/n! I told you to stay on the ship for a reason! If I hadn’t seen you, you’d be burned now!” – he outed in anger and worry. His reaction made you swallow in shame. – “I’m…I’m sorry.” – you answered. – “No you are not! If you would, you’d listen to me! You could’ve been killed today Y/n. Do you understand that?” – he scolded giving you an extra push against the wall. He walked off as you knew you had taken it too far now.

Iroh was very confused and stunned seeing you tag along behind his nephew in the great city of Omashu. Zuko didn’t wish to speak about it. Your trip to Omashu bringing more difficulties along than you anticipated. Iroh sacrificed himself to draw away attention from Zuko. Zuko and you fled the city of Omashu. Now it was him and you alone to find his uncle. Zuko was kneeling down, watching the tracks. Letting his fingers trail over them in the mud.

“Zuko.” – you said feeling the need to speak. He hummed loud to acknowledge he had heard you. – “Thank you…” – you spoke. Zuko slowly rose not engaging much in the conversation. – “Thank you for saving me even when I went against your word.” – you humbly moved your hands behind your back. – “I’m really sorry.” – you apologized, not wanting him to be mad at you. Zuko hummed soft not saying much. His silence frustrated you a bit.

You knew you were at fault, but you didn’t like the silent treatment. Exhaling loud, you walked up to Zuko. Turning him by his shoulder to you. Pressing your lips hard on his. You wanted a reaction from him, it didn’t matter what. Zuko’s eyes stood wide before he fully understood what was happening.

He slowly closed his eyes, placing his hand against the back of your head. Tilting his head a bit to return the affection in your kiss. Something that came as a surprise to you. Both of you parted gazing lovingly at each other. Zuko grabbed your hand. With a bit of a smile on his lips, he walked with you continue the search for his uncle.

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