#Toph is ~the cool aunt everyone deserves~

[the-last-cuddlebender]

Bigger Than the Bad Guys

“Bumi, I am very disappointed in you.” “I know…” “You could have been killed. You deliberately disobeyed me. And what’s worse, you put Kya in danger.”

...Even Auntie Toph had told them to stay away from the bad-place in the city. And Auntie Toph never told them not to do something. Bumi just wanted to be brave like Daddy and make his Mama smile again…

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A/N: This is exactly what you think it is because f*ck me if DadMufasa!Aang and ToddlerSimba!Bumi in post-atla/pre-tlok are not so wholesome that I damn well might perish.

(very lightly edited because I was in a mood but mehhhh)

Rating: G (W for wholesome)

Words: 4,572

ArchiveOfOurOwn

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Kya was having second thoughts, and Bumi would be lying if he said he wasn’t, too. 

They’d been walking for forever in the almost pitch-black. It was really stinky, too, even by his standards, and the heavy air pressed against him like it was squishing him smaller and smaller as the tunnel got bigger and deeper. The damp stuck to his skin in a greasy film.

He couldn’t count how long they’d been walking—he couldn’t count a lot at all since he didn’t know all his numbers—but it was long enough to make him hungry. 

It was also long enough for Daddy’s concerned face and Mama’s teary shouts to become clearer and clearer in his memory. The mind-picture made his chest itch like something was stuck there, and he kept swallowing and itching it like he might be able to dig it out.

It didn’t work. But for Kya, he pretended it did. He tried to walk like Daddy.

He wasn’t second-guessing their mission, of course. That was the utmost priority. Mama and Daddy had been worrying over the bad guys from ‘the underground’ for so, so long…

It made Bumi almost as frustrated as it made him sad. 

He didn’t understand for the life of him why their parents didn’t go to ‘the underground’ with Auntie Toph and Uncle Sokka to beat the bad guys up and get it over with. 

They were the bravest heroes ever.

And it wasn’t like ‘the underground’ was hard to find. 

It was underground.

Duh. 

Granted, he and Kya had to go through the old bad-place that Daddy had been helping Auntie Toph ‘clear out’. 

Mama had told him—before his and Kya’s planning phase—that they weren't allowed to follow Daddy to his Avatar-work near that place.

Bumi didn’t understand why she was so serious. 

Her or Daddy.

Especially Daddy.

The even worse part was that their father had smiled while he made them promise not to go to the bad-place. Then he had taken them for ice-cream, and Mama let them jump in the deep end of the oasis to practice their swimming. 

Then Daddy paced throughout the night, and Bumi heard through his door (if he pressed his ear so hard it hurt) that Mama stayed up with him and talked with him in the gentle way she did when he or Kya had nightmares. 

It made Bumi’s heart hurt in the ache-y way his lungs did when Kya dunked him in the water for too long and got in trouble for it. 

He didn’t want Daddy and Mama to hide frowns with fake smiles anymore. 

They were being brave, though. They always were. 

‘The underground’ was a really, really big bad, after all.

But Bumi and Kya could be brave, too. 

And their mission would help their parents way more than the extra hugs and kisses they’ve been giving them. 

Maybe, after he and Kya return as brave heroes, Daddy and Mama will sleep instead of fidget and whisper when he and Kya curl in bed with them.

Bumi sighed. Kya held his arm a bit tighter. His sister didn’t care what people thought; if she was scared, she showed it. 

Bumi wouldn’t admit that he was, though. Mama and Daddy wouldn’t. Especially not to Kya. Especially especially when his Sissy held his arm with both hands as their torch burned to its wick. He was teetering on a razor’s edge between thrill and terror, and he made himself smile at her even when his stomach felt all float-y.

Because even Auntie Toph had told them to stay away from the bad-place. And Auntie Toph never told them not to do something.

But Bumi could be brave like her, too. And Uncle Sokka. 

He will be. 

He and Kya were brave just like Daddy and Mama.

Plus, Bumi had his new knife that Uncle Zuko gave him for his birthday, so he was prepared for anything. 

********************************

Bumi lost his knife and their torch as soon as he saw the first bad guy. His hands shook so much—the bad guy was so big—that he dropped them.

Kya could at least waterbend. He saw her (try to) push and pull the water with Mama the last time they swam in the deep end of the oasis.

If there was any water down here, then maybe she could have made them slip.

They ran. They hit a dead end. Bumi’s limbs were long enough. He could climb up into the next tunnel. 

His sister’s weren’t. Kya’s whimpered panting—her lungs weren’t as big as his, either—broke free her first sob as she clawed the wall and kept slipping down.

She looked at him like Mama had when she watched him fall off the roof without knowing until she raced to the bottom that Daddy was there to catch him.

It made his insides turn to slush, and Kya’s small cry put daggers in his lungs.

His Sissy was terrified.

Bumi was almost just as scared, but he jumped back to the enemy-laden ground and glared like he was about to beat their butts all at once, just like Mama did in the stories Auntie Toph told them when their parents weren’t watching. 

His Sissy’s tight grip on the bottom of his shirt—she had only ever held on to Daddy’s robes, and only if she was really, really scared—gave Bumi the strength to hold on to the last string holding his shaking limbs together. 

His sister was smaller than him. He would not leave her, and he would not let the bad guys hurt her. 

No matter how big the fourth bad guy was. 

Or the eighth. 

Or the twelfth.

Kya’s back hit the wall before Bumi’s did, and she slid to the ground. Bumi stood in front of her. The bad guys painted the wall with the inky cloaks of their shadows. Bumi was a broken leaf between his sister and a pack of devils who jeered new no-no words that, even though he didn’t know what they meant, by the way they said them to his Sissy gave him the feeling that even Auntie Toph wouldn’t use them. 

The bad guys stepped closer. Bumi tried to stand like Daddy did a year ago when the other bad man and broke a hole through Kya’s wall and hurt Mama.

Daddy had stood over all of them in the middle of a storm of stone and fire and arrows and didn’t move an inch. He broke apart boulder after fireball like they were nothing as they waited for Auntie Toph and Uncle Sokka to get there. 

Bumi’s legs shook, and he sucked in a breath and held it like maybe the air would keep him afloat and on his feet when his legs gave out. 

Auntie Toph and Uncle Sokka weren’t coming this time.

Or Daddy and Mama. 

Bumi and Kya were alone.

Bumi’s heart raced so fast that it felt like it was vibrating more than it was beating. He stopped breathing a while ago. His lungs were shriveling up and hiding in his throat like they were even scared-er than his Sissy. 

Kya was crying on her knees behind him. She was shaking, too—he felt it from where she grasped his calf.

One of the bad guys had grabbed her arm the first time they cornered them. Bumi had bitten him and ran as far as he could while he dragged Kya behind him.

Now the bad guy was earthbending a boulder the size of Bumi six-times-over, and they all glared at him and his Sissy with smiles that were hungry to kill them. 

They were big. So, so much bigger than him. Bumi barely reached his head to their mid-thigh on his tip-toes. 

He was small. 

Too small. 

Bumi wanted to cry. His eyes did, too. They were hot and sting-y, and tears made his picture of the bad guys all blurry. 

He couldn’t cry. He made a vow with Uncle Sokka not to cry unless he deserved it. 

Kya was crying because she was hurt. 

He had gotten them into this mess. He had no right to free himself of the sea-prune-sized sob choking him.

Bumi bared his teeth. His voice broke, but he didn’t let his tears fall.

“S-Stay away! I-I—‘M w-wa’rn’ yous!”

Kya held onto him tighter like she was deluded by his voice into some feeling of reassurance. 

“Or what? You gonna throw dirt at us?”

“Daddy’s not here to save you, brat.”

Bumi swallowed. He would have been sick if he had eaten lunch. 

One of the bad guys had his knife. He reached to grab one of them, and Bumi used the last of his strength to move in front of him and puff out his chest. 

He still didn’t cry. 

The wall adjacent exploded in a shower of earth. 

The howling boom and hiss of all elements clashing were terrifying enough to bring more tears to Bumi’s eyes yet familiar enough to keep him from crying. 

Bumi threw himself over his little sister. Kya held him so tight it hurt. Dirt and rocks hit his back, and heat threatened to blister his skin even through his clothes. His Sissy screamed, and it sounded like she was calling for Mama.

He held Kya tight. He closed his eyes even tighter.

He didn’t open them even when Daddy, out of breath and smelling of ash and earth, slid to his knees before them and herded his whimpering, shivering children into the protective circle of his arms with soft coos and gentle assurances. 

Bumi knew it was him; he heard the smile in his voice. 

Daddy’s shadow swallowed them both like a too-big cloak. He patted them down from head to toe, muttering to himself between kisses to their faces and dozens of jumbled concerns before relaxing, a mountain leaving his shoulders as he sagged over them. He smiled like he might cry—Bumi felt it from where Daddy pressed his trembling lips against his cheek. 

Daddy rubbed their backs and kissed their foreheads as he gently, but urgently, pressed between their shoulders to encourage them to his chest. Bumi and Kya were too filled with panicked goo to move on their own, otherwise. 

Daddy crouched closer, as unmoving and safe as an iron shield but inviting like his smile would blind anyone who would do them harm. He curled deeper on his knees and bent around so he had to look up at them. He made himself small, like them, and he was smiling that smile that drove instinct to herd themselves into his arms. 

Bumi still hadn’t opened his eyes, though. He heard the smile in Daddy’s voice. It was safe. 

Bumi clutched his father’s robes, and he breathed again. Daddy was safe. His scent and his voice and his touch wrapped them in a bubble that unwound their grip on each other and massaged away the primal fear that had them flinching wherever he had first touched them. Now they leaned into him like they were trapped in a frozen shell and his hands were torches. Even the air around Daddy bled comfort into them; it was as potent as the sleepy-shots Mama used to help people feel better. 

Bumi and Kya latched onto him like they were built to be there, and Daddy cradled them like he was made to hold them. 

Bumi melted against his chest like he was sinking into warm water. Daddy’s arms were stronger than the ones that had hurt his Sissy. 

Daddy was bigger than the bad guys.

He was stronger and braver, too. 

He was their hero. 

Bumi fisted Daddy’s robes so tightly that his hands shook and his fingers tingle. Beside him, Kya shook even harder and hiccuped little sounds that made his chest hurt and his arms itch to hug her. 

Bumi still hadn’t opened his eyes. He didn’t want to open them and be in front of the bad guys again. He didn’t want to open them and suddenly be out of Daddy’s arms. 

He held his father tight. Daddy held him even tighter. 

Bumi didn’t open his eyes even when he smelled fresh air and heard the sounds of outside again. He tasted metal, sharp and cold, before he heard Auntie Toph. She was yelling so many no-no words that it made him cringe, and metal clanked as dozens of police-people ran by and around them.

Uncle Sokka yelled his relief and then an alert, and Mama’s voice was far away and then in his ear before Bumi took his next breath.  

Her warmth hit his back and wrapped around him in a force heavier and tighter than an iron net. Mama hugged Daddy and pressed Bumi and Kya between them so snugly that all Bumi knew in that moment was his Mama, his Daddy, his Sissy, and the warm-fuzzy feeling that bubbled under his skin and felt like home. 

He and Sissy grabbed tight handfuls of her dress. Mama grabbed them even tighter. 

Her soft coos and million kisses lassoed his heart and broke it tame. Daddy rubbed his back and scratched his beard on his neck as he kissed his hair, Mama’s face, and Kya’s hair over and over again.

Daddy was big enough to hug them all. His voice was soft, even for him. It wound around Bumi like a warm breeze on a cold day. 

Bumi kept his eyes closed. He tried to focus on Mama’s heartbeat. It was fast and light like Momo’s. Her face was wet when it pressed to his, and he tasted salt when he kissed her cheek on instinct. 

Mama’s arms were comforting. Daddy’s arms were safe. Bumi wanted to have both of them again, like when Mama first appeared. 

Kya whimpered. He got his wish.

He wished he hadn’t.

His Sissy was hurt.

Daddy’s arms were shaking when they held him again. His lap was warm as they rode Appa home.

Bumi’s eyes were still closed.

He only opened them when he tripped.

Mama tried to help him up, but Daddy lifted him to his feet before she could. 

Bumi looked up and wished he hadn’t.

Mama was sad.

She looked hurt.

Sissy was in her arms—she looked a bit better, but she held her arm close to her chest and bit the inside of her cheek.

She was hurt, too.

Daddy’s hand was on his back and between his shoulders when Bumi could hear again.

“Katara, take Kya home.”

Bumi flinched. He’d never heard Daddy talk like that. His voice was hard and flat and forced like a piece of measured timber sawed out of the corpse of an ancient tree. 

“Aang, sweetie, maybe right now isn’t—”

“Katara.” The hand on his back urged his shoulders to turn away from Mama. “Please. Take Kya home.” His voice lowered to something even more foreign. “I need to teach our son a lesson.”

His tone struck Bumi like a whip. Mama didn’t say anything. It was quiet for a while. Bumi wished he could see her, but he couldn’t think enough to even move his eyes off of the grass and setting sun that framed the ocean opposite the city. 

The soft crunches as Mama walked away made the silence even heavier. The hand on his back didn’t move until she was far beyond the courtyard. 

Bumi wished it wasn’t so quiet. His Daddy stood behind him, and the awareness of where he stood increased gravity ten-fold. 

His father ground his teeth so hard that Bumi heard it, and he exhaled a breath that burned the air and poured smoke over the back of Bumi’s tongue. 

The hand left his back. Daddy walked ahead of him. His shoulders were raised like a bristling tigerdillo, and waves of heat leaking from him and rolled over and into Bumi like thick licks of lava.

Daddy clenched his jaw and didn’t look at him.

The Avatar was mad.

“Bumi.”

His spoken name wound around him and tugged him along like a leash. The sky was pinker now, bordering on purple. Daddy’s face was bordering on red.

Bumi swallowed, but his throat wouldn’t move. The wind whipped around them and bent the tall grasses in an amber-green wave. It was cold. He hugged himself, wishing for his parents’ arms again. 

The wind blew harder as they neared the cliff. Bumi slowed down. He had to lean into the wind. He had to fight it. 

Daddy was unmovable even when a violent gust hit them. He didn’t even break his stride. Bumi had to crouch to keep from being blown over.

He looked up. Daddy was so much bigger than he was. 

Bumi’s chest rang hollow, and something cold blossomed from his stomach and crawled into his chest like creeping fingers of ice. It curled around his heart in an unforgiving fist. 

His limbs ached, filled with frozen webs. Even his breath came out cold from his closing airway. 

His Daddy was a hero. 

Bumi couldn’t protect his own Sissy.

“Bumi.”

Bumi flinched. He hugged himself tighter and walked towards his father, who was sitting facing the ocean with his arms and legs crossed.

Bumi swallowed. His throat burned. He crept around Daddy, passing through his shadow, to curl up beside him. The few inches between them yawned like a few oceans. 

He hugged his knees and tried to think he was bigger than he was, but he had to tilt his head all the way vertical to see his father. 

Daddy was tense like a loaded bow and drawn to his full sitting-height like he was ready to jump up into a fight. His arms were still crossed, but his face wasn’t bordering on red anymore. The sky had settled on a navy velvet, and Daddy’s eyes looked up instead of at him. 

But then he looked down.

And Bumi wished he hadn’t.

He wished his father would have kept looking at the sky.

He wished his father would have stayed angry at him.

Because the laughter and warmth in Daddy’s eyes were muted by something sad and caged behind something upset. A frown had moved in where his smile should be—where it always was.

The hot coal in Bumi’s throat made his eyes wet, and it threatened to sear a hole in his neck. 

“Bumi, I am very disappointed in you.”

His words were arrows, and Bumi hugged his legs so hard that the bony bits of his knees hurt his chest. 

“I know…”

“You could have been killed.” Daddy got louder, and his words bellied something like he was choking on a hot coal, too. “You deliberately disobeyed me. And what’s worse, you put Kya in danger.”

Bumi’s tummy flipped. The night had swallowed up the day, and his father’s shadow blended into the inky night that covered Bumi and all that he saw and knew.

“I—I-I wa’...w-wa’ ju’t—” Bumi’s lip trembled, and he wiped his eyes in hurried swipes, rushing to speak his defense before Daddy yelled at him. 

Daddy had never yelled before. 

But Daddy had never been this angry before.

Bumi wanted to wake up already so he could sneak into Mama’s bed and fall asleep in his parents’ arms.

The Daddy beside him curled over, just a bit, making himself smaller. He waited for Bumi to catch his breath and his words; though the searing heat of his stare burned his head, his shoulders, and everywhere else he looked. 

Bumi’s voice was little more than a gasp, a leak of air from a broken pipe. 

“I-I was just trying to be brave like you.”

Daddy uncrossed his arms. He looked down at him in every sense and meaning of the words. He was so much bigger than Bumi. His eyes looked down at him as distant and as powerful as the stars beyond him.

“I’m only brave when I have to be. Bumi...” Daddy sighed, and he suddenly looked like he had been beaten to within an inch of his life and slapped into manacles heavier than mountains. Bumi looked away. Daddy’s eyes were still upset and sad, and the gentle bass that leaked into his voice—the deep sound that cooed him after bad dreams and whispered their inside jokes behind Mama’s back—as he said his name nearly made Bumi break his warrior-vow to Uncle Sokka to never to cry unless he deserved to. “...Bumi, being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.”

Bumi looked up and couldn’t look away. Daddy’s eyes had locked onto his own and held him like a too-tight hug. 

Bumi couldn’t curl up anymore, either. His knees were bruising his chest. 

He wished so badly to crawl into his father’s arms. 

“B-But you’re not scared of anything.”

Daddy hesitated. Bumi didn’t notice that the wind had long since died until his father’s voice became quiet. It was hardly above a whisper. 

“...I was today.”

Bumi hesitated, too. He looked at his father, who had curled over a bit more and made himself a bit smaller. Their eyes were almost on the same level. The tension in Daddy’s shoulders unwound into an almost relaxed position, and Bumi would have thought they were just sitting there and talking like they always did if not for the lack of smile on Daddy’s face. 

“You...You were?”

Bumi’s voice cracked, and the small break of his words shattered the cage holding Daddy’s eyes prisoner. They were clear grey and rippled with a thousand unspoken words.

Bumi almost cried for him.

“Yes.” His father bent down some more. The hand Bumi hadn’t realized had been wrapping behind him gently curled around his shoulders. His father kissed his hair. He held there for a few seconds while he rubbed his arm. 

Bumi unwound and leaned into the touch on instinct; his father lifted him into his lap. He was small, but Daddy was big, and Bumi grinned and hugged his father’s light-y-blue-arrowed arms as they pulled him close to his chest. Daddy curled over him like he was trying to mold himself into armor around him. 

His warm voice was soft and small, like Bumi, and rumbled like smooth stones against Bumi’s back when he spoke. “...I thought I might lose you.”

“Oh…I’m...’M sorry, Daddy...” 

Bumi dared to glance at his father. Sunshine curled across Daddy’s face in a small grin that called Bumi’s lopsided one out to greet it. His Daddy smiled wider. Grey eyes softened to a wordless ‘I love you’. He touched his brow to his and held him even tighter.

Bumi’s squirmed like he was tickled. He fiddled with one of his father’s hands like it was taking the place of his habit of twisting his shirt. Their grins fed off of each other until they were both smiling stupidly. A giggle bubbled into Bumi’s next breath and shyly bled into his words. “I guess even Daddys get scared, huh?”

“Mhm.”

Bumi sank dramatically into his father’s robes and hugged tighter the arms that were curled around him like shields. “But ya know what?” he whispered, glancing about like he was hiding behind enemy lines.

Daddy looked around just as dramatically, matching Bumi’s theatrics step-for-step like he always did. (No one else ever did, and no one else ever could.) “What?” he whispered back.

“I bet those bad guys were even scared-er.”

His father laughed, and color came back to Bumi’s world. The night felt less like a shadow and more like a blanket, especially when Daddy pulled him closer and smiled like playing with Bumi would be the only thing that would ever matter. 

“That’s because nobody messes with your dad.” He laughed evilly. “C’mere, you.”

Daddy roughed his already roughed hair, but Bumi wiggled away. They were both on their feet, and the chase was on. His father’s laughter was loud and airy like happy thunder, and Bumi’s choppy giggles raced after him like sheets of rain. 

The cold night became so bright with his Daddy’s smile and so warm with his father’s hugs that Bumi thought he might cry without breaking his warrior-vow to Uncle Sokka. 

“Gotcha!”

And even though his Daddy was bigger—much bigger—Bumi somehow managed to catch him. He rolled him over with his little arms and sat on his shoulders like a lionbear over its kill.

They laughed some more. They laughed until it hurt to breathe, and they kept laughing until it ached to move their faces into anything but a smile. 

Bumi hugged his father’s neck and smiled like accidents could never happen. He forgot why he was ever upset. There was no reason to be upset—to ever be upset.

He had his Daddy. 

Bumi was small, but his Daddy was big.

And when Daddy was with him, Bumi didn’t feel small.

He felt big.

He felt bigger than the bad guys.

And besides, he had won! He had captured the Avatar and winded an airbender! 

He couldn’t wait to tell Mama and Kya and everyone else this story.

“Hey, Daddy?”

Daddy caught his breath, and Bumi could hear his smile. “Mhm?”

Bumi plopped his head on his father’s and hugged around his chin. His beard scratched his hands in a familiar way. “We’re pals, right?”

Gentle thunder rumbled beneath him. “Right.”

“And we’ll always be together, right?”

His father hesitated again. 

Daddy pushed up on his arms, making Bumi slide down his back. A gentle hand reached around and found the scruff of his coat, and Bumi, all-to-familiar with this maneuver of theirs, climbed around his father’s torso while Daddy sat cross-legged again. He curled his arms around his neck and tried to wind his legs around him even though they were too short to reach across his chest, let alone meet up behind his back. He was too small.

But Daddy held him close and held him up, all with one arm. His free hand rubbed his back with a few swirling scratches before hugging him close.

Bumi hugged him even closer. He pressed his face into his father’s neck and smiled into the robes that smelled like home and felt safer than a steel wall. Bumi heard his heart just like he’d heard Mama’s heartbeat earlier. Daddy’s was slower and harder, though. Like Appa’s. 

“Bumi, let me tell you something that Gya—that my father once told me.” He nudged his head up. They both looked up at the sky. “Look at the stars. The bravest heroes of the past—like Mama’s mama and Uncle Zuko’s uncle—look down on us from those stars.”

“Really?” Bumi shifted his weight and held on tighter.

“Yes.” 

Bumi looked at the shiny brave people. He liked the stars before. They were pretty. 

Now he loved them. They were safe.

And they were always there. 

They would always be there.

...But they were also so far away. 

“So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those brave heroes will always be there to guide you…” Daddy held him tighter and gently rocked them. 

Bumi’s eyes drooped. Daddy’s breaths were slow and strong and lifted him against his chest like the beats of large wings.

He smiled through his yawn.

Something sad moved into where the smile in Aang’s voice should be.

He kissed his son’s hair again.

“...and so will I.”

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Hope you enjoyed!:D

~~~~~EL FIN~~~~~

[thevictorianghost]

Bartok in this au could be that fire nation guy that ran that jail tharlt katara freed haru in. Or better yet that guy that told on haru.

Anastasia au: the person that the gaang needs to see before iroh could be toph. The Bei fong family could be big friends of the fire lords family. Helped iroh settle in ba sing se. Also Aang knowing toph and having super crush on her like in the movie. Aang having been the avatar of zuko's time ( in this au avatar could be just a title.).

Anastasia au: zuko finds out they lie to him ( and maybe katara to a certain point. Because I feel like she wouldn't be ok with lying to zuko and unless it's a save the world issue/ doing the right thing). Zuko doing the fire thing he did in chase to get them to leave him alone instead of the slap.

I like @canadianfangirl ‘s idea that Bartok could be the pirates’ iguana-parrot (yeah I had to Google that thing up because I totally forgot it existed lol). Or @harharj ‘s idea that a Jet obsessed with Zuko and Iroh in Ba Sing Se could be Bartok. But I like the idea of the iguana-parrot better, I think. Jet deserves better than that, I believe. 

Or maybe Bartok could be Momo? He’s cute, fuzzy, flies, and could literally switch sides (I think they made a direct-to-DVD Bartok sequel where he’s the good guy, so I guess he’s forgiven now? Who knows, lol)

Oh! I like Toph as Sophie. But I would probably split Sophie between Toph and Aunt Wu (I really like Aunt Wu, okay, she was a cool character). Toph and Aunt Wu could both fit Sophie’s scheming yet friendly side. And Aunt Wu seems to fit Sophie’s romantic side more, I believe. And I like the idea of not everyone in this AU being the Gaang. That’s what I love about the original, especially Sophie and Vlad. Older people portrayed in love is something that’s surprisingly lacking in kids’ movies. (And maybe there could be something between Iroh and Aunt Wu? I always liked the way he flirted with her in June’s episode.)

Now I’m getting feels about Zuko screaming “LEAVE!” because he’s been betrayed and... man, my poor baby :(

[amixiifish]

Heat- Chapter 27: Shovel Talk

Aang finally got some sleep after not sleeping for 3 days. He had talked to a flying bison and lemur and had apparently seen them fight with katanas.

Zuko and Katara have had it, finally reassuring him to go to bed.

But the day was finally here.

The day of the invasion.

Hakoda stood proud at the mainsail of the biggest ship and Sokka looked excited to see him. Jet looked pretty calm. Zuko did too (but was internally panicking.)

He was terrified that Hakoda wouldn’t like him. After all, if his father doesn't like him, why would Sokka’s?

Hakoda came off the ship and hugged Katara and Sokka. He then shook hands with Jet and Aang and gently hit Toph in the back.

He came over to him and his eyes hardened. “I would like to speak to you later,” he says, his eyes cold.

“Ok,” Zuko says, very sure that was a statement, not a question.

Katara looked concerned but shook it off.

“It’s nice to see all of you, but why these people, Sokka. Not all of them are fighter material,” Hakoda says, gesturing to the swamp guys.

“Death is an illusion. So are pants,” says Huu, scratching his stomach.

“Pants are an illusion. You know what, I’m not wasting brain cells on them,” Bato says, shaking his head.

They all settle down about to leave in a few short hours.

Hakoda pulls Zuko aside after Sokka tried to deliver his speech. It had failed and Zuko had wanted to comfort his alpha but Hakoda had stopped him.

“Is it true your father burnt you?” he asks.

Zuko blinks. This wasn’t what he was expecting. “Yes. He did.” “Why?”

“I spoke out of turn and…”

“No. That’s a cover. I don’t need Toph to know you’re lying. What really happened?”

“... my sister wanted me as her mate. I said no so she had me burned.”

“...”“I’m sorry, I don’t…”

“You’re in a relationship with my son and Jet.”

“How did you-?”

“Anyone with a nose can smell their claim on you.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“Why do you keep apologizing?”

“Force of habit, I guess,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Habit?”

“If you mess up, you get hit. Well, that’s what my father did.”

“He was wrong. You don’t deserve to be hit. You grew up wrong.”

“Why don't you hate me?” Zuko’s voice edges on desperation. “What?”

“My father hates me. So why should you, someone not even related to me like me? It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Hakoda looked shocked before pity lit up in his eyes.“Everyone deserves to be cared for. Even you, Zuko.”

“But-”

“No. I’ve learned something about you now. You’re abused. Hurt. Abandoned. But that doesn’t define you. You are strong, brave, and loving. And I’m happy to call you my future son-in-law,” Hakoda says, winking at the boy. 

Zuko flushes and stutters. Hakoda laughs. 

“Don’t worry. I don’t expect grandkids yet. But when they come, I want lots to spoil.”

If possible, Zuko turns even redder and seems to be unable to breathe. Bato laughs from behind the two. 

“Stop scaring the kid, Hakoda. Go on, kiddo. Your friends are waiting.”

Before Zuko can leave, Hakoda stops him and hands him a small box. Zuko looks confused but takes it. Bato seemed to be holding back laughter, which confused the Crown Prince even more, but he chose to ignore it.

He walks over to where the rest of the Gaang are waiting.

“What did he say? Was he mean? Do I need to shovel talk him?” Katara demands impatiently.

“No, it’s fine,” Zuko says. “A guardian bond? Those are rare,” Bato’s voice says from behind them.

Zuko blushes and looks away from the man.

“We just talked, not to worry. I said I wanted lots of grandkids to spoil,” Hakoda said. Katara nods, satisfied. 

“I’d be the cool aunt. And the only aunt. Azula can go suck a dick.”

Toph laughs. Sokka’s jaw dropped to the floor and Jet looked bewildered. Zuko buries his face in his hands.

“Also, Jet. Sokka. If you ever hurt this omega, I will make it my personal mission with the rest of everyone here to kill you slowly,” Hakoda says, dead serious.

“I’m your son! You can’t kill me!” Sokka says indignantly.

“The Boulder will smash tiny alphas!” the Earthbender says.

“Oh! I learned this killing thing where you rip out their spine and then use it to spear their lungs! It’s fascinating and…” Toph said and Katara and Hakoda were far too interested for it to be safe.

“What’s that in your hand?” Aang asks the flustered firebender. Zuko slowly opens the box but shuts it so loud and quickly it makes everyone look curiously at the box.

“Show us!” Haru urges.

“Yeah, come on!” Teo says.

Hakoda is smirking so wide, it’s threatening to split his face in two. The Duke grabs the box in spite of the squawk of surprise from the omega. 

He tosses it up to Pipsqueak to open. Pipsqueak laughter echoes as he holds up a pack of condoms and a small carton of birth control herbs.The entire area seems to laugh as Sokka and Jet try to defend the honor of their omega who was so red, fire looked fake next to him.

They all get on the boats, Katara and the swamp dwellers creating a smokescreen of water. As they approach the fire nation capital, bells ring and patrol boats race to the ship. 

“Everyone below deck!” Hakoda bellows across the ships.

“Let’s hope this invention of yours works,” Hakoda told Sokka. Sokka nods and follows his father below deck.

[paristexaz]

Suki headcanons for Post-Atla/Lok

All we know is that Suki and Sokka stayed together but they never had any children. I think perhaps infertility issues that strained their relationship but they stayed strong together.

Since Suki didn’t become a mother like her friends she is all of the gaang kids’ aunt. Aunt Suki is loved by everyone and all the kids rush to her arms and almost tackle her to the ground.

- She plays pranks with Bumi and they talk about being non-benders and she gives him motivational talks about how great it is being a nonbender and how unique he is because there’s only one person like him and that’s him.

- She has much girl talk with Izumi, Kya and Lin. Whenever the girls want advice on how to navigate teen life they go to Aunt Suki. They all can relate to her. Izumi needs advice on leadership (Suki was a leader from a young age and lead the Kyoshi Warriors), Kya needs advice and talk out her frustrations of being an only girl (I hc Suki was an orphan and had to take care of herself very early on) and Lin wants help with how to get a certain boy to notice her *cough* Tenzin *cough* and Suki knows a lot.

- She braids Suyin’s hair and babysits a lot for Toph when Toph is out in the line of duty.

- Suki and Sokka like to bake a lot together. Or its mostly Suki bakes and Sokka eats but she gets all of the kids to join in except for Tenzin. Tenzin would rather practice his airbending than ”waisting” his time and bake with Bumi and the girls. The kids make fun of him but Suki says there’s nothing wrong with Tenzin and its good that he has other interests but Suki always make sure to save some tea and pastry/desserts for Tenzin after his airbending practice. She comes out to him with a plate and tells him how proud she is of his hardwork and Tenzin might be a lot more shy or withdrawn and not as vocal as the other kids but he loves and respects Suki so much and they sit and talk about all the cool airbending tricks he has learned.

- Suki finds herself in the middle of the drama with all the kids and their parents. They want Suki on their side because Suki is the best and cool aunt.

- Lots of; Katara: Bumi, you need to get a haircut and a shower. Bumi: But Aunt Suki said... Katara: I DON’T CARE WHAT SUKI SAID GET IN THE SHOWER NOW! Izumi: Aunt Suki! Please tell my dad he is being a hothead. Suki: I don’t know what this is about but I trust her. Zuko, you’re being a hothead.

- All the kids save up and do something extraordinary for Suki on her birthday and on Mother’s Day.

Suki being the best aunt and a loved family member because that is what she is and she deserved better. She was an important figure in all of the Gaang kids’ lives and they all remember her fondly with lots of beloved memories (◡‿◡✿)

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Azula Week Day 6; Family

Everyone around Azula seems to be starting a family but Azula herself.

Until Sokka, no one had been able to drag Azula out from under and bring her back to a higher place. A safer place. A place where she felt confident, powerful, and cared for. Before Sokka no one had ever put her at a place where she felt loved.

She watched families grow and form; Zuko and Mai and their daughter Izumi. They had a happy family, Izumi was a spoiled little thing and had a pretty decent knack for bending. She wasn’t allowed anywhere near her aunt. There was Katara and Aang who had a family of three, Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin. There were more quips and fights over what kind of bending was the coolest, or if bending was even cool at all. Toph and Teo had two children named Lin and Suyin, this family was the roughest yet. Bickering was constant and far more serious. But the love was still apparent. Even TyLee had a family, she moved in with Suki after breaking things off with Sokka. They adopted a child named Iya.

Azula though, was still on her own. On her own and left to long for the one thing she never had. She never thought of herself as one who would fret over dying alone or not having a romantic partner. Yet she found herself dwelling on such for hours every day. She didn’t want to be alone, she didn’t want to be hated.

But she didn’t know how to fix things and had too much pride to try. She couldn’t imagine that a blush would look good on her nor could she see a stammer sounding good on her lips.

So she quietly watched as everyone around her grew their families out, as they bonded with their children, as they bonded with each other and pined over how cute their kids were. Azula didn’t know if she wanted children, pregnancy was another thing she couldn’t fathom suiting her very well. But she did want someone to spend her time with. There was no more war to occupy her mind, and frequent training was slowly losing its luster now that she had no practical way to put it to use.

She wouldn’t mind having someone to carry out mundane conversations with. It would be better than sitting alone in the palace gardens, doing nothing in particular. And way better than sitting in the palace gardens watching Zuko scoop Izumi into his arms and spin her around as she giggled.

A reminder of what she couldn’t have.

She didn’t notice a body drop down next to her until a familiar voice grumbled, “it’s kind of annoying isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“Everyone has a family and kids now, so no one has any time to do anything fun anymore.” Sokka threw his arms in the air. “I’m talking, epic life changing adventure kind of fun.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Azula muttered.

“Because you don’t have any kids yet.” He replied. “So you’re probably a lot funner than they are. At least I can talk to you without hearing ‘omg guess what Tenzin learned to say today!’ All they ever talk about is kids and babies.”

“You must be pretty desperate.” She rolled her eyes. “If you’re coming to me for conversation.”

“I am!”

It was probably the rudest thing anyone had ever said to her, but those two words gave life to something. Truth be told, she was desperate too. Desperate enough to return his conversation.

.oOo.

Desperation shifted into a strange sort of, almost uncomfortable, friendship. Sokka was dreadfully annoying, but he kept her entertained and drove the loneliness away. Somehow he took the brunt off of being one of the only people she knew to not have a family of her own. At least they would be alone together.

Eventually he was able to work her into his circle of friends. She still felt awkward and out of place for the longest time. They would talk to her, coexist with her, but there was always a hint of tension when she was around and the children were always shooed off.

A year or so further, their awkward friendship deepened into something almost domestic. Azula couldn’t place exactly when the mood had changed but she was bringing him expensive gifts--that he didn’t really deserve--and he was holding her hand. And then holding her.

She couldn’t place when nor how it had happened so it threw her guard completely off when he started asking her if she still felt down about not having a family of her own To a degree she did, but she was afraid to answer because she knew what he would ask next.

.oOo.

Even without answering Azula answering the first question he had managed to bring the conversation to the second. The second question where he got her to confess that she sort of did want a family of her own.

It was what lead her to where she was presently, taking Sokka’s hand in her own and holding it over her belly so that he could feel the baby kick. A thing that had begun only recently and was still throwing her off guard. Part of her wished that she had told him that she didn’t want a family of her own, that she was content now that Zuko started letting her care for Izumi when he and Mai needed a night to themselves. Because she was still convinced that motherhood wasn’t a good look for her. Though Sokka was beginning to take some of the insecurities away. He would carry her to her bedroom, tuck her hair behind her ear, and then whisper into it, pretty words about how she was gorgeous and how they were going to have a beautiful baby. To which she would say that, it would be if it took after her and not him. That earned her an eye roll every time as he kissed her good night and offered another possible name for the baby, that she thought was ridiculous. For it she was glad that they still had at least three months to decide on names.

And on what kind of family they would be.  

[girlonthelasttrain]

Random things from my impromptu book 3 and book 4 rewatch last night:

I forgot how good the fighting sequences are. I know literally nothing about the animation industry but they look so good and Studio Mir deserves all the praise. The fact that I, completely ignorant of how martial arts work, can tell how skilled benders have their own individual way (style?) of bending is amazing. wtf.

lmao I also forgot that ‘protecting Korra’ is pretty high on Lin Beifong’s priorities since she literally drops everything to do just that as soon as someone tells her that the Red Lotus is at large. ALSO EVERYONE TRIES TO PREVENT HER TO DO HER JOB THROUGHOUT BOOK 3 why are y’all like this

That said, Korra is unstoppable this season. She gives literally everything, she's enthusiast and hopeful and angry and I think she was really beginning to feel a little more comfortable in the role of avatar, despite everything, but then fucking Zaheer happened. Korra gets targeted once again for reasons that are completely outside her control and it’s not like she puts herself in danger to prove a point (like in Book 1). This time, there is no carelessness in her conduct, and while she never deserved anything of the terrible things she went through in B1 and B2, the B3 finale hurts more for this. Plus, as time passes, I realize how young she is in all this. She’s a teenager! While watching, I found myself not a little angry that Korra suffered so much throughout the series: it is a bit tone-deaf to put a bisexual woman of color through so many terrible experiences. The end of Book 4, at least, does something to ease my feelings, since it’s all about Korra becoming the most powerful being in the world and her healing process.

Suyin is infuriating, much more than what I remembered. Not only at first she’s all ‘yeah you’re the avatar but I’m sure you can stay here in Zaofu to teach my daughter airbending for however long it takes’ and keeps a truthseer close so she always know what’s going on in her city, this woman also takes betrayal in a very personal way. And since everyone who is close to her is ‘family’, and she’s the matriarch who oversees everything, a disagreement can only end in betrayal (see Kuvira a and Bataar Jr.). A fascinating character, but infuriating nonetheless

‘no wonder Tenzin left you’ honestly you can go to hell Su

I know Asami is a non-bender and all but I found myself wishing that she’d been in the action more, despite seeing her working with Korra throughout book 3. She’s a very quiet character, and with the expanded cast of Book 3 and 4, full of of flashier personalities, sometimes she seemed to take the back seat, so I kind of see now why some people were surprised at the way Book 4 ended (ie you gotta pay attention to her to understand her). But when Asami and Korra work together, oh boy. It’s beautiful. How people missed that is beyond me.

Kuvira is a rather mustache-twirling villain but I still buy that her motivation was trying to exercise control over the Earth Kingdom in way that she was never allowed to do over her own life (I don’t totally buy Su’s assertion that everyone in Zaofu can reach their full potential, since I believe that that potential must first and foremost agree with what she thinks) + Kuvira’s own way to interpret and expand Su’s rather opaque ideas on how to govern a city.

If the comics don’t confirm Kya as the lesbian aunt we deserve I will be severely disappointed.

LIN AND TOPH CALL EACH OTHER CHIEF I’d completely forgotten that. Why is this family like this.

I also managed to forget that Hiroshi Sato came back. I’m so sorry Asami

Eh, alright, I think it’s time for me to admit that Mako is a decent character and a pretty good person overall. I don’t have to compensate for the ship wars anymore (it also helps that I skipped the first two books). He’s cool, he had a very difficult childhood and turned out to be a hard-working, selfless man, with his heart in the right place. Plus, he tells everyone always how amazing the women in his life are.

Korrasami is canon guys. AND WE’RE GOING TO SEE THEM IN THE COMICS I’M SO HAPPY

There is more I could say but this is long enough