#good looking nerd brother sokka

[writermai05]

Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 1: A Burning Flame 

Summary: Y/n and Zuko ponder about a potential friendship. 

Pairing: zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated) 

A/N: And so the slow burn starts! I’m pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback on the prologue, and I’m hoping to keep pumping out these chapters for y'all (and for myself LOL). As always, I would love any feedback / constructive criticism to help me improve on the story. Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol. 

Warnings!: Mentions of Ozai (yes he deserves his own warning), Zuko’s scar, Talks of self loathing, and insecurities (give Zuko and Azula therapy fr!). 

Y/n moved in two weeks before classes started at the University of Ba Sing Se. 

She was looking forward to the change of scenery. It was a tough decision to leave Agna Qel’a, but it had to be done. She desperately needed a chance to live apart from her family for once. When she had gotten a spam email asking her to apply for a transfer, she jumped at the opportunity. When she was accepted, she was encouraged to apply for Shui, A scholarship program. 

Shui was a program for students of water tribe descent, regardless of where they were from. It would pair her up with an incoming first year student to mentor and guide through college. It was a pretty intense application process, writing essays, getting interviewed by university representatives and moving in early. The first week was rather uneventful, meeting all the first years and doing an assortment of different icebreaker activities in an attempt to find the perfect mentor-mentee match. 

But all of it was leading up to this big moment. She was about to learn who her mentee was. The program coordinator for Shui had given all the mentors and mentees a piece of paper with their person’s name on it. The atmosphere in the room was full of energy as  all of the students waited impatiently to learn who they would be paired with. 

“Alright everyone! On the count of three…” 

They began to countdown altogether. “Three…Two…One!”

Chaos broke out in the room with lots of cheers and laughter. Y/n opened her piece of paper. 

Katara

She had talked to Katara a lot the past week. Y/n liked Katara. She was sweet, and particularly snarky to her older brother, Sokka, who was also a mentor this year. Y/n also vaguely remembered a mention of her being a water-bender, just like herself.  Katara locked eyes with Y/n from across the room, and they quickly started to walk towards each other. 

“I’m so glad I got you! You were like, the number one person I had on my list!” Katara squealed with excitement and Y/n laughed at the younger girl's antics, bringing her in for a hug. The two rocked side to side, before Y/n released Katara from her grasp.

“Let’s go get lunch. My treat, obviously.” 

Katara let out a sigh, “You are amazing. This is going to be a fantastic year.” 

As the pair walked off campus and into the city, Y/n passed the tea shop she had visited a mere two days ago. The cashier, Zuko, she remembered, looked about her age. She had thought about him a lot. Like being drawn to a treasure chest, eager to uncover the secrets hidden within its lock. Did they attend the same university? What major had he chosen to study? Where exactly was he from? Is he a bender? Of course there was another part of her brain, the nosy part, that wondered, 

How did he get the scar on his face? 

She came back to the present once she realized she had stopped in her tracks, causing Katara to stop alongside her.

“Y/n? Are you alright?” Katara asked attentively. 

Y/n shrugged off her concerns, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m fine. Do you know any good Southern Water Tribe restaurants nearby?”

“Um, of course I do! This one restaurant has the best stewed sea prunes in Ba Sing Se!..”

While Katara rambled on about food, in the back of Y/n’s mind Zuko permeated her thoughts. He was like a burning flame the way that thoughts of him danced around her mind, filling it with visions of an all encompassing fire. 

She wanted to know him. 

~

On the days where the shop was closed, Zuko didn’t do much. He had no hobbies, no life outside of the Jasmine Dragon. He was very much aware of this fact, as Iroh constantly lectured him on it. The words replayed in his mind frequently. ‘You need to hangout with people your age, Zuko.’ 

He was actually starting to agree with his uncle on something. 

When he had moved in with his uncle as a 14 year old, hanging out with people his age was out of the question. With his bandaged face and newly shaved head, he knew that his peers would have ulterior motives for interacting with him. In return, he had reverted into exactly the kind of son his father had always wanted. Stuck up, authoritative, even cruel. It’s why he was ostracized in highschool. He recalled how his first year of university had completely gone up in flames, but then again, that was all his fault. Everything was always his fault. He was fortunate that Iroh was a thousand times more forgiving than his father. Iroh hadn’t so much as batted an eye when Zuko told him that he would need to restart his freshman year of college. 

Zuko realized he would need to try harder than that this year. He held out hope that his sophomore year would be different. 

Maybe Y/n could help with that. She seemed friendly enough when they met at the shop?

Zuko shook the thoughts from his head. ‘You don’t even know her!’ his head screamed. If he were more rational, he’d berate himself for being so invested in a girl he knew virtually nothing about. But he can’t seem to bring himself to actually think logically right now. The desire for connection burns in the pit of his stomach, and he can feel himself growing frustrated at his inability to just be cool for once in his life. 

The boy pushed the negative feelings away, taking a couple of deep breaths like his therapist had taught him. Zuko was determined to be better. To be good. And he knew exactly where to start. With the people he tormented for years. 

He knew he had to make amends with Aang and the others. 

[releasemefromthevoid]

MY ATLA LIVE ACTION S1E3 THOUGHTS

EP2 - EP4

This episode might simultaneously be the most and least conflicting to me. I largely enjoyed watching it, and a lot of my complaints are very nitpicky. That being said, if they move too many plot points around to write things out, they run the risk of the adaptation turning into something else entirely. 

If I, as a fan of the original, am able to understand why things are being changed, and where they’re going with those changes, then it is ultimately fine. So far I’m mostly able to understand the changes and where they might lead. This episode gets a little bit interesting in that aspect for me personally. (And it’s fine if people disagree!!)

The way they condensed the plot in episode two made sense, but I think this episode they were trying to weave a lot together, and I guess I can’t say yet if it worked out or not. To keep this section spoiler free, I won’t go into it, but I’ll def talk about this again once I’ve seen the whole show. 

Meanwhile, I’m still utterly perplexed by Zuko’s character. Like. He’s fine I guess. But they’re doing a few things with him here and there that I personally wouldn’t. I’ll reserve judgment until the end, I hope they can ultimately pull it together. 

In other news, as most of us know, because of her having been announced as being cast before the show was out, Azula is in this season. Her introduction and her involvement in book one is all original to this series, and so far I can’t find any fault with it. This actress is super believable as Azula, and because I’m enjoying her portrayal so much I just have to continue to hope that her insertion into book one’s events won’t interfere with the adaptation’s believability as Avatar the Last Airbender overall.

Spoilers and live reactions under the cut

resistance group in the fire nation? this is a new addition! interesting

“my mother and my brother” i wonder.

i definitely am not unhappy about the introduction of the idea that not all fire nation citizens are complicit in this war. it adds that extra bit of nuance early, so that’s pretty nice.

YOOOO AZULA

wait is that kevin tran supernatural? osric chau?? (not me exposing myself)

oh this azula actress is GOOD

it’ll be interesting to see how they handle integrating azula into season one

i am still liking the deeper connection with sokka and suki. he’s clearly still pining after her, even after leaving

another airbender?? unless they’re gonna pull something weird, that’s gotta be teo and the mechanist, right? weird to do that in omashu, but that would get rid of the northern air temple episode. let’s see how this plays out

okay, this thing about zuko being like “we are fire nation. even out here. especially out here”. that’s Good. i can get behind that.

his cabbages??? what about his cabbages???

who is this random cart guy? banking on haru, jet, or original character for the show.

CABBAGE MAN

IT’S TEO!!!! and the mechanic!! so we’re gonna see the hot air balloons early, and likely not see the northern air temple at all??

this guy looks exactly like how i would imagine the mechanist

will this even out to an early attack on omashu? is the mechanist still working for the fire nation even though he’s conceivably in a safer place??

sorry azula is Perfect

is she practicing with the yuyan archers? could be cool to give her some sort of weapon, if not out of character considering how much conventional weaponry is considered beneath firebenders in the modern fire nations

yayyy machine nerd sokka

okay now THIS is jet. which means that the mechanist could conceivably be innocent of conspiracy with the fire nation

thank god aang is using the glider. looks way too funky without the glider.

okay so jet was right. these are definitely firebenders. 

the freedom fighters!!!! pipsqueak!! smellerbee!!! longshot!!! THE DUKE!!!! 

absolutely wild that we’re doing azula’s introduction, bumi/omashu, the mechanist, and jet at the same time. like these plotlines are going to run into each other in some kinda way, like. far be it from me to say they can’t condense the arcs like this, but it is an odd choice.

so the theme of this episode is “if not us then who”

wait blasting jelly. is JET the one bombing omashu? that. would check out actually

“omashu, the best the earth kingdom has to offer”, no, in universe that would technically be ba sing se. what are you talking about zuko?

okay, jet’s causing the contention in the group that he needed to. that played out fairly well, actually. sokka vs. katara, aang seems somewhat impartial right now. serving the right purpose

oh the duke :( 

that was a quick turnaround. the blowup and reconciliation was a bit too close together i think

“i don’t need fire to defeat this boy”. i believe you zuko, but where are your dao? where are your swords zuko?

NOT THE LADY GOING “how dare you hit that child” AND SMACKING ZUKO ON THE HEAD!!! help me that’s so good!!! def the kind of thing that would happen to zuko. (zuko is very much also a child though, so check yourself lady lmao)

this is an appropriate amount of screentime for cabbage man

zuko and iroh are getting separated?? i feel like this isn’t going to end well for zuko’s character. though maybe because of the white lotus, bumi will let him leave.

oh that’s the end okay

liking: Sets, Azula, Ty Lee, the mechanist's character design

worried about: how they're ultimately gonna get across all the themes of all these different episodes

disliking: how short the jet conflict was between katara and sokka (let them stew on it a little!!)

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 131

Frontierland/Flesh and Stone

“Frontierland”

Plot Description: Sam and Dean are sent back in time to the Wild West so they can meet Samuel Colt and asking for his help in defeating Eve

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: I don’t think I’d find myself in 1860s Wyoming…much less in a shootout there

I literally cannot with this show sometimes. WE UNSANK AND RESANK THE TITANIC YESTERDAY. CAN WE LEAVE THE TIME TRAVEL TO THE LAST OF THE TIME LORDS PLEASE. Like…remember when, aside from the existence of monsters, this show had any roots in reality? It’s still fun as…well, hell is demonstrably NOT fun. But it is solidifying itself as the “put that guy in situations” show

Y’all are both some NERDS (affectionate). Geeking out about having access to Samuel Colt’s journal. Also the fact that Dean knows as much as he does about Star Trek????? Hello??

Is she (the angel Cas sent) wrong though?? Do they not only call Cas when they need something??? While he’s fighting a war in heaven??? I get they can’t exactly reciprocate helping him out but damn

Dean 🤝 Sokka: older brothers who enjoy three things: meat, sarcasm, and shopping. Dean just went on a whole spree for their 24 hour trip to 1860s Wyoming

Oh…this isn’t going at all how you planned. You were so excited to be in the old west, and then you get immediately made fun of

You could have been anyone. You could have been just yourself, but you had to go and be Clint Eastwood, didn’t you? And then made Sam Walker Texas Ranger, which is…wild to hear in 2023 from whenever this episode aired

Can’t tell if the guy the town hanged was the phoenix because he told the people physically close to him they’d all burn for this or if that was a blatant red herring

I was right. It was just foreshadowing. At the same time, the commitment this show has to making monsters look like just some guy…

Sam, Dean’s having a hard time with not fitting in here, let him have his “posse magnet” and “I love posse” jokes just got now

Aw not Rachel. I liked her…oh god, Cas. Noooo.

Dean’s the sheriff now??

Somehow, Sam was the right person to send to go get Samuel Colt, but in the weirdest way possible. Like, told him he was from 2011 and then handed over his iPhone or whatever as proof

Good thing Castiel came to with an hour left in the boys’ excursion

Excuse me?? What have you two been doing for almost a full hour?? There’s two minutes left, your conversation about how the only way to heal Castiel enough so he can go retrieve the boys was to touch Bobby’s soul only took a couple minutes.

There really are too many people ACTUALLY burning to death in the shows I watch. It’s not fair to me personally.

Love it when they do something for a whole episode and it’s seemingly for absolutely nothing

Ah yes. The classic surprise delivery from the past trope. The “this has been sitting around the post office for so long we thought it was a joke. It’s real??”

“Been On My Mind…”: No. 3?

"Flesh and Stone"

Plot Description: The Doctor and his friends are forced to escape through the forest vault after they are surrounded by the Weeping Angels.

The Doctor keeps telling them to not take their eyes of the Angels, and what do they keep on doing?? NOT LOOKING AT THE ANGELS

(I really need to stop waiting so long to watch this...because...it's just not good for my ability to pay attention, not that there's a lot to comment on yet. They're just running from the Angels)

...I don't remember why Amy keeps counting down...

Oh, Amy, if you think a forest on a spaceship is cool, wait til you see DINOSAURS on a spaceship

Fuck...the Angels are making Amy do the count down because its FUN for them. Goddamn.

I'd be acting so much more scared than Amy is in her position. She has to rely on everyone else to not blink while she's not allowed to open her eyes. She's been left by the Doctor again, and not even River can stay with her.

It's a beautiful shot, but it's also so sad...Amy, completely abandoned in the forest, not able to open her eyes, and the Angels trying to close in. Every time she tries to get someone to stay, they leave.

How did Eleven get the reputation of being the silly goofy Doctor?? The way he has scarily yelled in just about every episode so far…

The angels were scarier when we never saw them move.

Well that’s taken care of the angels and the wall crack……..for now

I do love the pandorica stuff…those are some really good episodes

“If you like” is probably the best response to “can I trust you?” I just really love River

I just…really don’t love that last scene between Amy and the Doctor 😐

[sparklyandhaunted]

Sokka just vibes with everyone and anyone

- - -

Except the hippies?

And Jet?

And magic!

[ladyelainehilfur]

girls, I really cannot stress enough that I am a Sokka apologist. Every joke he cracks: gold. Every plan he hatches: brilliant. Every moment he takes charge, grabs the bull by the horns and does exactly what he wants, how he wants:

I was having a conversation with a coworker about our favorite ATLA characters and he was like "my favorite character is Zuko because he has the best arc and he's really cool."

Okayyyy valid, that's all true. But one day, I'd like to meet someone who can see Sokka for being the number one best character in the series!!

THIS MAN. Look, I'm not blind to his flaws (of which are few and far between). Any time people turn to say "Sokka did this" or " Sokka used to be that", I just think: that's on the writers, not Sokka.

Sokka is comic relief but remembering him as only comic relief is doing yourself a huge disservice. He is the brain of the team: The de facto leader, the tactical captain, the heartbreaker, the weapons guy, the meat guy, the poet, the fashionista, the smithy, the planning nut, the Kyoshi warrior, the artist, inventor, and engineer.

He is not good at everything but the things he's good at, he excels at. Just because he can't bend doesn't make him a weak link in any sense of the phrase. I think it's more impressive that he held his own and readily faced benders when the reality is all he had was his boomerang and his brain. He went out of his way to improve himself, learning how to sword fight and master several martial arts.

"Zuko is better at--"

HUSH.

Sokka started from practically zero. The fact he's not as proficient in combat (as of the series) has nothing to do with his skill level.

His relationships with members of the group are so sweet. He's Aang's older brother, Toph's jokester in crime, and Zuko's best friend. They all love this guy, just as he is. Sokka would do anything for his friends, if the way he clung onto Toph in what they thought would be their last moment was any indication. A broken leg, no weapon, nothing, and he wouldn't let go.

I see any goofy lil nerd who is underestimated because he's not obviously badass and I go "HIM. That's my son." Because that's what Sokka deserves. His growth as a person from a sexist punk to a respectable warrior and leader, makes him the kind of character I ruthlessly defend.

I disregard fanfiction or videos that solely characterize him as the butt of all the jokes, or someone's boyfriend, or this poor piddly guy whose only strength is his ability to pull half the girls in the show.

No. Sokka has the spirit of a social butterfly. People want to be around him, because he's intelligent. He gets the job done, and is disarmingly charming while doing so. He's not James Bond but who likes that guy anyway? Sokka is the sort of individual that in-universe, would be the life of a party.

Sometimes, I wish he was able to waterbend or use double swords or utilize chi-blocking. Then maybe he'd get a little damn respect 😭

But since he can't do any of that (yet!!! [avatar studios better pull through!!!]), I'm going to like him as is. Sokka's great. That's all.

[sparkles-and-trash]

Sweet But No Brains, a Zukka Ficlet

Part 1 of The Inspiration Jar project, based on this request! 

”Fancy seeing you here.” ”I work here.”

”You’re really hot, it’s a shame you have that personality.”

”not sure if you could tell, but I’m not exactly a people person.”

- - - - - 

“Please be working, please be working, please be working...” 

Sokka muttered the little mantra under his breath as he pushed open the doors to the familiar Tea and Coffee House. 

Inside, the sound of people chattering, laughing, typing on laptops, and the clinking of cups and utensils fills the air, and Sokka exhales heavily, eyes scanning the register, looking for his favorite barista. 

Bingo. 

Zuko was standing there, in all his gloomy glory, his long, shaggy bangs covering most of the left side of his face as usual, wearing a plain black t-shirt under the signature red apron of The Jasmin Dragon, his fingers tapping the desk in an even rhythm. 

Sokka cleared his throat, gave himself a quick mental pep-talk, and walked up to the register, flashing his most genuine smile at the barista. 

“E’lo, Zuko.” 

Zuko glanced up at him, his face changing to an expression Sokka couldn't quite read for a second, before it went back to the normal stoic-ness. 

“Hello.” 

Sokka hadn’t really thought further than this, which turned out to be a mistake. 

“So, fancy seeing you here, dude,” he said with what he hoped was a charming smile. 

Zuko blinked a couple times, looking a little confused.

“Well, I... I do work here?” 

Sokka could have slapped himself. 

“Ehehe, you sure do!” 

Idiot, idiot, idiot. 

“So... the usual?” Zuko asked, looking slightly amused. 

Sokka just nodded, still absolutely mortified. 

“To go, please.” 

- - - - - - 

A couple of days later, Zuko was putting on his apron in the back of The Jasmin Dragon, getting ready for a nightshift he was already running late for.

“Hey.” 

Zuko nearly jumped out of his skin, and spun around to be faced with Mai, one of his best friends, and his younger sister’s girlfriend. 

“You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that, you know,” Zuko grumbled, and Mai just shrugged. 

“The guy you’re obsessed with is here,” she stated, instead of apologizing. 

“I’m not obsessed with anyone,” Zuko said, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. 

Stupid face, and stupid blush, and stupid Mai. 

“I’ve seen you try to hold a normal conversation with him,” Mai said with the tiniest of smirks. 

“It’s a grim sight.” 

Zuko rolled his eyes. 

“That doesn’t prove anything,” he said, as he finished tying the apron behind his back. 

“I’m not sure if you could tell, but I’m not exactly a people person.”

Mai huffed. 

“Really, I hadn’t noticed that after a solid 20 years of friendship,” she said flatly, and Zuko flipped her off. 

“I’d consider getting out to the register soon if I were you,” she continued. 

“Because not being a people person kind of runs in your family, and Azula is out there talking to your Malibu Ken doll man as we speak.” 

“What?!” Zuko wheezed, a cold panic spreading through his body. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” he mumbled, moving past Mai, before looking over his shoulder, giving her a glare.

“And don’t call him that, ever again please. Ken is blond, and creepy. Sokka is neither.” 

Mai smirked.

“Sure, Z,” she said, and Zuko disappeared out into the tea shop.

“Sure.” 

Zuko’s heart was beating so loud he could feel it in his ears, and he swore he felt his blood freeze when he saw Sokka leaning on the counter, seemingly in a engaging conversation with his sister. 

“To be fair,” he heard his sister’s calm and calculated voice state, “you are subjectively very attractive.” 

Oh fucking hell, Azula. 

Sokka looked both startled and pleased at the same time, and it was adorable. 

Azula tutted. 

“Which is why it’s a shame you have that personality.”

Okay, no, no, no, no. 

“Ok-ay, thank you Azula!” Zuko exclaimed loudly, startling Sokka a bit, and making Azula turn to face him, calmly. 

“Hello, brother. You’re welcome for recovering your shift while you were busy being a hopeless nerd.” 

Zuko huffed. 

“I was studying. For college,” he said, more to Sokka than Azula. 

“I just lost track of time for a bit.” 

Azula rolled her eyes. 

“And it sure is not at all nerdy to love Shakespeare so much you loose track of time, reading Hamlet for the thousandth time.” 

Sokka was standing quietly on the other side of the counter, moving his head back and forth between them like he was watching a tennis match. 

“Your girlfriend is waiting for you,” Zuko said, avoiding the Hamlet remark. 

It was a bit too true for him to have a good comeback. 

“Oh, well,” Azula said, suddenly in more of a hurry. 

“Bye, then, bother dear,” she gave Zuko a quick nod of acknowledge and then looked at Sokka. 

“Good bye, Sweet But No Brain,” she said with a smirk, and then she was gone. 

Sokka spluttered for a second, before looking at Zuko with a pout. 

“I have brains!” he said, and Zuko just nodded dumbly. 

“I’m an engineer major, I swear!” 

“I belive you,” Zuko said quietly, slowly starting prepping all the machines Azula had ignored. 

Luckily the Tea Shop was quiet besides Sokka and a few people either reading or wiring, already drinking their beverages. 

Zuko cleared his throat a little, and Sokka looked at him quizzically. 

“So... the usual?” he asked, and Sokka nodded. 

“Not to go,” Sokka said, and Zuko nodded. 

When he was done making Sokka’s order, he walked over to where Sokka was sitting on a stool by the counter, and stood awkwardly for a second, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I don’t think you have a bad personality, by the way,” he said quickly, trying not to blush to death. 

Sokka blinked up at him, a small smile on his face. 

“No?” 

“Azula probably didn’t mean it, either,” Zuko added quickly.

“Or, she probably did, but that’s sort of her way of showing that she accepts you?” 

Sokka looked a little confused, but also a little pleased. 

Zuko just nodded awkwardly, and then walked back to the other side of the counter, continuing to prep machines and sort teas and coffees. 

“So, Lit major, I guess?” Sokka asked. 

Zuko smiled a little to himself before he answered. 

He would rather die than admit it, but Azula had somehow managed to get them talking normally for the first time in... well, ever. 

He wondered briefly if that had been her plan the whole time, but decided not to dwell on it. 

He had more interesting things to do tonight. 

- - - - -

requests for the inspiration jar is open ~

[bisexuallsokka]

UR TAGS ON AZULA SOKKA FRIENDSHIP POST :SOB: i cackled during class and got called out. said i remembered something funny BUT ALKSDFS;

HAHAHA YOURE WELCOME

i cant stop thinking about it though

sokka and azula being Those Smart Kids that were constantly getting the best grades and having permanent spots on the honor roll. people always wanted to be in their groups for projects and everything

and azula REALLY wants to do better than sokka at the science fair. his strength has always been science and hers math, but this time she really wants to be the science star

she realistically doesn’t have a shot at actually coming up with something better than whatever sokka is going to do. so she just needs sokka to do worse than normal

enter: her nerd of a brother. azula has connections. she knows for a fact that they share a literature class together and that sokka makes heart eyes at zuko the entire time

so all she has to do is make zuko distracting enough that sokka loses focus on the science fair

it’s easier than she expected: zuko doesn’t know what she’s up to but when he realizes she’s trying to be a wingman for him and his crush he doesn’t question her motives for once

and sokka? oh sokka. he doesn’t say no when zuko, in a sudden display of bravery, asks to study together for their literature class. sokka hates writing essays and he can’t focus when it comes to reading books and also zuko is really, really cute so of course he agrees. and if azula keeps giving her brother free movie tickets on the weekends and offering to buy them all pizza when sokka is about to go home after a study session so they have excuses to be with each other for more time, well, she’s just being a good sister

(no seriously. she initially was definitely trying to sabotage sokka’s science fair project but after seeing those two together she realizes what she has started and they still haven’t kissed and damn it if she doesn’t want them to get their shit together. so she is actually doing it out of love at this point)

sokka and zuko are now spending every day together, and as a result sokka and azula see each other more often, and their passing snarky remarks turn into genuine conversations about colleges they’re looking at and so on

so when the science fair comes along, and sokka’s project is admittedly the best in the school, azula isn’t even mad about it. she knows sokka deserves it. she catches zuko giving sokka a congratulatory kiss at the end of the night.

[bigfan-fanfic]

I’m curious. Of all the men you write for, which one, or ones, would you most want to be with in real life?

Oof, that's a good one! Okay, while I find most of the guys I write for hot, here's the ones on my dateable irl list. If I missed anyone, y'all can ask and I'll rate! ;)

I've bolded and colored in the 10/10s because it's a long list and you might wanna just cut to the chase

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars) - jk, I can't deal with the Jedi and their hypocrisy. But damnnnnn Ewan McGregor is FINE and Obi-Wan is such a charmer. - N/A

Benny Lafitte (Supernatural) - Hot buff vampire with a killer smile? Would protect me through anything? Not unhealthily codependent with his brother? Yes please. - 6/10 Would Date

Professor Kukui (Pokemon) - Yes please. Happy-go-lucky scientist who moonlights as a wrestler and has the body too? Yay. -9/10 Would Date - gotta dock him for being happily married. Damn. - N/A.

Link (The Legend of Zelda) - My first fictional husband. Yes to the sense of humor, the protectiveness, the love! Although a little bit quiet, poor lad. - 7/10 Would Date

Prince Sidon (The Legend of Zelda) - Look, I'm no monsterfucker, but Prince Sidon believes in me. You think I'm not gonna fall for that kind of validation??? - 10/10 Would Date.

Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games) - Yay for cute soft baker man. I love him and want to protecc. But trauma plus his huge torch for Katniss is gonna make it tough. - 6/10 would date.

Markus (Detroit Become Human) - Handsome and just utterly noble and awesome. Parkouring genius and artist while being just unbelievably rational and emotional all at once. I love him. This android has stolen my heart. - 10/10 Would Date

Hank Anderson - Just kidding. Trying to see if y'all were paying attention

Nathan Drake (Uncharted) - Snarky adventure husband gets all the support for me. Just come home alive, ready for snuggles, and bring home the treasure bacon! Love you, babe. - 9/10 Would Date

Soren (The Dragon Prince) - I love this man. I love his relationship with his sister. I love his nobility and honor even when it's hard. I even love his terrible poetry. most of all, I feel you, man. I want a bread sandwich too. That dad, though. Ugh. - 7/10 Would Date

Gren (The Dragon Prince) - Yayyyyy. Gren, my positive pumpkin man. I love your freckles and cheer and the way you know sign language. Protect me and give kisses! - 9/10 Would Date

Chrom (Fire Emblem) - Adorkable prince of Ylisse, why wouldn't you let my male Robin romance you? You've got a cute personality, you're sweet and clumsy, and you've got that one arm all bared for flexin'! Yum. Pack that up and give me two! - 8/10 Would Date

Odin/Owain (Fire Emblem) - This drama queen is a storyteller and a bisexual mess if I ever saw one, and I am HERE for it. I will pretend with you all day, Odin. Teach me magic and tell me of your undying love for me in as flowery language as you want! - 9/10 Would Date

Alistair Theirin (Dragon Age) - Best man in Thedas right here. I love him. I love his dorkiness. I love that he's not afraid to admit he'd rather someone else lead. I love how he's so young but not afraid to take up a cause he believes in. Total king. Will marry. - 10/10 Would Date

Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson) - Those of you who know me might think Percy's too much of a goofball and a dope. Well, you're wrong. I love Percy and I will gladly be his escape from all things mythological while also knowing enough about Greek myth to help him out - 7.5/10 Would Date

Jason Grace (Percy Jackson) - Okay, bud. Jason can be a little bland, I admit. But I still love him for his perseverance and dedication to his friends. I'd love to get to know him better. - 7/10 Would Date

Sokka (ATLA) - Okay, he grew on me after a while and now I love. Let's talk strategy, Sokka. Let me laugh at your horrible jokes - 6/10 Would Date

Haru (ATLA) - I hate the mustache but I love the man behind it - 7/10 Would Date

Hakoda (ATLA) - Mmmm. Sokka and Katara's dad was a SNACK. - 8/10 Would Date

Bolin (LOK) - This himbo was a cutie and I'm lying if I ever say I didn't enjoy seeing him in the Nuktuk costume. Or ripping his sleeves off. Or kidnapped by the Equalists. Just yay, Bolin, and as a bonus, Pabu! - 10/10 Would Date

Tonraq (LOK) - If Hakoda was a snack, Tonraq is a full course meal - look at the size of the man. MMMMM I love him. Waterbender and all around HUNK. And so caring! - 10/10 Would Date and I'm not even gonna dock him for being happily married to Korra's mom

Thor (Marvel) - Chris Hemsworth with long hair and ultimate himbo personality. Nuff said. 10/10 Would Date

Peter Parker (Marvel) - I love this nerd. 10/10 Would... not date because the people Peter Parker dates have a curious trend of dying horribly. Looking at you Gwen Stacy. I like my neck the way it is, so... sorry, Pete.

Pietro Maximoff (Marvel) - We didn't get enough time with this speedy snack. I like his charm and confidence and care for his sister. I wish he'd have at least gotten a real shirtless scene before he died. 8/10 Would Resurrect and Date

Bucky Barnes (Marvel) - Much like Peeta, the trauma is gonna be hard to help with, but I'm willing to make it work. 6.5/10 Would Date

Dick Grayson (DC) - Yes please. Positive, outgoing, friendly, but above all deeply caring and sweet. He's acrobatic and fun, but I feel like he'd love to just relax at home. - 9/10 Would Date

Barry Allen (DC) - Ball of sunshine in nerdy human form. I don't know what more anyone would want in a boyfriend. - 8/10 Would Date

Kyle Rayner (DC) - Admittedly, I don't know all that much about Kyle. But he seems chill and cool and way better than all the other Green Lanterns besides Alan Scott because initially he wasn't affiliated with the Corps so he wasn't a Space Cop. - 7/10 Would Date

Clark Kent (DC) - He's just.... super. And sweet. Yay. 10/10 Would Date

[mccall-me-maurice]

A new list of headcanons for the updated AU

Lotf headcanons

Jack:

Jack is Ralph’s academic rival and also head of the debate team. He spends the weekends at his father’s business, learning how to run the company. On the Saturday nights, he goes to an underground club in a fight ring thing. Nobody knows he does it, even though Ralph also spends time there.

Jack is dyslexic and has minor and manageable OCD, denying using extra help for his dyslexia in classes.

Comes from a wealthy family with 6 siblings, his father divorcing his mother and marrying his step-mother who he pushes away because he’s angsty and shes “not his real mother.”

Loves 80s music so much, he’s a nerd for it.

Sings in the shower/bathroom like into a hairbrush in front of the mirror in his little towel like a nerd but he’s actually really good at singing.

Wears his uniform extremely sharply and very crisp like why so much effort.

He has hearing loss due to an accident in his childhood and he’s fluent in ASL, but doesn’t wear his hearing aids almost ever.

Ralph:

Ralph is fluent in violin, he’s actually really good at playing, he was also an ocean lifeguard and saved Jack’s life when he got caught in a current.

He wears thick framed glasses to read and has really swoopy handwriting thats illegible because it’s like messy calligraphy.

Ralph dives as a hobby and is so good at it, like scary good at diving perfectly.

He has beauty marks on his face that he lets people trace sometimes, ink usually adorning his cheeks.

Very French, extremely French. Fluent in the language.

Draws on his hands with different coloured pens and the designs are always so intricate like a mandala colouring book.

Also draws on the cuffs of his jeans and the rubber edge of his sneakers all the time.

Blushes very easily, will go red in a matter of seconds flat either when he’s flustered, embarrassed or angry.

Brothers with Robert.

Simon:

Spends all of his out of school time in his mother’s flower shop and can recite the meaning of most flowers if you ask him. His fingers are all bandaged up because of how much he cuts himself with knives when he’s removing stems or clippers.

He has epilepsy and faints frequently.

Is a fan of older musicals, like Grease, Dirty Dancing and Hairspray and makes the choir watch them with him.

Rarely spends time indoors, Simon is usually out biking around the neighbourhood or walking around with his friends from school.

Will paint rocks and gift them to people when he thinks they’re upset. Also does face painting at the school carnivals, because he never minds being alone in a booth when there is nobody there.

Speaks softly and is usually ignored in favour of people with louder opinions, but he’s usually right.

Roger:

His biological family died in a house accident, the only thing surviving being him and his cat Nastya, who he loves more than anything. Because of his parents death, he taught himself the rest of the Russian language, which they were already teaching him along with English. However, his heritage is East Asian and Russian.

He pierced his lip by himself, and even though it turned out fine, he got his ears done professionally.

Not very affectionate and will push people away, distancing himself because he doesn’t like the idea of anyone being close to him and get under his skin.

Dyed the back part of his hair on a whim and just liked it enough to keep it as a style.

Spends nights at Simon’s place instead of his own, finding more comfort in Simon’s house.

Sam:

Comes from a German family, but knows German, Italian and English.

He hates birthdays because he doesn’t understand why they are so important.

Hates social interactions and actively avoids them with a passion. He gets extremely nervous and just leaves abruptly when he gets too overwhelmed.

Younger than Eric by 6 minutes, which he routinely gets teased for.

Into super cheesy romantic movies because he loves the idea of a happy ending despite not having one himself.

Messes with his hair when he’s anxious, so it’s constantly messy and mussed.

Mega nail biter when he’s nervous.

Cousins with Jack.

Maurice:

Heavily touch reliant and when his friends don’t show him physical affection, he assumes the worst and gets very upset.

Heavily Italian, like so fucking Italian. His family hardly speaks English and he learned most of his from school.

Very passionate about science despite most people thinking he’s an idiot. He has some of the highest marks in his class.

Messes with things when he’s talking or uses hand gestures. Like if there’s a pen, he’s clicking it because it helps him concentrate.

Maurice has like a billion flannels and hoodies he just cycles through and it looks like he doesn’t change but no, it’s just that he owns a gazillion grey hoodies

His older sister when to an Ivy League school, so he owns a lot of stuff from it that he wears like sweaters or ball caps.

Eric:

Very sarcastic. his entire sense of humour is him bathing in his own sarcasm. It’s actually pretty well timed and kind of funny how he’s able to deadpan his jokes.

Very easily picks up on languages. He’s fluent or close to fluent in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese and partly fluent in Korean.

Really enjoys computer science and plans on doing it for a living. He stays up late at night to work and sleeps until like midday.

Doesn’t acknowledge other people’s emotions very often because he doesn’t realise when he’s gone too far, but still feels bad for others when they’re hurt.

Jack’s favourite cousin because they’re cynical buddies. Jack is overly protective of him even though Eric is perfectly capable.

Robert:

Brothers with Ralph and is very protective over him. Has absolutely slandered choir members before for hating on Ralph.

Shares a dad with Ralph but has a different mom, who he visits over the summer and sometimes during the holidays. That’s where he gets his Spanish roots from, which is a language he’s fluent in. He has 7 siblings on that side of his family.

Adores burnt popcorn and burnt anything. If he can burn it, he will.

Works as a mechanic in his free time and built the car he shares with Ralph.

Sci-Fi nerd, specifically Star Wars. He loves the movies and watches them like every day.

Extremely talented artist, Robert sketches anytime he has a pencil and paper.

Peter:

Was bullied in the past but doesn’t let the words bother him anymore. It mostly stopped around high school.

Works with his auntie in the sweet shop and brings his friends food for them to taste test.

Used to be a boy scout, so he can tie any knot you want him to, it’s really a gift.

Gets very cold very easily, especially his fingertips. He usually has a pair of gloves on him for when it gets really bad.

A Mathlete for most of his time in high school, obviously is extremely intelligent.

Double knots his shoelaces so they’re extra secure.

Bill:

Swedish, and really enjoys his own culture. He will spend HOURS rambling about it and how much he loves it.

Watches Avatar the Last Airbender and has the biggest crushes on Sokka and Zuko.

Also is a sucker for people who wear glasses, he really loves them.

Works at the library despite not liking books, he finds comfort in shelving them and the order they go in.

Puts little umbrellas in every single drink he has, it doesn’t matter what it is.

Writes notes to himself on sticky notes because his memory is horrible.

Sets at least 5 alarms because 1 will not wake him up by itself.

Harold:

Can speak limited Spanish due to his schooling.

Likes singing, but never really got into it like some choir members because he has stage fright.

Powerful speaker when he wants to be, but is usually too nervous to say anything.

Has no idea how to tie a tie, so he lets other people do it for him.

Sometimes take sarcastic comments seriously and ends up confused.

A really good actor and loves the performing arts.

Has extremely clear skin, he never gets any blemishes.

Wilfred:

Dyed his hair because his naturally brown hair reminds him too much of his father, who he hates.

Has 4 tattoos in total, the 4 card suits on his cheek, a half sleeve of roses, a bow and olive branch on his inner forearm, and the solar system on his outer forearm.

Very flirtatious to people he doesn’t really like but gets nervous around those he does.

Hold grudges really well.

Has shockingly neat handwriting.

Has a pretty horrible home life but he never talks about it to anyone because he doesn’t want to be perceived as weak or incapable.

Colours with only crayons.

Percival:

Cries easily, as he’s very emotionally driven and is typically teased for being a crybaby or told to “toughen up.”

Absolutely has the worst sleep schedule ever, he gets 3 hours and calls it a win.

Can’t sleep without a nightlight on in his room.

Enjoys writing things down in this notebook instead of on his phone because he likes the feeling of physically using pen and paper.

Sends letters to people all the time instead of messaging.

Good at sewing, he makes his own Halloween costume every year by himself.

Hates horror movies because he’s spooked easily.

Max:

Lived through a house fire when he was younger, so he has burn scars all over his arms.

Is afraid of cooking due to the fire and will go without eating if he has to touch the stove to make food.

Laid back most of the time, but can reach a snapping point in which the emotion is amplified. (like sadness or anger)

Loves swimming, it doesn’t matter where he does it, he just loves to swim.

Is very time sensitive and has to get places early or directly on time or else he gets anxious.

A very fast reader, typically long books take him 2-3 days to get through.

Johnny:

Worries a lot, he usually sees the worst in every single situation.

Is a trans male (Ftm) and was accepted by his entire family when he came out.

Owns a St. Bernard named Dolly who is the sweetest dog ever.

Spends a lot of time outdoors, he still plays as if he is a child.

Also enjoys the snow a lot because he’s fond of building snowmen with the kids on his street.

Has very sensitive skin and eczema, which he doesn’t like to talk about or show anyone because it makes him feel insecure.

Oddly good at playing guitar, he just picks up on chords with ease.

Walter:

Good at playing the drums and annoys his entire family with it.

Uses a skateboard as his main method of transportation around places.

On the basketball team, as his older brother taught him to play when they were both younger.

Hates roller skating despite being very good at most things on wheels. He can never find his balance.

Shockingly good at Math, especially statistics and calculus. He’s in all advanced math courses.

Has a very weird snake addiction and he desperately wants to buy one.

Henry:

Aromantic Asexual who is best friends with Harold and Wilfred.

Mainly makes snippy remarks because his humour falls into the sarcasm umbrella.

Adores comic books and superheroes, specifically Marvel ones because he’s a fan of Dare Devil.

Plays baseball in his free time but hasn’t joined a team, he just plays with the boys in his neighbourhood.

Addicted to the High School Musical movies.

Good at painting people’s nails and will do it for them if they ask.

Has really fluffy hair that he lets people touch and play with.

[ultranos]

Give me a character and I will answer: Azula

I am absolutely unsurprised, given my recent hyperfixation.

This got...long, so stuff under the cut.

Why I like them

Because beyond my fondness for feral genius girl-children characters and characters associated with lightning, and how I’m drawn to characters who are morally grey (to me, Azula is, in DnD terms, Lawful Neutral, which is fascinating and probably also why a lot of people have a hard time with her), I’ve realized that there are a lot of similarities between myself and Azula. I’ve joked that Azula is just another millennial with gifted-child syndrome and hypercompetative parent, and just like the rest of us, she ended up with a mental breakdown before her 25th birthday. But there’s a bit more to it than that.

Because I know exactly what it feels like to be seen only for your abilities and how they can be used to make the adults who are supposed to give a shit about you look good. I know exactly what it feels like to craft your identity around your abilities, because those are the things that you’ve been told determine your worth. I know exactly what it feels like to have people you grew up with and you thought were friends stab you in the back. And I know exactly what it means to decide to be an asshole in order to protect yourself, because when you let down your walls, someone you called a friend stabbed right in that carefully hidden weak point and sent you spiraling in a panic attack and self-destructive behaviors.

Because I was 14 when I escaped that. And I didn’t realize what had actually happened to me until I was 22 and a therapist was looking at me with absolute horror as I recounted my K-8 years.

I like Azula because I very clearly see a person I could have been, if my parents hadn’t given a shit. If my mother wasn’t determined to take all the things that had hurt her as a child and do the opposite for my brother and I. If my father wasn’t hellbent on giving us all the support he could, because he’d lost his mother as a child and was forced to grow up faster.

Why I don’t

Because it’s sometimes really difficult to see a character who is so close to a “there but for the grace of god go I”. Which is a slightly distressing phrase to use considering its association with the Bridge of Sighs.

Look, my brain is a fuckin’ weird place.

I guess there’s that “direct IV to the propaganda juice leading to jingoism and imperialism” thing. But kinda mitigated by the fact she’s sheltered and her brain literally hasn’t fully-developed the areas for decision-making yet. (Fun fact: that part’s done around age 25. Kid is 14.)

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

I actually really like her entire Ba Sing Se takeover arc. I can very much appreciate a girl who uses the fact that she is a teenage girl to make people underestimate her, and then perform a feat of tactical importance that not even the best general could do...with zero casualties and only using her words.

Favorite season/movie

I mean, I guess overall it’s s3, since it digs into her character more.

Favorite line

Tie between “Do the tides command this ship?” and “You weren’t even a player.”

Spending a few years as a woman in male-dominated fields gives you a new appreciation for the sheer style points and lack-of-fucks to deliver those lines.

Favorite outfit

I actually like her s2 “default”.

OTP

I’m...not really much of a shipper. I read her as queer, so there’s that. But I’m meh on Ty Lee/Azula overall and that seems to be the biggest one.

In an AU, I will totally admit her with one of the Gaang has potential for comedic gold. And Katara and her could take over the world in a week, and the world would thank them. (Katara would make them give it back immediately)

Brotp

...I honestly would have loved to see Azula and Sokka as ridiculous nerd bros.

Head Canon

I headcanon that she’s not that great at art, with the one exception of sumi-e style ink watercolors. Because it’s an artform that requires absolute precision and perfection, and so would let her channel those tendencies in a much healthier way.

The other one is that she doesn’t hate tea, but she dislikes the ones Iroh makes her. He goes for the jasmine and ginsing, much more floral and delicate. Azula prefers the stronger flavors, such as lapsang souchong (tastes like campfire)  or other Wuyi tea (I expect her to be the kind of Extra that really likes rougui tea, with it’s 7 goddamn steepings).

Unpopular opinion

I generally am a little lax on the entire “war crimes” thing people bring up. Partially because all the characters are guilty of war crimes, because it’s a plot about a war. And if you’re going to apply modern definitions from the Geneva Convention to it, then you better also apply the rules laid out in the Additional Protocols and the Rights of the Child that it’s a war crime for children under the age of 15 to be used in armed conflict in the first place. And that it’s an entire...Thing that female child soldiers are treated worse and have a harder time with rehabilitation and reintegration. It’s also very much a Thing that orgs dedicated to former child-solder welfare are adamant that retributive justice is just about the worst possible track to take.

Also, I have a very hard time taking the “it was her idea to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground” seriously, because a) why is the 14 year old child dictating military policy instead of any of the adults at the table, and b) when I was that age, I literally uttered “the beatings will continue until morale improves” during a group project.

(Also I envy you if you have never wished to light something on fire while sitting in a meeting as the only woman/girl in a room full of men all old enough to be your father.)

A wish

Someone give this child a hug and therapy. Possibly in the reverse order. Just...let her find a way to be happy without anyone forcing her into a mold.

My galaxy-brain level post-redemption and post-therapy ending? Azula decides she needs to know what the fuck happened with her brain, throws all her stubborn cleverness into that, and the next thing Zuko knows, his sister has the equivalent of a doctorate and actual medical license for psychiatry.

She then demands to treat his goddamn PTSD.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

Making her a puppet/tool for yet more older men, for fuck’s sake. Yes, I’m aware of some things in the comics. I haven’t read them. It’s damaging. (Yes, thank you for informing me that the Asian-coded female character who forced herself into using her talents for her father’s desires to the point of self-destruction has no future but to always be vilified and used as a prop by her male relatives. I’m sure this has no implications for the real world.)

5 words to best describe them

...”feral genius asshole girl-child” is probably pretty good.

My nickname for them

Feral gremlin murderchild (Ironic, considering her kill-count is 0* in the series) or feral genius storm-child. *Aang got better. I’m of the opinion it kind of needs to stick to count.

[madsthewordclown]

Fire Lily | Pt. 12

warnings: none

a/n: Sorry this took me this long, guys! I’m back in school and am a little bit busier now, but I promise I’ll update as much as I can! Be warned that I did write a portion of this chapter with Can We Sing the Darkness to Light in my brain (it’s a choral piece and I’m a nerd lol) and so I probably found some of what I wrote a lot more emotionally compelling than it is due to my fragile state of mind when I hear a good tenor part. Whoops.

This chapter takes place during “The Headband.” The story kind of stalls for a bit here in the aftermath of Crossroads of Destiny, so I’m sorry about that, but I promise I’ve got some more exciting things planned for later!

Fire Lily Masterlist

The Fire Nation was weird. It was a thought that Y/N couldn’t get out of her head. Everywhere Y/N had been in the Earth Kingdom (besides Ba Sing Se, which was strange and creepy within its own right), had had the shadow of war looming over it constantly. Here, it was like it didn’t exist.

There was no fear in the Fire Nation, not like there was in the Earth Kingdom, and nothing like what Katara and Sokka had described about the Southern Water Tribe. Here, they weren’t constantly on alert. They could relax. Somehow, the Fire Nation had always been on the offensive. These people didn’t know what it was like, hearing about armies creeping closer to your home.

It was also strange to think about how Zuko lived there. The Fire Nation was his home. Y/N was letting herself think about Zuko now, every once in a while. She let herself think about Jet, too. She thought of him every time she picked up her swords to spar with Sokka. She thought of him every time she lit their fire at night.

They were staying in a cave outside of the village, and it gave Y/N the heebie-jeebies. She didn’t like how dark and damp it was, and it made her feel trapped. Toph felt right at home, surrounded on all sides by earth. Meanwhile, Sokka couldn’t get past the threat of “enemy birds.”

“They’re Fire Nation birds, guys,” Sokka insisted, waving his arms frantically to deter the birds in question.

“They’re birds, Sokka,” Katara corrected, rolling her eyes.

“So, this is how it’s going to be until the invasion.” Sokka looked around at their surroundings—the cave, some rocks, grass.

“Hiding in cave after cave after cave…” Y/N shuddered, glaring at the mouth of the cave.

“We don’t need to be cave people,” Katara said, putting a reassuring hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “What we need is some new clothes.”

“Yeah,” Aang agreed, “blending in is better than hiding out. We’ll be safer with Fire Nation disguises.”

As much as Y/N hated wearing Fire Nation clothes, she hated constant cave-living more. “I like that plan.”

“We don’t want to sit around and eat cave hoppers,” Toph said, hitting the cave wall. A few of the bugs came tumbling onto the ground, and Momo scooped one up and ate it with a chomp. Y/N winced. “They have much better food out there.”

“Well, where are we going to get clothes?” Sokka questioned, crossing his arms. “We don’t have nearly enough money.”

Y/N thought for a moment. “We could just steal some. I thought I saw some clotheslines when we flew in.”

The others stared at her for a moment.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures?” Y/N added, uncertainly. Yes, they were the “good guys,” but they also needed clothes, and no one had any better ideas.

“Okay,” Katara agreed quickly. “Let’s go.”

---

As it turned out, stealing had been very fun. Y/N wondered briefly if that made her a bad person, but she had managed to find a ribbon for her hair, and the feeling of having it away from her face made her question her morals a lot less.

Y/N did try her best to find something that wasn’t red, to no avail. Soon, they were all clad in their Fire Nation getup. It felt a lot better than the soldier’s uniform, but Y/N still wasn’t sold on the red. Sokka and Aang seemed to be enjoying themselves, though, and Aang seemed a lot less upset about covering up his arrow.

Y/N was very unsure about the sleeveless red top and dark grey pants that she was left with. But it was definitely better than her tattered dress, and the ensemble was easier to move in. She liked how her arms were completely free, and the long pants made the grass let scratchy.

Katara and Toph looked great in their outfits, although Katara did seem upset about having to remove her necklace, and Toph had already punched the soles out of her new shoes. They made the unanimous decision to go into town and get some shopping done with the money they had left.

“Here.” Y/N took her own money out of her bag, as well as the gold cup with her family crest. “We can all use this. I don’t really need it anymore.”

It was time to let go of the cup. It would be useful to them, at least. And there were plenty more heirlooms in her family. And now, standing side by side with the Avatar, two of the most powerful benders in the world, and Sokka, in his genius, Y/N felt more confident than ever that maybe she’d be able to make it back home. Her father could forgive her for getting rid of the cup. Her mother thought it was ugly, anyway.

“Are you sure?” Aang asked with some concern. Y/N nodded.

“It’ll be more useful to us if we trade it,” Y/N insisted. Besides, the cup was just another reminder of Ba Sing Se.

“Wait.” Katara stopped Y/N as the others turned to leave. “Your hair. The ponytail is too low. The Fire Nation has them higher.”

“Oh.” Y/N didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it. She pulled the deep red ribbon out of her hair.

“Here, let me help,” Katara said, pulling the ribbon from Y/N’s hands. Y/N was tall, so she had to crouch a bit, allowing Katara to secure her hair into a ponytail that sat towards the crown of her head.

“Better,” Katara hummed approvingly. She took Y/N’s hand. “Now let’s go.”

The village they were in was vibrant and peaceful, Y/N noticed. There were plenty of people around, and Y/N hadn’t seen any soldiers yet. The group decided it was safe to split up if they wanted to. Y/N followed Toph and Katara to a jewelry booth.

Y/N helped Katara pick out a new necklace, and Toph donned a small crown. Y/N was a bit surprised—Toph didn’t seem like the type to appreciate jewelry. Y/N bought a set of matching gold bangles to put on her wrists.

“You know,” Katara suggested as she secured the necklace around her throat, “we could get you something for your swords. I know Jet had something like that.” Katara’s voice caught on Jet’s name for just a moment before recovering.

It would very useful, Y/N knew. She could always bend, but she felt like Katara could tell she had mixed feelings about it. Plus, she knew more about wielding the swords than proper firebending.

After a lot of scouring, Toph managed to locate a store for weaponry. Y/N asked the shopkeeper for advice on what to look for. He had seemed confused for a moment, and Y/N remembered that hook swords probably weren’t a common choice here—she had read once in her library that they were a traditional weapon from the northern Earth Kingdom. But luckily, the shopkeeper hadn’t asked any questions and directed her to the right area.

Y/N ended up settling on a belt-like sheath, with two loops at her hips that the hooked points of the sword easily fit through, but it would get stuck at the handle, holding the swords securely but still allowing for Y/N to pull them out without much trouble.

“Six gold pieces,” the shopkeeper said in an unnecessarily loud voice. Y/N frowned. They only had a few silver pieces and the cup left, and Sokka and Aang had the rest of the money. Y/N pulled the cup out of her bag and set it on the counter.

“I’ll trade this for it.” The shopkeeper’s eyes widened.

“Where did you get that?” He asked, eyeing the piece. It looked as if he thought it was fake; he picked it up and tapped it on the counter a few times.

“I’m from the colonies,” Y/N said. It wasn’t a complete lie. Technically, she was. The man gave her a brief look of disgust.

“It’s worth more than what you’re asking,” Y/N pressed, tapping a beat on the counter impatiently. She hoped he wouldn’t ask more questions or say anything about what his sour face was for.

“Deal,” the man said finally, taking the cup and stashing it behind the counter. Y/N felt surprisingly little as she watched it disappear from sight, and any wisps of sadness were expunged when she secured the belt around her waist.

Y/N walked back with Katara and Toph to their cave hideout. Sokka was already waiting, but Aang was nowhere to be found.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Y/N reassured. “There aren’t very many soldiers in this village, and his tattoos are covered.”

“Yeah, Twinkle Toes can handle himself,” Toph agreed, plopping down onto the grass.

“Hey, Y/N?” Sokka called, waving his arm. “Want to look over some of these plans with me?”

Before Y/N could respond, Katara was speaking. “You never ask me to help you with that stuff.”

“Hey,” Sokka protested. “You and Aang and Toph handle the bending, and Y/N and I will handle the plans. No offense, Y/N.”

“None taken.” Y/N knew her bending was almost useless—she could light their fire at night, but other than that she only knew a few basic moves. In a true bending fight, she was done for.

Y/N walked over to join Sokka, sitting on the grass in front of a rock that he was using as a makeshift table. Y/N was a bender, sure, but it was nice to have a non-bender around. Y/N wasn’t comfortable with her bending like the others, who were all masters of their own elements when she had never even had a formal teacher.

“I tried looking into that boiling rock you were talking about a bit more,” Sokka explained, spreading a map across the rock that he hadn’t shown her before. It was an older map of the Fire Nation—Y/N wasn’t sure where he got it.

“I couldn’t come up with much, but my guess is somewhere like that would probably be in one of the more volcanic regions of the Fire Nation.”

“But why would my brother be in the Fire Nation?” Y/N wondered aloud.

“What?” Sokka looked at her in confusion, an eyebrow raised. “You’re looking for your brother?”

“Um…” Y/N hummed awkwardly. “Yeah. He was arrested by the Fire Nation before I left home. I had a weird dream a few days ago, and he said something about a boiling rock.” She could tell Sokka was looking at her sympathetically, although she made a point to focus her eyes on the map.

“I know it’s a long shot,” Y/N acknowledged, “but I thought I’d at least try.”

“No, I totally get it,” Sokka shrugged. “You want him to be safe. I get that. He’s your brother.”

“I feel like it’s my fault,” Y/N admitted. “I didn’t help him. I actually made the situation worse.” Y/N gave a dry laugh. “I don’t know if he’d want to see me.”

“Of course he wants to see you.” Sokka looked affronted. “He’s your brother, and you’re supposed to take care of each other.”

“Yes,” Y/N groaned, “but I didn’t!”

“He’s your older brother, right?” Sokka clarified, his head echoing your nod in response.

“Well,” Sokka paused, as if searching for the right words, “as an older brother, I’m sure he wants to see you. And Y/N, I know it’s hard when you want to protect someone, and you fail.” Sokka’s eyes were filled with a sadness that made Y/N want to reach out and hug him, but she held off.

“But that doesn’t mean that that person is going to be angry at you,” Sokka continued carefully. Y/N felt like he was reassuring himself as much as he was her. “And even if you fail, you can keep doing everything you can to protect the people you care about. And I’m sure that he wants to do the same for you.”

“Thanks, Sokka,” Y/N said softly, her eyes beginning to water. Before she could back away, Sokka was pulling her into a hug.

Y/N hugged him back. She realized she hadn’t hugged anyone since… well, before she left home. They stayed there for a moment, before Sokka pulled away.

“Ready to review my schedule?” Sokka asked, suddenly upbeat. He unrolled a scroll that spread all the way across the rock and down onto the grass.

“Oh my…” The entire thing was color-coded. Y/N wondered where he got the ink for that. “Hand me a pen.”

Sokka smiled as they went to work.

---

Aang returned to camp later in the afternoon and was properly lectured by Katara. Sokka was completely appalled.

“You’re enrolled in Fire Nation school?” Sokka asked for the tenth time. Aang’s answer didn’t change.

“Yes. And we learn about the secret river tomorrow!” Aang reminded them. The secret river was the only thing getting Sokka to moderately accept the idea. Y/N thought Sokka was too easily persuaded by weird sneak-attack opportunities. “But I can’t go back unless I bring my parents to meet with the headmaster right now.”

“Y/N can be a pretty convincing actress,” Toph suggested. “Not for me, since I can tell when you’re lying, but others seem pretty convinced.”

“Sokka, Y/N,” Aang pleaded, “will you pretend to be my parents?”

“Sure,” Y/N agreed. If Aang really wanted to go to this school, she would help. She remembered how much she wished she could go to school. While it was still far from a normal experience… Aang deserved to have some fun like a regular kid.

“I don’t know,” Sokka murmured, looking contemplative.

“Secret river, Sokka!”

“Fine,” Sokka gave in. “But first we need to get our disguises!”

“Disguises?” Y/N echoed, but Sokka was already running off, Aang following enthusiastically behind him.

When Sokka and Aang returned, Y/N almost died from laughter. The beard plastered to Sokka’s face was ridiculous. She had no clue where he got it.

“Y/N, make your hair look more mature and put this in your shirt,” Sokka ordered, holding out a bundle of cloth fashioned into a smooth round shape. It looked like a bag stuff with wool.

“What?”

Sokka sighed exasperatedly. “Do you want to be convincing or not?”

“Fine.”

Y/N felt ridiculous and was pretty sure she looked almost as ridiculous as Sokka as Aang led them into the school building. Y/N noticed how everything inside seemed a little bit short, and portraits of Fire Lord Ozai hung on the walls, Fire Nation insignias everywhere. Y/N had never seen the Fire Lord’s face before until Aang had brought back his macaroni portrait.

Zuko didn’t look like him, Y/N noticed. Ozai’s face was sharp—Zuko’s was kinder. But Y/N found herself imagining Zuko on that poster, with his shaggy hair and scar, and that look on his face when he fired at the Avatar.

Y/N took a seat with Sokka and Aang as they entered the headmaster’s office. The headmaster was a severe-looking man with the same beard, sideburns, and thin mustache that all of the Fire Nation men Y/N had met seemed to have. He greeted them as they took their seats.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs…”

“Fire,” Sokka replied haughtily. His accent was atrocious. “Wang Fire.” Y/N held back a snort.

“And this is my wife,” Sokka gestured to Y/N, “Sapphire.”

It took everything in Y/N’s power to not roll her eyes. “Sapphire Fire. Nice to meet you.”

“Well, Mr. and Mrs.,” the headmaster paused, “Fire. Your son has been enrolled here for two days and is already causing problems. He’s argued with his history teacher, disrupted music class, and roughed up my star pupil.”

“That doesn’t sound like our Kuzon!” Y/N said, giving Aang a discrete bump of her elbow when he smiled.

“That’s what any mother would say, ma’am,” the headmaster responded. “Nonetheless, you’re forewarned. If we continue to have problems, I’ll have to send him to reform school.”

“Reform school?” Y/N asked.

“By that, I mean the coal mines.” The headmaster stood, glaring down at them.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Headmaster,” Sokka said. Y/N wanted to facepalm. “I’ll straighten this boy out something fierce!” Sokka turned to Aang. “Young man, when we get home, you’re in for the punishment of a lifetime!”

The headmaster seemed rather satisfied with that response, nodding with a slight smirk.

“Thank you for informing us of our son’s behavior,” Y/N told him, trying to sound professional to make up for Sokka’s over-the-top character. “Goodbye.”

“Success!” Sokka cheered as soon as they were out of earshot. Y/N punched his arm.

“Wang Fire?” Y/N questioned incredulously.

“What? It’s a good name!” Sokka whined, rubbing the spot on his arm.

“Sapphire Fire?” Aang added with a smirk.

“Okay, so maybe that one wasn’t my best,” Sokka admitted, stroking his beard.

“Will you please get rid of that thing?” Y/N already didn’t like how much Sokka was enjoying his fake facial hair.

“Never,” Sokka replied with a smile.

Fire Lily Masterlist

taglist: @kaylove12, @akariblue, @wolfiemichele, @aquatickanye, @sunflowerr-mami, @nadiblue. @la3divine, @sarsky, @aangsupremacy 

[smilindesperado]

Signs of ATLA Characters

For starters, my astrology knowledge mostly comes from interpreting mine and friends’ charts for fun, so apologies in advance if anything feels off.  I just enjoy thinking about people’s / character’s charts when I’m on an astrology kick.

Also, assuming the ATLA world takes place on an Earth that is not our own, they would have their own in-universe zodiac based on their own planets, stars, etc., but for the purpose of this post, I’m just using Modern Tropical Astrology, which is what most people are probably familiar with.

For benders, I feel like their star sign should coordinate with their element, but there are a lot of factors other than just your star sign that go into your chart, so I give each character a few signs that I feel resonate with them.  I don’t think I know enough to guess each character’s sun/moon/rising, but I definitely think the signs below could be in their big 3 or feature heavily in their chart.

Aang: I have to go with Libra for Aang, the peacekeeper, although I definitely see some chatoic Gemini in him as well.  Definitely a ton of Pisces energy too (brother nature).  I’d imagine as the Avatar his chart is probably pretty even, but I can definitely see his lending itself more to Air and Water.

Katara: Cancer because I gotta include a water sign and she is emotional and caring.  However she is also confrontational and not afraid to stand her ground so she needs some Earth and Fire energy to balance out that water.  Definitely see Virgo and Aries energy from her.

Sokka: Sag 100% he’s such a sarcastic little shit (and I love him for it).  But also I’d say some stubborn/gluttonous Taurus energy (big foodie) and flirty/bougie Libra vibes.

Toph: Stubborn Taurus and independent Cap for sure, but I also think she has chaotic Gemini energy.  I also kinda see some Scorpio energy from her?  She is so nosy and loves reading people, but hates being read.  Scorpio.  (also probably some Sag energy in there too? As a sag merc/venus I could also see her being a Sag merc/venus as well).

Suki: Okay before I do Suki, I feel like I should include a disclaimer that I do really like Suki’s character. But, if anyone in ATLA is a Mary Sue it’s Suki, sorry (she’s just too perfect!)  I am really looking forward to the Suki Alone comic so we get a little more on her backstory, because out of everyone on this list, we really know the least about her (which is fine, the story never really lended itself much to Suki’s backstory).  So trying to figure out her sign(s) is a little difficult.  Maybe Leo / Capricorn?  Pisces maybe? (she’s kind of a romantic, and she’s a helper).  Maybe some Virgo energy?  Idk, Suki’s a little tough, but I couldn’t leave her out.

Zuko: Hot-headed Aries for sure, like calm down buddy.  He’s definitely stubborn, but I’m not really sure I see Taurus?  Maybe Capricorn? Probably some Scorpio energy (the Blue Spirit is such an emo and dramatic alter ego + pretending like you’re dark/tough but actually super emotional and caring is big Scorpio energy)

Iroh: My man is a good-natured Sag, just vibing all the time.  He also has a sense of justice and is a flirt, so maybe Libra?  I see some wise Pisces energy in him too.  

Azula: So, Azula is the only one I’m going to attempt at piecing some of her chart together.  Leo sun 100% she wants to be queen so bad and look good doing it! (constantly wearing lipstick and fancy armor?  LEO).  Virgo Rising (so meticulous and calculating.  Flirting by comparing an outfit to a battle ship?  Nerd.)  Scorpio Moon.  Same thing with Toph, loves reading people, hates people seeing her vulnerabilities/pretends she doesn’t have them.  Also, Mars in it’s home in Aries (god of war) in her chart would make sense.

Mai: Major queen of darkness Scorpio vibes (probably Scorp rising, but possibly sun). Plus, she bottles up all of her emotions and pretends she doesn’t have them, but we all know that’s a lie (you’re not fooling anyone Scorpio!!)  Also cool, ‘I’m surrounded by idiots’ Capricorn energy.  I also see some Sag (constant boredom, sarcasm, etc.)  Def a little bougie Taurus energy there too.

Ty Lee: Flirty Libra, carefree Aquarius, witchy Pisces probably.  Do I need to say more?  Probably some Leo in there somewhere too (attention issues)

Bonus: Yue is a Pisces (obviously)

[waywardfacegarden]

burning embers

Modern Au: Zuko centric + The Gaang + Zukka + Friendship/Family feels + Angst and Fluff.

Summary: Zuko learns the meaning of love.

Read on Ao3 here.

.

There’s something so tragically painful about falling in love, they say.

But Zuko wouldn’t know. He doesn’t know what falling in love with someone is, he doesn’t know what it feels like. Love is a concept so alien to him; he can’t even grasp the root of it. He just knows a broken home, the remaining ashes of a devastating, blazing fire that was supposed to be his father’s love.

He doesn’t know what love is. And yet, he understands: the underlying and heart-wrenching agony that comes with loving. The sorrow that comes with it; it is just there, intrinsically linked. It’s something that the small kid—full of unknown love and golden warmth, but also deep, bitter pain—comprehends at the tender age of 11.

It’s just common knowledge for him, the same way he knows the sky is blue and the sun hides at night.

Family. Love. Father.

Those words don’t have meaning, Zuko thinks, lying on his bed one night, still hearing the disappointment in his father’s voice echoing in his ears in the quiet darkness of his room. They’re there, of course. And he knows them. He can say them. But they feel far away, slipping through the space between his fingers, becoming dust that blows away with the chilly wind of an autumn midnight, escaping him before he can place what was there in the first place.

They don’t hold weight. They don’t mean anything. They’re shallow; they just exist, like a couple of letters strewn together, like when you say your name so many times in a row it doesn’t even feel right anymore; but, he supposes only a few people are blessed with their significance, with tasting them in their mouth with something not akin to hate or bitterness or emptiness.

Loneliness. Despair. Dishonor.

Those have meaning. Those have weight, despite being such empty words.

(But they very much taste like something akin to hate, too—and that’s the thing.

Maybe Zuko just doesn’t know anything aside from [self-]hate.)

.

.

Family, love, father. They are concepts that come alive to him the same way a phoenix is born.

They rise, awakening from the ashes that the fire within themselves has burned to death; so beautiful, so mystical, so mesmeric and so incredibly fragile and precious and wondrous, like a mythological creature coming back to life after having known its own death.

He learns the words and their meaning the same way his brain starts learning new things and concepts by reading a book; but he doesn’t learn with his mind—even though a part of him knows that this is where knowledge is stored—Zuko learns with his heart (he has always learned things best with his heart; after all, Zuko wears it on his sleeve; he’s emotional, visceral, volatile—his feelings are way too intense, too much that they burn his chest open; he’s always aflame), with his eyes, with his hands. He learns it in every little gesture that’s given to him, in every little crack (that keeps filling and filling and filling) of the time that goes on, in every little drop of ink that is spilled on the parchment where his life is being written.

He learns the words in the way he begins learning his uncle's tea recipes, in the satisfaction and pride he feels when his uncle congratulates him for a job well-done on a warm, quiet Saturday afternoon as he finishes helping cleaning and serving the tables around the teashop, in the way his favorite cup sits next to his uncle's on the kitchen counter in the mornings, full of Zuko’s favorite bubble tea; he learns them in the ugly, endearing, oversized sweater hanging at the back of his closet, the one his uncle gave him in his last birthday; he learns about love in the gentle smiles of weekends, in the singing of the birds outside his room’s window, in the blanket that rests around his shoulders when he is sitting on the comfy couch on a calm Thursday night, dozing off while trying to study for an English test, in the way the nightmares that used to haunt him are tormenting him less and less every time; he learns the meaning of father in his uncle's ridiculous pajamas, full of tiny drawings of cherry blossoms and tea leaves, in his uncle’s obsession with Pai Sho, and in the wise phrases he keeps throwing at Zuko even when he cannot fully understand them.

He learns, little by little, step by step, like a slow fire burning inside his guts.

And it's a weird, strange thing. Zuko learned that fire hurts you, the same way he learned that love does, but somehow, after years of building his new life, it doesn't feel that way anymore.

His uncle is patient with him. Patient as someone who would teach someone else origami or as someone who’s slowly writing a book. He teaches him, sees him fall, stumble and trip over his feet (both, metaphorically and literally speaking) and he’s there when Zuko gets up again.

It’s a nice feeling. Knowing that someone is going to be there, even if you fall. Even when you fail.

His uncle teaches him, the same way he creates a new tea receipt for the menu; carefully, gently, ever so softly. He takes Zuko, the broken child who looks at him through his pain and hatred, and makes him open his eyes. He points out, over and over and over again, that failing is not a bad thing, that love exists and that it doesn't have to hurt, and that if it does, you can heal from it; he teaches him that Zuko is full of it, full of love, he says that he’s always been.

Somehow, it feels a bit like healing. Of course, Zuko is still broken. Probably, a part of him always will be; but, somehow, he doesn't think that being a bit broken is so wrong now.

.

.

Friendship was a foreign concept to him, too. Or maybe not, but Zuko never wanted to get involved with it.

Too much trouble.

(Or maybe fear—fear of what it carries, what it holds in its nature; fear of failing, of not being enough, of being left out, of getting too attached.)

But just as Zuko was wrong about so many things in his life, this is not the exception.

He comes to learn that, too.

It’s a different process than with his uncle. Maybe because it’s slower, or maybe because it’s, rather, faster. Maybe because he wasn’t aware he was learning at all.

Zuko doesn’t know exactly when it starts. Can’t pinpoint the exact moment he started getting involved. Not that he cares much about that at this point, but he would like to know.

They kind of adopt him in their group (or, er, gang, as they call it), without Zuko noticing. But to be fair, Zuko doesn’t notice a lot of things.

Toph is a friend of his Uncle, and she lives near the teashop, so she’s around more time than she’s not; she’s loud and kinda rude, and always calls Zuko a dork or a nerd or an idiot, but Zuko realizes he likes when she’s there. Aang comes along sometimes, with his scarily bright smile. There’s also Katara and her big brother, Sokka.

He likes all of them, to his extreme surprise. They’re all good people. Aang is way too kind, Katara may be scary but she’s pretty cool, and Sokka is just a combination of a very, weirdly endearing, smart dumbass, which is, uh, new.

He honestly doesn’t know how it happened, or when it happened, but suddenly he’s tucked under a soft fuzzy blanket in winter, sandwiched in the middle of the three-spot sofa, with Aang almost laying over his lap. He’s almost sitting on Sokka’s right leg, pressing him against the arm sofa, his side overlapping with Sokka’s. He doesn’t seem to mind, though. He’s sitting there, cross-legged, with his right arm fully extended on the back of the sofa, almost like he’s hugging Zuko’s shoulders; he’s practically leaning on Zuko.

His arm and his side are really warm, though. Not as much as Zuko generally is, but it’s… kind of nice.

“Katara, Titanic is a classic, dude. What the hell.”

Zuko takes a sip from his hot chocolate, blowing off the clouds of steam gathering over the cup—the warmth of it is pretty welcomed in his throat, to be honest, while Katara rolls her eyes at her brother.

“I’m not watching that for the fifth time in a month and seeing you and Aang both cry for an hour later after the already three long hours of the movie.”

Sokka looks pretty indignant about Katara’s attitude towards his (probably) favorite movie, which is pretty amusing.

“You’re just a monster,” Sokka says, dramatically, “that’s why you don’t cry.”

Katara rolls her eyes again.

“I don’t know,” Toph says, from the couch closer to the TV, sprawled all comfortably over it. “It’s actually a really funny movie,” she points out, and then draws out her voice. “‘Jack, draw me like one of your French girls’.”

Aang laughs pretty loud, and Zuko smiles at the bad impersonation despite himself.

“Well, My Heart Will Go On is my anthem.” Sokka says, puffing out his chest.

Zuko actually snorts into his cup and Sokka shoots him a look. He remembers the time Aang and Sokka recreated that iconic scene, with Toph singing at the top of her lungs in a ridiculously obnoxious voice. He actually laughed at that.

Sokka seems to read his mind, because after a few moments of staring at Zuko’s face, his entire expression lights up. He grins, eyes sparkling, and starts singing really loud and purposely out of tune. Aang starts laughing and Toph doesn’t waste time on joining Sokka in singing. Even Katara smiles.

A few minutes later of terrible singing, they’re all laughing. Toph is cackling so hard she’s on the floor, and Sokka keeps leaning over him, laughing in his ear. He believes it should be annoying, but instead of that, it’s actually infectious and Zuko laughs a bit harder.

After they calm down, Toph is clutching at her sides and Sokka is wiping tears out of his eyes.

Aang smiles, then, softly and content, and raises a hand in the air, like asking for permission to talk.

“I have an idea.” He says, and turns around to look at him. “Why don’t we just let Zuko decide? He hasn’t chosen anything yet for our Friday movie nights.” 

All eyes turn to look at him at that. He stops his movements, mouth hanging open, hot cup halfway to his lips.

“Uh,” he frowns. “Thank you, but, um. Why would I choose? It’s your thing.”

Everyone stares at him like he has two heads, which, okay fair but why.

“What?”

Aang gives him a soft smile, all kind eyes and gentle features, like he’s about to talk to a baby, but before he can say anything, Sokka is putting an arm around his shoulders and leaning all his weight on him, as if they weren’t already close enough.

“This is your thing as much as it is ours, dude.” He says, grinning, “You’re one of us.” He vaunts, proudly, and ruffles Zuko’s hair.

Katara nods, at the same time Toph goes:

“Yup, you’re already in, loser.”

Aang chuckles. “Yes, you’re our friend, Zuko.”

Zuko blinks, stunned.

That’s… 

There’s… 

That’s… the F-word.

Friend.

Friend.

Huh? What? How? When did that happen? Huh? Did he miss something in the past few months?

Sokka, completely oblivious to his emotional turmoil, insistently points to the TV while squeezing him. "So, buddy? Don't you think we should watch Titanic to cry and share a couple of very male tears?"

"You only want to watch it because you have a crush on both Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio." Katara accuses.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yes, you do! You even still keep that poster of them behind your…"

"Katara!!!!"

.

.

Friend.

It’s a nice word.

It tastes like hot chocolate in his mouth on a cold night, it sounds like Sokka’s laugh and Toph’s jokes, and it looks like Aang’s kind eyes and Katara’s nice smile.

It feels like something. It holds meaning. It’s not an empty word. At all.

Sokka’s hand ruffling his hair or over his shoulders, Toph’s nicknames for him, Aang’s offer of help in times he feels like Zuko needs it, Katara’s help with homework and advice on his recipes doesn’t let him forget that. ‘Friend’ is never going to be an empty word.

Friend tastes like hope, like warm food and bear-hugs.

Friend is such a nice word.

.

.

The thing with Zuko being generally—and strangely—warm all the time is that summer is a complete nightmare for him.

He's sitting directly in front of the fan at full power, barefoot in just jeans and a light T-shirt, and yet he still feels like he's going to explode. The weather forecast in the morning heralded a heat wave in midsummer, and it's exactly the worst thing in the world that could happen to Zuko's already overheated body. Toph groans beside him, lying with her arms and legs spread like a starfish on the cold ground. It is no comfort to her, however, and Zuko can understand that well.

Katara is looking at something on her phone, fanning herself with a magazine, and Aang remains practically unaffected, just as energetic as ever as he eats the remaining watermelon slices from the bowl they recently filled.

Zuko is wondering if he should go, or if he should fall asleep on the freezing ground that doesn't seem to be freezing at all, when Sokka walks into the living room in his baseball uniform. He has just returned from his morning summer practice; sweat is running down the side of his face, and his shirt is partly sticking to his body from the moisture. He smiles at everyone in greeting before gulping down all that's left of the water on the bottle of his hand. Zuko stares at his Adam's apple bob while he's drinking, and then his eyes trail the trickle of water that slides down his jaw over his desperation to drink all the water so fast. The drop goes down, down, down, dripping over his collarbone and sinking into his neck until it eventually gets lost somewhere inside his shirt. Sokka throws the bottle over the trash can and uses his shirt collar to wipe the water and some of his sweat off his face. Zuko's eyes unconsciously move downward; he can see a line of skin on Sokka's abdomen and stomach.

He swallows. Uh. His mouth is suddenly very dry. He's probably dehydrated. Is he dehydrated? He's starting to feel a little dizzy.

"So? Beloved friends, beloved little sister? Did you miss me? Obviously, you did."

Katara rolls her eyes, but still asks, "How was practice, dumbass?"

"It was cool! I hit twelve curve-balls in a row and sixteen of that weird fastball Suki pitches. Oh! And I'm finally getting the thing about that forkball. Also... woah, Zuko, are you okay?!"

Zuko blinks from where he was staring at Sokka's hair. It's kind of wet. Is that sweat? Shouldn't that be gross? Why is Zuko staring? Does he find it gross? He doesn't think so, but he also can't quite explain why...

"Woah, bud," Sokka says, kneeling in front of him and getting dangerously close to his face. "You're so red, are you having heatstroke or something? Do you feel dizzy?" He leans on his knees and presses a hand to his forehead, pulling up the bangs hanging over it. It feels nice, actually. Sokka's soft hand on his boiling skin feels like fresh water. He kind of wants to lean into it.

He probably does, because Sokka frowns. "Maybe you have a fever..." His mouth presses into a thin line. "Don't you want to take a shower to cool off? I can lend you some clothes, we're about the same height, they'll fit."

Zuko blinks. Huh?

"Here, let me help you." Sokka says, helping him up.

Around an hour later, Zuko feels a lot better, laying with his back on the floor in Sokka's baggy shorts and blue T-shirt with a cartoonish drawing of The Pink Panther. Zuko smiles involuntarily when he looks at it. It smells a bit like Sokka, or at least the detergent he uses. That makes his stomach do weird flips. He's not feeling that hot anymore, but maybe he is getting sick...

"Hey," Sokka tells him, looking at him from above, standing just behind Zuko's head. His toes are barely avoiding touching Zuko's sprawled hair on the floor.

"Hey," Zuko answers back, looking up at Sokka's soft face. His hair is down and still wet from the shower, and a few drops fall on the bridge of Zuko's nose when Sokka hovers over him. Zuko's face scrunches up, more out of involuntary reaction than out of bother, but Sokka chuckles.

"Sorry," he says, not sounding sorry at all. He uses the towel around his neck to messily dry his hair. "You look a lot better, now."

"Yes," Zuko muses, still a bit mesmerized by Sokka's wet hair. And Sokka's face. "Thanks."

Sokka grins brightly at him. "Sure."

He looks like he's about to say something else, but before he can say anything, Toph groans just a few feet away, sitting now on the couch. "Stop flirting and get a room already; it’s gross. We're here, too."

"What? We weren’t—"

Katara agrees, quietly.

"Hey! I was just worried!" Sokka excuses himself. "Weren't you all? His face was as red as a tomato."

Katara looks up from her magazine and gives him a pointed look, with one elegantly arched brow. Apparently, she doesn't even need to say anything else, because it's enough to make Sokka blush.

Oh.

He's cute, Zuko thinks. And then, oh, I think Sokka is cute. And then Sokka stomps over the kitchen muttering unintelligible things, still a faint blush over his cheeks.

Zuko smiles to himself watching his childish behavior. He is, though. He is cute.

.

.

.

It's raining heavily outside, drops pouring loudly against the asphalt of the sidewalk.

Zuko side-glances at Sokka. Maybe it's because after the course of a year, Zuko has learned to recognize many of Sokka's little gestures, or maybe it's the fact that the boy has been so much into his own mind lately, but Zuko recognizes that way he scrunches up his nose, that wrinkle between his eyebrows, that way his eyes twitch.

“Are you okay?” 

He’s asking mostly just to be polite, to be honest; he already knows he’s not. He knows something’s up.

Sokka turns to look at him, and then stares at the rain hitting the glass window of the lonely teashop.

“I’m…” He says, and looks at his hand. Then he presses his mouth into a thin line.

“You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Zuko says, awkwardly, because as much as he cares, he’s still a mess when it comes to social cues. He’s never going to stop being a mess. And terrible at comforting people.

Sokka sees right through him, though, like he always does, and smiles softly at him. His whole face mellows. It kind of makes Zuko’s heart flutter in his chest, like a butterfly flapping its wings.

“I’m…” Sokka tries again, looking at Zuko’s face. At his eyes, at his scar, at his neck. He feels weirdly exposed, but at the same time… He doesn’t. It’s just Sokka. Which means it’s okay. “Scared, I guess.”

Zuko blinks and tilts his head to the side. He’s not sure if he should ask, but…

“Of?”

Sokka gives him a wry smile.

“Of failing? Of disappointing my dad? Of not being enough? I don’t know, I can’t quite pick a single one.”

Sokka’s voice is not quite bitter, but it feels like that, in the air around them. Zuko knows the feeling pretty well.

“You are enough.” Zuko affirms, without a single trace of hesitation in his voice. Because Sokka is enough, in every single aspect, and he shouldn’t feel like any less than that. Zuko’s also aware of what he’s worrying about, and for Zuko, it’s just absurd—Sokka is one the very few people that shouldn’t worry about passing the entrance exam of college at all, he’s crazy smart. He should know that. But, to be fair, Zuko can’t judge him nor scold him for self-doubt when it used to be all that he was, along with his self-hate. So he says it out loud, looking into Sokka’s wide, surprised eyes. “You’re also really smart, Sokka, I’m sure you’re going to ace the entrance exam. You shouldn’t worry.”

Sokka rolls his eyes, but he also adopts that playful-kinda-flirty side of him. It’s painful because Zuko can see the sadness underlying in his voice and body language so clearly. Can see the lack of confidence in every single motion.

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“I am,” he agrees, “but it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I really believe so. You’re the smartest person I know. You’re very capable of doing whatever you want, so have faith in yourself just like I have faith in you.”

Once he says it, and Sokka blinks once, twice, thrice at him, Zuko feels painfully aware (and painfully embarrassed) of what he just said.

Oh Lord, what did he actually…

“Ah,” Sokka says, and makes a face that Zuko can’t name. “You’re blushing.”

Zuko covers his cheeks with both hands. Sokka is probably right, they’re so warm, but still.

“I’m not.” Still.

Sokka laughs, and raises both eyebrows. “You sure?” He asks, staring pointedly at his face, which only makes him blush harder.

Stupid Sokka.

He must know the effect he’s having on him, because he laughs again, lightheartedly. Well, at least he’s not upset anymore…

“I’m not,” he uselessly and pathetically insists, even when it’s tragically obvious he is. But he has some pride, okay.

Sokka grins, but it’s all devilish. It makes Zuko’s hair stand on end. A chill runs down his spine.

“It’s just hot.”

Sokka smirks. “Sure, you’re always hot.”

“Shut up,” Zuko complains and groans, facing away from him so that he can’t see his blatant embarrassment. Sokka’s natural flirty personality wasn’t that much of a problem back then, but it’s only gotten worse, and Zuko just can’t handle it sometimes. It feels like way too much.

“Ah, but you blush when you’re embarrassed. That’s cute.” Sokka points out, a wide grin on his face. “Imagine being both cute and hot, what a crime.” 

He sighs theatrically, and Zuko is very tempted to answer, “shut up, look who’s talking,” but he knows he will just get more embarrassed after saying that. He needs to calm down. So he just grumbles while Sokka laughs.

Then, when Sokka has already calmed down and Zuko can feel his face like normal again, they look quietly at the rain, steadily keeping its pace.

“Zuko,” Sokka says, after some time, and Zuko quirks an eyebrow in reply. 

Sokka smiles. “Thank you. For believing me. It means a lot.”

Zuko smiles back. “Of course.”

.

.

Zuko notices it one night. (Though, looking back, it’s weird he didn’t notice it before.)

Well, more like, Aang notices and points it out, and then Zuko realizes that what he said is pathetically true, lying in bed at night because he still mulls things over sometimes before going to sleep.

“You know,” Aang had casually said, holding a can of orange juice, sitting next to Zuko on the bleachers at one of Sokka’s practice games. “You stare at Sokka a lot.”

Zuko frowned. “It’s his game, after all. We’re here to watch him,” he had retorted, like it was obvious.

“Well, yes, but I don’t mean only now. You stare at him all the time.”

Zuko didn’t feel like he liked where this conversation was going. Something about his expression must had given him away, or maybe Aang was just too good at reading him now, because he said:

“Wait.” He actually had sounded surprised. “You mean you’re not aware you have a crush on him?”

Zuko’s eyes went wide. “What? I don’t have a crush on him.”

Aang quirked up an eyebrow. Sure, he didn’t need to say.

“I don’t,” he had pressed on.

Aang hadn’t looked any more convinced of what he had said. If anything, he looked more convinced on what he himself had said. Aang had looked at him for a very long period of 1 minute before lightly chuckling and nudging him in the arm with his elbow, smiling brightly at him.

It was weird, but Zuko has gotten better at reading them, maybe just as much as Aang has with him. Maybe that’s why he knows what Aang means with all of that. Admit it when you’re ready.

It’s not like he was trying to deny or hide it. It’s not like he was trying to lie. He just didn’t think Aang was actually right.

But he is. Zuko can’t stop looking at Sokka, all the time. Thinking about him. About the way he smiles, with his hair up, with his hair down, with that denim jacket that fits him in all the right angles, with his baseball cap, ecstatic after he scored a run in the 8th inning. 

Sokka, practicing on the field. Grinning widely and openly and hugging him tightly when he aced the entrance exam. Leaning in to taste Zuko’s ice-cream into his own mouth. Ruffling his own messy hair. Wearing those silly cartoon t-shirts. Serenading Zuko with Electric Love and the most ridiculous voice ever on his birthday as a joke. Messy eating. Scrunching up his nose while drinking green tea. Reciting 80% of the Star Wars dialogues by heart. Being obsessed with boomerangs and swords (though not as much as Zuko is with that last one). Biting into the end of his pencil when he’s focused on writing an English essay.

Ahhhhh.

Oh, holy honor.

He has a crush. A crush. Feelings.

When did that happen? Why did that happen? He doesn’t know. Was it because of his warm eyes? His pretty smile? His pretty lips? Was it because he opened up to Zuko, let himself be vulnerable around him, bled his heart out so Zuko could piece it back together? Was it because he’s funny? Charming? Cool? Smart? Astonishingly cute? Was it because he made Zuko feel made out of thin air, sometimes, so raw and exposed but yet so safe, so comfortable in his own skin? ...That is, the others don’t necessarily make him feel unsafe, or uncomfortable. He just feels like he can be all open and vulnerable with Sokka better. Maybe because he opened up to him first, about something so personal like his mom (and Zuko knew about losing a mom, too).

Well, whatever the reason, it doesn’t exactly matter, does it? He’s already in deep.

Zuko rolls over his stomach and sighs, groaning loud into his pillow. Why, why, why, why. It’s not like he even has a chance, so why did he have to…

Ugh.

Feelings are stupid. His heart is stupid.

And the way he falls asleep thinking about Sokka’s laugh is even stupider.

.

.

The thing is, because Zuko notices all the little details in Sokka’s gestures and behavior, he also notices the way he acts differently towards… Certain people.

“Me and Yue?” Sokka laughs, and Zuko blinks. He didn’t even mean to ask it out loud. Now, he would just hear the confirmation of what he already knew from Sokka’s lips. How is that any better? Good job, Zuko. 

“Nah, man, Suki would kill me if she sees me wooing her girlfriend. Or at least kick me pretty damn hard.” Huh? Zuko blinks again. Huh? So they’re… Sokka and Yue… They’re not… 

“And believe me, she’s super strong. She kicked me once and I’ve always regretted eating that last cupcake on the fridge.” Sokka makes a face and shudders, like the mere flashback is enough to make him fear. But then he smiles, in that soft way of his that makes Zuko’s knees go really weak. “And I’m pretty sure Yue is immensely happy with her, too.”

Zuko doesn’t know what to say, so he just oh-so-eloquently utters:

“Ah.”

Sokka seems amused.

“Didn’t you know they were a thing? The PDA is so strong when they’re together, you have to have seen it.”

Well, that was… Zuko just thought they were touchy with each other? Sokka is pretty much touchy with him all the time, but that doesn’t mean they’re a thing.

Well.

“That’s rough, buddy.”

Sokka blinks. “Why?”

Zuko frowns. He tilts his head in confusion. “Because you are… Romantically attracted to her? It must be rough.”

Sokka blinks once, twice, three times. Stares. Then, he throws his head back and cackles, clutching his stomach.

“Dude, what the hell.” He wheezes. “Just say the word crush like normal people.” 

“Hmm.”

Then, when he calms down, Sokka eyes Zuko.

“Wait, what?” He says, serious all of a sudden. Or at least, surprised. “Do you really think that?” At Zuko’s lack of response, Sokka looks at him, then at his hands, then at the TV, where the video game they were playing is still on pause. Then, back at Zuko’s face. “No, I don’t have a crush on her. Or on Suki, for that matter.”

Zuko frowns. Sokka must know he doesn’t believe him, because he continues.

“I mean, I did.” He admits. “Back when I met her, when I was, like, 14. But I’m over it, now—Not that she’s not great; she’s awesome and I love her, just… Not in that way. It was just a silly teen-crush, anyway. And Suki is my best friend. We had a thing for a few months like two years ago, but we hit it off so much better as friends. She’s my bi icon, though. And bestest friend.”

“Oh.”

“Besides,” Sokka adds, and eyes him pointedly, “I’m interested in someone else right now.”

Zuko stares. Blinks.

What.

So he does have someone he’s interested in anyway. God, Zuko really doesn’t stand a chance. Why even bothering trying? And it’s not like he knows how to try something, anyway…

From the other corner of the room, Aang shoots him a very cryptic look. Zuko can’t describe what he’s thinking, but he guesses he’s taking pity on him. After all, he knows.

Ah. He really doesn’t like having feelings.

.

.

His mind is a cruel thing. It’s what keeps him up at night, what reminds him of all his insecurities, what makes him feel undeserving of love, what keeps throwing image after image into his head of his broken childhood on bad days. It’s what, as much as his heart, knows about his deepest desires, his longing, his yearning and thinks it’s amusing to play with Zuko for a bit.

“Zuko,” Sokka says, with a fragile smile on his face, his voice going ridiculously soft, his eyes warming up, and Zuko’s heart pounds on his chest like big waves crashing on the shore of a lonely beach. “Zuko, I love you.”

It’s kind of—very—criminal the way Sokka makes him feel. The way he makes Zuko’s heart seem like it’s going to burst out of his chest with how fast it beats after hearing just those three words, the way he makes Zuko’s entire soul ache and want, the way he makes him feel so grounded, so him, yet so tiny and delicate, like he’s made out of thin sheets of ice.

Is this how love feels?

Is this how it should feel like?

He wouldn’t know. He doesn’t know what falling in love is. He just knows a broken home, the destructive, neon-like, toxic obsession with power his dad had, instead of any tender form of anything else that can be called love that his dad should have had for his mom, but never did.

Falling in love is made to hurt. Falling in love is destined to make you feel sad, and alone, and unsafe.

Falling in love is a cruel thing. It’s not cut out for weak people, and Zuko is weak. He’s destined to break. He has always been made out of fragile, easy-to-destroy things.

That’s why his mind plays with him all the time.

He wakes up in his bed, opens his eyes to the dark quiet of his room, feels the way his heart beats so hard that he can almost feel it on his throat. And he feels lost. And sad.

He doesn’t even scream. He just lies there, feeling the world becoming smaller, feeling himself becoming smaller.

Lord, he’s royally fucked. Screwed. He knows. He’s destined to break.

There’s something so tragically painful about falling in love, they say.

.

.

He’s sitting with Toph leaning back on his right side, on the fluffy couch in Katara and Sokka’s living room, cutting up squares out of colorful paper.

They are both terrible in the kitchen. Something coming from being rich kids, Sokka playfully teased earlier. And he guesses it’s true. Either way, they are terrible—Zuko even burned his own kitchen once while making scrambled eggs (and that was. Not a very good day). Sure, he has tried to help Uncle Iroh a couple of times, and he knows a bit of the basics, but besides preparing tea, he’s lost. He can’t cook to save his life. So when Zuko almost lights a fire to bake cookies and mixes up the recipe for the second time, Katara kicks them out and bans them from the kitchen for the next 4 hours. Toph protests just to be annoying—she doesn’t like cooking at all, she has told him, but she loves annoying Katara, it’s her favorite idle activity. Zuko would be offended, but it’s the smartest choice if they want to finish baking Aang’s birthday cake without setting the kitchen on fire, so it’s fine.

Besides, this way he can steal a few glances at Sokka, as he hangs up the decorations he and Toph are making. The muscles under his shirt flex when he raises his arms above his head, his messy hair down from its ponytail, falling over his face when he moves a bit to the left, a line of the smooth skin of his back making its way to Zuko's curious, avid eyes.

Zuko swallows.

Toph sighs heavily and throws her head back. “So, are you planning to make a move any time this century or are you a loser?”

Zuko eyes her, coming out of his stupor, confused. “What?”

Toph smirks. “Right, you’re always a loser, my bad.”

Zuko blinks. Not because of Toph calling him a loser, but because, for a second, he really doesn’t get what she means.

Then, when he does, he buries his face into his hands and groans.

“Even you know?”

Toph laughs. "Yes, idiot, it's stupidly obvious.” She pats his arm. “I can see it and I'm blind, you know." 

Zuko groans again. He’s in physical pain right now. "How?"

She shrugs. "I don’t know. Maybe the way you say his name. Or talk about him."

Zuko feels a bit of panic. 

What? Is he that obvious? How does he say Sokka’s name?

"His name?"

"Yeah,” Toph confirms, nodding exaggeratedly, “stupidly sappy. It's gross."

"Oh my god."

She laughs again, loudly, because his suffering is apparently amusing. "You also talk about him a lot," she chuckles, "and sigh every time you see him. At least that’s what I assume, given that he’s in the room and you keep sighing like a 12-year-old girl in love. Pinning all the way.”

Zuko wants to die. He seriously wants to die. Maybe he should just tell Sokka he likes him, so when he rejects him, Zuko can just die a quick, albeit painful, death.

Toph nudges at his arm, with her typical abnormal strength for someone her age, but she doesn’t mean any harm. “So?” She asks, again. “Are you planning to make a move or not?"

Zuko sighs, "I can't do anything, he likes someone else."

Toph kind of stops where she’s fumbling with a couple of paper sheets. She then turns around and makes this face, where she’s scrunching up her nose and frowning like she just smelled something sour, or like when she’s deeply confused. "Did he say that?"

"Yes."

"Did Sokka seriously tell you that?"

Zuko’s confused at Toph’s relentless insistence. "...Yes?"

Toph’s face goes back to normal, but there’s something about the way she continues to hum that makes it seem like she still thinks Zuko is an alien, or something.

"You must have misunderstood him—which wouldn’t be a surprise, to be honest." She says the last part in a whisper, but he still hears her. That’s probably what she wanted anyway, but it’s not like he gets it. What does that mean? Zuko gets Sokka. That’s one of the few things he’s really proud of. Did he just think that he got Sokka while, all this time, he actually didn’t?

No. He understands Sokka. Sokka himself has told him that.

"No, I didn't. And I don't have a chance if he likes someone else, so I might as well not even try."

Toph looks mad. "You're super pessimistic, dumbass."

"Hmm."

She sighs, looking deeply tired and frustrated, like Zuko has completely worn her out. Then, she raises her fist and punches him. Hard.

Ouch.

Zuko yelps, and rubs at his sore arm. “What was that for?” he grumbles.

She frowns. “To punch some sense into you, big oblivious idiot!" Toph hums a low, guttural sound in the back of her throat, like she’s a feral dog trying to threaten a pedestrian. “Just try, at least. Everyone is kind of getting tired of your pinning, too."

"Ah." Everyone?

"Full offence."

"Ah."

“Even Katara. The only reason she hasn’t intervened yet is because she says it’s not her business to push you, but I don’t think her reasoning is gonna last long.”

Katara too!? Oh, no.

Zuko seriously wants to die.

.

.

Eventually, things go on. 

Zuko’s “crush” doesn’t go away. If anything, it just grows and grows and grows until it becomes almost unbearable. But he still can’t say anything.

“Zuko.”

“Hmm?”

“You know,” Sokka says, looking at him with feign innocence, sitting with his hands upwards behind him in Zuko’s room, “that looks heavy, want me to hold it for you?”

Zuko frowns. He looks up from his work to give Sokka a confused look. “What is, my pen?”

Sokka gives him that little, playful smile—the one that is so incredibly hot for some reason Zuko can’t understand. His eyes gleam, even more than they do all the time.

“Nope,” he says, and his smile grows an inch, “your hand.”

Zuko blinks. Sokka flirting with him is nothing new, that’s why he manages to hold back his blush a bit and remain calm, even when he’s a bit dying inside.

He is just trapped between telling him, “god, I wish you were flirting with me for real,” and, “please stop doing it, it’s not good for my heart,” and, “If only you knew how much I really want to hold your hand”, but neither of those options are actually. Something viable.

“Are you flirting with me?” He asks instead, knowing the answer already.

Sokka would laugh, brush it off, and say something like, “ah, but you didn’t blush this time,” and let it go.

He doesn’t, though.

What he does, instead, is shrug and look at Zuko’s textbook, like he’s completely uninterested in the conversation.

Huh.

But then he speaks up again.

“Have been for the past year and a half or so, but thanks for noticing.” He answers.

Zuko blinks. He’s tempted to answer, “yeah, I know, which is a cruel, cruel thing to do, by the way, given how my heart just wants to escape out of my chest and go with you every time you do it,” or something equally playful to play it down like they always tend to do, but… for some reason, this time it feels… Real.

Maybe he should just laugh.

He doesn’t, though, and, “What?” is what comes out of his mouth.

Sokka looks up. “I said that I’ve been doing it for a year and a half or so, thank you for finally noticing.”

Zuko doesn’t understand. He’s not following the conversation at all. “Wait.”

“Ahh,” Sokka sighs, “honestly, if you didn’t notice by the end of the month, I would have felt deeply embarrassed. I was starting to think I lost my charm and I didn’t know how to flirt.”

“Well, that was a terrible pick-up line,” Zuko can’t help but retort, and like he wasn’t mildly-insulted, Sokka grins at him.

“But it worked for you, didn’t it?” He teases, leaning on Zuko’s personal space, “it made you feel something.”

Zuko frowns. “How would you know?”

Sokka stares. “Your face.”

“My face?”

“I can see it. In your face.”

Zuko covers his mouth, frowning. He can feel his own heart race.

Sokka is still way too close.

“You can…?”

“Yup.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Zuko says, blinking. “That means—are you—are you flirting with me? For real?”

Sokka quirks both eyebrows. “Yes...?”

“But you—you…”

“Zuko, I don’t know where you got the idea, but I don’t flirt with anyone aside from you—at least, I haven’t done it in a long time. So yes, I am actually flirting with you.”

Zuko feels like he just got hit in the head. “Why?”

Sokka blinks. “Because I want to?”

“But why do you want to?”

Sokka shoots him a look. “Zuko,” he says, slowly, “I like you. I thought that was obvious already.”

Zuko blinks. “You have… romantic feelings for me?”

Sokka laughs, amused. “Yeah, Zuko, I have ‘romantic feelings’ for you.”

Zuko blinks again. He’s blinking too much. “So all this time… it was real… when you said… and that time you also said… and… oh.”

Sokka smiles, softly, and ruffles Zuko’s hair. It makes him blush. His heart might also not even work at this point, if it wasn’t for the fact that he can clearly hear it thundering in his ears.

Why is Sokka so calm? Zuko’s about to pass out.

“Katara is right, I’m dumb.”

Sokka grins. “Toph thinks so, too.”

“Toph thinks everyone is dumb.”

“Fair,” Sokka answers; he’s still grinning so wide. God, Sokka is so pretty. “Though I think she only calls us dumb, not that she means it.”

“Mmm.”

He’s so unfairly distracting, too. Zuko can’t stop looking at him.

“Wait,” He says, suddenly realizing something, “so you knew that I—that I—had feelings for you, too?”

Sokka looks at his lips when he talks, and Zuko has to concentrate hard to not straight up pass out from shock and his heart racing so fast it might give him an attack. Has he done that before? He would have noticed, right? Sure, Zuko looks at Sokka’s lips a lot instead than at his eyes, but he would have noticed if Sokka did it, too.

… Right?

He’s starting to feel dizzy. Is he dreaming? Is any of this real at all?

“Noticed it a while ago, yeah. That’s why I’m not freaking out that you noticed my flirting 100 years later.”

For a moment, Zuko is able to set aside  his internal emotional turmoil and state of panic, if only to complain.

“Hey!” He frowns. “Wait—”

“You have said that a lot.”

“Wait,” Zuko repeats, just to be annoying, “if you… liked me, and knew that I liked you back, why didn’t you… make a move?”

“Like asking you out? I tried to, but you’re too oblivious.”

“Huh?” Zuko utters. What does that even mean? He’s not—well, he is, maybe, just a bit, but. “Well, if you knew that, you could have been more straightforward, you know!”

Sokka smiles, then shrugs.

“I guess we’re both dumb.”

Zuko feels his lips curling up, not able to contain all his happiness anymore, his brain catching up with the last 20 minutes of his life.

Holy shit, Sokka likes him. Sokka likes him. Him. Zuko. As in, romantically speaking.

Oh.

Oh.

“I like you, Zuko.” Sokka says, as if Zuko’s brain didn’t shut down already. He reaches out and slides his hand on the table Zuko was previously working, the tip of his fingers touching Zuko’s. “So can I finally, please hold your hand?”

Zuko might pass out for real, but before that, he finally, finally, finally takes Sokka’s hand into his own.

It feels even better than in his dreams.

He feels like burning up, like all of his body is setting itself on fire.

Sokka’s hand is warm, so warm, and soft, so soft, and makes Zuko’s heart flutter like delicate flower’s petals in the wind.

Sokka’s thumb brushes over his knuckles; Sokka’s lips turn into a bright smile, like he’s been wanting to do that since forever.

It feels like home.

.

.

When they tell their friends they’re dating, Yue is the first one to say something.

“You mean you weren’t dating before?”

“Shocking, right,” Katara deadpans, but then she smiles, genuine. “I’m happy for both of you.” 

(Although remembering that minutes later doesn’t make her any less scary, when she decides to corner him out of the bathroom and put a steady hand on his shoulder, feign-sweet smile on her face, and say with a weirdly off-calm voice that, if he ever dared to hurt Sokka on purpose, she was going to break all the 206 bones on his body.)

Toph grins brightly and kicks him enthusiastically on the side with a loud “Well-done, loser!” while Aang jumps on Zuko’s back and clings to him like a koala.

“That’s awesome, guys! Be happy!”

Zuko smiles.

“Finally, I won’t have to hear Sokka’s pinning all the time,” Suki quips, like she’s tired and utterly uninterested, but even the happiness is evident in her voice.

Sokka still complains. “Hey! I had to hear you be head-over-heels for Yue for months, too.”

“It wasn’t months for you, though.” Suki deadpans, but then her face goes all soft, “I’m kidding, So, I’m really happy for you two.”

Sokka smiles, and she gets up from where she’s cuddling Yue on the sofa to hug Sokka tightly, grinning wide, and then look at Zuko (stumbling with a happily laughing Aang on his back and Toph annoyingly ruffling his hair like a proud little sister) and whispers something in Sokka’s ear.

Zuko is glad that he’s still looking at Sokka from the corner of his eye, because he catches him blushing after that.

He’s cute.

Suki laughs. Sokka frowns, still blushing, and when he catches Zuko watching, he blushes harder.

He’s really cute.

Zuko smiles softly, and Sokka blinks, once, twice, before smiling back.

The cutest.

.

.

“Zuko.”

Zuko hums, but doesn’t look up from his work.

“Zukoooo, darling, love of my life.”

Zuko is used to it by now. To Sokka calling him pet-names like those. Of hearing Sokka say he’s cute, or hot, or smart, or witty, or pretty. It still makes his heart flutter, though. Just as Sokka’s laugh does. It still makes him blush sometimes.

(It’s funny because Sokka is the same way—or mostly the same. Zuko said he looked really hot after a baseball game once and Sokka almost died on the spot. He blushed like mad, but after he calmed down, he couldn’t stop bragging about Zuko calling him ‘hot’.

“Look at you, flirting shamelessly with me! You’re all grown up!” and, “I shouldn’t be near Zuko if I’m wearing my baseball uniform, he’ll get a boner,” and a lot of more phrases.)

“Hm?”

“You are—” Sokka sing-songs, and crosses his arms over Zuko’s textbook. He puts his chin over his forearms and looks up at Zuko’s face, grinning, and Zuko would probably be a bit annoyed that he’s not letting him finish his essay if it weren’t for the fact that he’s Sokka. His, ahem, boyfriend. 

“I am…?”

“You are,” he repeats, and his smile grows bigger. Zuko thinks about kissing him; Zuko thinks about kissing him all the time. But, to be fair, he used to dream about that, just as much as he used to dream about them holding hands. And just as if he read Zuko’s mind, Sokka reaches out and holds his right hand; gently, like all of Sokka’s touches. It feels so nice, Zuko never wants to let go. “You are pulchritudinous.”

Eh?

Zuko tries to smile, but Sokka looks at him like he’s looking at a cute baby and throws his head back, still close and still holding his hand.

“You’re adorable.”

“What…?” Zuko is sure he looks as puzzled as he feels; he once caught his reflection in the mirror while playing Scrabble with Sokka and therefore knows how he must look. For some reason, Sokka finds it extremely cute. “What does that mean?”

Sokka laughs again.

Zuko narrows his eyes into slits. Or, maybe Sokka’s just making fun of him. (Not in a bad way, of course, Zuko knows. Sokka never means any harm, but he sure as hell loves teasing Zuko all the time.)

“Are you insulting me?”

Sokka wipes tears from his eyes and looks at Zuko with such a sweet face that it kinda makes Zuko stumble, even when he’s sitting.

His heart flutters alive, his face grows warm. He wants to kiss Sokka.

Sokka does, though, pulling gently at his hand and softly pressing his lips into Zuko’s wrist. He grins up at him.

“You’re adorable.”

(Later, when he’s waiting for a toast on Uncle Iroh’s kitchen, still barefoot, decked out in his pajamas and half-asleep, he finally finds what he thinks is the correct word using the search function of his phone—after 20 lame attempts of trying and failing at remembering—and pronouncing correctly—the right word.

He clicks on the dictionary tab, reads over the meaning, stumbles over, slips and falls flat on his ass.

He almost sets his kitchen on fire for the second time.)

.

.

Zuko is bad at flirting. He knows. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t try, hard, and sometimes, sometimes, he succeeds (conscious and unconsciously).

Or maybe Sokka is just too easy to fluster (even when Sokka says it’s the other way around; even when that’s actually, probably, just a bit, true.)

Either way, Zuko basks happily in seeing Sokka get all flustered. It makes him even cuter than he already is.

(Whipped, Toph would draw out, mockingly sing-song.

And, well, maybe he is.)

.

.

Kissing Sokka is like setting himself on fire. Like burning up alive, but not in the bad sense. Not in the way he was burned as a little kid.

Kissing Sokka is like sitting near a campfire when you’re feeling cold; like standing on the edge of a cliff, feeling your chest contract; like tucking yourself in a warm blanket, with fuzzy socks and drinking your favorite drink, while hearing your favorite song. It’s like waking up on a good day, like basking in the sun at twilight, like taking a warm shower after a long day.

He feels too much, way too overwhelmed, even with just a brush of lips.

Kissing Sokka is a blessed thing.

There’s something that comes alive in his chest at the same time their lips touch. It blossoms under his ribcage, spreads over his chest, warms up all the way up to his throat. Beating, growing, marveling in every fiber of his being. Maybe that’s what love is—maybe that’s what Zuko has been searching for all this time; this connection, this overwhelming feeling, this deep, raw, unfiltered emotion, coming off him through waves of desperation for more.

He can’t be sure. But even if it wasn’t something he has looked out for, the discovery of it still feels like a sacred thing.

It’s like watching cherry blossoms falling on the street for the first time, like falling asleep on the comfortable side of your bed after a tiring day, it’s coming back home—or to what home should feel like.

It’s something delicate, at first. Zuko doesn’t have any experience, so he just lets himself feel as Sokka presses his lips softly into his own, carding his long fingers into Zuko’s hair.

Zuko feels an electric chill run down his spine, where Sokka’s fingertips—from the hand that’s not on his hair—make a slow path down. He can feel them burning, even through his clothes, even when Sokka’s hand is not that warm.

But it feels like that.

Zuko breathes shakily, moves his lips experimentally, feeling Sokka’s smile against his mouth.

He wants to do something, so he leans in, feeling Sokka’s eyelashes tickling his cheekbones, feeling Sokka’s thumb under his jaw, angling his head in a better position, feeling himself become aflame. He wants to touch Sokka. He really wants to touch Sokka.

So he does.

He uses one hand to gently touch Sokka’s wrist—the one Sokka’s using to keep Zuko’s head up—and, carefully, tentatively, he wraps his fingers around it, caresses the skin like he wants to print a topographic map of it into his mind.

Sokka makes a low, appreciative sound, and Zuko feels so happy it should be embarrassing.

Sokka has his hair down, and Zuko wants to touch it so much because he loves Sokka’s hair. Sokka’s hair is so pretty—Sokka is so pretty—so he goes for it. He brushes his fingers on Sokka’s shoulder, touches the strands of brown hair that lie there, moves his fingers to the nape of his neck. Zuko does this slowly, he wants to feel everything and he’s not going to rush, not after how long he’s wanted this.

He cradles his head with his hand, touches and touches and touches. He pulls at his hair, lightly, and his hand goes down just a bit; the skin of Sokka’s neck under his fingertips is warm, and so soft. He can feel the gentle echo of his heartbeat thundering in the tender curve of his jaw.

Just then, Sokka’s thumb brushes on his bare clavicle, and Zuko hisses, feeling like he’s on fire. Feeling like he’s become burning embers.

It’s just—too much, and at the same time, not enough—he wants more.

He has always been sensitive, but it’s different now. It’s like all his senses are turned on—he’s hyper-aware of everything around him—of Sokka’s hands, of Sokka’s steady, fast heartbeat under his open palm, of Sokka’s smell, of Sokka’s warm mouth, of Sokka’s soft skin, of the way Sokka keeps mumbling his name, softly against his lips or when he breaks apart to breath. He touches Sokka’s face, Sokka’s arms, Sokka’s neck; breathes his name into his own mouth, makes sure Sokka knows how much he wants this, how much he’s dreamed of this: of kissing him, of him kissing him back.

It feels too good to be even real—just as Sokka always makes him feel, even when they’re not kissing.

He might as well die there.

It wouldn’t be a bad way to go, though.

Linked, bare soul to bare soul, with the prettiest, smartest, kindest boy he’s ever met.

.

.

There’s something so tragically painful about falling in love, they say. But as he sees Sokka laughing in front of him because of some ridiculous joke Toph made, holding Zuko’s hand like it’s the most precious thing in the world, he can’t help but think that falling in love is anything but painful.

Sokka turns around, catches him staring and grins, playfully wiggling his eyebrows.

Zuko smiles, thinking just how much he loves Sokka, how much he loves his life, how much he loves his uncle, how much he loves his friends, how much he loves being alive, being there, curled up with Sokka on his couch, watching a stupid rom-com movie on Sokka’s cell-phone screen, sharing earphones with his boyfriend. Being there, in the house that he shares with his uncle—his real dad—in the house that he has come to call home. Being there, feeling safe in Sokka’s arms, with Toph hearing music on the TV, while Aang and Katara and Suki and Yue sleep, sprawled there and there all over his living-room.

“I love you,” Zuko tells Sokka, like he just revealed the biggest secret of the universe.

Love.

He feels the word on his tongue, and it tastes sweet. It tastes like the color of Sokka’s eyes, like the tone of Sokka’s laugh, like all of Sokka’s smiles—the gentle one, the soft one, the playful and flirty one, the wide one—all of them. Love tastes like Sokka holding his hand while they go for a walk, like Sokka’s voice when he talks about what he likes, like Sokka’s proud eyes after scoring a run, after Zuko shows him his grades. It tastes like a lot of things he can’t name, like the way Sokka says his name, like the way Sokka makes him feel, like that little mole under Sokka’s jaw, like the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles with the setting sun of the beach, like the way his fingertips feel against Zuko’s neck. Like the way he looks at Zuko like he’s not broken, like he’s the best thing that ever existed, like his scar is beautiful and all of Zuko’s failures don’t matter to him because he’s him, and that is enough. Like Zuko is more than enough, and how he loves that he’s more than enough to Zuko, too.  

“I love you,” Zuko says again, in a low voice, and it feels real. It has meaning. It’s not an empty word at all.

For some reason, he feels like tearing up a bit.

Sokka’s face mellows, softens; he brushes his thumb under Zuko’s left eye, just at the edge of his scar, and his eyes become impossibly warm. Zuko wants to kiss all of his face; he wants to taste all of Sokka’s softness on his own lips.

There, in the quiet of Zuko’s living-room, Sokka smiles, and Zuko thinks he’s the most bewitching, stunning, ineffably beautiful being.

It feels like something ethereal. Sokka smiles and Zuko feels blessed to exist.

“I love you, too,” Sokka answers, like he’s sharing one of the secrets of the universe, too, like he’s never told anyone anything more true, and ever so gentle.

Zuko smiles and kisses him.

Falling in love is a blessed thing.

[masculinepeacock]

even more quarantine fic recs

Needless to Say by @caffeinatedflummadiddlebutmerlin | BBC Merlin | Merwaine

Gwaine learns that Merlin has magic. Arthur learns that Gwaine is hopelessly in love with Merlin.

I LOVE merwaine fics but i love this one in particular...gwaine is just so ride or die BEFORE they’re dating and i love the dynamic (also please read all of their fics every single one is amazing)

Love me, won’t you by @ananbeth @blackjacktheboss | PJO & HoO | Percabeth

On the small island of Pigasos in Greece, a town named Elaiónas lays divided by an ancient family feud. The Kapetanidis and Onassis families, though once close friends, have despised each other for generations. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are no exception to that rule...until they are.

A shakespearean tragedy turned teen romcom.

Okay this fic is so good bc it captures what Percabeth could be is they followed a rivals to lovers au and i love it so much!!

It Takes a Village by @haloud @MayGlenn | Roswell New Mexico | Gen

There’s a world out there where it happened like this.

Ten year old Michael Guerin runs away from a crappy foster home in Albuquerque. He gets on a bus to Roswell and doesn’t look back, and Roswell finds a place for him and keeps him safe.

Everything else just falls into place.

This is a what if the Ortecho’s took in Michael as a child and raised him to be loved! Also a Jesse Manes hate fic!! (as all should be) Also actual healthy communications happens!!

Thread of Gold by @Miyuki_scourgeofthefirenation | ATLA | Zukka

An unexpected message late at night from Zuko's ex Jet brings a new friend into Zuko's life. A new friend who happens to have a very hot brother.

Title from invisible string by Taylor Swift

beautiful! amazing! i love nerds and shit talking Jet! and if you guys do too then this is the fic for you!! also!! Zukka!!

The Boy Who Smells Like Cinnamon by @dabblingwithwords | ATLA | Zukka

Sokka has a crush on the boy who works at the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop. He's not subtle.

Zukka is an amazing part of the Avatar renaissance and I love it and this fic!! super cute

here everyone knows (you’re the way to my heart) by @catching_paper_moons | Roswell New Mexico | Malex

Sometimes, Alex Manes wishes he had left Roswell at age 18 and never looked back. Because if something can go wrong in Roswell, it will. And this is, ultimately, a story about love gone wrong.

UGH I love these two and I love this fic so much!! these boys deserve love and year long nap, and they need some therapy but eventually they’ll figure it out

[sparklyandhaunted]

When Zuko makes that speech to the frog, he argues as Iroh and Azula, and it makes me wonder when does his inner voice sound like Sokka?

[sparkles-and-trash]

Modern ATLA AU Headcanons Meme

Reblog this post, and your own answers!

I love myself some modern AU's, and I love how different they all are, so, I made this so we can all share, and feel free to add characters if you want, and just not do any of these if the character isn't important to you!

General:

Bending? Yes! Always!

Monarchy? Nope

Our world or theirs? Their's all the way

Animals? Boring ones from our world, it's what I know the best lol

Aang:

Tattoos? yes, always, and I keep the inspired by the ones in the movie (the movie is awful but the tattoos are cool and actual rl inspired?

Home life/family/upbringing? I usually go with him being raised by Monk Gyatso, and keep everything else kind of vague

Major/job? I go back and fourth, but I like him as a tattoo artist, or as a vet, anything with animals, or as a nurse, preferably a pediatric nurse!

Hobbies? Skating, in any form, yoga, meditation, painting and art

Vegetarian or Vegan? I think he's be cruelty free as far as it's possible

Appa and Momo? Big, fluffy rescue dog and small, shifty cat

personality compared to canon? Pretty similar, maybe a tad less traumatized considering the war didn't happen, but he's still the Avatar, and he still suffered great loss very young

how long have they've known the Gaang? Toph since always, water sibs since middle- or high-school, Zuko either middle school or uni, spending on the story, Suki in high school when she dates Sokka

some random headcanon(s)? he doesn't drink, but he does occasionally enjoy some ouíd at parties or when others drink

Katara:

Home life/family/upbringing? Their mother died when they were really young, and Hakoda married his lifelong best friend, Bato. They're generally a happy family.

Major/job? I love doctor Katara, and vet Katara, but also Katara in Politics, working hard making the world a better place!

personality compared to canon? Extremely similar, kind, brave, not afraid to speak her mind, awkward in certain situations, a pesky but loving younger sister, etc.

how long have they've known the Gaang? meets Aang and Toph early high school, Suki pretty fast after, Zuko late high school or uni

Hobbies? Sporty, likes to play all sports but doesn't do any seriously, swimming, surfing, writing, reading

some random headcanon(s)? she very good in school, but she's not a goody-two-shoes, she likes a good party as much as anyone

Sokka:

Home life/family/upbringing? Their mother died when they were really young, and Hakoda married his lifelong best friend, Bato. They're generally a happy family.

Major/job? I always like him as some type of engineer, but anything clever and creative is cool!

personality compared to canon? Similar, but maybe a little less... insecure? in that he never had to protect for his entire Tribe very young, and he did very well in school and had lots of talent, but also he has enough struggles to not be a dick? Extremely competitive and protective tho.

how long have they've known the Gaang? meets Aang and Toph early high school, starts dating Suki soon after, Zuko late high school or uni

Hobbies? Surfing in summer, skating, always, drawing and painting, gaming

some random headcanon(s)? has ADHD, is a bi-king, very comfortable with that, and is somehow good friends with all of his exes

Zuko:

Home life/family/upbringing? Similar to canon, just a modern rich asshole version of Ozai, who's either a huge criminal or just inherited a lot of money, Ursa out of the picture, Iroh as caretaker from a young age, but still lived kinda sheltered and was very lonely in his kid and teen years

Major/job? I like tons of stuff for him, either him managing a Jasmin Dragon, preferably with him adding a book café, but also a writer, photographer or tattoo artist

personality compared to canon? very similar, but since I usually write them uni aged or older, he's more mature? But he does still have some anger management issues, can be oblivious to social settings, awkward, brash and has very little knowledge of some basic stuff due to growing up rich. But he's also very loyal, loves his friends so much, and wants everyone to be okay, all the time.

how long have they've known the Gaang? Aang either middle school or late high school, Toph from a young age, and the others either late high school or uni.

Hobbies? Writing, photography, reading, fan fiction, musical nerd, bad gamer

Scar story? Ozai, in some way, preferably when Zuko speaks against something evil he did in front of the wrong people, so similar to canon

some random headcanon? used to have a pretty bad stutter, and even tho it's almost not noticeable anymore, he's very insecure about it

Toph:

Home life/family/upbringing? Extremely sheltered, barley got to go to public school, snuck out a lot, moves out the second she can and has a tense relationship with her parents

Major/job? I never know tbh, so many possibilities, but I like her as some sort of teacher, either in earth bending, or martial art!

personality compared to canon? Pretty much similar as canon? Loud, unapologetically herself, fiercely protective over her friends, funny af

how long have they've known the Gaang? Toph and Aang since childhood, water sibs since early high school

Hobbies? passionate about good music, is a talented drummer, knows piano from childhood, is a fairly popular youtube gamer/streamer

some random headcanon? demiromantic bisexual, she teaches Zuko how to play the piano and he loves it sm it's their thing

Suki:

Home life/family/upbringing? Was raised by a single mom and has a bunch of siblings, not poor, but lower middle class, but comes from a loving home

Major/job? Professional athlete of some type, then a coach when retired

personality compared to canon? The same as for what we know! Good attitude, including, funny, very passionate.

how long have they've known the Gaang? most of them from high school when she starts dating Sokka!

Hobbies? Surfing, gaming, material arts, music, plays the bass

some random headcanon? flannel bi, has lots of freckles and big, green eyes

Mai:

Home life/family/upbringing? Similar to canon, but her mom divorced her father around the start of high school, and they had it a lot better then. She loves her little brother a lot, he's pretty similar to her and looks up to her a lot.

Major/job? Forensic Science major, usually

personality compared to canon? Similar, very similar. Quiet and calculating, but loves her friends and family dearly. Witty, in a quiet way.

Hobbies? plays the violin, reads a lot, goes to a lot of concerts

some random headcanon? I think of her as a lesbian, but I like aro ace Mai, too

Azula:

Home life/family/upbringing? Same as Zuko, but she moves in with Iroh a little later than him. No contact with her father after that tho, goes on the fitness stand against him after the Zuko thing. Very protective of Zuko, and she doesn't hide it, but she can be ruthless with him, too.

Major/job? Leadership, of some kind

personality compared to canon? She's definitely still Azula, she's amazing at reading people, can be cunning, and mean, but not cruel. Had a major psychological breakdown a few years after their father got sent to jail, a reaction to pushing everything away for. so long, and spent some time in a psychiatric hospital, and dealt with a lot with the therapists and doctors there. A very loyal friend.

Hobbies? material arts, advanced fire bending, fashion and reading

some random headcanon? was the leader of the debate club in high school, became a straight up legend in that crowd.

Ty Lee:

Home life/family/upbringing? Basically the same as canon

Major/job? professional gymnast

personality compared to canon? Same as canon

Hobbies? Dancing, cosplay, fashion

some random headcanon? Knows everyone's name, always.

Idk, tag a few people if you wanna, but no pressure to ever do it!

@flamelo @littlespoonsokka and literally everyone who wants to sorry I'm so bad at tagging jslkgg