#I have a whole sheet for Sokka alone | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

krastbannert · 3 years

Note

Azulaang for the ship meme

General:

How long will they last? - Azula says threatens to "fry his ass like a chicken" roughly every five minutes, but the reality is different. At the beginning it was "Azula's stuck with Aang", but it's become "stuck with each other forever".

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - It...took them a while. A long while. There was the whole "shot in the back with lightning" thing. Then a breakdown. Followed by a years-long recovery and redemption process. They had a long winding road, but Aang believed in her the entire time, and somewhere along the line, enemies became friends and, eventually, lovers.

How was their first kiss? - Sokka dared Azula to kiss Aang, and, well, Azula is physically incapable of backing down from a challenge. She meant for it to be sort of a small and quick thing and the next thing she knew, Sokka was yelling about oogies, Katara was fake-gagging, and Zuko spit out his drink.

Wedding:

Who proposed? -

Who is the best man/men? - Sokka and Zuko, Aang's best friends, of course.

Who is the bride’s maid(s)? - There's no one Azula would rather have than Mai and Ty Lee.

Who did the most planning? - Azula.

Who stressed the most? - Even a redeemed (this word doesn't feel right but I can't think of anything else) Azula is a perfectionist. She's not quite as bad as she used to be, but she still stresses; she wants everything to be right.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 (Azula doesn't consider herself "married" at the big official ceremony; she infinitely prefers the much smaller, more heartfelt one held later that's just friends and family) | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Well, Ozai is probably obvious. Depending on your perspective, Azula may or may not have invited Ursa (I lean towards them having a good relationship, so I think she would have invited her mom).

Sex:

Who is on top? - Bold of you to assume Azula wouldn't love being the one on top.

Who is the one to instigate things? - About 60/40 Aang.

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head (look, Air Nomads were freaks in the sheets, we all know it, and Azula, like I said earlier, is physically incapable of backing down from a challenge, and she likes Aang's challenges)

How long do they normally last? - Well, considering Aang is often busy being, you know, the Avatar (I usually think of Azula staying more-or-less out of politics in her later life, mainly doing art and teaching others firebending, so she sets her own schedule), when they are together, they take their damn sweet time. This results in a lot of, uh, all-nighters. As it were.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Aang, being his selfless-self, prefers making Azula fall apart in all her favorite ways to his own pleasure.

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it. (It's either the former or the latter and there's no in between)

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 (You'll never get Azula to admit it that her favorite thing in the world is snuggling.) | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - Honestly, I've always been unsure of whether or not I think Azula would want to have kids. If they did have any of their own, I'd say 1, maybe 2.

How many children will they adopt? - I do get the feeling Azula would like to take in kids who were in her or her brother's situation (golden children, scapegoats, especially kids whose mother)

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Considering Aang is often away doing Avatar things, it's probably Azula, but she makes him handle every diaper change while he's home.

Who is the stricter parent? - Probably Azula, but she's not cruel about it. Just stern. (She agonizes over how strict she is constantly, and Aang has to reassure that yes, she is, in fact, a good mom.)

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Weirdly, it's Aang. He likes doing the stunts, yeah, but he knows how to do the stunts safely, and he knows there's a line where enough is enough.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Azula's up, so she does it.

Who is the more loved parent? - When they're younger, probably Aang since he's much more fun, but as the kids grow older, they start to love their mother more and more.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Azula, and she brings the heavy weapons every. Single. Time. She's gonna fight for her kids tooth and nail.

Who cried the most at graduation? - At graduation? Aang. But after graduation, back at home? Oh, Azula is crying silent tears of pride.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Aang and Azula just take turns. With genes from the two of them, their children end up in trouble constantly.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Probably Aang. He knows how to cook at least some dishes, whereas Azula doesn't quite get it at first. She learns quickly, but cooking isn't always her favorite thing to do.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Azula prefers spicy food (she can't quite handle the normal Fire Nation level of spice, but the "low spice" version of FN food is still "extra spicy" for the rest of the world), and she's allergic to shellfish (one of my headcanons), so she's a bit picky.

Who does the grocery shopping? - Usually they go together.

How often do they bake desserts? - Azula has a not-so-secret mochi addiction, and Aang loves fruit pies, so it's pretty often.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Well, Aang is vegetarian. Azula doesn't normally care, she just wants to make sure she has protein. (And even though she's allergic, she will annihilate stir-fried razor clams once a year).

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Azula is, surprisingly, rather thoughtful, and though she cooks rarely, she's very good when she puts her mind to it.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Probably Aang; he might love cooking, but he also likes going out and "finding adventure", as he calls it.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - Azula is a much better firebender, and Aang is infinitely more excitable, so probably Aang.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Probably Azula. She's still a bit of a perfectionist. Aang tidies up, too, but it's more like a "if he sees it" situation; Azula does the deep clean.

Who is really against chores? - Neither, really.

Who cleans up after the pets? - As far as Azula's concerned, they're Aang's pets, so he gets to clean up after them. (Except her fox, Satomi. Azula pampers her.)

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - I get the feeling that would be Aang.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Probably Azula, since she's much less inclined to have guests than Aang is.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Aang.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Azula likes them as sort of a comfy way to get some time to herself. (Also she likes to sing in the shower.)

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - They like walking them together, most of the time.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Aang's big on decorating, and takes every opportunity he can. Azula takes a while to warm up to it, and she's never quite as excited about as he is, but eventually it grows on her. She puts up something small and meaningful for every holiday.

What are their goals for the relationship? - For Aang, he'd like a big family, full of love and happiness and all the goodness he remembers from his childhood. Azula just wants a little bit of peace, and a family that's better than what hers became. It's a low bar, but it's what she wants.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - 100% Aang. Absolutely.

Who plays the most pranks? - Everyone blames Aang for pranks but I think it's funnier if Azula does it. She's a mastermind of subterfuge and intrigue. The moment Aang finds out it's been her he feels utterly betrayed. And then he declares war.

#krast answers asks #@writebecauseyoucannotbreathe #aang #azula #azulaang #aang x azula #headcanons #ultimate ship meme #oh my god i finally had time to do this #feels really good #atla

62 notes · View notes

goldrushzukka · 4 years

Note

a nice tender #59 with zukka please 🥺💕

59. "Is this okay?"

It gets hard, sometimes, being the Fire Lord.

The job itself, the governing of a nation, is always hard. There's no two ways about it. Having people's livelihoods in your hands never stops being daunting. But being the Fire Lord, with all the formalities and the being waited on hand and foot and the titles and the fear in people's eyes - that's the terrible part.

On the good days, Zuko can ignore it. On the good days, he can let himself be catered to, tiptoed around, bowed deeply and apologised profusely at. He never forgets that it feels wrong for people to fall at his feet, aching and weeping for the approval he already extends by default. Some days, he can even enjoy it - it's nice not to have to worry about whether he has his hair piece in right or his robes are hanging presentably, because there's always someone on hand to adjust him if he needs it.

On the bad days, though, he looks in the mirror and sees his father.

On the bad days, it's all he can do to get out of bed, let alone look his employees - employees, not servants, because he is not his father - in the eye. Sokka helps, of course, because there's not much Sokka doesn't help, but he can't fix everything, as much as Zuko wishes he could. So he cancels court and doesn't eat, hopes that if he spends the day curled in on himself and not causing anyone else any trouble he'll feel better. It doesn't work, but he does it anyway, because he doesn't know what else he can do.

Today is a bad day.

He knew it the second he woke up. If he's really honest with himself, which he doesn't like to be, he knew it before he even went to sleep. Today is a bad day.

He lets one of the guards stationed at the door know to give the rest of his team the day off - the guards have to stay, they always have to stay - and crawls back under the sheets of his bed, wide and empty and too regal for a man who can't look his reflection in the eye. He stays there for hours, unable to sleep, and when he does, unable to dream. His stomach howls at him, and he wants to howl back.

He stay like that, just wallowing and hiding for hours, until there's a knock at his door. He'd tell a dismissal, but that would mean talking, and anyway - he knows that knock. It's the kind of knock that's more warning than anything else. The kind of knock that only ever comes from one hand.

Zuko doesn't say anything to the door, because there is truly no point, and Sokka waltzes right in.

"Good afternoon, hotman," he says, and Zuko knows he's being generous. The sun sank past afternoon a long time ago.

Zuko groans, and burrows deeper into his plush fortress, sheet over his head.

He hears shoes being kicked off, and then the mattress dips, and Sokka's shuffling right up close to him. He can feel the comfortable heat of him even through the layers of sheets.

Sokka's voice is low when he says, "Little birdie told me you cancelled work today."

Zuko groans again. "Sokka -"

"Hey," Sokka says, and Zuko can hear his wavy hand gestures, "I'm not complaining. You know I like a day off. But the same little birdie told me you also haven't eaten today."

Zuko tugs the sheet off his face to scowl at him, but it doesn't last. Sokka's eyes are soft with fondness and concern, and the blue stone at his throat swings forward slightly as he shifts that bit closer.

"I brought you something," Sokka says. He holds up a hefty bunch of bulbous red grapes. "I thought maybe we could share them. Call it date night for this week."

And that's - it's so Sokka. Taking care of him, always taking care of him, and calling it romance so Zuko will allow it. Zuko knows what he's doing, sees right through his smitten-polar-bear-puppy-grand-gesture facade, and it still works. It works every damn time.

So he lets it happen, because he always does, because he can never say no to that smile. He lets Sokka pull his head into his lap, lets Sokka lay sweet fruit on his tongue, lets Sokka take care of him.

Sokka takes every other grape for himself until there's only a handful of them left, and then he lets Zuko feed them to him by hand. The whole affair is gentle and kind, and neither of them says a word until the grapes are gone, and Sokka tosses the now bare vine onto the nightstand on his side, to be dealt with later. Zuko curls closer against him, hiding his face in Sokka's lap.

Sokka's hand hovers over his head, just shy of touching. He wraps a single lock of hair around one finger and whispers, "Is this okay?"

On a good day, Sokka wouldn't need to ask. On a good day, Sokka's appreciation for Zuko's ocean of black hair is frequent and usually quite verbose. On a good day, Zuko turns to putty under Sokka's touch.

Today is a bad day, though, and on bad days Zuko doesn't see his long hair as honouring the traditions of his people. On bad days, his long hair makes him look like his father, and his father before him, and all the pain and suffering that's come from his lineage.

But because Sokka asks, and Zuko can't say no to him, he hums an affirmative and allows this, too.

"Tell me to stop anytime you want," Sokka says, as he drags his fingers slowly through Zuko's hair. His nails are deft and satisfying against Zuko's scalp, just the right side of too much pressure.

Sokka tells him about his day in hushed tones and runs his fingers through Zuko's hair until Zuko drifts back to sleep, and it's enough. It's enough.

#verdanthoney #this is a lot longer than i intended #but i hope its tender enough for u hannah #if u want to imagine this within the vision universe i will allow it. bc i cant decide whether it is or not #my writing #zukka #asks #mine #there are so many typos in this. oh my god #please no one judge me i had to write it on my phone

211 notes · View notes

livinghostly · 4 years

Text

the way you said i love you

zuko x reader

not my gif!

words: 2660

request/summary: all the times zuko said he loved you, without actually saying it.

prompt: this post inspired me

warning: some angst, mostly fluff

a/n: this is my first time writing zuko and i'm kind of in love with him :') feedback is much appreciated

as a hello

"hello, zuko here." there was a slight smile on his face as he waved gently.

your breath caught in your throat and you found yourself taken aback, expecting anything but that. he greeted you with such familiarly, as if you were old friends reuniting. the way he reminded you of his name– as if you could ever forget the identity of the person who'd been hunting down you and your friends for nearly a year.

zuko didn't try to fight, he didn't prepare himself in a stance to even protect himself as your friends readied for an attack. he simply stood, as if he posed no threat.

he looked to you– the only one who hadn't brought your hands up and prepare whatever defense you had at your disposal. you were stunned, as you tried to analyze the firebender in front of you, until sokka nudged you with his elbow. only then, did you unsheathe the sword kept in the holster at your side.

"hey, i heard you guys flying around down there, so, i just thought i'd wait for you here."

and then, the strangest thing happened– appa licked him.

over a cup of tea

sweat beaded upon your forehead and fall to flow down the sides of your face as you writhed in the sheets of your bed. you weren't hot, you were freezing, but no amount of blankets could help you maintain any warmth. you bunched them around your shoulders and threw yourself on your side, looking for some comfort.

the blinds to your room were closed, creating a stuffy environment. they had been shut since that morning when you'd woken up feeling as if you'd been a victim of bloodbending, again. your muscles were tight and aching, it felt like a great weight on your limbs as you tried to move.

katara's healing didn't have the power to take away the fever or the strain, it wasn't a physical wound to be stitched back up. there wasn't much your friends could offer, besides leaving you alone to wallow in your own helplessness.

suddenly, the door opened. instinctively, your head turned towards the figure. he entered shyly, as if hiding behind the tray in his hands. you narrowed your eyes in curiosity, and propped yourself up against the wall. you moved to get off the bed, but his voice stopped you.

"don't get up." it was an order, but zuko's voice was soft.

he pulled up your desk chair next to your bed, his knees pressed against the soft fabric of your comforter. he laid the tray in his lap, a bowl and a cup, both full of tea, sitting on top.

"hey, zuko," you smiled.

"i, uh, i made your favorite," he offered, handing you the cup.

you took it gratefully, glancing inside the cup. the concoction was murky, with scattered bits of leaf left inside he apparently had paid no attention to. you grimaced, but it fell when you looked back up at him to see a hopeful grin on his face.

offering a tight smile, you brought the cup to your lips. you couldn't bring yourself to face his excited expression as you struggled to keep your composure. oh, spirits, it tasted much worse than it looked. as if it was mud, but acrid. it was hard to ignore the pungent smell as you brought it closer to your nose, tipping the cup as far up as you could to let the liquid run down your throat as quickly as possible.

"how does it taste?" zuko raised his eyebrows, clearly nervous as he found your expression unreadable. "is it okay?"

"yeah!" you said, a little too joyously. for a moment, you forgot how people reacted to good tea. you reminded yourself of iroh, but took it down a few notches. "it's– it's great, zuko."

"do you want any more?"

"i'm okay, actually," you squeaked, placing the cup down on his tray before he could try to insist.

zuko nodded, setting the tray on your desk before turning back to you. he was unsure of himself, what to say or how to react. he just wanted to be there, with you. his eyes lit up with a realization and, hesitantly, he brought the back of his hand to your forehead.

"what're you–"

"my mom used to do it when i got sick... i don't think your fever is going down, you're still warm."

he began to pull his hand away, but you stopped him by pulling at his wrist.

"actually, i'm freezing," you corrected. the longer he kept his hand against your skin, the better it felt. the contrast of his warm hand against the coolness you felt blanketing your body came as a relief. you placed his hand against your cheek, and for a moment, your eyes fluttered shut.

zuko's eyes widened, and he rubbed his thumb against your cheekbone experimentally. his touch was gentle, offering comfort in his warmth.

the moment between the two of you lasted a few seconds, and zuko leaned closer. but the sudden, obnoxious knocking on your bedroom door tore the two of you apart. he quickly ripped his hand away back to his side, and the two of you turned towards the entrance.

sokka pushed open the door with a careless expression, that quickly turned into a wide smirk as he observed the scene before him. he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"zuko, aang's asking for you down on the training grounds. something about some jerkbending practice," he shrugged, ignoring zuko's glare that could burn through him, if he so desired.

zuko stood from his place and pushed your chair back into it's place, then picked up the tray. he cast a glance back towards you. "feel better y/n."

"thanks, zuko," you said softly, already missing the feeling of his hand against your cheek.

he left the room quietly, knocking his shoulder subtly against sokka's. the water tribe boy held back his yelp, and his eyes followed zuko as he disappeared around the corner.

"so..." his grin was smug. "how was the tea?"

"shut up, sokka," you grumbled, sliding back underneath the blankets.

"no, really! i narrowly avoided being the taste-tester, and that's a fate worse than death."

as an apology

watching zuko firebend had become part of your daily routine, his body moved so effortlessly as he trained, it was hard to tear your eyes away from. it started as passing through the day, taking a quick break to pause and look through the trees. but now, you happily took a break from your duties and watched– sometimes joining in for some sparring.

at first you thought he didn't notice, too focused on his bending and quite eager to ignore whatever nonsense was going on around the camp. but, then, he spoke up.

"are you going to stare the entire time?"

you fumbled the laundry basket in your hands, feeling your cheeks warm up.

he stopped his bending, turning to face you. a blush dusted his face as he scratched the back of his neck. "you can sit down– you know, if you want."

a few weeks passed and you couldn't bring yourself to drop the tradition, no matter how much katara begged for a girls day out or aang wanted someone to show his new tricks to. it was nice for you and zuko to be alone.

sometimes, when he would train, he would rant. talk to you about the things weighing down on his shoulders or insulting the very specific way sokka would get on his nerves.

you sat on the bench of the training grounds, your knees drawn up to your chest and your back against the armrest. you were knitting a sweater, once finished it would be for momo. you listened absentmindedly as he punched through the air, every few moments averting your gaze back to him.

a plume of smoke whizzed past your head and your eyes widened, looking up. "watch where you're aiming, zuko."

"sorry," he mumbled half-heartedly, catching the teasing tone in your voice. but he complied, turning his back to you as he continued to practice. "i'm trying to get used to this whole not-angry-bending thing."

"i think you're doing pretty well there, handsome."

the nickname slipped out before you could stop yourself, surprising both of you. your eyes widened and you stopped knitting immediately, snapping your gaze up to him.

the firebender spun around mid-flame, his shock disrupting his bending abilities. the fire whizzed out towards you like a crescent wave, swarming the air.

you had a split second of reaction time. fear washed over you, and you brought your arms up to protect your face, there wasn't anything else you could do. the fire singed your skin, your forearms and all the way to your hands.

"i'm sorry, y/n! i didn't mean to!" he apologized frantically, dropping his arms to his sides, the fire died with that. he made his way over, towering over you with worry. "i– i just lost control! i don't– i don't know why, i–"

your face was contorted in pain as you brought your arms to your chest, the friction against your clothes only making the sensation worse. "it's– okay, zuko," your voice was strained, and stood up. "i just have to get to katara."

though you brushed past him, he followed at your heel. "i'm sorry, y/n," he said again, ignoring how you dismissed him.

you found katara on the patio with aang, both concentrated on their poorly done game of pai sho (they made the rules up as they went). their attention was drawn to you when you skidded to a stop, zuko running into your back.

before you could even sputter it out, or katara could ask what was wrong, he spoke up.

"i– i was bending, and i lost control. i burned her– but i didn't mean to!" he fumbled with his hands, leaning forward as if pleading for them to believe him. "it was an accident!"

"it'll be okay, zuko. calm down," aang stood up, gently facing his palms outward as if zuko was a wild animal he was approaching. he needed to calm down. "katara can heal her."

you walked forward towards katara's open arms, she coaxed you towards the beach. you closed your eyes tightly and ducked your head to the floor, the pain is was excruciating. you didn't want them to see you cry, you didn't want zuko to feel more guilt than he already was.

"i'm so sorry."

stepping off the patio, you glanced over your shoulder. "it's not your fault, zuko."

aang tried to usher him inside the building, but his feet were stiff, as if he was stuck in concrete. he was hesitant to follow, his sad gaze following you as you reached the edge of the beach where katara could heal you. then, he left with aang.

"i've never seen him like that," katara whispered to you.

with no space left between us

the moon was full, and hung high amidst the deep blue hugging every inch of the sky. your eyebrows furrowed subconsciously as you glared up at the stars, lost in thought. the grass was itchy against your skin and the wind brought a cold sweep through your hair.

there was a campfire on the beach you'd pulled yourself away from not too long ago. in the distance, you could still hear sokka's painful singing as he danced around the flames with momo as his partner (after suki refused).

zuko was somewhere over there, fueling the fire and probably shooting the occasional flame at sokka's feet for his and toph's entertainment. you knew you were right when you heard sokka's squeal and then accuse him of sabotoge.

for a brief moment, your attention was drawn away from the sky and you looked over. your expression softened. zuko had a proud smile on his face, doing his best to keep it down. it alerted a fleet of unruly butterflies in your stomach, begging for you to return to your friends.

you wanted to sit beside zuko again but you couldn't, too busy mulling over how to handle whatever it was you felt for him.

he met your gaze, and you offered a soft smile in return. it didn't reach your eyes and faded when you looked back at the sky.

almost immediately, zuko got up from the log he was sitting on and made his way towards you. you wouldn't have realized, if toph hadn't called out: "where ya going, sparky?"

he settled in the grass next to you, mirroring the way you kept your hands clasped over your stomach. there was no room left between you, his arm pushed up against yours comfortably.

"uh..." zuko started out. "you can talk to me, you know that right? about your feelings?"

"yeah," you said, your voice quiet. but you didn't want to talk to him. in fact, you'd rather talk to azula about you were feeling, than him.

silence followed.

"so, why'd you walk away from the fire?"

"i just needed to think."

"about what?"

you turned to face him with a raised eyebrow, only to find him staring back at you. you blushed, but felt a smirk creep over your features.

he sighed, looking up again. "sorry."

zuko was content, laying there with you, looking as if he had not a single thing in the world to worry about. as if next to him, you didn't have a voice in the back of your head screeching for you to do something already.

but you just looked– your eyes followed his facial features and noticed how each time he blinked it was longer than the last, you wondered if he would really fall asleep next to you.

"the stars remind me of you."

you were caught off guard. "what?"

"the stars are... bright, they light up the sky. even when things are dark, and you can’t see clearly, they’re there to show you the way. they're beautiful, and create incredible constellations. i can't look away from them."

whatever you were going to say, died in your throat. you didn't know how to respond. he spoke so casually as if his words didn't light every one of your nerves on fire. the flurry in your stomach only became more extreme. it felt too good to be true, it couldn't be real. the boy you were laying with under the stars told you possibly the most romantic thing you ever heard.

you'd been staring for so long, you forgot you had yet to actually say anything.

zuko faced you, a worrisome expression clouding his features. "was that weird?"

"no!" you squeaked. unwilling to meet his eyes, you looked away. "no, it was really nice. i just didn't expect it, at all. no one's really ever said anything–"

he leaned on his side and placed a hand on your cheek, and feeling that you missed. he didn't give you much time to process as he directed your chin to face him again, and then he kissed you. it was desperate, but soft, not wanting you to pull away but not being demanding. you kissed back with surprise, raising your eyebrows. it lasted a few seconds before he pulled away.

"was that weird?" he pulled his eyebrows together.

"not at all," you smiled gently, sweeping a hand through his hair.

in the distance, toph made herself known. "hey, are you two done over there? you're giving my feet a headache!"

"isn't that a feet-ache?" sokka chimed in, followed by an instantaneous groan as a rock slammed against his head.

#atla x reader #avatar x reader #zuko x reader #reader x zuko #zuko oneshot #zuko imagine #atla imagine #atla oneshot #spleen writes #atla

630 notes · View notes

thebakingqueen5 · 3 years

Text

KW 2021: Height Difference

Day 1 for Kataang Week 2021 hosted by @kataang-week with the prompt Height Difference!

Links: AO3 | FF.net

Summary: Another year, another summer, another week of prompts celebrating our favorite couple. Kataang Week 2021 Day 1: Height Difference. It’s his 14th birthday and Aang is feeling frustrated. Katara wants to help and Aang confides in her about some of his insecurities.

Word Count: 2.2K

After a long day of festivities, night had finally fallen across the Fire Nation palace, and Aang and Katara were ready to head to bed and get some well-earned rest.

The couple had just finished up at the banquet and silently walked through the dimly lit halls to Aang’s room so as to not alert Katara’s overprotective brother. Though they had merely been cuddling the last few nights before sleeping, Sokka would surely throw a fit if he knew that they were sharing a room at all, hence a bit of secrecy was needed.

At last, they arrived- the third door on the right in the central wing of the palace had been designated the Avatar’s quarters since as early as Kyoshi’s time. It was a fair distance away from the rest of the bedrooms in the west wing, and it also had far more extravagant commodities with its own mini-courtyard and balcony, giving the pair plenty of space to get away from the rest of the world and simply enjoy being with each other.

“Today was fun,” Katara sighed as they finally entered the room, taking off her shoes at the entrance and immediately going towards the inviting bed.

She let herself fall onto the soft mattress, groaning softly as her limbs were finally able to relax after a long day of dancing, cooking, and celebrating for the airbender’s 14th birthday, while Aang gently closed the door with a soft thump.

“Yeah,” Aang chuckled as he joined her on the bed. He pulled some of the thin cotton sheets over them and then curled up next to her on his side.“It sure was... something.”

The waterbender shifted slightly to allow her boyfriend to rest his head in the crook of her neck and absentmindedly traced the outline of the blue arrow on his head while he closed his eyes in contentment.

“Something?” she questioned. Katara furrowed her eyebrows, her movements faltering. “Did you not have fun, Aang?”

The airbender winced when he heard the twinge of hurt in Katara’s voice. She hadn’t been trying to make it sound that way, but she had been planning the event for weeks and naturally was a little offended by the implication of his words.

“Oh. No, sweetie, I didn’t mean it that way. The party was amazing! The food, the drinks, the music, everything was spectacular. You did an amazing job, and it means a lot to me that you care so much.”

Katara let out a quiet breath of relief, resuming her gentle touches to his tattoos.

“Of course I care, sweetie. You’re my boyfriend, and I love you. That’s why if you didn’t like it, I won’t be mad, really.”

Aang tilted his head up and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “That wasn’t it, I promise. I just… I had a bit on my mind today.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked him tenderly.

He sighed and buried his face in her neck. “I guess... it would be nice to get it off my chest. It’s not like anyone else would get it anyways.”

The waterbender gave him a curious look, silently encouraging him to continue.

“It’s so stupid, but I heard some nobles talking when I stepped away to get us some water. They just kept going on and on about how much of a child I was and how I’m too young and too scrawny and too short for you, and, well, they’re right!”

He turned his body away from her now frowning face and pulled the blankets snug around his body like a protective cocoon.

“You’re almost 16, Tara,” Aang murmured. “A young woman in every sense of the word. Spirits, you’re of marrying age in a month! Me? I’m just a loser kid you found washed up in an iceberg. How could I ever be deserving of you?”

“Oh, Aang…”

She shifted onto her side as well and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back and listening to the rhythm of his breathing.

“Those nobles are utterly ridiculous. First of all, it’s only two years! What difference does two years make in the long run? It doesn’t, that’s what. My parents were four years apart and were the happiest two people in the world! A gap of two years is insignificant,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Second of all, sure we’re young, but considering that we saved the world even younger, I think it’s safe to say we’ve matured beyond our years. We’re certainly old enough to know we love each other, and that’s all that matters.”

“Doesn’t change the other part though,” Aang muttered in response. “Spirits, I’m 14 and barely the same height as you. A little shorter if we’re being honest. It’s so annoying! Why can’t I just grow up already?”

“Sweetie?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t mean for this to come off the wrong way, but why do you care about that? What difference does it make?”

The airbender remained silent for a few moments and pondered her question, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

“The monks had always taught me to judge people based on the content of their character, not their exterior, and to draw satisfaction from being self-assured, rather than care about what other people thought. And in most cases I feel like I do that pretty well, but…”

“But?”

A subtle pink tinted Aang’s cheeks and he took her hands in his, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

“You’re different, Katara. You’re the one I love more than anything, the one I would do anything for, the one whose opinions, thoughts, and feelings mean the world to me. You’re the most amazing person on the planet, and you deserve someone worthy of you. Look at Haru and Jet! They were both older and taller and so even something as small as noticing the height difference when we’re dancing kinda hurts. It just feels like I’m the odd one out. I know that’s silly but-”

The waterbender cut him off and shook her head.

“It’s not silly, Aang. Believe me, I’ve felt the same way more times than I’d care to admit. But, in the end, none of that matters. I love you. I chose you . You’re not just my boyfriend, you’re my best friend."

He turned back around to face her and swept her up in an embrace, mind immediately put at ease by her words.

“Plus,” she continued, “So what if you’re a little shorter than me now? You’ll grow in no time. Quite frankly, I’ll miss being taller than you when you do.”

The airbender quirked an eyebrow. “You’ll miss it?”

Katara chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to his forehead, right at the tip of his arrow.

“Yeah,” she whispered, “I will. Being able to do that, not having to look up or go on my toes trying to kiss you, I won’t be able to do all that forever. Things like kisses, hugs, they’re a lot more… accessible with our current heights.”

“Hmm,” Aang hummed. “I guess I never really thought of it like that. I still want to grow taller of course, but when you put it like that, I might miss this a little bit too.”

“Let’s not get too carried away with the future, okay?” Katara laughed. “We have our whole lives ahead of us, let’s just stay in the present- the present where I love you, and you love me, and nothing else matters.”

The airbender grinned with her, pressing his forehead gently to hers.

“I like the sound of that. Thank you, sweetie. For listening, for the reassurance, just everything. It means a lot.”

“Of course, sweetie. I’m always here.”

Katara pressed a sweet kiss to his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck as Aang returned it, pulling her closer to him. They broke apart after a few seconds and grinned like idiots at one another. There was silence, but it was comfortable. The two didn’t need words, they were just enjoying being with each other.

“It’s getting late,” the waterbender murmured after some time. “We should probably go to bed.”

“Probably,” Aang whispered back, unable to take his eyes off the angel in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, he put out the candles that had been lighting up the room and settled into his pillow as Katara drew closer to him and interlocked their fingers.

“Good night, Aang. Love you,” she said, beginning to drift off to the dream realm.

“Love you too, Tara,” the airbender yawned. “Sweet dreams.”

One year later…

“Happy birthday!” the room chorused as Aang blew out all his 15 candles.

The airbender grinned and began to cut the apple cake- an ancient recipe of the Air Nomads recreated by some of the top chefs in the Fire Nation as a gift from Zuko.

“Thanks guys!” Aang laughed. “Man, it’s crazy to think that the war has been over for a little more than two years now.”

Katara smiled and leaned up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“We’ve all done a lot of growing up. We’re older, more mature-” she gave Aang a quick look from head to toe. “ Taller .”

He chuckled, pulling her close to him and peppering kisses all over the top of her head. She was right, of course- as if triggered by their conversation that night, Aang had grown rapidly over the next year. A month later he was the same height as her, two months following he was comfortably able to rest his arm on her shoulder, and now, a year later, he towered above her with her eyebrows barely at his chin.

“Ugh,” Sokka groaned. “Give it a rest you two. The oogies are out of control! Spirits, you act like a newly wedded couple still in the honeymoon stage half the time.”

“Oh, leave them alone, Sokka,” Suki chided. “It’s his birthday! Let’s give the lovebirds some alone time. They’re just kids, they’re nowhere near that yet.”

“Yeah, haha, absolutely not,” Aang nervously laughed as the other couple exited the room. The stone pendant in his pocket began to feel like poisonous lead weighing down his vision for the hopefully not-so-distant future.

“You never know,” the airbender heard Katara mumble, so quiet he wasn’t even sure she had actually said it. “Sometimes things will come when you least expect it.”

He stood there blankly for a moment, brain struggling to process her words and had just opened his mouth to ask her what she meant (she couldn’t possibly be talking about what he thought she was… right?) when she decided to speak up instead.

“I can’t believe you were ever nervous about staying short, sweetie,” Katara quipped, her eyebrows raised teasingly.

Aang merely blinked at the subject change, promptly concluding that the last thirty seconds were simply a figment of his imagination, and sheepishly scratched the back of his head in response to her comment.

“I guess it was kinda silly, huh,” he laughed. “Look at us now.”

The waterbender pouted, going up on the balls of her feet and craning her neck to gaze up at him. “You’re too tall for your own good. I miss when you were shorter and I didn’t have to tilt my head every time just to look at you.”

“Oh c’mon, it has its benefits.”

He gave her a quick look to warn her for what he was about to do, and with one swift motion, Katara was suddenly off the ground and in Aang’s arms bridal-style, her arms around his neck and their gazes interlocked.

The airbender touched their foreheads together and gave her a cheesy grin.

“I couldn’t do this before, now could I?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow up at her.

“No,” Katara smiled, her head tilted as she looked at him endearingly, “I suppose you couldn’t. And I certainly won’t be one to complain about you holding me more often.”

Aang laughed and carefully set her back down, hearing the growing volume of the room next to them. He quickly grabbed the two full glasses on the table and handed one to the waterbender.

“Here’s to hoping you’re the one who grows by next year so my neck isn’t always sore from looking down at you,” he said as he held his drink up.

Katara gave him a dry stare before rolling her eyes and smiling.

“Cheers.”

The two clinked their glasses and turned to face the door behind which the rest of their friends had already begun to celebrate.

“Shall we?” Aang asked as he held out his arm to her.

“We shall,” Katara responded, accepting it. “Happy birthday, Aang.”

#kataang week #kataang week 2021 #kataang #kataangtag #aang x katara

24 notes · View notes

imnotusedtobeingloved · 4 years

Text

THAT’S ROUGH, BUDDY.

(PLEASE DON’T REPOST/REBLOG)

Warnings: heartbreak, betrayal.

Pairing: Zuko x f!Reader

Characters: Zuko, Katara, Aang, Toph, Sokka, Uncle Iroh (mentioned).

Requested: I guess?

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor the gif. Credit to the owners.

Summary: Part seven of “destiny is a funny thing”.

previous part

A/N: Hey guys! It’s part seven already! Let’s see how long i can keep this up lol. Have fun reading!

The steaming hot liquid in the pot reminded you of a long time ago. Of a small tea shop in the Earth Kingdom to be more specific. And so did the boy that poured it.

“No one can make tea like Uncle, but hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear Uncle’s favorite tea joke?” He balanced a tray full of cups as well as a kettle. “Sure,” Katara said. “I like jokes,” Aang agreed and Toph didn’t seem unenthusiastic either. “Bring it!”

“Okay,” Zuko nodded, serving tea to the Duke and Haru before standing up, holding the tray. “Well, I can’t remember how it starts, but the punch line is “Leaf me alone, I’m bushed!”

The group stared at him. Silently.

“Well, it’s funnier when Uncle tells it,”

“Right ...” Katara dragged out the word. “Maybe that’s because he remembers the whole thing,” And as the rest of the group started laughing, Zuko gave a small smile. “It’s nice to get a chance to relax a little. It hardly ever happens,” Toph said, grabbing the cup Zuko handed her, before he approached Sokka. “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Your eyes followed the Water Tribe boy as he walked out, shortly followed by the prince. “What was that about?” You furrowed your brows, turning to Katara. “I don’t know,” She shrugged, sipping on her tea. “Hopefully my brother isn’t plotting anything stupid,”

The Team stayed gathered together around the fire until the sun left the sky and the night broke in.

Soon you were cuddled into your warm sleeping bag, the fire long since diminished. Your brows furrowed unconsciously upon a distant rustle, mind still foggy from your dreams. Drifting away once more, your features relaxed, only to be interrupted again seconds later. Sleepily you blinked your eyes open, trying to see through the dark with a cloudy vision.

It was probably nothing, you thought, turning around onto your other side, and the last thing you saw was the empty bedroll next to you...

Wait.

Empty?

You shot up, getting tangled in the sheets and tumbling over before you caught yourself. Careful not to wake the others, you stood up, looking around.

Where could he have gone? Had he left and betrayed you again? But how would he even get away?

You shook your head at the thought before it occurred to you. Appa! He wouldn’t, would he? You ran towards the bisons sleeping spot, heart beating rapidly, as if you didn’t know what to fear more: Finding Appa gone, or the prince.

Your lungs ached as you rounded the last corner, where you found the bison, fast asleep. A breath of relief passed your lips, walking up to him and crawling the soft furr next to his snout, to which he purred quietly. Suddenly a head appeared above the saddle, prompting a startled gasp from you. “(Y/N)?”

“Zuko!” You hissed, a hand over your chest. “What are you doing here?” The shadow questioned looming over you. “I’m the one that should be asking that question!” You pulled yourself up to the saddle, sick of him staring down at you. He grabbed your arm, pulling you up and finally explained when you landed next to him. “I have the feeling that Sokka might be up to something,” He drew his hood back and furrowed his brows. “Up to what exactly?” You searched his appearance for any indications, but he didn’t give anything away. “He asked me about the war-prisoners today. Where they would be put away,” Your eyes widened. “The Boiling Rock,” He nodded. “Exactly. I have the suspicion that he might try to-”

Your whispers where interrupted by silent steps in the distance and a quiet “Shhh,” from below. You and Zuko shared a look as someone climbed up, and eventually peaked over the rim of the saddle. “Not up to anything, huh?” The prince asked, arms crossed. Sokka fell, with a stiffled scream, his bags content spilling out on the floor. He gave you a resigned look. “Fine, you caught me. I’m gonna rescue my dad. You happy now?”

“No!” You exclaimed, while Zuko took an entirely different approach. “I’m never happy,”

"Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea, it was my decision to stay when things were going wrong,” The prince raised a brow at his words and jumped down from the saddle. “It’s my mistake, and it’s my job to fix it. I have to regain my honor. You can’t stop me, Zuko. And neither can you (Y/N),” He pushed Zuko aside, beginning to climb up to you. ”You need to regain your honor?” The prince questioned. “Believe me, I get it. I’m going with you,”

“No. I have to do this alone,”

You put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it softly. “No, you don’t, Sokka. We’re all in this together. We’re here for you,” Zuko nodded, motioning to the bison. “And besides, how are you going to get there? On Appa? Last time I checked, prisons don’t have bison daycares,” The boy looked between the two of you, before he sighed, shoulders slumping. "We’ll take my war balloon,” Zuko gestured for you to follow him, before leading the way.

The travel to the Boiling Rock remained silent for the most part.

Sokka had sat down on stack of boxes, while you leaned against the railing. Zuko blasted fire into the tank from time to time, making sure it kept moving. But eventually even the silence got deafening. “Pretty clouds,” Sokka spoke up. “Yeah ... fluffy,” You resisted the urge to slap a hand against your forehead, while Sokka whistled. "What?” Zuko said, giving him a look. “What? Oh, I didn’t say anything. You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons,”

“No kidding,” The prince raised his brows. “Yep, a balloon ... but for war,” Zuko blasted more fire into the tank. “If there’s one thing my dad’s good at, it’s war,”

“Yeah, it seems to run in the family,” The firebender gave him a defensive look. “Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that,” Sokka held his hands up. “I know, I know, you’ve changed,” The prince lowered his gaze, shacking his head slightly. “I meant my uncle. He was more of a father to me. And I really let him down,” He gave you an indefinable look, but he redirected his attention so quick that you wondered wheter you’d just imagined it.

“I think your uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us? That’s hard,” The boy argued, fumbling with his boomerang. “It wasn’t that hard,” Sokka’s head shot up. “Really? You didn’t leave behind anyone you cared about?”

“Well, I did have a girlfriend. Mai,” You bit your lip to keep quiet, waiting for his next words. “We tried for some time but it didn’t work out. It wasn’t what I wanted,” He seemed to have more to say, but Sokka interrupted with a sly smile. “That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?”

"Yeah,” Zuko confirmed, giving you a quick glance that went unnoticed. “My first girlfriend turned into the moon,” Zuko’s brows shot up before he briefly looked into the sky. “That’s rough, buddy,” He said, eyes landing back on Sokka. “What about you, (Y/N)?” You grew stiff, staring at Sokka’s face. “Me?”

“Yes, what about you? Any lovers in sight?” You crossed your arms, taking a moment to think. Zuko’s burning eyes roamed over your silhouette, but you didn’t dare meet his eyes. “No,” You answered eventually, lowering your head. “No one,”

By nightfall Sokka had fallen asleep, preventing you to do so with his loud snores.

Zuko was busying himself with keeping the tank full, while you took a look out in the distance.

“There it is!” You alerted the others, pointing towards the large construction. The Water Tribe boy awakened from his slumber, staggering over to see it. ”There’s plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we’re quiet, we should be able to navigate through it without being caught,” Zuko plotted. But as you entered the volcano’s steam, the balloon began to lose altitude quickly. “We’re going down! The balloon’s not working anymore!” Zuko blasted fire up into the balloon, but with no avail. “The air outside is just as hot as the air inside so we can’t fly!” You said, grabbing his arm to stop him. “So what are we supposed to do?” His gaze flew from you to Sokka. “I don’t know!” He said. “Crash-landing?”

The balloon skidded along the boiling water, splashing Sokka’s hand, which he shook while you put a hand over his mouth to keep him from screaming. Your aircraft hit the base of the rock, throwing you out in the process. You moaned, getting up and rubbed your sore hip. “How are we gonna get off the island if the balloon won’t work?” Zuko groaned, looking at the destroyed object. Sokka seemed to be more optimistic. “We’ll figure something out! I suspected it might be a one-way ticket,” The fire bender furrowed his brows. “You knew this would happen and you wanted to come anyway?”

“My dad might be here! I had to come and see!” Sokka walked towards the destroyed remains of the balloon. “Uncle always said I never thought things through. But this ... this is just crazy!”

“Hey, I never wanted you to come along in the first place! And for the record, I always think things through! But my plans haven’t exactly worked, so this time, I’m playing it by ear. So there,” He said gathering the balloon and throwing it into the water. ”What are you doing?”

“It doesn’t work anyway,” He shrugged. “And we don’t want anyone to find it,” You sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” You turned towards the prison. “There’s no turning back now,”

By the time the sun came up, the three of you had found a supply room, stacked with reserve guard uniforms.

“I hope these disguises work,” Zuko said, voice muffled by the mask. “We just need to lay low and find my dad as soon as possible,” Sokka said, blue orbs peaking out of the slit. They were just as beautiful as Katara’s. Your head whipped around whe a series of guards ran by, one coming back to look at your team. “Guards! There’s a scuffle in the yard. Come on,” He gestured wildly. Prisoners were gathered in the yard, forming a circle as the guards moved through to the inside.

“I didn’t do anything! I’m going back to my cell,” A tall man called, as a guard whipped fire in his direction. “Stop right there, Chit Sang,” Zuko tried to approach, but your hand shot forward to stop him. “We can’t blow our cover,” You whispered.

“I’ve had it with your unruly behavior!” The guard yelled, getting more riled up by the second. “What did I do?” Chit Sang asked. “He wants to know what he did,” The guard gloated, looking at you. ”Isn’t that cute?" His face grew sour when none of you answered and your tongue felt tied, prompting you to nudge Zuko in the side. “Uh, very cute, sir,”

“Super cute,” Sokka added. The guard walked up to Chit Sang, getting into his face. “You didn’t bow down when I walked by, Chit Sang!” The man looked confused. “What? That’s not a prison rule,”

“Do it!”

“Make me,” The guard growled walking away, but not without whipping fire at the male. Chit Sang blocked it, redirecting the flame to its owner, who broke it with a kick. “Tsk, tsk. Firebending is prohibited. You’re going in the cooler,” He ordered. “You! Help me take him in,”

“Meet back here in an hour,” Sokka whispered to you and Zuko before following the command.

But you didn’t meet in an hour.

In fact, not even you and Zuko managed to stay together, soon being pulled into two different directions due to commands. While you ended up in the weaponry, you had no idea were the others went. “Not your first time doing this, huh?” A guard leaned against the wall next to you, arms crossed. You gave him a brief look, before you resumed sharpening the swords and knifes. “Not really,” He took his helmet off, raising a brow. “How come?” You shrugged, not meeting his gaze. “I’m a non-bender. You need to know your weapons if you want to defend yourself,”

“True,” he inclined his head, taking a knife of his own and starting to prepare it. “I’m impressed. Not many non-benders manage to get employed at the Boiling Rock. Normally they prefer fire benders,” You hummed, grabbing fire the next weapon. “Guess I must be special then,” The guard gave you an amused grin. “You don’t have to wear the mask in here by the way. It’s more of a representative part,” You choose to ignore his comment, instead trying to redirect the conversation. “Hey, can I ask you something? It’s all pretty new to me and I didn’t get to explore everything yet,”

The thought didn’t seem to bother him, featured remaining relaxed. “Sure, rookie. Ask away,” You subtily cleared your throat, attempting not to sound suspicious. “I know the Boiling Rock holds the Fire Nations most dangerous criminals. But what about war prisoners? Do they end up here as well?”

The man shrugged. “If they make it this far... probably,”

“So...” You swallowed. “Any Water Tribe inmates here?” He huffed a short laugh. “You’re pretty interested in those prisoners for a guard,”

“Am I? Shouldn’t I know who I’m watching over?” He shrugged. “I guess so. You’re just very specific about it,” It was time to shut up, you concluded, grabbing a knife. “Well, anyways, thank you for the-” The words god stuck in your throat when you saw Zuko passing by through the window in the door. If you hadn’t been convinced by his amber eyes, then for sure by the time you saw his scar.

“I have to go.” You muttered, subtly slipping the weapon into your pocket. “Hey! Wait up!” The guard yelled rushing after you. You’d just managed to slip through the door, when he grabbed your upper arm. A few seconds later and you would’ve managed to blend in with the others in the lounge. “You can’t just leave. Your work isn’t done yet,”

“Sorry,” you retorted, desperate to reunite with your group. “but I can’t stay.” You rammed your elbow into his ribs, knocking the air out if his lungs. The halls were empty, thanks to the midday meal everyone joined. If you’d manage to lock him into the weaponry you could leave undetected.

You grabbed him, shoving him back into the room and slamming the door shut, before sticking the knife through the handle and using your fire to heat up the metal, sealing it shut. You breathed a relieved sigh as he banged his fists against the door and turned around, colliding with a large chest.

“What do we have here?” The man grinned, locking you in a tight grip that made you squeeze your eyes shut. "I arrive late to the break one time, and there's already trouble," He produced a flame, melting the blockade. The guard you’d locked in opened the door, his face distorted in anger. “She locked me into the weaponry, asked a lot of questions and lied about being a non bender,” He spat, glaring at you.

“Well,” the male behind you said. “What do you want do with this imposter?” The guard snarled.

“Throw her into the cooler!”

tags: @zvkonation @viva-la-millennia @randomness501 @drheinzd @kaylove12 @duh-dobrik @yeetscreetiwannaeat @ ashnkamfeun @hailkyoshi @shortmexicangirl @animexholic @sorrythatspussynal

#zuko x reader #zuko fanfic #zuko imagine #zuko x you

62 notes · View notes

sokkabeifong · 3 years

Text

20 Stories, 20 First Lines

Tagged by @cats-and-metersticks, thank you! I jumped right on this because I honestly love tag games haha

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line, then tag 10 authors!

-> I'm just going to do 10, since 20 is kind of a lot haha

I don't have a lot of writer friends on here, so this is the best I can do, sorry if I forgot someone I'm so bad at remembering things

Tagging @chaoticnerdsstuff @praetorqueenreyna (I know we haven't talked much but you're such a good writer and I'd love to see you do this!)

1. The Element of Surprise (Tokka One Shots)

Toph Beifong is thirty-five years old, and nothing surprises her. Her seismic sense tells her where everything is, from the tiniest ant to the largest man. There is no such thing as being startled when you have that much power under the soles of your feet.

Except when there is.

2. The Game (Tokka One Shots)

Katara had just finished twisting the cap onto the nail polish bottle when her phone rang. She fumbles, hurrying to get through the mess of bottles and blankets that have piled up on her bed. The dark-haired girl sitting next to her snarls when she's hit in the leg with the sharp end of a pair of nail clippers.

"Watch it, Butter Fingers."

"Sorry, sorry," she says, not really meaning it. She finally grabs her phone delicately by the sides, squinting at the screen. "It's Mai. She wants to FaceTime."

3. All the Crooked Lines

Mai knows how to deal with many things, but grief is not one of them.

Growing up in the household of a Fire Nation noble meant sacrifices of all kind. Her father was an absent figure in her life, but she spent her days hearing about how important it was that she behaved for him. And so she did. She behaved, she kept quiet, and she coped. Coping has been in her vocabulary since before she could speak. When things become difficult, she retreats into herself, and she copes.

She's coping now.

4. The Butterfly Effect (Toph, Chp. 4)

Toph fiddles with the wires on her listening device. For some reason, the right one works while the left one doesn't. She sighs exasperatedly, makes a few more changes, then lets out a groan and tosses the whole contraption onto a nearby table. The clatter of it hitting the wooden surface is drowned out by her flopping down onto one of the couches in the Great Room. She buries her head in her hands.

Any minute now, someone will escort Prince Sokka into the room, and they'll be left alone to talk until their fathers come and fetch them for dinner. Alone. With Sokka. For several minutes. Not long, she supposes, but long enough. Will he try and talk to her? Will he try and make a move already? Is he as terrified as she is? She truly has no idea, and that scares her. What had her father been thinking, promising her to this stranger?

5. The Butterfly Effect (Sokka, Chp. 3)

Sokka rubs his hands together anxiously, pacing the rooms he's been assigned for his time in the Earth Kingdom palace. He glances up at the teardrop mirror that's now hanging above his bureau and takes a deep breath. That was the first thing he'd done when he had been left alone to settle in - hang up the mirror. If it was there, somehow he felt more at home, though it wouldn't really matter soon. After his marriage, he will be expected to live with Toph. At least she probably wouldn't care too much about the decor of their room, since she couldn't see it.

In a few minutes, one of his new Earth Kingdom servants - he, his father, and his sister had each been given two, though the latter were only staying for another three weeks - will be coming to he will be left alone with Toph while the kings arrange their lives like they were pawns in a chess game. And afterward, he'll have to get through his first dinner with King Lao. And Queen Poppy. And Toph.

6. Show It To The Sun (Tokka One Shots)

Katara told her once that love is blind. That when two people cared about each other so much, they ignored everything else, no matter what it was. Love, she said, guides all. But it didn't hurt to have a bit of guidance from others as well.

Toph replied by saying that love isn't the only thing that's blind, and waved her hand sarcastically in front of her useless eyes. Katara scoffed, saying that she never took anything seriously.

But Toph’s dead serious.

Katara can't know. Can she? No. They've been so careful, these past few months. Hushed conversations in dark corners, a small touch on the back now and then. But never more than that. When they are others around, they put on their masks. They bicker. They argue. They fight. They get on each other's nerves and act exactly how they're supposed to.

Distant. Detached. Indifferent.

7. The Butterfly Effect (Toph, Chp. 2)

"Sit up straight," Toph's father orders from his throne next to his daughter. "And smile. You look like a hooligan, frowning like that."

Toph obeys immediately and effectively, smiling however strained she's sure it looks. Her father grunts his approval. "Better."

Her mother, the queen, stops before her seat and smooths a strand of her hair back before quietly sitting in her own royal seat, on her husband's right. "You look lovely, dear," she says. "I'm sure the prince will love you. They'll be here any minute, now."

At that, she tenses. The prince will be here any minute.

8. The Butterfly Effect (Sokka, Chp. 1)

The mirror has hung on the northwestern wall of his chambers for as long as he can remember. It's a curious shape, like that of a teardrop. He likes it, anyway. It reminds him of the water surrounding his home, the islands of Esceania, and how much he loves it. When he was younger, if he tilted his head back as far as it would go, he could just catch a glimpse of his dark brown hair peeking up over the edge. As he grew, each time he passed the mirror he was rewarded by seeing more and more of himself.

9. But Lovers Hold On To Everything (Tokka One Shots)

"Okay, go."

Toph furrows her brow in concentration. "Okay. Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands... er, something... shit."

"Argh. So close," Sokka says, laying the sheet of paper with his girlfriend's English homework on it on the table that separates them. "It's '...civil blood makes civil hands unclean.'"

"I know, I know," she says tiredly. "Good thing I only have to memorize half."

10. The Boy From District Three (TGWTB)

Aang has decided to trust him wholeheartedly. He knows this because as soon as the anthem finishes he snuggles up against him and falls asleep. Nor does he have any misgivings about him, as he takes no particular precautions. If he had wanted Sokka dead, all he would've had to do was disappear from that tree without pointing out the tracker jacker nest.

At the back of his mind, he knows they both can't win these Games. But since the odds are still against either of them surviving, he manages to ignore the thought.

#mostly tokka as per usual #tokka #atla #maiko

12 notes · View notes

jaceyneedsabetterusername · 4 years

Text

Insecurities

Pairing: Sokka x Gender Neutral! Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: Being a non-bender in the gaang isn’t always easy but your best friend Sokka always has ways of cheering you up.

Word Count: 2017

A/N: This is my first A:TLA fic! I hope Sokka isn’t OOC but please let me know if he is so I can write him better in the future!

__________________________________

No matter much you insisted to yourself and everyone around you that being a non-bender didn't bother you, it was a bold faced lie. You hated it.

Back home, it hadn't been an issue. In the little earth kingdom village you hailed from, bending was forbidden because the fire nation had soldiers there that would imprison any earth benders. Even those who had the gift didn't tell anyone so you never felt different or less than.

But now that you were with Team Avatar, as Sokka liked to call it, there were constant reminders about your lack of powers.

You sat on a rock on the bank of the river you'd all camped next to, staring at the point where the string of your fishing pole entered the water. It was your job to provide food tonight and after much begging from Sokka for “real food”, as he called it, you found yourself trying to fish instead of forage. The sun was beginning to set, still in the pale blue stage of descent. In a little creek that split off, Katara moved smoothly, guiding water into the air with ease as she practiced a new move she'd been working on.

Toph was just lying against a rock pillow that she'd willed up into just the right, perfectly comfortable (for a rock) form, shade being cast down on her from another sheet of rock she'd bent into a half tent form. Having secretly been a standing champion in an earth bending fighting ring, beating full grown men five times her size at the age of twelve, she seldom felt the need to practice.

Zuko was being Zuko. He stood off away from everyone in a clearing of dirt at the edge of the woods, practicing perfectly posed movements as he tried to force more and more power into the fire leaving his palms.

It wasn't until Aang swooshed past you on a ball of air, sending your hair and the fabric of your clothing blowing in the wake of his pure youthful laughter, that the weight of your insecurities really hit you.

You sighed, setting your makeshift fishing rod down and wedging it between two rocks. You scrunched your knees up and rested your chin on them, imagining what your life would be like if you had been born with such power. "Hey, you okay?" Sokka appeared from seemingly nowhere, coming up from behind to sit beside you.

You perked up and tried to shake off the painful thoughts and shrugged, "Yeah, I'm good." You lied with a smile.

"Please tell me you caught something. I am dying for some meat. We've been eating nothing but berries for days and I think I might die." Sokka begged, plucking at the string coming from the rod.

You smacked his hand away and reprimanded him, "You're gonna scare the fish, idiot!"

Yours and Sokka's relationship had always been full of sarcasm and insults but always from a place of love. As the only non-benders, you often found yourselves paired up for everything which gave you a lot of time to develop a pretty solid friendship. But your idiot, meat obsessed best friend should have known better than to disrupt your fishing.

Sokka put his hands up in defense, "I'm sorry! I'm just hungry, okay?!" He whined, plopping his face into his hands in

As he sulked about the hunger you all shared, you looked over, your attention drawn by Zuko's groan of frustration. A tree he was facing was slightly charred but it was clear that he had intended to cause much more damage. He was distracted and frustrated but those seemed to be fairly frequent emotions for him.

Sokka noticed the unusual silence between the two of you and glanced over, chin still on his palm, and noticed you looking sadly at Zuko. He knew very well though that the look wasn't longing for Zuko himself but rather his powers. It was a feeling Sokka was well familiar with himself, "I know how you feel." He began simply, knowing you were reading each other's minds.

You knew exactly what he meant. It was an unspoken bond of frustration that was only ever brought up verbally when someone underestimated your competence as fighters but it was there. "Do you ever wish you could bend?" You asked, looking over at him.

Sokka leaned back, his usual air of casual cockiness fading into a more sincere version of himself that didn’t shine through as often, "Not so much anymore. I mean, when we were younger, Katara was the only bender in our village so I guess I was jealous that she had this amazing power and I didn't. But I think now I've come to accept my place in the group. Katara and you are the brains. Zuko, Toph, and Aang are the brawn. And I'm the beauty." He put his hand under his chin like a child trying to pose cutely and he pulled his "cutest" face (although you weren't sure if that's what you'd call it - more like cheesy).

You chuckled a little bit, your tone becoming a slightly lighter, "Well, if you could bend, what kind of bender would want to be?"

Sokka chewed his lip and thought for a moment, "I think I'd stick with my roots and be a water bender. What about you?"

Your brows furrowed, "I don't know… I mean I know I'm from the earth kingdom so I should say earth bender but I just… I don't know! My whole life would just be rocks. I mean, don't get me wrong, the powers are amazing and definitely one of the most powerful as far as I'm concerned but it's just rocks. Everything is rock."

"I know exactly how that feels! My whole life has been ice! Everything is freaking ice! I lived in an igloo made of ice!" Sokka spoke animatedly, flailing his arms around to further his point.

Normally, you might have giggled or rolled your eyes at his dramaticness but instead you became more enthusiastic about your words as well. "Exactly! I mean I lived in a wooden hut but we used to take trips to Omashu and everything is just rock! At least the air kingdom and fire kingdom don't just have air and fire for everything."

"You know what?" Sokka asked, putting his hand on your shoulder, "They may have superpowers but you know what they don't have?"

You raised your eyebrows, waiting for him to continue his sentiment. "A kick ass boomerang or a freaking awesome bow staff!" He finished, whipping out his boomerang and using it to point to your bow staff that was leaned against the rocks beside you, your main weapon of choice.

"Aang kind of has a staff." You interjected, rolling your eyes to look over at your friend.

"No, Aang has a magical flying stick." Sokka was clearly unamused by your attempt to fault his logic, “Just accept the fact that you’re cool too!”

His compliments made your cheeks turn red and you laughed, “Yeah, I s’pose you’re right. I am pretty awesome.”

Sokka’s arms went out in triumph when you finally admitted your true value, “Exactly! Besides, we’re better at hand to hand combat than them too.”

Your head wavered side to side as an expression of unsureness swept over your face, “Eh, I don’t know about that. Have you seen Zuko with his swords?”

“Shut up!” He whined, exasperated, “If you’re going to keep being like this, I’m going to stop trying to make you feel important.”

Your mouth fell open a little bit at his last comment, “Are you saying I’m not important?!” Obviously, you knew that wasn’t what he meant. He’d been your best friend since you joined the group so you knew that Sokka valued you just as much as you did him. But still, as such an easy target, he was so much fun to pick on sometimes.

Your best friend quickly backtracked, “Not that you’re not important! Just- agh! You know what I mean!” His face fell dramatically and his arms dropped to his side, finally stilling from their usual expressive flailing.

You reached over and grabbed his arm in reassurance, laughing at his flusteredness, “I know what you mean, Sokka! I’m just kidding Gosh, you’re so easy to pick on.” Sokka groaned as you pulled him in close, giving him a side hug. “Thank you for trying to help me feel better. I know that we’re a vital part of the team and that we have specialties that others don’t. I just can’t help but feel insecure sometimes when everyone else can bend the elements to their will and we can’t.”

Sokka leaned into your touch, awkwardly side hugging you back while you held onto his arm, “Yeah, I know. Me too sometimes. But then I just remember how awesome I am and then I feel better. You should try it sometime” He let you go and pulled his boomerang out from behind him, inspecting the sharp blade with a cocky smirk you knew was just there to mask his insecurities.

“Maybe I should.” You pondered his words as you leaned back against the rock you’d used as a back rest while you fished and looked out at the setting sun’s reflection on the water. Mentally, you took notes of all the things you were good at. Sure, Katara could move water, Toph could fling rocks, Zuko could conjure fire, and Aang… well Aang was the avatar. But you were a master fighter, capable of taking down ten men with your bowstaff alone. Not only that but you were highly skilled in hand to hand combat. Since your father had been a high commanding officer in the vigilante brigade in your village against the fire nation before he was arrested, he’d instilled a lot of knowledge crucial to survival, on and off the battlefield. Things like scavenging and foraging, making shelter and weapons from next to nothing, battle strategy, natural healing remedies, and keeping a good head in combat were all things that came naturally to you. The bender’s didn’t have that.

Yes, they were amazingly gifted and talented people but they relied on their abilities for all things. You were able to do almost just as much, if not more, without the powers. Sokka was right: you two were total badasses.

When you looked back at him, he was sharpening his blade on the rocks and then held it up to the light to inspect it, repeating the process a few times. An idea popped into your head and you looked over at him coyly, “Y’know, Sokka, we are total non-bending badasses. But we don’t know who’s the best non-bending badass.”

Sokka side eyed you suspiciously, “Is that a challenge?”

You sighed and leaned back, stretching your body out to show how little you were afraid of him, “Yeah, I think it is. Unless, you’re scared you’ll lose.” You taunted, knowing the rise you were getting out of your best friend.

Sokka was well aware of what you were doing but he couldn’t resist the temptation of a little friendly battle. “I’m not scared!” His voice cracked, making his comment harder to take seriously, “Just be warned. There’s only gonna be two hits. Me hitting you and you hitting the ground.” He stood up, cracking his knuckles and back as he spoke.

“Oh, is that so? Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is Water Boy?” You stood up too, grabbing your bowstaff and stamping it firmly onto the earth beside you.

He grabbed his boomerang and gripped it tightly. He stepped closer, his nose almost touching yours as he locked you into a glare-off, a twinkle of friendly competition in his vibrant blue eyes. You knew that friendly competition was sure to come with a “friendly” amount of scuffs and bruises to both the loser and the victor, though you were positive you’d be the latter of those two.

Sokka nearly growled as he spoke, raising his eyebrow in challenge, “It’s on.”

#sokka #sokka x reader #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla fics #atla fanfics #sokka imagine #sokka blurb #platonic #gender neutral

125 notes · View notes

mycomfortblanket · 4 years

Text

** UPDATED**Taang week 2020!!!

Taang Week 2020

So this is something I started on a few days ago, and I didn’t realize taang week was this week so it’s not finished. But, here is what I have so far!

There is some explicit stuff in here later, so um... yeah.

PS. didnt realize there was a theme going on when I posted this. so yeah. heh.

Aang opened his eyes and immediately shut them again to block against the harsh sun rays that were coming in through the opened window. Keeping them squeezed shut, he rolls over onto his back and stretches his arms above his head, groaning in the process.

He squints his eyes against the morning sun as he began to take in his surroundings. He wasn’t in his designated room in the fire nation palace. The thought should have concerned him, but at the moment, he was too hungover to really care.

He couldn’t believe he had been talked into drinking last night. He had only drunk once before, and it had only been a sip of Fire Nation Wine at Zuko and Katara’s wedding. Toph had given him so much shit the night before about being too high strung and needing to loosen up. Just to appease her and shut her up, he had done one shot, and after that, he really didn’t have the willpower to turn down more of the drink that was helping him have so much fun. Because of how he is feeling now, he will never drink again.

Rubbing his face with his hands, trying to wake himself up a little, he rolled over to his side and bumped into something.

No. Not something. Someone.

Aang’s eyes shot open and he was met with the sight of a mess of black hair, the color of ink, spread out on the pillow and her back. She’s not wearing a shirt as far as he can tell from her bare back, and both of her arms are hidden under the blanket. In the back of his mind, he also realizes that he is not wearing any clothes either. Judging from both, her and his body position, he concludes that he was just wrapped around her back in a very explicit manner. The thought causes Aang to blush when thinking about the possible events that led them to be in that position.

Sitting up on his elbow a little, Aang attempts to get a look at her profile, but it’s mostly covered by hair, so that only her nose is visible.

He flops back onto his back and digs the heels of his hands into his eyes, causing little balls of light to dance behind his eyelids. What the hell happened last night???

He remembers going to a bar with Sokka, Suki, and Toph after they had dinner at the Fire Nation palace with Zuko and Katara. Even though the royal couple didn’t feel like going out, the rest of the Gaang wanted to experience true Fire Nation fun.

Aang tries to go through the events of the night, but all he gets is just glimpses of what happened. He sees him and Toph taking shots of Fire Nation Whiskey at the bar while Sokka and Suki were on the dance floor. He sees him and Sokka at the gambling table. Dancing with Toph. Standing outside in the alleyway with Sokka as he throws up. Stumbling back to the hotel with Toph-

As soon as this memory comes to him, the girl next to him rolls over and curls into his side with her head on his chest.

Toph.

He can feel her naked chest against his side and her bare leg thrown over his. He is frozen in shock. If she knew they were in the bed together, naked, she would bend him into oblivion. He can feel his heart pumping hard and fast and know it’s only a matter of time before it wakes her up.

As if on cue, Toph groans and turns her face more into his chest.

“What the hell, Twinkletoes? It’s too fucking early for-” She cuts herself off as she realizes that she is nakedly cuddling Aang. Her whole body goes rigid and together they both jump out of the bed. Toph clutching the bed sheets around her body and Aang holding a pillow in front of his manhood as if it matters- she can’t see it either way.

“What the fuck are you doing in my bed?!” Toph screams at him.

“I don’t know! Why are you naked?!” Aang can’t help but look at her body that is covered by the sheet before averting his gaze just above her head. She really had filled out, developed curves; her hips growing a bit wider, her breast becoming fuller, and overall, became stunning. Her long black hair is falling over her shoulder and incredibly tangled.

Aang realizes that he has never seen Toph without her hair in her signature bun. Even when they were on the run as kids, her hair was either matted from sleeping or up in her bun.

“I’m allowed to be naked in my own room! Now get out before I murder you!” Toph screams.

Aang backs up to the door, feeling for the knob behind his back, before yanking it open and slipping into the hallway.

Just as he turns around, he crashes into Sokka. “What the-” he says, steadying Aang before he takes in his naked chest and pillow covering his front and then glancing at the door he just came out of. His eyes grew wide in realization.

“You didn’t!”

“Sokka please-”

“That’s Toph’s room!”

“Sokkaaa…” Aang pleads

“Oh my Spirits! Suki is not going to believe this! You know, I really had 2 gold pieces on you guys holding out a little longer,” Sokka’s voice rises with his unsuppressed glee.

“No! No you can’t tell anyon- wait. What do you mean you had 2 gold pieces riding on this? Were you betting that Toph and I would...” Aang doesn’t even finish the sentence.

“I never thought I would see the day where young Avatar Aang does the walk of shame!” Sokka boasts, completely ignoring his question.

Aang can feel his face heat up at this comment, “Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Hoping to end the conversation, Aang pushes past him and to the door down the hall that leads into his own room.

“Yeah, okay! Well, I expect details later!” Sokka yells at him as he closes the door.

Finally alone, he leans against the door and stares into the undisturbed room.

What the hell was wrong with him? Toph??? Did he really sleep with Toph? He walks over to the unslept in bed before plopping down on it and resting his aching head in his hands.

Slowly, it begins to come back to him.

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

“Come on Top, it’s just one song,” Aang laughs as he drags Toph to the dance floor.

“Aang, seriously, I don’t dance!” He completely ignores her. Once they get to the middle of the floor, he turns to face her. He can see doubt and uneasiness playing on her face that is mostly hidden by her bangs.

“Hey, it’s going to be great. Here, we just have to get a little closer, like this,” Aang grabs her hands and pulls her to him. Toph steps forward a little bit, she can feel a slight blush creeping on her face but she is hoping that the cool air will be a good enough excuse. Their drunken state only adds to the fun and the sloppiness of their movements.

Aang places a hand on her waist and pulls her a little closer until their chests brush with every breath they take. “Now, just follow my lead.”

Every step Aang takes, Toph copies until she gets the dance down and is able to do it without waiting for instruction.

A smile begins to pull on her lips and soon laughter is escaping her as Aang spins her and pulls her flush against him. She can feel his chest vibrate with his laughter as well, but the sound of it is lost to the wind.

They dance to a few more fast paced songs before the DJ switches to a slow song with a soft beat. Both of the dancers become still in their movements. Toph begins to let go of Aang’s hand and move away, “Maybe we should sit this one out,” Toph mumbles.

But as she starts to pull her hand away, Aang tightens her grip and doesn’t let go, but gently pulls her back into him. He takes her opposite hand and places it on his shoulder before placing his hand on her lower back.

“Nah, don’t chicken out on me now,” Aang says in a low voice causing Toph to lean into him to make sure she heard him. He pulls her in close, closer than they were when they were dancing to the fast paced music. She knows that her blush is very prominent now and there is no way she can blame it on the alcohol or chill in the air.

She can feel his cheek brush against the side of her head every now and then as they move. A small, content smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes and soaks in the moment. Slowly, without realizing she has done it, she lowers her head and rests against his chest, listening to his strong and beating heart. Fatigue begins to set in as she becomes more and more engulfed in his scent and touch.

Aang didn’t really expect her to go along with him in a slow dance, this was much too intimate for her. But, when she laid her head against his chest, he couldn’t help but grin. He basks in the comfort of having her with him and the intimacy they are sharing. Without thinking, he presses a lingering kiss to the crown of her head.

Immediately, he realizes his mistake as her body grows rigid and she slowly raises her head slowly to ‘look’ at him. He knows she doesn’t realize, but her eyes line up directly to his as if she is really looking at him, stealing the breath from his lungs. Because she doesn’t immediately murder him, his confidence continues to grow with the aid of alcohol coursing through his system.

He reaches a hand up to cup her cheek as he takes in her features. Her skin soft and porcelain like, her milky green eyes that reminds him of a soft jade color, her small nose that leads down to her lips, full and slightly open as if to say something. Ever so slightly, she leans into his hand. Aang wouldn’t have been sure she had actually done that if he wasn’t looking at her so close.

Aang’s eyes stay on Toph’s lips as he leans down and he is sure that she pulls him a little closer by his tunic. He isn’t positive if it’s the alcohol that is fueling this surge of braveness or just his own stupidity and impulsiveness, but his lips barely graze hers, their noses bumping each other, before he fully seals her lips with his own.

They stand there, locked together as people move and dance around them. He can feel the song change to a more fast paced one with a steady beat, but still, they stand there. Toph tilts her head, deepening the kiss a little. Th sensation of his lips against hers warms her to the core and makes her toes curl in

She feels the hand that is cupping her cheek tighten its hold while the other remains on her lower back, still pulling her in. She slides her hand down from his shoulder and rests it over his heart while the other is gripping the back of his neck, making sure he doesn’t pull away. The kiss is so innocent that it short circuits her brain.

Toph hadn’t ever let herself consider the possibility of her and Aang. They had slowly slipped past the friendship stage after Aang and Katara had called off their relationship a year or two after Sozin’s Comet. Katara had moved on with Zuko pretty quickly afterwards and Aang was weirdly okay with it and even congratulated the couple when they announced their courtship. Aang himself grew closer to Toph, the two of them traveling the world, putting down any resistance to the new Fire Lord.

Although her and Aang had slipped past the threshold of friendship and into something more, neither of them had acted on it. It was just something that made itself known in small touches, lingering hugs, and stolen glances. But now, something was happening and it was causing all sorts of chaos to erupt in Toph’s chest.

Toph had kept expecting Aang to eventually leave Toph behind, dump her at her parents or something, so she never let herself entertain the thought that he would want more.

Someone bumped into Aang, causing him to stumble onto Toph causing their lips to pull apart. Aang scanned her face, looking for any sign of discomfort or anger while Toph kept her hand on his heart, feeling for any sign or regret. Completely engulfed in their bubble, everything and everyone in the room fades to the background as they stare at each other.

“Aang, Hey! We gotta go!” they hear Suki yell for them. Both of them pull apart with embarrassment staining their cheeks, but Aang’s hand slips down and grips Toph’s, not willing to let her go just yet.

Gently, he begins to pull her after him as he walks off the dance floor and towards their friend. “Hey, Sokka is plastered and outside puking his guts out.” Suki says, jerking a thumb towards the exit. Aang nods and starts to walk outside, Toph trailing after him, her hand still in his.

“Hey, we need to get our coats, Toph come help me,” Suki says

“What? Why do I gotta help?” Toph says annoyed

“Because. Now come on!”

Toph casts one last glance at Aang before she gets dragged off to the Coat Check In. Not knowing what else to do, Aang heads outside and finds Sokka leaning against the wall of the bar holding his stomach.

“You good?” Aang asks, his breath coming out in a cloud.

“No. I keep puking. You’d think that nothing would be left in my stomach by now.” Sokka says miserably.

“As much as you eat, there won’t ever be an end to it,” Aang says laughing. A groan comes from Sokka's mouth as he bends over and throws up again. Aang grimaces and pats his friend on the back. Once finished, Sokka leans back against the wall and wipes his mouth just as the girls round the corner. His eyes immediately go to Toph and sees that her entire face is pink in what he thinks is embarrassment, and Suki has a wide smile on her face. They hand the guys their jackets and step back to avoid the vomit on the ground but don’t say anything about Sokka’s vomit or whatever they were talking about.

Finally ready to go, Suki loops her arm through Sokka’s who leans heavily against her, and begins walking towards the palace, not waiting for Toph or Aang to follow. Toph walks quietly beside Aang with little distance between them which gets smaller and smaller as they go until their shoulders are brushing against the other with every step.

As they walk, Toph’s feet become more and more numb with the cold and soon, she can barely see the vibrations because of her lack of feeling in them. When she stumbles on a dip in the pavement, Aang takes notice.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just hard to see since my feet are so fucking cold,” Toph says while wiping her nose with the sleeve of her coat.

Taking a look at Toph, Aang laughs through his nose before bending his knees and lowering himself slightly, “Here, jump on. You can ride me till we get back,”

Toph is stunned for a second, she doesn’t think he realizes what he just said. Her face burns with the implication that is in the sentence that he didn’t mean to put in. Trying to be casual, she faces him and reaches out a hand to feel for his back to get into position behind him.

Toph jumps onto his back, and Aang grabs onto the back of her knees, pulling her closer to him. She wraps her arms around his neck and holds on for dear life. Huffing a little at the complete lack of sight. She tightens her hold on Aang, her thighs gripping his hips a little tighter, she is completely at Aang’s mercy.

Aang notices her tense against him, and he realizes its because of her nervousness at the lack of sight. To try and put her at ease, he rubs his thumb against her leg and begins to walk again. When his thumb brushes the inside of her thigh, Toph tightens her arms around his neck and he can feel her breath against his neck stutter a little.

The slight feeling of his thumb rubbing circles mixed with the firm grip on her legs sends a shiver down her spine. Having him this close to her, especially between her thighs, even if he is facing the wrong way, is making a heat pool in her belly.

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

When he walks into the dining room, he notices that everyone is there. Well everyone besides Toph, which he breathes a sigh of relief after noticing.

He trudges over and sinks into the chair next to Katara and puts his head in his hands, massaging his temples. Zuko, who was sitting at the head of the table next to Katara, was talking to Sokka about some trade deals he was planning on making with the Southern Water tribe and wanted his input.

“So, did you guys have a good night?” Katara asks Aang while buttering a roll.

Holding back a groan he says lowly, “Yeah. it was nice. Really helped me relax.” Aang looks up to see Sokka grinning at him.

Aang’s eyes widened and he shook his head subtly trying to get him to not say anything. But, being the person he is, he just couldn’t let it go.

“Oh yeah. Toph really helped Aang relax. Never thought it would have happened,” Sokka says with a mischievous grin on his face before taking a bite out of his eggs. Suki snickers behind her hand before stifling it behind her cup.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t believe the amount of fun they had last night,” Suki says when she sets her cup down. Sokka lets out a cackle of laughter at Suki’s comment and leans back in his chair, throwing an arm over Suki’s.

Katara just shoots them a confused look before shaking her head and commenting how good it was that Aang was finally relaxing.

A servant placed his plate in front of him as Toph walked into the room, her hair back in its bun. She makes her way over and sits in the only available seat left, the one next to Aang. Katara and Zuko say their normal good mornings to her.

“You tired, Toph? Looks like you didn’t get any sleep, must have been a wild night for you” Sokka says, shooting a shit eating grin her way.

Toph picks up on the implied comment and pushes her foot more firmly on the ground, sending a rock into his knee hard enough to leave a bruise.

“OUCH! What the fuc-” Sokka says, looking under the table.

“I actually slept fine last night, Sokka. Thanks for asking.”

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

What seems like an hour goes by but is probably only 20 minutes, before she hears the echo of his footsteps on marble, signaling that they are inside the palace. Aang eventually stops, and sets Toph down.. As soon as her feet make contact with the ground, she knows that they are directly outside her room, the door still closed.

“So…” Aang starts but before he can even get out another word, Toph has pushed up on her toes and fisted her hands in his robes, pulling him down to her, immediately pressing her lips to his, kissing him fiercely.

Although shocked by her actions, Aang is immediately kissing her back, grabbing her face in his haste to keep his lips near hers. Toph lets out a sigh when she feels Aang’s lips part her own and his tongue beginning to explore her mouth. This kiss is so much more than the one they shared at the dance hall. Where that one was soft and slow, this one was heated and fast.

This kiss was a mix of fevered lips, tongue, and breathy moans. Aang backed Toph up roughly against the door that led into her room. His hands seemed to be everywhere, leaving a burning path in their wake. Toph wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing herself closer to him. Aang’s hand left her face and began running down her sides, smoothing down her curves before gripping her hips, his nails biting into her skin.

Aang moves his lips and nipped at Toph's neck, eliciting a moan from her lips. The bite was sure to leave a bruise occurred to Toph as he soothed the bite over with his tongue.

She moans out his name and the sting from his bite. Not Twinkle Toes, but his actual name. The sound of his name coming off her lips in a breathy moan sends blood straight to his hard member.

Toph had never known Aang to be anything but gentle, but this dominant version of himself was a pleasant surprise. A darker part of her wanted him this way, wanted him to leave his mark on her, to feel his touch the next day.

Aang dragged his tongue along her throat up before reclaiming her lips with his own. Spirits, he could kiss. Where he learned to use his mouth like that was beyond her. The thought of other things he could do with his mouth made her groan into the kiss.

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

Breakfast seemed to never end with Sokka’s vaguely hinted comments and the awkwardness that could be felt between Aang and Toph. Aang was the first to leave the dining room. he wandered the halls of the palace, not really knowing where he was going, just not wanting to sit still or have to speak to anyone, especially about last night.

He thinks about the way Toph reacted to finding him in her bed this morning. He couldn’t read her reaction properly, was she disgusted or just shocked? After dancing around each other for so long, he finally thought they were getting somewhere.

Maybe he had been reading those interactions between the two of them wrong. Maybe he was reading too much into situations that had happened between them over the past two years. Maybe he was imagining the lingering touches, the way they sometimes sat too close together, or that one time, they fell asleep together beside the campfire, and she was against his back, holding on to him for dear life.

Aang shakes his head. No, there was no way what he was feeling was one sided. Sure, he had initiated most of these advances but sometimes, she would do little things. Things no one else would know were sentimental unless they knew Toph. Like sitting directly beside him at the campfire or actively seeking him out to tell her stories about the past air benders.

He eventually came to a room with shelves filled with books lined the walls. A little further in the room, there seemed to be tables and then beyond that, more rows of shelves. Aang was slightly surprised that there would be a library in the palace, but then he thought, why wouldn't a palace have a library?

Aang just stands there for a moment, staring into the library without really thinking much.

“So, are we going to talk?”

Aang jumped, not expecting Toph to be standing beside him. He thought she would be avoiding him just as much as he was avoiding her, and especially didn’t think she would want to talk about what happened last night.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, let’s go back there.” Realizing that he isn’t going to be able to avoid this like he would like, Aang points to the corner of the library that is hidden behind the shelves. Remembering that she can’t see where he is pointing, he grabs her hand and leads her.

When they get to the back corner, Aang is surprised to seat over-stuff chairs and benches decorating the dimly lit area.

Toph throws herself down onto one of the chairs, and Aang takes the one directly across from her, but perches on the edge of the seat, clasping his hands in between his knees. He stares at her, flashes of her naked form covered by a thin sheet go through his mind. Aang shakes his head, ridding his mind of those thoughts. He needed to be level headed since what they were about to talk about was serious.

“So, talk.” Toph says, chewing at one of her fingernails.

Aang’s mouth falls open slightly, “You’re the one that suggested we talk!” he says, exasperated.

“You're the one who was naked in my bed!”

“You were naked, too!”

Toph didn’t say anything to this, just continued biting at her nail refusing to look in his direction. Aang’s shoulders slumped in defeat, “I mean, it was only a matter of time before…”

At this, Toph shoots up to her feet, “Excuse me, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?!” she yells, her voice dripping with venom.

Aang stands up to, his blood boiling at the thought of her denying what had been blooming between the two of them the past couple years. “Don’t even try to pretend what happened last night didn’t mean anything to you.”

“It didn’t!”

“Bullshit, Toph! I know you can feel what has been happening between us, I could see it on your face every time we touched,” he spits out. Toph doesn’t say anything to this, just adverts her unseeing eyes away from him. He can see her clenching and unclenching her teeth.

They need to get through this, they need to have it all out in the open. He is tired of not being able to touch her when he wants or to hold her. He wants to brush her hair out of her face and to throw an arm around her waist when the urge hits him.

Aang steps closer to her and reaches for her hand and says more softly, “Tell me it didn’t mean anything to you. Tell me I’ve been imagining the small touches and subtle comments for the past two years.”

Toph shakes her head just barely, “Aang-”

He moves even closer to her, until they are just a few inches apart. He dips his head down until their lips are almost touching, his breath ghosting over her lips.

“Tell me and I’ll stop.” He tilts her face up with his thumb and index finger on her chin. Aang’s eyes search her face before falling on her lips.

“I can’t,” Toph says, her voice barely a whisper.

Aang smiles and closes the distance between them.

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

A new sensation broke through the haze of arousal: the vibrations of someone walking down the hallways towards them. They are still far enough away that they can't see Aang pressing Toph up against the door, but they were getting closer by the second.

Toph reluctantly broke the kiss and moved her head away. Aang, being denied access to her lips, began to kiss a line from her cheek to her jaw and down her neck.

"Aang-" She whimpered, her voice barely a whisper. She didn't think he heard her since he continued the assult on her neck. "Aang, someone is coming. They're going to see us," she tried again.

Aang grunted in acknowledgement before he bent slightly to grip around her thighs and lifted her. Toph let loose a girlish squeal-type noise, something she never thought would come from her mouth, and immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Aang's hands moved from gripping her thighs to her ass so he could hold her up better.

His lips never left hers as Toph reached behind her and fumbled to open the door. Once through the door, Aang closed it with his foot before walking over to the bed and dumping her unceremoniously on the bed.

They both finally got a look at each other, Aang standing beside the bed, the moonlight streaming in from her open windows, and Toph, whose feet were still on the ground, looked up to where she thought his face might have been.

Aang could see her kiss-swollen lips and blush that spread down her neck and across her slightly exposed cleavage. Strands of black hair are falling out of her bun and down her shoulders in trendils.

Toph could sense his heartbeat, beating faster than she's ever noticed. She can tell that he is just staring at her, taking in her disarray state. She can feel her hair falling out of its bun and her shirt has shifted so that its showing more of her chest than normal.

The hesitation only lasts for a fraction of a second before Toph is pulling him down by the front of his robes at the same time as Aang leaning forward to push her back onto the bed. He slipped his hand underneath her tunic, feeling the heated skin there. He gripped her waist with both hands before shifting her up higher onto the bed so that her head was caressed by the pillows and Aang was resting between her legs.

Afterwards, when they finally stop, Aang is still laying between Toph's legs, rest his head against one of her breasts and his arms wrapped around her middle. Toph trails her fingertips up and down his spine, occasionally brushing over the scar that Azula had given him so long ago.

The air is thick with the smell of sex and the sweat that is drying on their skin. Neither of them talk, but instead, listen to each others heartbeats.

The movement of Toph's fingers on his back become slower and slower until they stop all together and just rest in between his shoulder blades. Her breathing has evened out into long deep breaths with the occasional quiet snore from the back of her throat.

Aang picks his head up and looks at her. Her hair is completely out of its bun, her headband somewhere in the room. He's never seen her hair down before. Not like this. It's incredibly tangled from him constantly running his hands through it and pulling at it.

Her head is turned to the side, exposing her neck, and he can see love bites marking from the base of her neck and down her chest.

The thought of how she is going to cover those enters his mind before he pushes it away. He wants other to see it. He wants everyone to know what they did last night, how he took her roughly.

The memories of the explicit things they did come back to him causing him to blush. They had gone at it for hours, multiple times. Once it was over and they would slump against each other, they would talk about the time that had been passing between them, and somehow, they would start all over again.

Aang crawls off of Toph and lays his head on the pillow next to her. When he has settled next to her, she immediately scooches back until she is pressed fully against him.

Aang wraps an arm around her waist, and presses into her back more firmly, burying his face in her neck, smelling her hair. He would never tell her this, but they fit perfectly together. Her body dips and curves in just the right places that make it seem like she is enveloping his body from behind.

Smiling contently, Aang kisses her shoulder before his head falls back against the pillow. He shuts his eyes, ready for the new day to start and for everything to be out in the open.

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

Hey! So i see you came back for the update!!!. well. thank you. I will be finishing this story so follow it on Archiveofourown.com! The link to this story is here! Thank you so much for reading, it means the world to me. Feel free to comment your constructive criticism or your thoughts/opinions.

#taang week 2020 #taang #toph x aang #aang x toph #avatar the last airbender #atla #aang #toph #sokka #suki #katara #zuko #eventual smut #so beware #uhhh #this is my first writing #so be gentle

44 notes · View notes

donvex · 4 years

Text

Does zukka fit a flower shop/tattoo shop trope? No, absolutely not. Am I writing head canons for it anyway? Yes, because I want to, and I said so, so I’ll make this work

-zuko loves the arts. Has loved the arts since he was young. He passion starts in the theater, and that’s where he starts to branch out

-maybe, just maybe, he leans away from theater a little bit because of his dad

-he doesn’t really talk about it, but he knows that he ended up going into his field because it was a little bit more masculine

-it takes a couple of years and a lot of therapy for him to separate his history with his dad from the work he very much loves to do, even if he started for all the wrong reasons

-but he’s good at it

-he’s a really good fucking tattoo artist

-zuko does almost exclusively in blackwork

-on occasion he does spot color, and ok of course his signature spot color is red, because its BOLD

-but he really really loves blackwork

-there’s a flower shop on the same block as the shop he works at

-but lets get this straight sokka absolutely does not own this flower shop

-aang does. Sweet sweet aang, who’s a vegetarian, who gifts his beautiful girlfriend katara flowers every other week despite the fact that its literally from his work

-katara loves it no I do not take criticism

-sokka just likes to stop by to bully aang hang out

-a lot

-its also because katara hangs out there so often and sokka just really loves his sister okay

-plus sometimes he brings his work (he’s an engineer, what a smart boy) and works in the back room, paperwork and math and all the administrative stuff

-there’s a little restaurant around the corner that the gaang goes to all the time, its cozy and warm and they don’t mind when their group gets a little too rowdy because they’re nice and they tip as best as they can for young adults in these trying times

-anyway every single person in the goddamn world works on this street okay

-yes this restaurant is iroh’s. We like it that way

-iroh is very nice to them and they are very nice back

-zuko does live in the area but come on, cities are big, you don’t run into people you know ALL the time

-even when they hang out at your uncle’s restaurant all the time

-zuko also has weird hours. He kinda sets up his own schedule, especially around his clients appointments

-but one day zuko is at the shop and a client is a no show, which always sucks even though he has their security deposit, so instead of sulking and going all the way home, he grabs his bag and heads to iroh’s

-settles down in a corner there, out of the way, with a sketchbook and headphones in so he can work on a flash sheet

-his uncles presence is warm and inviting just like his restaurant and zuko feels better just for being there

-and then, even over his music, he hears someone go “hey! He did my tattoos!”

-and zuko looks up to see the gaang, only one of which he recognizes - ya know, cuz you kinda don’t forget doing a massive body-scale blue arrow tattoo?

-and aang didn’t really intend for it to become anything, he was just excited, but zuko also isn’t sure because he’s awkward so he does say hi

-and the gang just kind of hovers over his flash sheet for a while and invites him in and somehow he ends up at their usual table

-(maybe its because he’s AT their usual table, he realizes. Small world, everyone wants the corner)

-now let’s not forget

-sokka is a bisexual disaster

-zuko is beautiful and sokka kinda wants to hate him for it? He doesn’t but he would love to

-also he doesn’t see any tattoos on zuko so he’s skeptical like aang are you SURE you didn’t hit your head

-toph is delighted no I did not forget her she just is too good of a character for me to write her justly

-but anyway she punches sokka (with affection) any time he voices too much skepticism

-on a different day, sokka goes in to zuko’s shop, because he’s around and he wants to see it for himself

-he isn’t allowed to watch zuko work of course, but he does get to watch zuko come out with a finished client and take some pictures of it

-it’s very impressive, and okay, maybe he DID do gang’s tattoos

-which just means sokka is smitten

-zuko is also smitten do not worry. They are both disasters

-zuko gets adopted into the gaang and they start to hang out. Their shops are so close, they love iroh, their ages are similar, and they get along after enough time. Its nice. Zuko likes it

-one day it rains, and gets really humid, and its fucking hot. So zuko finally takes off that dumb beat up leather jacket he always wears, only this time its not covering a long sleeves shirt, he’s wearing a tank top

-and sokka takes it back because zuko not only has tattoos, but they WORK for him

-zuko doesn’t have any shitty tattoos, because he spent so long dreaming of the theater and thinking that he couldn’t have tattoos if he ever wanted to be on stage, that by the time he finally acknowledged that his dreams had changed, he was working with and around tattoo artists and could afford to jump straight to full on intricate sleeves that took several sessions each

-it is the only good thing his father has ever given him. Jk he doesn’t credit his father for shit and somewhere in this universe there is room for his father to go to jail. Its already happened, and he’s sure he’ll have to tell his new friends at some point, but not now. He doesn’t wanna

-anyway his tattoos are beautiful. And all botanical

-they all have little scientific names nestles between the branches and stems, it dips below his clothes line, but they’re gorgeous

-pretty much everyone wonders why the fuck he doesn’t show them off, but he shrugs

-“I do, just not. here.”

-he likes to be recognized for his OWN work on his street, by his shop. Not for the work that’s on him

-aang is very excited and begs him in that way where you don’t REALLY have the option to say no to come look at his flower shop

-zuko does, its very pretty

-sokka pays attention to all the flowers and colors he likes

-color was hard. Zuko only does blackwork, how is he supposed to know which color flowers to give him?

-if he ever asks zuko out. Which he’s gonna at some point, because aang may be happily oblivious (or is that just his own way of playing the game? Sokka never knows) but katara is onto him and he has a limited amount of time to ask before katara does it from him

-they meet at the shop, the whole gaang, but this time everyone shuffles out early to leave the two dumb boys alone, and sokka asks to walk zuko home

-“idiot! You’re supposed to take him OUT not HOME”

-but the walk is nice and sweet and then, sadly, too short

-but sokka does make it a habit

-eventually he gives zuko a package and dashes away after their walk

-its a picture frame, with a bunch of pressed flowers, collaged in with snippets of poetry. zuko can tell they’re from different books, because the sizes and kerning and fonts are all different, and that’s a nice touch of detail

-when he looks them up, he finds a couple of them are from plays, not poetry books, and he binges the plays

-it also comes with a note from sokka that says “you get what I’m saying, so just. Text me if you wanna talk about it”

-he does text sokka

-they go out on a very nice date to a restaurant that ISNT owned by zuko’s uncle, and then go out on many more dates after that

-aang is always happy to give sokka discounts on flowers. sokka’s favorite thing to do is (have aang) make bouquets up of the flowers zuko has tattooed

-(Occasionally, when he gets The Zuko Bouquet, he tells aang a new flower to add to it. aang doesn’t ask, but he does smile. He’s very happy for sokka)

-(turns out zuko’s entire back is covered in tattoos too. sokka is going to lose his mind)

#zukka #headcanons #flower shop au #tattoo shop au #my writing #atla

57 notes · View notes

getinthering · 4 years

Text

Taang Week Day 3: Spirit World

“i believe that i know you”

tw: major character death

@taangweek Day 3: Spirit World

In the swamp, we see visions of people we’ve lost, people we’ve loved, folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they’re not. We’re still connected to them. Time is an illusion and so is death.

After Aang’s death, Toph leaves Republic City and their family and friends to feel closer to him. Takes place in 153 AG, some time after Aang’s death.

Read on AO3

[A/N: I should say here and now that in pretty much every ATLA thing I create (except for Modern AU or unless otherwise stated) has Aang/Toph at 16, Katara at 18, Suki at 19, and Zuko/Sokka at 20, because writing for/as children just makes me uncomfortable idk.

This one was frustrating but fun! I’m a big fan of bittersweet writings so here we are. I liked Lin/Suyin’s canon dynamic too much to not hc both of them as Taang’s kids, canon Bumi is just very Dunebaby energy to begin with, and I kinda just recreated Tenzin as Tashi for my own reasons.]

She had always thought that Avatars were supposed to live exceptionally long lives. True, Kyoshi’s age was a great exception no one expected to ever be replicated again. That didn’t change the fact that Toph had always assumed she would have at least another decade with Aang.

She felt lost without him now. Neither had ever been the most present parent to their four children, despite their best hopes and efforts. He had his Avatar duties, she was Chief of Police. There was constant rivalry between the kids, which she supposed they both encouraged (perhaps her a little more consciously than Aang), and there was now a large chasm between her and their children. She knew that Bumi, their first-born, had always felt neglected and left out as the only non-bender in the family, whereas Tashi, their youngest, was the only airbender and thus was taken under Aang’s wing.

Toph’s hands were most often full with their two middle daughters, Lin and Suyin. They were both earthbenders, both two sides of the same coin, and she supposed that—combined with her stubborn Beifong blood—was the reason they had the deepest feud within the family. She tried to give them the freedom she longed for as a child, but it only ended with her eldest daughter all but refusing to talk to her, and Toph and Aang having to send Suyin away to live with her parents.

It had been too much for her then, almost ten years ago. She passed the title of chief of police onto Lin and decided it was time to finally spend some time with her husband. They traveled for a while, mostly to the Air Temples to check in on his Acolytes or the Earth Kingdom where her family was. She was proud of her husband for finally achieving all he had wanted, grateful that he had an airbending child to pass it onto. But she was never one to simply tag along on someone else’s adventures, not even for him. They struggled to find balance while roaming the world endlessly, just as they had as children.

By the time they neared their mid-sixties, they had finally settled into a routine they thought they could live with throughout their retirement. They had a home on Air Temple Island near Republic City. The kids all had their own lives, their own stability. Their attention was no longer divided between young children, their careers, their city, their homelands. It was just theirs for the rest of their lives.

She never expected “the rest of their lives” to be a mere two years.

***

“Mom, that’s ridiculous, you can’t just leave. You just settled into your retirement!” Bumi insisted over the dinner table where the three of them sat.

Toph sighed jaggedly. Of course it had been a bad idea to tell them she was leaving. “No, your father and I settled into our retirement,” she snapped. “You think I want to just sit around every day by myself? No! I’ve spent my whole life on the road and that’s where I belong.”

(maybe that’s a lie maybe she had been excited about settling down maybe she hated traveling at this point)

“Mom,” Tashi interjected, trying her best to remain calmer than her brother. “If you’re lonely, you know that Jinpa and I would be more than willing to move back home to Air Temple Island.”

“I’m not lonely,” Toph protested, slamming a fist on the table perhaps too roughly. “I didn’t have to tell you, and I wasn’t going too, but I didn’t think you’d all be silly enough to try and fight me.”

“Thanks for that, Mom,” Bumi grumbled.

She spent the next hour fighting off her children’s arguments. Her mind was made up a long time ago and although she would never admit it out loud, she missed Aang too much to stay anywhere near the city they had helped create. Every corner burned with memories of him. Their home echoed with emptiness. There had even been nights she had bolted up, drenched in sweat, grasping the sheets begging to find him. She could swear that she could hear him whispering to her, just quiet enough that she couldn’t make out the words.

The only memory of him she could stand to be around now was their children. She wished desperately to have them all together, for them to be some semblance of a real family in the wake of his death. But they were scattered—Lin in Republic City, Suyin in Zaofu, Tashi split amongst the Air Temples, Bumi traveling constantly with the United Forces. No matter how hard she tried, there would never be a way to be connected to all of them at once. Not here, like this, anyway.

Eventually, Tashi and Bumi accepted that there was nothing either of them could say to keep Toph in Republic City and dejectedly said their goodbyes to her before parting ways. She kept up the stony-faced façade she had always known best while she finished packing her things, making note for most of them to be sent to her children. She wouldn’t need them anymore.

She had told the two of them that she was simply returning to the nomadic life she and Aang had shared after her retirement from the police force. It would be true, for a while; she had plans to visit the Earth Kingdom again, stop in Zaofu to see her grandchildren and tell Suyin of her new search for enlightenment, maybe even see her old friends one more time.

She wouldn’t tell any of them that she was really going to the Foggy Swamp. They would only try harder to talk her out of it, tell her the swamp was dangerous for an old woman, that she was being ridiculous and irrational. Really, she had never felt more sure of anything in her life. Her heart belonged with her family and with Aang gone, it felt shattered. She was desperate to put it back together before it broke her. She knew of only one place that could make her feel connected to all of her children and Aang at once.

***

In her mind, Toph had a clear image of what she remembered from the swamp. She had visualized her new life there over and over. Stepping into it now, she was blindsided by a chilling feeling she could not quite place, like a wind threatening to barrel her over.

The one possibility she hadn’t allowed herself to dream now coursed through her mind as she ventured deeper into the heart of the swamp.

(what if he’s not here what in the name of the spirits would she do with herself)

It was not as if she could go back to her old life. She would have nothing left to keep her afloat, no hope of ever seeing Aang in this life again.

(maybe she shouldn’t have left maybe the hope was what kept her going)

Eventually she reached the banyan-grove tree at the heart of the swamp. Discouragement sinking in her stomach like a rock, she leaned her back against the tree and slid to the ground. Toph Beifong had only cried a handful of times since her young childhood. The only person in the entire world who had ever seen her so vulnerable had, of course, been Aang. Somehow, even from the start, he always knew when she needed him.

(which was fortunate because she would never tell him that)

He would come find her, no matter where she was, wrap his arms around and silently hold her close to his chest until the steady beat of his heart and the warmth he radiated soothed her. She hadn’t even cried when he died, not properly.

Now, alone in this ancient swamp, Toph let go of her strength and let herself break. Sobs wracked her frame. She could picture how ridiculous she must have looked: a blind, middle-aged earthbender, sitting on a mucky floor, screaming with grief like she never had before.

She had abandoned her children, her city, her entire life to venture into the Foggy Swamp. It was supposed to be a Spirit Wild, supposed to be the connection between the two worlds. But it was foolish of her to believe she would find her husband here; he was the Avatar, his spirit was reborn into a new body, surely there was no reason to find any Avatar in the Spirit World..

As she let her anguish consume her, slowly icing her to her core, she imagined that this was it for her, the end of her line.

A flash of warmth spread throughout her right side, a faint but familiar scent wafting around her. At once, her tears stopped and she jumped, alarmed. Every muscle in her body tensed as the sensation gradually transformed into reassuring arms around her shoulders. Everything clicked in her mind as she heard the voice she dreamt of every night, simply murmuring,

“Toph.”

“Aang? Aang, tell me it’s you, tell me this isn’t some dark spirit playing a dirty trick,” she gasped, unwilling to trust her senses.

“It’s me. I’ve been waiting for you.”

At that moment, she was sixteen once more, sitting side-by-side with a young monk, and she knew that she was home.

#props if you place any of the song lyrics that make up these fic titles #ok i'll spoil it this one is fleetwood mac #taang #taang week #taang week 2020 #atla #my fics #fuck it its midnight yall take this

27 notes · View notes

krastbannert · 2 years

Note

Zuko/Suki Ultimate Ship Meme! :D

(From an old ask game I was doing - just had this sitting around since then.

Starfoxfanatic, I am so sorry this took me so long to get to! I know I told you it would be a while but real life got away from me more than I thought it would.)

General:

How long will they last? - Hmm I'm not sure. I don't think their personalities mesh well enough to go forever and a day, but I think they could last a decent amount of time. Couple years, at least. I could also see them getting together in old age, like a second chance at love. (Actually kinda want to read a fic like that, now.)

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - It took them a hot second. They each had Mai and Sokka, and when they lost those, they had to rebuild the Fire Nation and Kyoshi Island. It took time for them to be in a good place to even think about it, and once they did get there, they had to get through the whole bodyguard/charge situation.

How was their first kiss? - I figure it was hot, heavy, and a bit frustrated. Probably Suki pissed that Zuko wouldn't just kiss her so she does it herself. I could see that happening.

Wedding:

Who proposed? - I usually always say the guy does it. Not sure why. I could see Suki deciding to just go for it, though.

Who is the best man/men? - Same answer as I did for Maiko and Zutara: Sokka, and Aang would be one but he’s helping Zuko’s former crewman Koji officiate.

Who is the bride’s maid(s)? - Katara, Ty Lee, and - this may come as a shocker - Azula. (Unpopular opinion: Azula and Suki are actually really good friends, and Azula didn't torture Suki or anything). I have a feeling she may also ask one or two of the other KWs, too.

Who did the most planning? - Suki insisted. She's always been a good planner for combat situations, but she doesn't have much experience when it comes to social situations, and she wanted the practice. (She pestered Katara into helping. Ty Lee didn't give her an option. Azula shrugged when Suki asked and said," We're good at the same things, why're you asking me?")

Who stressed the most? - This answer is always the same for any ship involving him: Zuko. Kid's literally a stress factory.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 (the small wedding that was just family and friends) | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 (the big wedding neither one really wanted because they're tired of the spotlight) | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Ozai. Other than that...I can't think of anyone else? Suki doesn't really have any enemies that I can remember.

Sex:

Who is on top? - Suki likes to take charge so she is, most of the time. She's definitely more than willing to be on bottom, though.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Suki teases Zuko into doing it, just with little things - pinching his butt when she walks by, sly smiles, subtle touches and subtle flirting. That type of thing.

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 (they're both extremely fit and extremely good looking, so they really enjoy going at it, but they are also Fire Lord and Fire Lady/bodyguard - it's exhausting, sometimes) | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 (Suki is secretly a bit of a freak in the sheets, and while Zuko isn't up for all of it, he wants her to be happy - and he can't back down from a challenge) | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - Lots of stolen quickies in secret alcoves, but they go for as long as they possibly can (read: all night) whenever they can. Usually on vacation trips.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Yeah. Absolutely.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - 2.

How many children will they adopt? - 0.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - It works out to about 60/40 with Suki taking most of them.

Who is the stricter parent? - Suki, probably? But it's not by much.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Zuko's literally the Blue Spirit. Dangerous stunts are his bread and butter; Suki has to stop them when they get too crazy.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Suki.

Who is the more loved parent? - Their kids absolutely adore them both.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Usually Zuko. Suki is the one who brings the big guns.

Who cried the most at graduation? - This answer is always Zuko.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Considering Suki has broken out of a prison from the inside...probably her.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - They like to cook together - they might mess something up, but it's more fun.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Suki is able and willing to eat just about anything (grew up poorer and she was a professional soldier); Zuko grew up with royal taste buds so he's a little more picky.

Who does the grocery shopping? - They go together.

How often do they bake desserts? - Suki likes her sugar. A lot.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Hmm probably meat lovers.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Suki might be a bit more likely to pull it off, but I think they're both on the same level of "would try but just can't quite figure it out in time but the effort is cute".

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Zuko.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - Well, Zuko is literally a firebender. And he's a hothead. So...probably him.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Servants, most likely, but they both clean when they can.

Who is really against chores? - They’re both just kinda used to it - one lived on a ship for 3 years, one was a soldier. They adapted to cleanliness.

Who cleans up after the pets? - Servants, most likely.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Honestly I could see them both doing it.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Zuko is stressed because he's an awkward potato, Suki because she wants whatever plan she made for the evening to go well.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Suki.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - I think, in their case, it's about even, but it's probably Zuko during the winter. He gets cold easier, and Suki, well, the Fire Nation winter is just so much warmer than Kyoshi Island's, so she's more happy.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Suki loves walking the Fire Nation; it's so different and yet familiar, and she loves it.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Hmm...I think they'd like to decorate. Zuko forgets easily, but he likes doing it, and decorating with his family (Suki, their kids, Azula if she's around, Ursa, and Kiyi) is special to him. And Suki just...enjoys the decorations. Lots of Kyoshi-centric stuff gets added.

What are their goals for the relationship? - They had goals with their last relationships, and those didn't work out as they planned, so they're just winging it. They just want to be happy.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Zuko can't help but rise with the sun. Suki is normally up early to work out and train, too, but on her rest days? She's conked out until the afternoon. (Zuko likes to sneak back into bed with her when he's done meditating/working/whatever he wants with his morning).

#krast answers asks #@starfoxfanatic #zuko #suki #zuki #zuko x suki #headcanons #ultimate shipping meme #atla

14 notes · View notes

merakiaes · 5 years

Text

Unfortunate Sleeping Arrangements - Zuko

Pairing: Zuko x reader

Requested: By @star-mum

Warnings/notes: It’s a bit quick and probably sucky as it’s my first Zuko piece, but if you’re not happy with it, feel free to send another request. I hope you like it!

Wordcount: 1724

Summary: Reader is forced to share a bed with Zuko.

None of you had slept in two whole days. Usually, you would be able to go without sleep for much longer than that, but when you were on the back of Appa that whole time? No, nuh-uh, no could do. You had started feeling motion sick a whole day ago, so after another day, it was safe to say you weren’t in the best of moods.

Everyone was on edge, grumpy to say the least. But you were the worst, which had lead to avoiding talking to pretty much anyone. Zuko, however, didn’t seem bothered by the lack of sleep at all, only sitting quietly to himself in a corner of the saddle.

He was a calm grumpy, as opposed to the rageful grumpy you would’ve taken him for. But then again, a lot had changed, him included, and you didn’t doubt you would’ve been right about your assumptions sometime in the past.

But nonetheless, it annoyed you that he didn’t seem to be suffering as much as you were. So, naturally, you had spent the last four hours just glaring at him from your own corner, something you guessed hadn’t gone unnoticed as he had tensed up and glanced your way a few times.

You felt guilty. He had already been through so much, and there you were, giving him even more crap. But you couldn’t help it. His calm and quiet behavior infuriated you to no end.

Luckily, or well, luckily for you but unluckily for him, Aang was almost falling over in his seat, and you would, finally, be able to get some rest.

You managed to find a small village before nightfall, in which a lady was kind enough to lend out her second cabin. The problem with this arrangement? It only had four beds, and there were six of you.

You thought the solution was obvious. You were going to bunk with Katara like you usually did. Right?

Wrong.

Of course, of all times, she was on her monthly now, and therefor didn’t feel comfortable sharing a tiny cot with someone else. You knew what was going to happen then. Aang and Sokka were to share on bed, and Toph always slept alone, it might as well be a law set in stone, by now; she really liked her privacy.

That only left one person.

You wanted to be mad at Katara and Toph for not sacrificing themselves for your sake this one time, but you couldn’t, because you knew how both of them felt. Not even in the short-tempered state you were in you found yourself able to hold it against them.

You just had to suck it up. You didn’t know if it made you feel better or worse about the fact that Zuko didn’t seem bothered in the slightest as he went on to make the bed the second after he had been told you would be sharing.

After watching him struggle with the sheet for a few minutes, though, you decided that the only thing that matter in that moment was that you got to sleep. You didn’t have the energy to care about with whom, anymore.

“Here, let me.” You grumbled as you walked up to the small cot in the furthest corner, grabbing the bunched up sheet from Zuko’s hands, maybe a little rougher than you had intended.

But he didn’t say anything, only backing away a few small steps to allow you to make the bed.

You wasted no time in getting to work, letting the sheet fall onto the mattress and tucking it under the edges so that it wouldn’t bunch up when you slept. When finished with the sheets, you threw the pillows to the top lazily before spreading out the blanket; surprise, there was only one of those, too.

Toph was already snoring softly at the other side of the room, and Aang and Sokka were lying back to back on their cot, however, breathing to casually to be asleep yet. Katara was still up and walking and passed you just then, giving you an apologetic smile before blowing up the lantern and lying down in her own bed, the only thing lighting up the room now being the fire in the middle of the room.

Nothing was said as you and Zuko got situated on the bed, him closest to the wall and you to his right. You laid on your backs, your hands clasped on your stomach while his seemed to be glued to his side, the blanket placed stiffly on top of the two of you.

He was taking more space than he needed, and it didn’t take long until it started getting to you, making your chest crawl uncomfortably with annoyance. But you didn’t say anything, instead just rolling over to your side to fit better, turning your back to him.

Zuko spared you a glance as you moved beside him, before turning his head back up and closing his eyes to sleep. He stayed that way, on his back, for about half an hour, but sleep never came. He wasn’t sure if you were sleeping, but he didn’t want to risk asking in case you were.

So, without a word, he rolled around to his side as carefully as he found himself able to, bringing his hands up to rest under his head as his eyes fell closed.

You shifted at that, causing him to open his eyes just as quickly as he had closed them.

Looking over your shoulder, you raised an eyebrow. “What do you think your doing?”

Zuko didn’t miss a beat. “I can’t sleep on my back.” His expression didn’t change as he spoke, his eyes just falling closed again as if it was the most normal thing in the world that he had just turned around in the same direction as you.

You gave him a glare, despite the fact he couldn’t see you. “And you couldn’t turn the other way?”

“I don’t like sleeping while facing the wall, either.”

“Of course, you don’t.” You sighed, squeezing your eyes shut in thought briefly before finally letting out another, defeated sigh. “Fine, if we’re going to do this then we might as well do it properly.”

As you started shifting around, pulling the blanket left and right, Zuko’s eyes opened, an annoyed expression finally making its way onto his scarred face. “What?”

You ignored the slight trace of irritation that laced his smooth voice, continuing to shift backwards on the bed until your back hit his chest, only then placing the blanket back down on your body as you tried your best getting comfortable.

“What are you doing?” Zuko questioned in a strained voice, his hands going up in the air to avoid accidentally touching you as you were now pressed together.

“It’s cramped and I’m cold. I won’t be able to sleep if I’m constantly afraid of falling off the bed, and I’m already aggravated as it is. I need to sleep.” You deadpanned, reaching over your own body to grab ahold of his hands, successfully stunning him.

You noticed the way he flinched slightly at the feeling of your skin coming in contact with his, but nonetheless he let you guide his hands to rest on your waist. His whole body was tense now, his hands radiating such heat that your own body instantly warmed up.

Zuko was frozen, both afraid of hurting you and afraid of making a fool out of himself. It was nothing new that the banished prince harbored a crush on you. He was sure everyone but you knew about it. At least he hoped you didn’t know.

“Your hands are so warm.” Your voice pulled him back to reality then, breaking him out of his thoughts. His first instinct was to pull back his hands, knowing that he sometimes couldn’t control his body temperature. How could he when you were pressed up against him like you were?

You cursed yourself quietly as soon as the words had left your mouth, regretting it the second you felt him start to retrieve his hands. Your own hands shot out before you could stop yourself, reaching out for his to stop him in his movements.

“No.” You told him, slowly starting to pull his hands back. “I didn’t mean in a bad way. I said I’m cold, remember?”

Zuko relaxed behind your, finally starting to let himself get comfortable. A flutter of butterflies filled your chest at the feeling of him scooting closer, and you felt your eyes fall shut in contempt as your previously chilled body warmed up within seconds.

The two of you laid there for a good fifteen minutes, and you were sure Zuko had fallen asleep behind you by then, but for some reason, despite being the most exhausted one of all, sleep didn’t come to you.

You shifted slightly, raising your hands to your head and putting them under your face to rest on, all while keeping your eyes closed. Ten minutes passed, and you still hadn’t fallen asleep. Sighing, you shifted again, bringing one of your hands back down to rest between your knees.

You moved backwards slightly, pushing your hips back in order to get comfortable. Then suddenly, halting you in the middle of your actions, Zuko shifted behind you and wrapped his arms tightly around your body, holding you in place.

“Be. Still.”

You scoffed, a sour glare coming to rest on your face. “I am still.”

“Oh, yeah?” He challenged, his breath hitting your neck and sending shivers down your spine. Not that you would ever admit it. “Well, if you keep ‘being still’, we’re going to have a problem soon enough.”

You rolled your eyes. “Wha-“

You cut yourself short, eyes flickering open briefly as you realized what he meant, your whole face growing hot at the realization. You were lucky the room was already illuminated by a soft, orange light, or Zuko surely would’ve noticed the blush rising on your neck.

Clearing your throat, you stilled yourself, shifting your head where it laid on the pillow. “Sorry.” You apologized quietly.

Zuko only grumbled, but even though you were now still and comfortable, he kept his arms tightly wrapped around you in a warm embrace, and maybe that’s what made you able to finally fall asleep.

But no matter what it was, it was safe to say that Toph and Sokka didn’t let you live it down the morning after after finding you huddled together in the corner, limbs tangled together, Zuko’s face pressed into your neck and his arms wrapped securely around your waist.

#zuko x reader #fire lord zuko #prince zuko #avatar zuko #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar: tla

1K notes · View notes

jaxsteamblog · 4 years

Text

Moonbeam

Click here to read the full fic on AO3

Katara ran over the top of the lake. Her frozen footprints melted as soon as she lifted her feet. Fog rose from her pace alone, but she pulled more around her to shroud her appearance. Trying to keep her breathing steady, Katara focused on sliding instead of whatever galloping her body was presently enacting.

The spirit she was impersonating was a graceful lady after all.

For the past three days, Katara had posed as the Painted Lady to gather information from the small diseased town they camped in. Their quarry was not a prison, which frustrated her, but she and Sokka owed the Warriors a favor after getting their help in crossing in the Fire Nation.

Instead, the Kyoshi Warriors had found a small military factory that was being used as a treatment plant. The ugly iron building sat on stilts like a belligerent toad, belching out toxic waste that ran off from the chemical treatment the workers used on Fire Nation sheet metal. It wasn’t a tactical hit by any means, but the impact on the attached village would be a huge morale boost for the resistance.

So now Katara was tasked with using her disguise to bring vengeance down upon the wayward Fire Nation.

It was as she ran that Katara realized she had turned sixteen.

Sixteen and she was running full tilt toward a massive hive of enemy soldiers. Sixteen and wearing the face of an ancient spirit with none of the ancient power. Sixteen and she had only kissed two boys, both of whom wooed her in the middle of high risk missions.

Pushing a massive wave of fog before her, Katara slipped underneath the belly of the factory. Katara let the fog curl upward but made a clear chimney that gave her access to a small platform that hung under the building. Making steps in the fog, Katara climbed up and grabbed onto the railings of the metal patch. Taking a moment to spin up more fog to cover her, Katara then looked up to the hatch.

And found it already open.

Curious, but feeling the cold knot of dread form between her shoulders, Katara climbed the rusting metal ladder up to the hatch. Her conical hat raised into the building first, and nothing called out at the sight of it, so she continued up. Katara parted her wispy veil and looked around.

Two guards lay on the floor. She checked them, feeling sick at the sight of their bodies, but relaxed as she found them still breathing.

Continuing on, Katara focused on her plan. There were a number of structural beams that kept the building aloft. She could cut them down, sending the plant into the river, but that would risk dumping more of the toxic sludge into the water. So instead, she had to get rid of the equipment and then sink it.

However, as she ran into the first open space of the factory, she saw the major kink in her plan.

A single man was engaged in combat with a group of eight soldiers and he was armed with only two swords.

Each of the soldiers were Firebenders, Katara could tell from their stances, but she feared the running she heard. Any one of them could bring a rifle and this fight would be over.

Desperate, Katara looked around the room and found a large vat, steam whistling out of leaky pipes. Praying that it wasn’t under too much pressure, Katara took a deep stance and pulled.

Steam shot out in a column toward the group of fighters with scalding water following quickly after.

Katara had learned to control her breath. She knew that her energy was tied to the energy of the water and as she slowed, the water cooled. The steam obscured the fighters but didn’t burn them and the water was tepid by the time it whipped around each of the eight soldiers. Turning, Katara pulled them in different directions and then used water to freeze a path she could properly glide on. Heading toward the sword fighter, Katara stopped and rose on a column of fog and water.

“I shall abide this desecration no longer!” Katara said in a booming voice. “You who have brought pestilence unto my river shall now suffer my wrath!”

Katara sent out massive spikes of ice, piercing walls, equipment, and platforms in shrieks. The sword fighter, a man in a blue Oni mask, hopped up the trunks of the spikes till he got to eye level.

“Who are you?” He asked, his voice muffled by the unmoving mask.

“I am the Painted Lady, Spirit of the Jang Hui River.” Katara replied. Movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention and she sent more water at a platform, knocking back two more soldiers. Their guns went flying and Katara’s heart fluttered.

“You’ve been healing the villagers.” The Blue Spirit said.

“I never turn my back on people who need me.” She said. Gunfire erupted from the platform and Katara could feel the impact of the bullets on the water around her.

“I would be glad for the help of your ladyship.” The Blue Spirit said and Katara gave a curt nod.

“Find what pollutes my waters and I will help you.” She said. The man nodded back and jumped down, brandishing his swords and running off. Katara poured after him, pulling more water in from waste pipes. She flooded furnaces and shoved soldiers back into hallways or small rooms, freezing doorways shut.

A klaxon went off, shearing through her head but not slowing her. As long as she could see the shooters, the bullets were caught with relative ease, while the Firebenders couldn’t risk too large of a fire in close quarters. So she went through the factory, like a sentient hurricane, and destroyed everything she could.

When she got to a narrow doorway, Katara froze the metal and then shoved it, bending the now brittle metal back to allow her space. Still she had to send thick tentacles of water before her, sweeping a clear path, and trailed a tail of water behind her, beating back any pursuers.

Deeper into the factory, she found what she was looking for. A large tank that reeked of chemicals had multiple spray nozzles running from it. The Blue Spirit stood on top of it, hacking each of the nozzles off.

For each one that he removed, Katara froze the hole it left. But when it came to remove the tank from the metal supports, the Blue Spirit sheathed his swords. Katara prepared two sharp arms of water to begin sawing through the supports, but paused as an explosion pushed her off balance. A large man stood in a glowing, smoking hole in the wall.

“I’d get promoted by just capturing the Blue Spirit. But two? I’ll become an advisor to the Fire Lord himself with this!” The man exclaimed and broke into booming laughter. Katara snarled and surged forward, sending out whips of water. The Firebender brought up a wall of flame, sending back scalding steam that Katara had to reabsorb before it hurt her. Then, two more soldiers appeared.

Holding assault rifles.

Swearing to herself, Katara threw a shield of ice in front of the Blue Spirit and the bullets sunk deep into the surface, sending out long cracks. The moment the shield broke, the Blue Spirit shot back with fire of his own.

Frowning as she thought, Katara still put out a road of ice and the Blue Spirit started running. He leaped upward and caught one of the soldiers with the gun and used it to strangle him. Still so close to the others, the Blue Spirit pulled back and kicked fire upward as he flipped, sending the soldier tumbling out of the hole while retaining his hold on the gun.

Katara had to trust him and she turned her focus back on the machine. She swiped at the metal supports with blades of water, sweat pouring down from her hairline. She cut them free and caught the machine in water, sinking as she lost some of her own support.

“Let’s go!” Katara called and turned just in time to see the Blue Spirit dive into the Firebenders flame, split the tunnel with his hands, and then headbutt the man directly in the face. As the large Firebender staggered backward, Katara again sent out a lane of ice and the Blue Spirit ran to her. He jumped on top of the machine and sent a large blast of fire up to the metal ceiling. Punching it with a boulder of ice, Katara rent open the metal and launched the machine through it, following after on the remains of her collected water.

Now in the open, Katara pulled more water to her.

“What now?” The Blue Spirit asked.

“I have to make landfall. There’s a place I can bury this till others can deal with it.” Katara said.

“How much can you carry?” He questioned. Katara pulled herself up to her full height.

“More than you can, mortal.” She said haughtily. The Blue Spirit bowed.

“Of course. Pardon me, my lady.” He said. Katara made a noise in displeasure but pulled the water around the machine and then perched on it. Giving it legs, Katara formed a headless water spider and the Blue Spirit pulled himself up, sitting on the bulbous body.

More fire erupted from the hole as two soldiers shot upward to follow them.

“That’s enough!” Katara shouted, pulling up two separate columns of water and slamming them over the hole, ramming the two soldiers back down. She froze the water and then urged the water spider onward.

“Huh.” The Blue Spirit said and Katara smiled to herself, hidden behind her long veil.

They made it back onto land where the factory clung to a cliff face like a parasite. It didn’t take much for her to bring up a swell from the river and yank the whole thing free. It bobbed in the water and Katara could see people begin to spill out, finding lifeboats tucked here and there.

As for the spirits, they continued up the cliff nearly without incident. The Blue Spirit couldn’t hold himself to the water and nearly fell off until Katara made a hold for him.

When they reached the top, Katara headed for the woods. The water body sloshed and she could angle it, letting the legs prop on tree trunks as the machine was lifted and tilted to pass through narrow pathways. When she felt she was deep enough, Katara halted the water spider and lowered them. When the machine hit the ground, she and the Blue Spirit hopped off. No longer needed, Katara pulled away the water and sent it back toward the river, trusting the incline to finish her task when the water extended past her reach.

“For how impressive that was, I would almost be convinced you were a real spirit.” The Blue Spirit said as he walked up to her.

“And why do you presume I am not?” Katara asked. His hand moved quickly and she flinched, but he pulled it back slowly to show the red paint on his black gloved fingers.

“I don’t think spirits can sweat off their stripes.” He said. Katara swatted his hand away and stepped back.

“And who are you, to hide behind an Oni mask while betraying your people?” She demanded.

“Just that, a traitor.” He said and made a flourish of his bow.

“So what will you do now?”

“I’d like to ask for a favor.”

“I think I did you enough favors.”

The man laughed and it made Katara blush. He sounded ardent, like the heroes from the movies she used to watch with her mother.

“But a benevolent spirit such as yourself would surely find it a minor thing to give this poor mortal just one small favor.” He said and Katara turned away, feeling her face burn.

He certainly sounded like the actors from those movies.

“And what is it that you want?” She asked.

“I’d like to say I’ve earned the kiss of a spirit.” The Blue Spirit said.

Katara whirled on him and he laughed again. Still as ardent, still as clear and deep as the first. He was a trickster spirit, surely, and Katara bit her lip.

“I’m only human, same as you.” She said. The man lifted his mask, though he still wore a black sash across his eyes. It was then that some cloud passed and the light of the full moon shone down on them like a spear of light.

In the moonbeam, he stood like a shard of obsidian.

Fog curled up from the ground and it swirled at his feet as he stepped toward her again. He parted the veil and water droplets clung to the netting, shining like diamonds in the moonlight.

“Oh, I don’t think you’re like me at all.” He said and cupped her cheek.

Fog twisted around them as he leaned in, softening the moonlight.

She shielded herself from Yue’s judgement, standing suddenly bare in such stark light. She closed her eyes as the man’s lips met hers.

Taking a breath, she could smell soot, fire, and blood on the man. Around her was the rich scent of wet earth and rotting leaves. Through it all was the mist that cocooned them, turning the moonlight gauzy.

Then he pulled back.

“Thank you, for saving me.” He said and replaced his mask.

“You’re welcome.” Katara replied and watched him.

“Maybe we’ll cross paths again and I can return the favor.” He said.

“Which one?” She quipped and he laughed. This time softer, more his own.

He had a nice laugh.

“You?!” The word came out strangled and Katara nodded. Zuko stood and walked away, pacing back and forth while putting his hands in his hair.

“I couldn’t sleep for days without thinking of you.” He said, pausing to look at her before resuming his walk.

“What are you two doing?” Sokka asked as he and Suki came up the stairs.

“Your sister was the Painted Lady?” Zuko asked, turning to Sokka, who looked confused.

“Yeah?” He replied.

“He was the Blue Spirit.” Katara stated in a panic.

“What?” Sokka squawked at the same time Suki said slowly, “Oooooh.”

“We met,” Katara said. “At the Jang Hui river.”

“What?!” Sokka repeated, sounding more alarmed.

“Did something happen?” Suki asked, and then, looking at both Katara and Zuko’s pained faces, brightened. “Oh spirits, something happened.”

“Wait. Wait.” Sokka now started to sound alarmed. “Zuko, do you like my sister?”

Zuko’s jaw dropped and his hands fell down to his sides.

“How are you both so dense?” He asked.

“Hey!” Katara interjected just as Sokka sputtered, “Dense?”

“Oh this is absolutely the best way this week could have gone and it hasn’t even gotten to the good part.” Suki said to herself, laughing.

Katara glared at her and Suki sniffed, rubbing her nose.

“Good for me.” Suki said and then shrugged. “And hopefully Sokka.”

“I’m not going to be happy until Zuko promises to leave my sister alone!” Sokka retorted.

“Enough!” Katara shouted, finally standing. “I’m going to bed.”

“Katara…” Zuko started.

“Nyeh!” She said and waved her arms above her head. “Bed.”

The moon glowed above them and the ocean crashed behind them, and Katara felt herself being yanked back and forth.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

#zutara #fanfiction #jax writes #modern au #zutara month 2020 #the fic that prompts built

58 notes · View notes

fangzeronos · 4 years

Text

Moon River

Azula walked down the hallway of the Fire Nation palace, fingers toying with the necklace around her throat. She passed Kyoshi Warriors changing shifts guarding Zuko, knowing he was heading for a council meeting. Making her way to the suite, she knocked on the door and waited.

“It’s open!” came the answer from inside.

Pushing the door open, Azula took a deep breath and made her way inside, shutting the door. “Suki?”

Suki turned in her chair and smiled as her eyes landed on Azula. “Azula, hi! What are you doing here?” she asked, getting up and walking over as quickly as she could being seven months pregnant, hugging her friend. “You aren’t supposed to be here for another two days. What’s wrong?”

Azula smiled softly and hugged Suki back. She sighed softly, stepping back before touching the necklace softly. “I just…I need to talk to someone. Katara and Aang are both refusing to open up about what I need to talk about, and Sokka absolutely shuts down every attempt to talk. I…I need someone to talk to about something important, and I figure you’d know…”

Suki bit her lip and nodded. “I think I understand,” she said, taking Azula’s hand and leading her over to the couch. She stopped and walked back across the room, opening the door and seeing Fen. “Fen! Have some tea brought up for Azula and I, please.”

“Of course, Lady Suki,” Fen said, taking off for the kitchens.

Suki crossed the room and sat beside Azula, rubbing her stomach softly. “Baby’s kicking up a storm today,” she said. She took Azula’s hand and put it on her stomach, the baby kicking against it’s aunt’s hand. “Feel her?

“I do,” Azula said. “How are you certain it’s a girl?”

“Instinct,” Suki said with a smile. “Anyway. What do you want to talk about?”

Azula rubbed her arms, looking down. “Every time…the moon’s out, he stands on the balcony and just stares at it. Doesn’t move, doesn’t talk, just stands and stares. It’s like he’s willing something to happen,” she said softly. “I asked him about it, and he bit my head off. “You wouldn’t understand. Just leave it alone, Zula!” and stormed off. I asked Katara, and she said it wasn’t my place to know. I’m marrying the damn idiot, I think I have a right to know, Suki.”

Suki sighed, nodding and rubbing her stomach softly. She bit her lip, reaching over and taking Azula’s hands. “It took me a long time to get it out of him,” she said. “He’s really going to hate me for telling you this, but…you’re right. You’re getting married and you deserve to know.”

She got up, walking over to a cabinet. “What do you know of Zuko’s assault on the Northern Water Tribe?” she asked, pulling a set of scrolls out.

“Zuko tried kidnapping Aang, and Admiral Zhao got too big for his station. A giant water koi destroyed everything Fire Nation and the Princess died,” Azula said. “Just what’s written down.”

Suki nodded. “Well, there’s a lot more then that to the story,” she said. “I found all of this out from Sokka and Katara about two years after it happened. When Zhao infiltrated the Northern Water Tribe, he went looking for Aang, who was in the Spirit Pool meditating and connecting to the Avatar State and the past Avatars. Sokka and Katara were there to defend him, and your uncle was there too. Well, Zhao…he killed the Moon Spirit. Waterbenders are more powerful during a full moon, so without the moon, they were basically powerless.”

Azula nodded, listening to Suki’s story as she looked at the scrolls. “But clearly the moon’s still in the sky. What happened?”

Suki sighed, taking another scroll and opening it up. “Princess Yue had been blessed by the Moon Spirit when she was born. It shared its life with her. When the Moon Spirit’s physical form was killed by Zhao, she knew what she had to do to save everyone. She gave her own life energy up to revitalize the Moon Spirit, sacrificing herself to defend her home.”

Azula sighed, looking down. “So, the Moon Spirit is Princess Yue. And she was with Sokka…and since she effectively died, he feels like it’s his fault sine he couldn’t save her,” she said softly.

Suki nodded, walking over and sitting back beside the Princess. “And that’s why he stares up at the moon the first night of the full moon. He’s talking with Yue again. She was, literally, his first love, Azula. That’s not something either of us can really compete with. He’s still mourning her death, even though it’s been almost ten years.”

“I guess I can’t come anywhere close to that,” Azula said softly. “Sokka’s the first person I’ve ever genuinely loved, Suki. I wish he’d been more open with me about this instead of acting so harsh when I’d ask. How does he expect this to work if he’s not going to talk to me?”

“Have you talked to him about things that are laid on your heart? Your fear of hurting him if you lose your temper or your medication stops working? Do you talk to him about anything that doesn’t have to do with the wedding you’re the plans?” Suki asked.

Azula looked away, her face red in shame. She felt like she’d been slapped, knowing Suki was right. “Damn you.”

Suki smiled and wrapped her arm around Azula, giving her friend a squeeze. “You love me anyway. Even when I’m right. Trust is a two way street, Azula. It still takes Zuko time to open up about things to me, and we’ve been married three years. Marriage is give and take. You give to him, he gives to you. You take the good and the bad. You just have to find the balance.”

Azula nodded. “I know,” she said. “He’s going to be here in a few days with Aang and Katara. No point in me going home just to turn right back around. Is it ok if I stay?”

“It was your home before it was mine,” Suki said with a smile. “I’m sure Zuko won’t mind.”

“If he minds, I’ll battle him for the throne,” Azula said with a smirk.

“Azula, no!” Suki laughed, shaking her head.

Azula left Suki a little later, feeling a weight off of her chest but still feeling like there was a stone in her stomach. She retreated to her room, shutting the door and sitting on the bed. Inside she was dreading seeing Sokka and trying to get an answer out of him, but she knew it had to be done.

Two days later, after the others arrived, Sokka and Azula laid in her bed, both exhausted from a late-night funtime. She curled up against his side, fingers dancing against his chest.

“Sokka?” Azula asked, looking up at her fiancée with tired eyes.

“Hm?” Sokka asked, his fingers gliding through Azula’s hair. He looked down, smiling softly. “What’s up?”

Azula bit her lip, sitting up a bit and holding the sheets to her chest. “Why didn’t you tell me about Yue?” she asked.

Sokka sighed, sitting up and swinging his legs off of the bed. “How’d you find out?” he asked, grabbing his pants and pulling them on, getting out of bed.

Azula looked down, grabbing her robe off of the floor and pulling it on before cinching it up, getting up and looking at Sokka. “I talked to Suki.”

“What the fuck, Azula?!” Sokka snapped, turning and facing his fiancé. “Why!?”

“You weren’t talking to me! Katara and Aang weren’t giving me answers, and I knew she had to know. I’m sorry I went behind your back, but damn it, Sokka. I asked every month for two years. Never any answers outside of getting my head snapped off,” Azula said, resisting the urge to light him on fire.

She walked over and put her hands against his cheeks, looking up at him. “Sokka, we’re supposed to be able to tell each other anything. I…I just wanted to know. To help.”

“There’s nothing to help,” Sokka said. “I feel guilty I couldn’t do anything to save her, and that’s all there is too it. There’s nothing to help or to figure out. It’s survivors guilt, plain and simple.” He pulled away from Azula, making his way to the balcony, where as if by a joke, the moon was full. The city below was bathed in it’s light and Sokka sighed.

“She was the first person I ever cared for outside of Katara. I had a whole vision of a life with her in my head, and…when Zhao killed the Moon Spirit, losing Yue was the hardest thing I ever experienced. I never…really processed it, I don’t think. Because we met Toph, Suki joined us, you three tried killing us. I always just pushed it aside, never really thinking about it except on the nights of the full moon,” Sokka said, his hands clenching as he looked down at the city.

Azula walked over and put her hand on his back, feeling terrible. “Sokka, I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have gone to Suki…”

“No, you had every right,” Sokka said. “Like you said, I wasn’t talking. You did what you had to do.” He wrapped his arm around Azula, kissing her softly. “I love you, Zu. I really do.”

Azula kissed Sokka back, nodding and resting her head against his shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered. “But please…start being more open with me? I don’t want any secrets.”

“I promise, Azula.”

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Sokkla #Azula #Sokka #Suki #she's here too but it's mostly Sokkla so

13 notes · View notes