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clockwayswrites · 5 months ago

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City Pigeons Bleed Green Part 25

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Despite the chill in the air, it was a lovely day to be outside. The sun was warm, the ground had dried out after a few days of rain, and the trees were in full color. Danny threw the ball again for Ursa, using the odd launching stick that Dick had gotten for them. It was appreciated, really. Ursa could run and Danny couldn’t throw the ball nearly as far as she wanted by hand.

Ursa raced back with the ball, just a cloud of black fur, and darted right past Danny. Danny spun around quickly, not wanting Ursa to jump on Alfred again (they were working on it), and almost swallowed his tongue.

“Ursa! Gentle, girl! Be gentle!” Danny called out as he took off after her.

Luckily, Ursa listened and planted her fluffy butt on the ground even if she was still wiggling around excitedly.

“Hi there, Ursa, it’s nice to meet you,” Babs said with a soft smile as she held out her hand to be sniffed.

Ursa dropped the ball in the offered hand with a quiet woof and a large grin. Luckily Babs didn’t seem to mind the sudden, slobbery present and threw the ball like Ursa wanted. Ursa was off after it like a bolt.

“Sorry about her,” Danny said as he scratched at the back of her neck. “Play time means fetch right now. She’s pretty determined about these things.”

“That’s okay,” Babs said as she wiped off her hand on her jeans. “She seems like a real sweat dog.”

“She is. It’s been really good to have her.” Danny didn’t even try to hide how found he sounded. He kept his eyes on Ursa, not able to look at Babs as he asked. “Did you… did you find anything?”

“I did.” Babs’ voice was gentle. “Do you want to know now?”

“I— yes, but no? I think this will… I guess… I don’t want to hear this alone, but I think that means I’ll need to explain everything.”

Ursa dropped her ball and came over to Danny where she pressed herself firmly against his leg. Danny buried a hand in her soft fur.

“They’ll all wait however long you need them to,” Babs said.

“I know. But I think… I think I do need to tell them, if I want to get better, and I want to get better.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure the family is on the way for dinner tonight and we can talk once they get here,” Babs said with that carefully gentle sort of voice that Danny always hated a little. Jazz used to do that too. “In the mean time, I’d love to get to know Ursa more.”

Danny cleared his throat. “So, I guess it’s obvious that she really likes fetch…”

Dick helped Babs settle onto the sofa. She didn’t need the help, not really, but the easy back and forth of movement was just natural for them, even after all of these years. It also gave him someone to fuss over that wasn’t Danny. What he wanted to do was scoop Danny up into a hug and never let him go. Dick figured that would be a bit too stifling though. Instead, Dick made sure that Babs had her laptop while the rest of the room got settled.

Danny chose the floor, apparently. He leaned back against Jason’s legs while Tim was pressed on the other side with Steph crammed next to him. Damian was on the floor next to Danny. The two were oddly hard to separate. Ursa had draped herself across both their laps; Danny dug his fingers into her mane. He didn’t look up at the rest of the room, even as Cass sat on the arm of the couch.

They hadn’t been told much about why they were there, a fact that ate at Bruce, but he worked to let that go. Danny had asked them to be there and to the one, they had shown up. Alfred was passing around hot chocolate with Duke’s help. The inclination that the comforting drink would be needed was probably right, as much as Dick hated that. He took his own mug and clung to it like a lifeline.

“The other night,” Babs started, “Danny asked me to look into someone for him, a Jasmine Fenton.”

On the television, a picture of redheaded girl appeared. The person who’s hair Babs had reminded Danny of, Dick realized. It looked like a school photo: mediocre studio lighting, bland background, a forced smile. She was late teens with a scatter of freckles and bright blue eyes.

“Jasmine Fenton, age nineteen, is currently enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where her permanent residence is.”

“Arkansas?” Danny asked quietly.

Babs nodded. “She’s been in the state since she entered the custody of Alica Bayard, Jasmine’s aunt from her mother’s side, almost two years ago.”

Danny sagged forward, burring his face into Ursa’s mane. “Oh thank god.”

“Why did her aunt receive custody?” Bruce asked when none of the rest of them seemed able to.

The steadying breath that Babs had to take wasn’t reassuring. “Jasmine was removed from her parent’s custody after the living conditions were found unsafe. This was part of an investigation into the disappearance of her brother, Daniel Fenton.”

A familiar face joined Jasmine’s on the screen. It was the same, awkward sort of school photo and Danny looked even more uncomfortable in it. His hair was shorter, his eyes bluer, and there were none of the scars. This was Danny before everything went wrong.

“The parents, doctors Jackson and Madison Fenton, were never charged with anything relating to the disappearance. They moved away from Amity Park four months later, likely due to increasing hostility from the town.”

“They weren’t dumb enough to keep me in the house,” Danny said. His words were somehow loud in the room despite being muffled by Ursa’s fur. He gave a mirthless chuckle. “You know, I used to think they were … not dumb, but clueless, you know? That they were science smart and low in everything else. The hapless, accidentally mad scientists. And then… and then I find out how much they had planned. That all of me was planned… I don’t know if anything about them was real.”

Damian leaned over to press against Danny’s side, offering his silent support. Dick was proud of how good a brother Damian was to Danny. It was a small silver lining in all of this. Danny slumped against him.

Danny’s eyes flicked back up to the screen and his sister’s face. He glanced away a long moment later. “Is there… are there any picture of the lab from the report that you can put up?”

Of course Babs had the photos and soon they were cycling through on the screen.

Mad scientists was right. The place looked distinctly science fiction, full of every day objects and tools that should be recognizable but where three steps away from reality. Everything was gleaming metal accented with a toxic green.

“My… they… the Fentons are ecto-biologists,” Danny explained as the rest of the room cataloged the details in the pictures.

“Ghost biologists?” Tim asked with furrowed brows.

“Yeah. Not that they ever met the ethics that biologists go by. But they didn’t think ghosts were sentient let alone sapient, so I don’t know why they even called themselves that. They didn’t… the screams means it’s working,” Danny said, choking on something between a laugh and a sob.

Jason cursed, the words a low rumble of anger that echoed through the rest of the room.

Dick had to get up and pace.

He brushed his fingers lightly over his family as he moved through the room, assuring himself they were all there and alright. Bruce caught his fingers and squeezed. Dick huffed, but settled lightly on the arm of Bruce’s chair.

“There’s a lot I didn’t really think about as a kid,” Danny said, once the room had settled again. “I should have. But they were—I thought they were my parents. I thought they knew best. When I started to really pay attention… we didn’t see eye to eye pretty quickly, but I thought they were just misguided, you know? I thought that maybe, eventually, I could talk to them about all the things that I’d learned and show them that they were wrong. But I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know what, sweetheart?” Bruce asked.

“That I was never their son. I was just a lab rat.”

“Danny,” Cass called softly.

Danny shook his head. “It’s true! They even said it: ‘you can love the test monkey, Danny, but you can’t let that get in the way of the experiment’. Apparently I was an easy monkey to care for. Not too demanding. Easy enough for them to just add to the effort they already put towards Jazz, their real kid. Easy enough to ignore when they wanted. For me it was all just… normal. Just how I grew up.”

Tim bumped Danny with his leg. “Don’t worry, Steph and I will teach you how to annoy everyone in this family so that they can’t ignore you.”

The little snort of laughter Danny made seemed to surprise even him.

“Not that we would want to ignore you anyways, Dandelion,” Jason said. “We’re not perfect, but we’re family. Real family.”

Danny leaned back against Jason’s legs, a faint smile on his lips. Dick felt something in himself unwind at the sight. Jason was right, they were far from perfect, but they were family and they would be there for Danny always. It would talk time, a lot of time, but Danny would be alright. And all along healing he’d be loved.

Bab’s caught Dick’s eye. She clearly had more to tell, but Dick shook his head slightly. Give everyone a moment. Let everyone process and drink their hot chocolate and eat some of the cookies that Alfred brought with his impeccable timing. When everything was calmer and the cookies almost gone, Dick got up and returned to his seat by Babs. He touched her wrist gently. It was as good as time as any.

“So I’ve figured out when the Fentons visited Gotham,” Babs said. An old, poor quality image of a convention banner popped up on the television. It was for alternative energies. Next to it was a list of booths, the Fenton’s ‘Ectoplasm Energy’ booth highlighted. “But what I don’t understand is why they chose to clone Bruce. They never tried to use it as a claim for child support or any of the obvious reasons someone would clone a Wayne for.”

“I, um, never knew the when,” Danny said, squinting at the images. “I didn’t… I didn’t even find out the who until I was escaping. It was stupid to stop and look, they could have come back at any moment, but I had to know, you know? But I know the why. Bruce registers as a liminal. I would bet all of you do except for Steph and maybe Alfred. Well, Jason is more like me and Dami is something other, something more. Duke’s totally different.”

Bruce leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Liminal.”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. It can—like, it’s not the best term, really, because it can mean a lot. A lot of exposure to death, exposure to death at key moments, being somewhere liminal for a really long time, or longterm exposure to ectoplasm can cause it.”

“Is it dangerous?” Tim asked, mouth twisted in a curious frown.

“No,” Danny said quickly. “Think of it sorta like a meta gene? Some people are more susceptible to being liminal and liminals, if exposed to the right… incentives, can develop… not powers but kinda? Or, if things go really wrong, can turn into a halfa.

“My—the Fentons are really immune to being liminal, they learned that in college when their lab partner got really sick and then later turned into a halfa. I dodn’t know if… I don’t know if they would have tried to use Jazz like that did me if not. I don’t think so but… well, they didn’t have to worry about her when they exposed me to all sorts of stuff around the house growing up.”

“They chose to clone me simply because I was a liminal?” Bruce asked. He sounded befuddled.

To be fair, it was like the weirdest reason ever to clone Bruce Wayne and Batman.

“Yeah. A strong one,” Danny said. “Gotham itself is pretty liminal and you’re, you know, both her knight and her prince. I think you were sort of like the perfect choice for them to pick. I guess you went to the convention. They had you handle a device, it nicked you enough for them to get blood. They, um, would have played it off. Like they bragged, everyone always just thought D…Jack was just a bumbling fool. It let him get away with a lot.”

“They snagged Bruce’s blood and cloned you to just, what, have their own liminal?” Steph asked. Her nose scrunched up at the whole idea of it.

“Yeah. Apparently they tracking how much I was exposed to and what my levels where. I didn’t… I never noticed. It was just growing up. My, they always did my check ups. Experiments were left everywhere. I cleaned the lab. Sometimes hot dogs came back to life and attacked.”

“What?!” Duke squawked.

“One more reason to be vegetarian,” Damian tsked.

Danny just shrugged. “It was just life. But, um, I didn’t really get any powers or anything so they pushed things. They set it up for me to die and be exposed to a huge amount of ectoplasm at the same time.”

Dick stilled. “It was planned?”

“What?”

“You said they killed you, but it… that was planned. Killing you was planned?”

“Oh, yeah,” Danny said softly. “Like, I thought it was an accident, just being a stupid teen and not being safe enough around big science experiments. My friend just wanted a picture of me in the portal. It turned on and—”

Danny trailed off, fingers tight in Ursa’s fur.

“And halfa.” Cass said.

“And halfa,” Danny agreed. “Which I guess was the best outcome. I could have just died and been a ghost. It was proof that someone liminal enough could be dead and not at the same time. My, um, my friend Sam said I was responsible to fight the ghosts that the portal accident let out. It was just another way to test my powers and see how they grew. Not that, it wasn’t Sam testing me, but the Fentons would let ghosts ‘escape’ and I would fight them and get new skills.”

“You were a hero, Master Danny?” Alfred asked with a purposeful look to Bruce.

Bruce had the good graces to look a little chagrined. “It just seems part of the make up at this point?”

Danny smiled a little. “I guess. I went by Phantom. The city didn’t always like me, the ghosts could cause a lot of damage, but nothing ever got too bad. I really thought I was doing something important.”

“You were,” Tim insisted. “Even if the Fentons were the real villain behind it all, you still dealt with the threats that you knew about.”

“…I guess?” Danny agreed doubtfully. “I don’t know if it matters when they just were waiting for my powers to stagnate. Apparently they had pressure from the group that was funding them, the GWI, for results so they moved up their time line. I went to sleep and woke up in a box in a GIW lab. Then I was just a lab rat. I was just something to experiment on and cut into and—and—”

Dick moved to the floor and Danny’s side, pulling his newest little brother into a tight hug. “Don’t. You don’t have to think about that anymore.”

They had seen the scars.

They knew the sort of things that Danny had been through.

That those monsters had done.

Danny didn’t need to relive any of it just to try and explain things to them. Part of Dick wanted to protect his other siblings from having to be exposed to those horrors too, even with everything else they had been through. Danny sniffled wetly and buried his face into Dick’s shoulder. Hitched sobs wracked his body. Ursa huffed and tried to lick Danny’s chin. Damian leaned closer.

Dick looked up at Jason who was already watching Dick with a question in his gaze. Jason didn’t listen to anyone, not really, but this was a family mater and Dick was the oldest child. It was his call. Dick didn’t even hesitate to nod.

Jason looked viciously pleased.

Jason and Tim could handle the Fentons. The Titans would see to the GWI. The Justice League could deal with any fallout. The family would protect their own.

Dick pulled Danny closer as he let him cry.

---

AN: *lies down dead like Danny* this chapter was exhausting to write. I hope you all like it and it feels full.

#dp x dc #batpham #city pigeons #FINALLY

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loveyouprongs · 2 months ago

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overnight rush

authors note: using the "Oh, look at the stars! Ursa Major… so beautiful!" "We're inside. Those are just ceiling lights." prompt from @creativepromptsforwriting

upcoming content: fluff!! alcohol mention, james is drunk. food mention.

word count: 1.2k

masterlist

James is practically a furnace draped over you, all heavy limbs and warm breath against your neck. His arm is slung across your shoulders, the other flopping uselessly at his side as he stumbles through the hallway with you bearing most of his weight. Every step is an exercise in patience and balance.

"You're really strong, y'know that?" James slurs, giggling into your hair. "Like... like a dragon. No, wait. A... a really buff flower. My strong flower.”

"I wouldn’t have to be if you could walk straight," you huff, fumbling with your keys as he leans more heavily into you. "James, for Merlin’s sake — can you stand up for two seconds?"

"Standing is overrated," he declares dramatically. "Besides, this is nice. I like this." He tightens his arm around you, swaying on his feet. "You’re warm. An' soft. Like... like a pillow." He tucks his face further into your neck, standing at an angle that can hardly be comfortable given the many inches of height he has on you. Yet, he practically purrs with content as one of his hands snakes up underneath your top, fingers skating across your waist making you giggle.

"James," you try to sound firm, but the way he presses a sloppy kiss to your neck makes it come out more like a laugh. "Stop distracting me. I’m trying to get the door open."

"M'not distracting you," he says, grinning against your skin. "I’m being supportive. 'S different."

You manage to wrestle the door open and practically drag him inside, kicking it shut behind you. James stumbles over his feet and flops onto the couch, arms spread wide, looking up at the ceiling with wide eyes. He jolts up as quickly as he fell down.

"Oh look! The stars!" he gasps, pointing dramatically upward. "Ursa Major... so beautiful." James stumbled in a dazed formation, totally in awe of the “night sky” that shined above him.

You blink at him. "James, those are the ceiling lights."

He frowns, squinting. "Whaaaat? No, they’re stars. Look!" He lifts his hand, tracing invisible constellations in the air. "See? The Big Dipper’s right there, silly girl!”

You bite back a laugh. "We put those up, remember? The little glow-in-the-dark stickers you insisted we buy last month? You said every flat needed its own night sky."

James gasps, staring at you like you’ve just shared the secret of life itself. "That was us? No way. We’re brilliant,” he let out with a bewildered whisper, now sitting cross legged on the rug, his stare darting between you and the stars. He couldn’t decide which view amazed him more.

"Mmhmm." You crouch beside him, brushing a curl from his forehead. "Our apartment, remember? We can do whatever we want with it."

His face softens, and his eyes go all melty and fond. "Our apartment," he repeats dreamily, reaching out to poke your nose. "That’s so cool. You and me. Living together."

"Yes, love. That’s what happens when people move in together."

James hums contentedly, flopping onto his side and curling into the cushions. "Best decision I ever made. Apart from falling in love with you."

You roll your eyes, cheeks heating. "Alright, Casanova. Let’s get you ready for bed."

He grumbles when you tug him up, but relents when you pull him toward the kitchen, his feet dragging along the floor. He sags against you, arms wrapped around your waist, and you practically have to pour him into his chair.

"Okay," you say, carefully handing him a large glass of water. "Stay."

James salutes you with two fingers, swaying slightly. "Aye, aye."

You stifle a giggle. "I’m going to the bathroom. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, of course," James says, puffing up his chest in mock seriousness.

You raise a brow. "Really?"

"Yes!" he insists, nodding so enthusiastically that he nearly topples off his seat. "Totally fine."

You hesitate for a moment before slipping into the bathroom. The mirror is streaked in places, toothpaste flecks near the sink, and you make a mental note to clean it tomorrow. You catch your reflection, eyes lingering on the tired but content expression staring back at you. The apartment is small, your job doesn’t pay you enough, and sometimes the ceiling leaks when it rains too hard. But it’s yours. Yours and James’. And somehow, even when things are tight, you make it work. The place feels full — with laughter, with love, with him.

A loud clang makes you jump.

You rush out of the bathroom, heart racing, and find James sitting cross-legged on the kitchen floor, staring forlornly at what used to be a slice of cake. It’s now a sad mess of crumbs and frosting.

"James, what happened?"

He looks up at you, eyes wide and guilt-ridden. "It fell."

You press your lips together, trying not to laugh. "I can see that."

"I was trying to mold it back into cake shape," he explains, pushing the crumbled mess together with his fingers. "But it’s not working."

You kneel beside him, brushing his hair back from his forehead. "It’s okay. We’ll fix it tomorrow."

James pouts. "But I wanted cake."

"I know, love." You help him to his feet, dusting crumbs off his shirt. "Come on, let’s get you cleaned up."

He lets you lead him back to the bathroom, collapsing onto the closed toilet lid. "Okay," you say, guiding him onto the closed toilet lid. "Now don’t move, and I mean it this time."

James nods and bounces on the toilet seat like a child would. God, even drunk off his ass, he’s still the most endearing person you’ll ever know.

You grab his toothbrush and squeeze a dollop of minty toothpaste onto the bristles before holding it out to him. James stares at it blankly.

"You have to put it in your mouth, James."

"Oh. Right."

He takes the toothbrush and promptly misses his mouth, nearly poking himself in the cheek. You sigh, gently taking it from him.

"Alright. Open up."

He blinks at you. "You’re gonna brush my teeth for me?"

"Unless you want toothpaste all over the walls?"

He grins. "I love you."

You snort. "Yeah, yeah. Open."

James obediently parts his lips, and you carefully brush his teeth, trying not to laugh when he makes exaggerated "ahhh" sounds like a child at the dentist. His eyes stay fixed on you the entire time, half-lidded and soft.

When you’re done, he swishes some water around his mouth and nearly misses the sink spitting it out. You wipe his chin with a towel, shaking your head fondly.

"There. Minty fresh."

James beams at you, pulling you into his arms and pressing his face into your neck. "You’re the best. My best girl. My only girl."

"Yes, yes, I know. Let’s get you to bed before you pass out in the sink."

He lets you lead him to the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed like a starfish the moment his back hits the mattress. You pull off his shoes, tossing them into the corner, and tug the blankets over him. Just as you’re about to turn off the light, his hand catches yours.

"Stay."

You slip under the covers, and James immediately pulls you into his arms, his face nuzzling into your neck.

"I love our apartment," he mumbles sleepily. "I love you."

You press a kiss to his curls, smiling into the dark. "Love you too, James."

He’s asleep before you can say anything else, snoring softly into your pillow. And as the glow-in-the-dark stars shimmer faintly above you, and the faint smell of alcohol mixed with mint fanned your face, you can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, you’re the luckiest person in the world.

#james potter #james potter x reader #james potter x fem!reader #james potter fluff #james potter fic #mauraders #mauraders fandom #maurauders era #mauraders fic #james potter imagine #james potter mauraders #james potter blurb #james potter drabble #loveyouprongs

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howi99 · 2 months ago

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King of Teachers Au: What's gonna happen when Mama Arc finds out about Cardin bullying Jaune?

The "King" of Teachers 3

Jaune: *Placing himself between team CRDL and his mom* Forgive them mother! They didn't know what they were doing!

Artoria: *a dark aura covering her, her golden eyes as cold as the 9th floor of hell* And ignorance should acquit their fault? Should a killer go unpunished if they didn't know their victims?

Cardin: *panicking* WE'RE SOR-

Artoria: *staring directly into Cardin's eyes* Did I give you permission to speak, vermin?!

Cardin: *shutting his eyes closed, internally praying to all the gods he heard of, hoping at least one could answer his prayers*

???: *Joyful voice* Hey, come on now, no need to be THAT angry, right?

Cardin: *opening one eye, seeing a second woman next to the teacher*

Jaune: *taking one step back* Aesc!? What are you doing here!?

Aesc: *smiling* Your father sent me to look after your mom. You know how my sister can be!

Artoria: *gritting her teeth* Aesc-

Cardin: *tears in his eyes* (A savior! I was saved from certain death! Truly, the gods have answered my prayers!)

Aesc: *placing on hand on her sister's shoulder* Now, i'm sure they didn't mean to really hurt-

Nora: *from the back of the class* THEY PUSHED HIM INTO A LOCKER AND SENT HIM INTO THE EMERALD FOREST! AND NOT EVEN A WEEK LATER, THEY ALMOST GOT HIM KILLED BECAUSE OF AN URSA MAJOR!

Aesc: ... *Sigh, losing her smile as her hair turns white*

Morgan: *pointing her staff at the group of bullies* 'Tis a ruinous dream I cannot bear to see.

Jaune: !?

Morgan: No recompense, no salvation to be had.

Jaune: *turning around, clear panic in his voice* EVERYONE, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!

Morgan: At the world's end, a bird sings of tomorrow.

Artoria: *now also panicking* Sis, i was just going to chew them off! Dont-

Morgan: Let this be a sign—

_ meanwhile _

Ozpin: *sipping tea with his friend who came visiting* Ah, today's a good day, is it not?

Merlin: *trying not to burst out laughing* Y-yeah, a very nice d-day indeed!

Ozpin: ...

Merlin: ...

Ozpin: Merlin, what did you see-

Morgan: *from afar* ROADLESS CAMELOT!

*sounds of a lot of "unforeseen expenses", as the entire school shakes from the strength of the attack*

Ozpin: ... *Sigh, looking as his "friend" is laughing hysterically* I'm not paying myself enough for this...

_ _ _

Artoria: *having tanked most of the attack to protect team CRDL* . . . *Fall face first to the ground, knocked out*

Cardin: *frothing at the mouth, his eyes turned inside as his consciousness left him*

Jaune: . . . *Taking a slow breath* Aesc?

Aesc: *nervous* Y-yes?

Jaune: *taking her staff from her hands* You are forbidden from using your semblance as long as you stay here. Not only that, but i'm also calling dad and you can say goodbye to your magnificent delicacies for the rest of the year.

Aesc: *lying flat on her stomach, asking for forgiveness* Please, PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT!

Yang: *hiding under a desk* IS EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY LIKE THAT!?

Jaune: *turning to Yang* You should see my third mom, she's even worse-

Yang: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THIRD MOM!?!

Jaune: *pointing to the gigantics holes through the roof* To his defense, it's not like my dad had a choice!

*the wall behind him falls to the ground, as the dust settles*

Jaune: *wince* ... That said, i'm beginning to understand why he didn't want any of them to train me. I'd either be dead, or there wouldn't be much left of our house.

#jaune arc #artoria pendragon #artoria pendragon lancer #aesc the savior #fgo morgan #fgo merlin #ozpin #rwby #rwby au #cardin winchester #yang xiao long #the king of teachers au

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adieutristana · 1 month ago

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Could you do the sfw Alphabet with Jinx?

of course! thank you for requesting <3

big love by fleetwood mac on repeat rn

summary; jinx headcanons in the format of the sfw alphabet (using this template.)

characters included; jinx

tags/warnings; fluff, hurt/comfort, (very brief) angst, jealousy, sweet stuff all around

men dni.

a; affection. (how affectionate are they? how do they show affection?

jinx is very affectionate, and she shows affection in a lot of ways. but her favorites are physical touch and gift giving. she's incredibly touchy, always wanting to have an arm around you, your fingers interlaced, or her head on your shoulder. it's both her way of showing you she cares, and reassuring herself that you're there and real.

in terms of gift giving, all of her gifts are handmade and deeply personal. she makes things like silver lockets out of scrap metal, welded bouquets, music boxes that play tunes she's heard you hum (albeit a bit out of tune), and picture frames with crude drawings of the two of you. she pays attention, and it shows very clearly through what she makes you.

b; best friend. (what would they be like as a best friend? how would the friendship start?)

jinx is easily the most unpredictable and chaotic, yet fun friend you've ever had. she's not super conventional. the two of you don't talk every day, still enjoying her solitude, and she always has an aura of mystery to her. but it doesn't mean she values your companionship any less.

the friendship likely would start due to you being in a similar line of work to her, one of silco's errand girls or someone pushing shimmer in the common market. you'd run into each other while both on jobs, got to talking, and found you enjoyed each other's company. you've heard of her- who hasn't? the daughter of the eye of zaun can't exactly go unnoticed.

you start finding time to hang out outside of work, jinx often inviting you back to her hideout to watch her tinker or watch movies with her. she's not sure exactly how the whole 'hanging out' thing goes, she hasn't had someone to call her friend in years. but damn, if she isn't excited to finally have one again. most of the initial visits consist of her doing things she'd normally do by herself, except now you're there too.

but as time goes on, she starts taking you out to the lanes- you tag walls together, sit on rooftops, point out constellations.

"so that one's ursa minor-"

"ursa major." you correct.

"huh?! you're seeing things! that's ursa minor!"

she also asks if you'd like to help with some of her explosives, but you insist that marketing is your strength. she tells you that you're no fun.

c; cuddles. (do they like to cuddle? how would they cuddle?)

oh, jinx loves to cuddle. she's a bit unpredictable and unconventional. there's times where she'll fully starfish on top of you or curl into your lap without warning, just because she feels like it. "you're warm," as she puts it. but she also does love holding you and being held, feeling you nestle into the crook of her neck and the sensation of your warm breath on her skin. she sleeps a lot better when she's with you.

often when cuddling with jinx, one of you will fall asleep because she won't want to move. and by the time you wake up, you're a tangled mess of limbs, unable to tell which leg belongs to which person. but she enjoys this, the feeling of being intertwined with you. she wants to be as close to you as humanly possible- physically and emotionally.

also, jinx insists on being the big spoon most of the time. even if you're taller than her, she wants to hold you in her arms and have you close to her chest in that way. her lips ghost over your neck, your shoulders, your temple all from behind while she whispers sweet nothings, like "so pretty," or "love this, love you." she does let you be the big spoon every now and again, but it's usually a way to comfort her in times of need.

d; domestic. (do they want to settle down? how are they at cooking and cleaning?)

i think jinx would want to settle down eventually, but definitely not any time in the near future. and her definition of 'settling down' isn't the most conventional, more so just... slowing down a bit, maybe taking more days off to spend with you in tranquil moments. but she doesn't expect to ever completely cease her wild ways.

in terms of cooking, the girl is a hazard. she's set stoves on fire more often than not, she likes to experiment with condiments and spices until food is almost inedible. she's the type of person to leave bread in the oven for an extra fifteen minutes, insisting that it'll be fine, then gets surprised when it burns. in short, she usually lets you do the cooking.

cleaning is something jinx is actually pretty good at! she doesn't really care to keep her own space tidy, clutter's never been something that's bothered her. but if you need help cleaning a space, or you move in together, she'll be all too eager to help. might even offer to organize some things for you.

e; ending. (if they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

jinx is the type of person who gets attached. i mean that- attached. she doesn't see herself ever breaking up with you, she doesn't consider that an option. but if something comes up that makes her feel as though she needs to break up with you, or it'll be what's best for you, it'll be an internal battle.

she'd start distancing herself at first, to slowly separate from you as much as it kills her inside. even if you ask what's going on, noticing her distant behavior, she'd wave you off with something like, "don't worry about me, toots, just got a lot goin' on."

but she has to tell you eventually what's going on. her voice would be cold, colder than normal as she avoids your gaze. her cuticles have dried blood around them, and you can tell this has been weighing heavy on her. "...i'm sorry, baby, i think we should break up," she murmurs, her very being trembling. "i don't want to do this. i don't. but i'm not good for you, i think i'm just holding you back."

her eyes would be filled with unshed tears, one slipping as she chokes out a pitiful sob. "you deserve better than me, okay? i'll let you find that."

f; fiance(e). (how would they feel about commitment? how quick would they want to get married?)

jinx is scared shitless when it comes to commitment. she isn't used to things in her life lasting for long- people have been taken from her time after time. she's been thrown into so many different events and ways of life, she doesn't let herself get too attached to one thing. but that changes when she's with you.

you're the only person, place, or thing she can see herself ever committing to. she is committed to you, from even before you officially are together. jinx doesn't take relationships lightly at all, she wants to live and die by your side.

that being said, she is still a young adult. she absolutely does want to get married to you, just not right away- maybe after three or four years of being together? though she will refer to you as her wife casually, even before you're married.

gentle; (how gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

'gentle' as a concept is a bit foreign to jinx, it'll take her some time to get there. at first she's confused as to why you're gentle with her, why you care about her as a person beyond an asset. beyond her reputation. but over time, she comes to accept and even embrace that. you're a peaceful force in her life, the only person she considers sanctuary. she wants to be the same for you in return.

jinx isn't the best at expressing her emotions in a healthy manner, but she's gotten a lot better at it since meeting you. she's much more gentle with you than with herself- checking up on you to see if you've eaten, if the temperature in her hideout is okay, if you're feeling alright emotionally. physically, she isn't used to being gentle. but the more gentle embraces you pull her into, and the more soft kisses you press to her jawline, the more she comes to enjoy this kind of touch. even reciprocates with her own (clumsily) gentle hugs and cuddles. the tranquility is odd, but welcome.

h; hugs. (do they like hugs? how often do they do it? what are they like?)

jinx love love loves hugs. they're a greeting, a farewell, even a 'i just felt like it' thing for her. she's the type to want to be constantly touching you, so hugs are one of her favorite things to do, and they're constant.

her hugs are borderline bone-crushing. she's capable of gentle hugs, but she wants the two of you to be as close as humanly possible. she holds onto you like you're her anchor, as if you'll disappear if she lets go (part of her believes you might). all while peppering your face and neck with sweet kisses and swaying you side to side.

i; i love you. (how fast do they say the l-word?)

pretty fast. jinx knew before you even began officially dating that she loved you. but she didn't want to accidentally scare you off by saying it too soon, so she waited until about a month into your relationship to finally say it. though the anticipation was killing her- but the fact that you said it back without any hesitation made every second worth it.

j; jealousy. (how jealous do they get? what do they do when they're jealous?)

jinx gets very jealous, very easily. she's borderline possessive. in her mind, you're hers- why should she have to share you with the rest of the world? it's not that she doesn't trust you, it's that she doesn't trust other people.

she's not a fan of you being physically affectionate with anyone else, aside from maybe your family members. other than that, seeing you hugged by others or told others love you... it sets her off.

she gets pretty volatile when jealous. she could see a guy approach you at the last drop, and within seconds, she's got the cold barrel of her gun pressed to her neck.

"back off," she'd bite, her eyes dark and brows furrowed. "or i'll have no problem pulling the trigger."

k; kisses. (what are their kisses like? where do they like to kiss you? where do they like to be kissed?)

jinx's kisses are just as unpredictable as she is. sometimes she'll go slow and gentle, her plump lips moving against yours in a sweet rhythm. sometimes it's a chaste peck, usually a stolen kiss or a greeting. sometimes they're heavy and desperate, a mess of teeth and tongue and slobber while she claims you.

it depends on the day, really. and she doesn't have a preference.

jinx loves to kiss you anywhere she can reach, really! your cheeks, your nose, your jawline, your neck, your hands, your collarbones, your cheeks, your shoulders- but as cliche as it is, her favorite is your lips. there's something just so sweet about being that close to you, feeling your breaths intermingled and tasting you.

jinx's favorite place to be kissed is also her lips, but other than that, i'd imagine she likes her neck being kissed. not only is it intimate, the plush of your lips against milky skin, but she gets to feel you so close to her. that's what she craves, really.

l; little ones. (how are they around children?)

well.. we saw her with isha in season 2. jinx is pretty good with kids, and even enjoys their company from time to time! it's like a hidden talent- she can calm down crying children by cracking a few jokes. she can comfort them with her gadgets or by taking them into her arms, and giving them little pep talks. she's not exactly the nurturing type, but she does still care and want to do right by the kids she comes across.

m; morning. (how are mornings spent with them?)

in bed. jinx is not a morning person at all, so you'll often wake up in her embrace, one arm lazily slung over your body while she snores away. if you even think of getting up, she'll whine much like a child and tug you back into her arms. though she'll allow it if you're making food- just be quick.

"mm... too early," she'd murmur. "baby, it's eleven in the morning." "doesn't matter... too early. just wanna stay here with you."

n; night. (how are nights spent with them?)

crazy, chaotic times. jinx is very much a night owl- she could be up to truly anything. she'll tinker and experiment at her workbench with you taking notes by her side (she says you're her favorite distraction), or run with you through the lanes while you tag walls. she likes to plan movie nights on ripped dvds she made, take you to rooftops to watch the stars, the like. it's truly a gamble depending on the night.

but she's also not opposed to late night board games, or making pillow forts, or making scrapbooks... literally anything. jinx truly comes alive at night.

jinx rarely sleeps at normal hours, so prepare to be kept awake at two in the morning while she rambles on about some new tech she's planning on ripping off from the 'pilties,' or complaining about sevika harping on her about some job. she's chatty, she's energetic, and she's fun, most of all.

o; open. (when would they start revealing things about themselves? do they say everything at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

jinx is pretty reserved when it comes to her past. when it comes to her interests, her personality, her likes and dislikes- she's an open book. any question you have about those topics are questions she'll answer enthusiastically, but if you ask about what happened before she became jinx, it's like she closes in on herself.

she would begin to reveal things about herself slowly- her relationship with vi, why she was taken in by silco, seeing her parents' bodies, becoming jinx. though you usually have to hold her through those retellings, her voice trembling and knees pulled close to her chest.

it's not that she doesn't want to tell you these things- it's that it feels like she physically can't. talking about the ghosts that haunt her past feels as if she's reliving those events, every single time she tries. she often can't talk about her traumas for more than a few minutes at a time, becoming too overwhelmed. she will let you in eventually, little by little, just be patient.

p; patient. (how easily angered are they?)

jinx isn't exactly the most stable, but i wouldn't say she's easily angered. she becomes angry during jobs, she gets angry at injustice, she gets angry at herself. but very rarely at you. i feel like the only ways to get her angry would be if you were trying to provoke her, such as trying to make her jealous on purpose, if you messed with her belongings or inventions, or tried telling her what to do. if there's anything jinx hates, it's feeling tied down and controlled.

q; quizzes. (how much would they remember about you? do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

jinx remembers anything and everything- from your favorite color, to your middle name, to your hometown, to your birth date and the time you were born. she makes it a point to know every little detail there is to know about you, she knows you like the back of your hand. sometimes, you think jinx might know you better than you know yourself.

you could be curled up next to jinx in her cot, grumbling lightly as she nudges you with her elbow.

"hey. what's the sad face for?"

"just hungry," you huff, to which jinx immediately swings her legs over the cot and springs to her feet, making her way to her mini-fridge. when she comes back, she's holding a container of strawberries.

"how did you...?"

"you mentioned you liked them," she shrugs, sitting back beside you. you'd mentioned liking strawberries once in passing, on your first date- which was several months ago by now. but these are fresh strawberries. she remembers.

r; remember. (what's their favorite moment in your relationship?)

as cliche as it may sound, your first kiss. it was her first kiss ever, and although she didn't have anything to compare it to, she swears up and down that it's the best there ever was. it was nothing short of perfect.

the feeling of the plush of your lips against hers, your breaths intermingled, your arms snaked around her waist, your lips finding a gentle rhythm- it's everything jinx could ever wish for. just off that one kiss, jinx became addicted, quickly wanting more and more.

s; security. (how protective are they? how would they protect you? how would they like to be protected?)

incredibly protective. being with jinx, you have natural immunity from the rest of zaun's forces and most of piltover. they're all too afraid to fuck with her, by extension, you- the person she cares most about. anyone who even looks at you wrong will get a cold glare at best from jinx, and a gun to their head at worst. jinx doesn't really need protection; she's always been pretty good at fending for herself, but she'll let you try by speaking up for her or delivering a few punches before she steps in. she finds it cute.

although it does give opposing forces like smeech's crew and piltover's enforcers incentive to try and use you for something like ransom or an inside resource to get to jinx. if they take away the one she loves most, or turns her against her, they've got gold. but jinx will be damned if she ever lets that happen.

t; try. (how much effort would they put into dates, anniversary gifts, everyday tasks?)

so much effort. jinx puts her entire heart and soul into your relationship. dates are often unorthodox but fun and deeply personal- your own firework shows, day-long shopping trips at your favorite places, making your favorite foods together after she's gone out to get (steal) all of the ingredients. although, most of the cooking/baking is on you.

anniversary gifts are also deeply personal. she's the type of person to document absolutely everything via a journal and/or photos, so chances are she'll give you a scrapbook with sweet comments underneath pictures like 'she looked so beautiful here! i mean, she always does, but especially on this day.' or, 'my love <3 she's just the cutest.' she's also partial to lockets or any other kind of handmade jewelry, and she'll absolutely take you out for a night on the town. anniversaries are very serious!!

even in everyday tasks, she won't half-ass anything. if you ask her to pick up a prescription for you, she's opening the bag and making sure the pharmacist gave you exactly what you need in case of any errors. if you need to be up at a certain time, she's waking you up thirty minutes before then- just because she wants to make certain that you're able to make it where you need to.

u; ugly. (what would be some bad habits of theirs?)

jinx isn't the best at keeping you updated with her whereabouts and going on. she's so used to being on her own and not having anyone to answer to that she'll fully up and leave for hours at a time with no indication or communication of where she is. then she'll get confused as to why you're upset, as if she wouldn't also be upset if you did that. she gets better at it eventually and you start sharing your locations on your phones, it's just gonna take some time.

she also tends to pick at the skin around her nails when she's nervous or fidgety. you'll often have to give her a pen to click or ask her to just tap her foot if she needs to be doing something so badly, just not making her cuticles bleed.

that, and... she snores. really loud.

v; vanity. (how concerned are they with their looks?)

not much. she does her makeup and she's very proud of her hair, and i imagine her to be content with how she looks. but overall, not too bothered about her image one way or the other. not the type to sulk over not meeting some arbitrary beauty standard, but also not the type to get arrogant over her looks.

w; whole. (would they feel incomplete without you?)

absolutely, jinx would. she didn't feel truly complete before she met you, and she wouldn't ever again after meeting you. to jinx, you're her better half. her missing piece, her soulmate. although you've assured jinx time and time again that she is a whole person, she insists otherwise. you complete her. your patience, time, affection, and love completes her.

x; xtra. (a random headcanon for them.)

jinx learned to burn cds shortly before meeting you, so a lot of her gifts to you are in the form of a cd with a clear case she's written all over. a track list, as well as a name for the cd- like 'lovey dovey songs :)' or 'songs that make me wanna throw stuff!'

she also draws all over the disc itself with her paint markers and maybe even puts glitter on them. she likes to keep it fun. yes, she could just make you a playlist online, but there's something so much more intimate to her about physical media. going through the effort to rip files and burn a cd so you have a one-of-a-kind disc. and the look on your face every time you receive one gives her all the incentive she needs to do it over and over.

y; yuck. (what are some things they wouldn't like, either in general or in a partner?)

one thing jinx hates is a boring person. someone who's never up for adventure, only wants to stay in their comfort zone and never wants to explore other avenues. so she would hate that in a partner as well- being with jinx means that you're signing up for late-night runs throughout the lanes with spray paint cans, impromptu homemade firework shows, dance parties in her hideout, and gaming until unholy hours of the morning. if you're not up for any of that, she'll quickly grow annoyed.. sorry.

z; zzz. (what is a sleep habit of theirs?)

jinx's sleep schedule is virtually nonexistent. she doesn't get much of it, truth be told, and when she does, it's just whenever she feels tired. whether that be at seven in the morning, three in the morning, or six in the evening. it doesn't matter.

that, and she snores. sleeps with her mouth open and snores, the only way i can think to describe it is like when a dad falls asleep on the couch. it's loud enough that you can hear her from other platforms in the turbine that supports her hideout... yeah. it's almost endearing.

and jinx insists that she sleeps better when you're there, cuddled up with her! so eventually, you're gonna have to tune out that snoring so you can get some sleep yourself.

#jinx x reader #jinx x female reader #jinx x you #arcane x reader #arcane x you #jinx fluff #reader insert #sapphic #lesbian

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prying-pandora666 · 1 year ago

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Azula Respected Mai The Most

I just saw another Reddit comment saying Azula wasn’t friends with Mai and mostly only cared about Ty Lee. And I just gotta say…

I respectfully disagree.

The Boiling Rock proves Mai meant a lot to Azula.

First, Mai publicly commits treason and betrays the Fire Nation and Azula.

What does Azula do? Order the guards away and gives Mai a chance to explain herself. She even says “I never expected this from you” and “you of all people know the consequences”. Put a pin in that for a moment.

Giving a traitor who just publicly and flagrantly betrayed you and your nation to help an even worse traitor to your nation (Zuko, who on a personal level hurt both Mai and Azula by doing so) a chance to explain themselves is already significant. But even moreso is the fact that Azula doesn’t make a single move to harm Mai until Mai purposely and effectively hits Azula’s trauma weak point like the master marksman she is.

When Mai says “I guess you don’t know people as well as you think you do” this is already an insult. She’s putting down Azula’s intelligence and manipulation skills, things Azula clearly takes pride in. And yet despite how insulting that is, Azula still waits for Mai to explain herself. Even as Mai throws that barb at her, Azula wants to hear her out. Until Mai throws the even worse insult right at Azula’s weak point.

“I love Zuko more than I fear you” isn’t a statement of Mai being afraid really. It’s Mai throwing a powerful dig at Azula’s biggest fear and trauma, the one Azula tried to dismiss during The Beach with a joke to avoid showing her own vulnerability: Azula fears that Ursa hated and feared her but loved Zuko. It’s why during the mirror scene, a grief stricken and emotionally volatile Azula bitterly says to the hallucination of Ursa “even you fear me”.

Only then does Azula get triggered enough to lash out in return. Mai was only capable of hurting her so much precisely because Azula loves and trusts Mai so much, and precisely because Mai knew what to say to hurt her.

Even so, Azula does the forms for fire, not lightning. And after she is chi-blocked, Azula orders both Ty Lee and Mai jailed, not executed or banished despite having every right to do so since they just publicly committed treason against the Fire Nation.

See the quick strike? It’s more like when she attacks Iroh in The Chase with blue fire:

Lightning, by comparison, always has a wind up for her. Even when comet-boosted or otherwise.

Remember Azula’s line we put a pin in? Let’s go back to it now. Why does Azula say “I never expected this from you” and “you of all people”. What is the significance here?

We know Azula is a perfectionist. She can’t stand a single hair out of place. This informs her frustration with Zuko and Ty Lee, both whom she adores, but whom are constantly failing to stay in their place and play their role. Zuko messes up, gets himself banished. Ty Lee runs away and joins the circus. What does Azula do? Endeavor to use any means necessary to bring them back into the fold. It sounds crazy, but from her perspective, she’s helping them shape up.

But Mai? She’s different. Mai knows her place. She knows what’s expected of her. She says herself that she learned to be quiet and still so as not to risk her dad’s political career. She hates it and searches for any excuse to leave her stifling expectations at home, but she only does this in an acceptable way: when ordered by the princess to join her on a mission for the Fire Nation.

This is why Azula is especially shocked. Because of all people, Azula thought Mai was the only one of her friends who understood their duty to the nation and wasn’t a colossal fuck up.

Azula may be more affectionate with Ty Lee, but she definitely respected Mai more.

And I think the fandom doesn’t give their fascinating relationship or how it breaks down enough credit.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar #azula #mai

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melzula · 1 year ago

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All I Ever Wanted

pairing: zuko x reader

notes: this was originally requested by an anon but i also took inspiration from mitski’s song “your best american girl” while writing this. give it a listen during your read !

summary: as a peasant and servant girl for the palace, you should have known better than to fall for the Prince

The sun is warm against your skin and the grass is soft beneath you as you land on your back in a fit of giggles. Azula is unamused by your antics, but Zuko finds himself laughing right along with you. It’s a peaceful summer’s day in the palace gardens, and you spend it as you would any other day by playing with your friends.

“I caught you,” you tell him with a breathless laugh after turning your head to face him.

“No way, I was just going easy on you,” he argues with playful grin, his nose nearly brushing against your own due to your close proximity on the grass. Your heart beats fast in your rib cage as you try to ignore the rising heat on your face and play it off as a result of your exhaustion and not your nerves from lying with the Prince. You haven’t realized it yourself, but you have a crush on Zuko, a painfully obvious one that he hasn’t seemed to notice yet. What you also don’t realize is that he reciprocates the feeling, and he shares the thrill that comes with being your playmate.

“Are you two done yet?” Azula finally interrupts with a roll of her eyes as she offers you her hand and helps you up from the ground. “It’s my turn to hide this time.”

“I don’t think we can play anymore,” Zuko notes with a frown as his mother makes her way towards your group. You quickly bow in respect to the Fire Lady, but she waves you off with a smile.

“I’m sorry, y/n, but Zuko and Azula must attend their fire bending lessons now. I’m afraid playtime is over for today,” she informs you apologetically.

“Yes, Fire Lady Ursa,” you reply politely before turning to give both of your friends departing hugs. “Bye Zuko, bye Azula!”

“It’s too bad you’re not a fire bender,” Azula remarks after halfheartedly returning your embrace. “Maybe dad would let us play with you more if you were.”

Her words make your body hot with embarrassment and shame, and though you don’t voice your discomfort Ursa is instantly able to pick up on it. With a scolding glare, the Fire Lady quickly urges her daughter to apologize.

“Azula, that is not a nice thing to say to a friend.”

“But it’s true,” the girl mutters under her breath only to have her mother drag her away before she can get the chance to say anything else. Zuko hesitates then, giving you an apologetic look and promising to play with you tomorrow before rushing after Ursa and Azula.

You’ve never really cared about being a non-bender, but there’s something about Azula’s words that has you questioning your worth. As the daughter of a royal family servant with no title or money to her name, you knew you were lucky to be able to grow up in the palace and play with the Fire Lord’s children. However, you never once realized that you weren’t their equal. They were royalty, a Prince and a Princess destined to become powerful benders and ruthless leaders of the Fire Nation, and you were simply a girl who would one day grow up to live a life of servitude. You had no real future or purpose ahead of you, not like they did, and yet you were the only one unaware of your unfortunate fate.

Perhaps it’s because they never treated you in such a way, and your mother did her best to shield you from your true heritage. For now you could grow up blissfully unaware of the fact that your friends would one day outgrow you.

“Mom?” Zuko asks once they’re safe inside the palace. “Do you like y/n?”

“She’s a sweet girl,” Ursa notes with a faint smile, “and she makes you both happy. So yes, I like her.”

“Then why doesn’t Dad?”

The Fire Lady’s smile fades into a remorseful frown, and she simply ushers her son forward with a shake of her head. “Let’s not worry about that now. You’re going to be late for your lesson.”

Zuko isn’t satisfied with her answer, but he isn’t give a chance to discuss it further with her. For now, he remains content with the fact that he likes you, and his mother likes you.

That is enough for him.

~~~

The day is calm as you carefully hang the clothes to dry and enjoy the warmth of the sun basking on your skin. It’s rare that you get tasked with the outdoor chores, so you savor the opportunity for as long as you can. Doing the royal family’s laundry certainly beats scrubbing the floors of the palace, and you are grateful the spirits have taken mercy upon you today.

You’re freshly fifteen and the summer is just beginning. You’ve grown into a well-mannered young woman, and you’re old enough now to be able to take on some of the work that once fell to your mother. One day you will take her place and continue to serve the royal family until you’re no longer physically able. You’ll never get to leave, but you consider yourself grateful to live on the palace grounds. You will forever have a roof over your head, food on the table, and, most importantly, your friends.

You take great care to pin Azula’s dresses down without getting any creases or wrinkles in the fabric, and you’re so lost in thought that you don’t notice the figure carefully creeping up behind you. You’re too busy reciting the words to an old Fire Nation folk song your mother had taught you to pay any mind to your surroundings, and it gives Zuko the perfect opportunity to catch you by surprise.

“Y/n!” He exclaims with a grin as his hands land firmly upon your shoulders. You nearly jump out of your skin at the act, and your reaction has the Fire Prince laughing so hard his cheeks begin to hurt.

“Zuko!” You scold with an irritated scowl as you chuck a handful of clothespins at him in retaliation. “You need to stop doing that!”

“I’m sorry, you just make it so easy,” he teases with a light nudge to your side before taking it upon himself to pick up the pins you’d discarded.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to leave for Ember Island?” You ask him with a quizzical look as you resume your previous work of hanging the clothes.

“That’s actually what I was coming to talk to you about,” he admits with a sheepish smile. “I want you to come with us.”

“What? You’re not serious, are you?” You retort apprehensively, halting your movements to gauge his reaction for any hint of insincerity or humor.

“I am serious. You deserve to have fun once in a while too,” he notes with a careful smile. You’re too oblivious to notice the look of admiration on his face and definitely too concerned with finding a way to let him down gently to realize he’s inviting you because he likes you. Despite your own feelings for the Prince you’ve developed over the years, you’re much too self-depreciating to ever believe Zuko could possibly feel the same. If only you knew.

“I can’t just up and leave! There’s work to be done, a-and my mother would be so upset with me if I abandoned my chores and-“

“Azula will tell our father she wishes to bring you along as a personal servant so you can come with us, and someone else will be tasked with taking on your work while you’re away. There’s no way your mom could be upset with you for serving the Princess, could she?”

“Azula would really do that for me?” You question meekly, a hopeful glint in your eyes as you hang on to his every word. You’re trying your best not to get your hopes up, but you wish for nothing more than to leave the capital city to see the ocean for the first time and feel the sand beneath your feet. As the daughter of a servant and now a servant yourself, you know you’d never get a chance like this if not for the fact that the siblings had grown fond of you over your years of friendship together. You’re lucky, because you know without them you’d truly be nothing more than a floor scrubbing peasant.

“Of course she would, she wants you there just as much as I do,” Zuko assures you. Gently taking your hands in his own, he gives them a comforting squeeze and looks into your eyes with a loving smile. “We leave tomorrow morning. Bring enough clothes to last you three days and a bathing suit.”

“I don’t own one,” you admit with an embarrassed frown, but your friend doesn’t display any sign of judgement in the slightest towards your shortcomings.

“Then I’ll take you shopping myself when we get there.”

Your heart melts at his words, your gaze falling to the ground bashfully as you try not to dwell on the fact that he’s still holding your hands. You’re in love with the Prince, and the Prince is in love with you, and everyone but you has figured out just how much you mean to each other.

Even Fire Lord Ozai, who odiously watches the scene unfold before him from the top of the palace balcony.

~~~

The shores of Ember Island are beautiful.

The waves almost seem to sparkle underneath the moonlight as they crash peacefully against the shore, and down below the lively chatter of your friends carries through the air and fills your heart with contentment. You’ve had the most perfect time here at the beach, and it pains you to know that tonight will be your last night of freedom before you must return home and resume your life as a servant girl.

The wooden doors behind you carefully slide open and closed, and soon a familiar warmth joins you out on the balcony. For a while you say nothing, simply enjoying the closeness of him as you watch Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai practice tricks in the sand below. You don’t know how to thank the Prince for all he’s done for you, for always looking out for you since you were children, for never once treating you as less than for your heritage. You don’t know how to tell him that you love him with your entire being.

So he does it for you.

“I got you something,” Zuko says after a moment’s silence, waiting for you to turn your gaze to him so he may pull out a small clam from beneath his robes. You raise a curious eyebrow at his offering as he gestures for you to take it.

“A clam shell?” You note inquisitively as you turn the gift around in your palms, carefully feeling out its grooves and intricate ridges.

“Open it,” he directs you quietly, anxiously watching your movements with bated breath.

You smile curiously at your friend before delicately pulling the top half of the shell open to reveal the contents inside. Your eyes widen in surprise at the gift that greets you, and you immediately look up to Zuko to ensure this isn’t some kind of joke.

Inside the clam sits a beautiful gold necklace with a dainty sun pendant resting in the center that shimmers under the light of the moon. It’s beautiful, and it’s certainly worth more than your own life, which is why you immediately try to hand it back to him.

“I-I can’t accept this!” You hastily insist with a quick shake of your head as you struggle to return the clam to him. “It’s too nice!”

“You can accept this,” Zuko reassures you as he carefully pushes the gift back towards you. When his efforts fail due to your persistent attempts to give back the shell, he lets out a sigh and carefully removes the necklace from the clam. “Y/n, I want you to have it.”

“But why?” You demand apprehensively, almost flinching away when he moves towards you with the necklace. You’re completely overwhelmed by his gift and unsure of what it means or why you’d ever be deserving of such a thing. You don’t want to take advantage of his kindness or his status, and you feel like he’s done more than enough for you by bringing you along on this trip, so it just feels wrong of you to take it.

“Because you deserve nice things too,” Zuko explains, and after giving you a pointed look you finally allow him to carefully put the necklace on you. The sun rests daintily along your neck, and he thinks it suits you perfectly. “I brought you on this trip because I wanted you to have fun for once, but also because… well, because I love you, and I thought a romantic setting might make it easier to tell you that.”

“You love me?”

“You haven’t noticed?” He retorts with a meek smile. “I’m not the best at words, but I know that I’ve loved you since we were children feeding turtle ducks in the pond and playing tag in the gardens. You have the purest heart of anyone I know, the sweetest smile, you are everything to me. I hope that by accepting this gift, you’ll be accepting me as someone worthy enough to be your boyfriend.”

“Oh, Zuko…” you murmur softly, eyes full of tears as you throw yourself into his arms and hug him as tight as humanly possible. You’re still shocked by the fact that the boy you love will all your heart feels the same, but you try to remind yourself not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Zuko is right when he says that you deserve to enjoy what life has to offer just as much as he does, so maybe it’s time you finally start allowing yourself the chance to finally let your guard down. You can be more than just a servant girl from the palace.

You can be happy.

~~~

You sit quietly before the vanity mirror as your mother tediously brushes through your hair to ensure not a single strand is out of place. The wrinkles in her skin crease with her nerves as she carefully begins to pin your hair back into the perfect top knot. Immediately after your return home from Ember Island, you were informed that the Fire Lord wished to speak with you. You were expected to drop your chores for the day and make yourself decent before presenting yourself to him. His request to see you surprised you considering the fact you previously believed he didn’t even know of your existence, but it made you nervous all the same. If anything were to go wrong during your meeting, you’d be jeopardizing both yours and your mother’s jobs.

“Make sure to sit up straight and no slouching,” she reminds you quietly while stopping to admire her work. “Hold your tongue until he allows you to speak and thank him for all he has done for us. It is a great honor to speak to Fire Lord Ozai, so you must treat it as such.”

“Mother, what could the Fire Lord possibly want to talk to me about?”

She doesn’t meet your eyes at first, looking away as if contemplating carefully what her next words should be. With a sigh, she sets the brush down and looks at you through the reflection. “Word has spread quickly about you and Prince Zuko, and I think he knows.”

You swallow nervously at her admission, absently brushing your fingers against the sun that hangs around your neck. You never once considered what Zuko’s father would think about his son’s choice of a partner; Ursa had always treated you as one of her own, and Azula considered you to be a good friend, but what would Ozai say of the peasant girl who had stolen his son’s heart?

You don’t have much time to mull over it further as a guard arrives to escort you from your quarters to the throne room. All eyes seem to follow you as you walk through the palace, the gold and red hues overwhelming your senses as you do your best to remain calm. You have no idea what awaits you at the end of the hallway, but there’s no escape now as the grand doors open and you’re pushed inside.

Ozai sits on the throne with a wall of flames roaring behind him. His features are stoic but his gaze is menacing as his eyes watch your meager form approach. You immediately bow in respect to the man once you reach him and kneel before his seated figure. Just as your mother instructed, you say nothing until you are spoken to.

“So you’re the girl my son has chosen to be his partner?” He drawls with a raised brow, obviously not impressed by the person before him.

“Yes, sir. It is an honor to present myself to you, my Lord,” you profess as earnestly as possible while adding another bow for good measure. You need his approval not only to continue dating Zuko, but also to ensure you and your mother are both able to continue living behind the palace walls. Even if you are there as servants tucked away in the peasant quarters, it certainly is a better place to be than out in the streets.

“I know who you are, child,” Ozai scoffs callously as he peers down at you from his place on the throne. “You are the peasant girl who managed to worm her way into the lives of my children. You are a lowly servant with nothing to your name and nothing special about you, and yet you have managed to corrupt my only son."

“Fire Lord Ozai, I-I apologize if my actions have upset you,” you quickly try to interject, but he holds a hand up and signals you to halt your pathetic rambling. Ozai does not have the time nor care to hear your excuses or explanations. That’s not what this meeting is for.

“Do you know how poorly it would reflect on me to have Zuko galavanting around the palace with a servant? Do you know how poorly it reflects on him to be seen with you? It’s a disgrace, and it is something I will not tolerate.”

“I know,” you utter quietly, trying to make yourself appear as small as you feel on the inside. Despite what Zuko has told you, you know that his father is right. You are nothing compared to him. He is the sun, the Prince, the heir to the throne. His future ahead is bright, and there is much for him to accomplish. You have no future, no plans for your life, nothing as grand or important as him and Azula. You are not the sun or the moon or even the stars that hang in his sky, you are insignificant, and you will never be worthy enough to be his.

“A future Fire Lord cannot have a maid as a wife. You must break his heart so that he no longer wants anything to do with you, so that he can move on and find a girl more worthy of becoming the future Fire Lady. You must make it appear to be your own doing and not mine, otherwise it won’t work. Have I made myself clear, child?”

“Yes, Fire Lord Ozai,” you whisper softly, a single tear sliding down your cheek as you bow to the cruel man before you. “I understand.”

~~~

The clouds that hang overhead are gray as Zuko makes his way towards the servants’ quarters. It is unheard of for any royal to ever set foot on these grounds, and so all eyes watch the Prince curiously as he approaches your humble home and knocks gently on the door. Movement sounds from the other side, and after a moment he is met with the startled face of your mother. It’s clear that she hadn’t been expecting him, and he takes her by surprise when he bows to the woman in respect.

“I apologize for coming unannounced, but I was hoping I could speak to y/n,” he utters with a look of defeat on his face. His sullen features make his lack of sleep obvious, and his eyes are full of desperation. You’ve been avoiding him for weeks and he has no clue as to why, but he hopes to figure it out soon before he starts to spiral any further.

“She’s…” your mother begins to say, glancing unsurely behind her before looking back to him, “she’s not feeling well. You can come back another time.”

“But-“

“Please, Prince Zuko, we can’t risk you catching whatever it is she’s come down with. You must go.”

She gives him no time to argue before slamming the door in his face. Zuko is stunned, but his shock quickly turns to anger as he lets out a frustrated breath of flames from his mouth before stalking off to cool himself down.

His footsteps fade into the distance as he departs, and you can only sit by the window of your room and watch him walk away. There’s a tightness in your chest that makes you feel as if you can’t breathe, and once he finally disappears over the horizon you break down into an inconsolable mess.

You love Zuko with all of your heart, so it kills you to act as if he means nothing to you. You’re trying to do what Ozai has demanded of you, but it’s agonizing and difficult. You’re too much of a coward to face him and break it off for good, so you’ve resorted to avidly avoiding the Prince at all costs. You hope that by pushing him away he’ll take it upon himself to end the relationship; it would be much less painful that way, but he’s too stubborn for his own good, and he’s persisted despite your best efforts.

The days seem to blend together as you lock yourself in your room while your mother continues to turn Zuko away. You haven’t done any of your chores or worked in days, but Ozai has not faulted you for your incompletion of tasks. Breaking Zuko’s heart is your task, and so long as you keep your word he couldn’t care less what you did with yourself.

After another week has passed, suffocation finally catches up to you and you’re forced to leave your room in order to get some fresh air. You sneak out at nightfall when the palace is quiet and your mother is sleeping so that no one can detect your presence. You retreat to the well out in the back and stare contemplatively into the water below. Clutching the sun that hangs from the gold chain around your neck, you admire the moon’s reflection in the ripples and wish you could be anywhere else but here in the Fire Nation.

“I thought I’d find you here,” a voice utters quietly, causing you to jump in alarm at the intrusion. You turn to meet the solemn gaze of the Prince, and as your back hits the cool stones of the well you find that you are cornered. You can’t avoid him now, and it’s a fact both of you are aware of.

“Zuko, I… I was just leaving,” you stammer hurriedly as you try to push your way past him, but he catches you by the arm before you can get away.

“No, not until you talk to me!” He demands, his eyes full of desperation and despair. “You’re supposed to be my girlfriend, yet you keep avoiding me. Why? Was it something I did?”

“No, Zuko, you didn’t do anything,” you insist despite refusing to meet his gaze. You’re terrified that someone will see you both together and alert Ozai, and you wish he would just release you so you could go back to hiding away in your room.

“Then why won’t you even look at me?”

Slowly, you peek your head up to meet his exasperated face. It seems he’s not going to give up without a fight, so you’re going to have to resort to doing what you’ve been trying to avoid this entire time.

“I don’t love you.”

“W-What?” Zuko stammers in quiet surprise, his hold on your arm loosening slightly. He doesn’t believe what he’s hearing from you, and his mind is scrambling to process your words.

“I don’t love you. I want nothing to do with you,” you repeat firmly, your eyes hardening as you stare up at him and yank yourself free from his grasp.

“Y/n, you don’t mean that-“

“I do mean it! I feel nothing for you, Zuko. I never have. I just felt like I couldn’t say no to you because you’re the Prince, so I had no choice but to say yes to being your girlfriend.”

Hurt flashes across his features and you’re dying inside at having to be so cruel to him. The heart of your childhood best friend is in your hands and you crush it with every word despite how much it pains you. But it’s better for both of you this way, it must be. Ozai will never let you be happy together, but apart he still has a chance to capture the promised future ahead of him. You’re doing him a favor, and you hope one day he’ll be able to see it that way too.

“I don’t understand,” he murmurs weakly, tears beginning to well in his eyes. Then, with frustration clear in his tone, “This doesn’t make any sense!”

“Did you honestly think we could actually be together?” You retort in disbelief. “Azula always said you were a fool, but I didn’t think you were this naive. A servant and a Prince don’t belong together, and you’re the only one who can’t seem to get that!”

“Alright, fine,” Zuko mutters indignantly. His sadness has quickly morphed into anger, and you hate the way it makes you feel. “Can I just ask you one thing?”

You say nothing in response, and he takes your silence as a sign to continue.

“If you don’t love me, then why are you still wearing the necklace?”

Your eyes widen slightly as your hand immediately flies to your neck to clutch the pendant, and your heart slowly begins to sink to your stomach as you realize you’ve been caught in your lie. It’s your turn now to be at a loss for words, unsure what to say as you simply stare up at him with your mouth slight agape.

“You don’t mean what you’re saying,” Zuko says firmly as he moves closer to you. “Someone else is speaking for you, aren’t they?”

“I…”

“What’s going on, y/n?” He presses gently, carefully resting a hand upon your cheek. “Why are you acting this way?”

“I can’t tell you,” you argue weakly, your own eyes becoming full of tears as you allow yourself to melt into his touch. You’ve missed the feeling of his warmth and the comfort of his closeness, and despite your mind screaming at you to remove yourself from him your heart keeps you planted in place.

“That’s nonsense, of course you can. You’ve always been able to tell me anything, so why can’t you now?”

“Can’t you just believe me when I tell you it’s for your own good?” You plead emphatically despite the wavering of your voice.

“How can this possibly be for my own good?!” He retorts in exasperation. “I’ve been miserable without you. Life feels empty when you aren’t around, and I don’t know how to deal with the fact that the girl I’ve loved all my life can’t seem to stand me.”

“It’s not like that!” You cry defensively as the tears finally begin to fall.

“Then what is it?!” Zuko demands, and you can’t seem to take any more of this torture. The lies are killing you, and you can’t help but to finally crack under pressure.

“I’m not good enough for you!” You finally exclaim as you pull yourself away from his touch. You try to choke back your sobs but the ache in your chest makes the task difficult, and you can do nothing but let your words flow freely after keeping them bottled in for weeks. “I-I have nothing to offer you, nothing that makes me special, nothing ahead of me like you do. It’s an embarrassment to the Fire Lord for you to be with me, and it will be an embarrassment for you to have me as your Fire Lady.”

Stunned by your admission, it takes Zuko a moment to process your words. He steps towards you and you flinch, effectively breaking his heart in the process. It’s clear you’re frightened, but not of him. Your fear is geared toward someone else, and the culprit must be responsible for you now feeling this way.

“Who told you such nonsense?”

“Your father,” you admit quietly much to Zuko’s dismay. His eyes immediately harden and his chest is immediately tight with anger, but he does his best to keep his emotions at bay so as to not upset you further. “He spoke to me when we returned from Ember Island and told me we couldn’t be together. Ozai demanded I break your heart so that you can move on and find another girl more suited for this life than I could ever be. I didn’t want to, I still don’t want to, but I’m doing this so that you can have a better future. I’ll only hold you back, Zuko.”

After taking a moment to digest your words, Zuko carefully steps towards you again. You don’t reject his advances this time, so he allows himself the opportunity to carefully wipe away the steady tears that fall down your cool cheeks. Despite how much of a mess you assume you must look like, the Prince still sees you as the most beautiful girl he’s ever laid eyes on.

“I don’t care what my father says,” he assures you gently as he takes your hands in his own. “You’re not an embarrassment, and there’s no other girl that could ever compare to you. I love you, y/n, and I’m not going to let anyone ever get in the way of that.”

“You mean that?” You ask with a quiet sniffle, holding his hands tight as if he’ll leave if you let go.

“Every word. Let my father and anyone else who disapproves of our relationship say what they want to say. I want to be with you, and I hope you still want to be with me too.”

His looks to you with pleading eyes that seek your reassurance, and for a moment you hesitate. Being with Zuko is all you’ve ever wanted, and now he stands here before you professing his loyalty and his love to you. The boy from your childhood had stolen your heart, and you’d be lying if you said you wanted it back.

You know being with him won’t be easy, especially not with his father’s adamant disapproval of your relationship, but you trust Zuko, and so you have to trust that everything will turn out okay. You meet his desperate gaze and gift him a faint smile, and despite knowing you’ll regret this, you wordlessly lean in to meet his lips in a kiss.

You can worry about Ozai’s wrath later. But for now, you allow yourself to melt into his embrace by the moonlit well as you share your first kiss in weeks. It feels right being in his arms once more after spending so much time apart, and you hope you’ll never have to be without his touch ever again.

| zuko tags: @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @taeeemin @livelaughlovekuni @lovialy @alexatiu

#melzula writes #request #zuko #zuko x reader #zuko imagine #prince zuko #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko imagine #azula #ursa #ozai #angst #atla #atla x reader #atla imagine #avatar the last airbender

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rachetmath · 4 months ago

Text

Nora's Plan B

Hey Nora.

Nora: Sup Em, whicha want?

Emerald: Say if Ren doesn’t work out would you date Jaune?

Nora: Yes.

Emerald: What?

Ruby: What?

Weiss: What?

Nora: What? Is that a big deal?

Emerald: Explain.

Nora: I mean I call Jaune a fearless leader for a reason.

Weiss: But Cardin-

Nora: Let’s break it down. Jaune let Cardin get away with what he did was because of his transcripts however that’s also because Jaune was used to situations like because no one has ever helped him with that. Think about it, how many friends Jaune had before Beacon?

Ruby: Hm.

Nora: Plus the moment Cardin threatened Pyrrha his attitude took a whole 180. Shoot after the Ursa he was ready to fight Cardin again.

Ruby and Weiss: Yeah, she’s not wrong.

Nora: Next, Cinder would have to watch Jaune’s progression in order to set up a good team for us to fight. Didn’t she?

Emerald: Yeah.

Nora: And Jaune stood up for Pyrrha when everybody was laying pressure on her. That’s something.

RWE: True.

Ruby: But Nora sometimes Jaune-

Nora: Hold on, yeah, Jaune has his hissy fits but then again, don’t we all grieve differently. Plus Ruby, Qrow waited until we were attacked by Salem’s forces to explain everything. Instead, he could have just told us from the start. He was doing unnecessary things. So yeah Jaune has every right to be mad. I say Qrow should have counted his blessings that Jaune was willing to help him at all if you weren’t around. Or Jaune kills him by his own hands.

Ruby: Oh.

Weiss: But then he- Oscar-

Nora: With Oscar, Jaune admitted he overreacted with him. But, again, understandble. We grieve at our own pace. And I mean seriously Ozpin hadyears to stop Salem and he hasn’t done it. Ozpin might as well be just as bad as Salem. Also if you have not noticed back in Argus the moment he pushed Oscar to the wall none of us were ready. Remember how Yang looked?

RW:

Nora: That was fear. I will say that takes points away for being attractive but it also shows he has a breaking point. Which for most people needs to be avoided cause someone could end up dead. But again Jaune proves he has control of his emotions by letting Oscar go.

Yang: Yeah she’s not wrong.

Ruby: Yang how-

Yang: Stay on topic. Look I’m cool with Ren and you know I- I understood why he was upset but the moment he realized his tone with Jaune-

Yang: He knew. He knew he f**** up but then Jaune’s response- Oh my god.

Yang: He maintained his composure. His behavior proves he learned from Argus with Oscar. He still was willing to talk with him.

Yang: If that’s not maturity then I don’t know what is. Just saying.

Ruby: But Jaune in the Ever After was-

Yang: Okay let’s compare. Ren was upset about Atlas and Mantle. Instead of being upset about it and following orders, what else has he done to fix anything? Nothing. And when he finally expressed himself it was after Oscar got kidnapped. And we were stranded in the middle of miles in snow with no food or transportation. Meanwhile, leaving those thousands of people to die.

Me: But didn’t you start it?

Yang: Doesn’t matter.

Me: Yes it-

Yang: Shut up. And in the Ever After Ruby…. …. We were there for a day and we made Little homeless. Robbed the knights. Almost died playing a game of chess with a spoiled brat. Fought our inner demons. And destroyed a city market with people in it to save ourselves from Neo. In one day mind you we did all of that.

Ruby: Holy-

Yang: Now with Jaune he wasn’t dismissing our problem but we were contemplating at the wrong time.

Yang: Mainly because a storm came.

Yang: He then brought us to his home.

Yang: And let's recall he was waiting for us. Something he didn’t have to do. At all. And what did we do? Judge the man for taking care of a bunch of children who want to die.

Yang: Then we brought Neo to him.

Yang: And Ruby -

Ruby: No further comments.

Yang: And Ratchet.

Me: *sigh* Okay. Fine. If you have seen my list of Jaune ships or seen any of my post on Ren and Nora., my outlook on them is not good. But after thinking about the reason I hate Nora, I steadily realized, ‘man, what I am saying, she’s better than Sakura.” She doesn’t physically or mentally abuse Jaune like Sakura does to Naruto. And unlike the other besides Pyrrha she’s consistent with Jaune. So I'll admit I was petty with her in volume seven and eight. I can see Nora’s Arc happening.

Nora: Thank you. Anyways Emerald I would date Jaune as my plan B. Especially if Ren and I don’t recover from Atlas.

Emerald: Well damn. Too bad you got competition.

Nora: *laugh*

RWE: *shocked*

Nora: Let them come. But remember, team JNPR. And team JNRO. And team RNJR.

Weiss: What is that- oh my god.

Nora: That’s right. I’m number two. I’m the second. I’m always beside Jaune. Not Pyrrha. Not Ren. Me. He’s the leader. But the queen of the motherf***ing castle. Bye ladies. *leaves*

Yang: Damn.

Weiss: Oh no, I better act fast.

Ruby: I need Ren to clean up his mess quickly.

Emerald: She most definitely

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #yang xiao long #nora valkyrie #emerald sustrai #lie ren #jaune x nora #nora x jaune #rwby nora's arc #nora's arc #rwby topaz #jaune x emerald #weiss x jaune #ruby x jaune #rwby lancaster #rwby whiteknight

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jasminedragonart · 3 months ago

Note

Hi. Since you are so generous I want to ask about the college au. Do you have any ideas of the Katara 's side of the story? Or is it a spoiler? And I'd also love to know anything about Sokka-Suki-Yue co-living. How Suki and Yue became a couple? How did Sokka handle this?

This story is a very interesting version of college modern-au and I want to explore your universe more :)

Katara's story follows canon, kind of. She lives in the south pole with her mother, the village is very depleted as the men, like in canon, went off to war. Kya is very hands on with her daughter, helping her hide her bending.

More under the cut

For context, they went south because Kanna mentioned the two poles to Kya and explained how misogynistic the north pole was. They decided to chance going south and the village was fine when they got there. They were told about the raiders coming and taking waterbenders and while Kya wanted to leave she also didn't know where else to go, she'd used all the money she'd brought with her getting her and Katara to the south pole. The men also warned it was probably the same up north so the south pole agreed to help hide katara. Then the raids happen and while Kya was injured, she wasn't killed.

They find Aang in an iceberg and it's only when he also says he needs a waterbending teacher and he has a way to get them there- Appa- that Kya organises a trip to the north pole. It's a lot more organised than in canon.

The fire family's story is a lot different too. So, Ozai is the one tracking Aang down not Zuko. Ursa didn't leave or poison Azulon. Zuko's face was burned because he asked his dad why Iroh and Lu Ten were in the army and Ozai wasn't which, obviously, offended Ozai's fragile ego and he challenged his child to an Agni Kai to prove he wasn't as weak as Zuko was implying. Iroh took Zuko off his brother, with Azulon's permission (I am of the opinion that Azulon never wanted Zuko dead and it was just something used as a way to get Ursa to poison Azulon to save Zuko's life) and he's raised as Lu Ten's brother. Ozai is basically ostracised and believes that bringing the Avatar to his father will restore his status in the Fire Nation since, well, he did literally challenge a child to an Agni Kai.

This is how Zuko is allowed to go to college in the first place. As the, now, third in line, he's likely going to be a diplomat when Lu Ten takes the throne after Iroh. He's told about the fragile peace with the other land and poses the question on what they're like, Azulon takes this as a great opportunity to show Zuko just how superior their side is and sends him over to the other side on an 'exchange' program. Zuko has a lot of limitations placed on him but he finds he doesn't mind it. It's also easier when he finds that the water tribe had the same idea and he finds a kindred soul in Yue.

Suki gets mixed up in this because she used to be a Kyoshi warrior but, after Zuko was given to Iroh a summons went out for a personal guard for young Zuko (since Zuko is a traumatised flight risk and Lu Ten refuses to let anyone in Ozai's faction near his cousin again). Suki sees this as an opportunity to spy on the Fire Nation and is taken on straight away by Lu Ten (who basically takes over this process of finding a bodyguard after his father proves to be useless). Lu Ten sees Suki as someone who can be both a friend and protector of his cousin and after his near miss in Ba Sing Se and being healed by earthbenders in a distant village, he's a lot more sympathetic to the other side than he wants his superiors to think. He's the one who insists Suki go with Zuko to college as, that's basically her job.

Suki likes the other side a lot. The non benders make her feel more normal and it's nice that she can do martial arts without having to look for any elements being flung at her. She gets to know Yue through Zuko. Zuko gets to know Yue because he's socially awkward and Yue finds him endearing, the two of them bonding over weird expectations and their overwhelming duty to their land.

Suki, at first, takes Yue on as another job since the northern water tribe sent Yue incognito on her own. Suki thinks this is ridiculous and spends half her time teaching Yue to defend herself and the other half keeping watch over her. Yue thinks this is funny since she's supposed to be looking after Zuko but, well, Zuko doesn't really need protecting, he just needs someone to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid like set fire to their dorm curtains. Suki is Yue's link to understanding the lower class and Suki just finds Yue surprisingly mischievous, the two getting along as friends.

They grow closer once they both dump Sokka. Yue finds out that girls are an option after Suki mentions it one day and Suki had her eye on Yue from the start but figured she was straight so didn't bother. (Zuko is sick of both of them simping over the other to him.)

As for when they get together, Sokka's very supportive. They all end on amicable terms. They all found out they liked each other as friends more than partners and while it was a little awkward at first to see his exes get together, Sokka supports them wholeheartedly. Namely because, by then he knows a bit about their backstories and really wanted Yue to live life as she wanted to live it and not for others and for Suki to just do what made her happy.

They all love Sokka too. They adopt them into their little group and use him as a translator for things they don't understand. Sokka thinks he's surrounded by out of touch rich kids and doesn't really see anything weird about them until he lands in the ATLA world. They use Sokka to help with grocery shopping, clothes shopping, slang, driving, money and when they realise that he's having a hard time finding somewhere affordable to live for their second year they all agree to chip in and help him. The thing is, they know he wouldn't accept any monetary help so they just decided to move in with him. Suki was on edge with the idea of an apartment after so many break ins at the palace. She likes the idea of somewhere she can easily move around. Sokka agrees that a caravan is a lot cheaper than an apartment as well. They settle on a campervan. An old beat up thing they usually park in the middle of nowhere and drive around to classes and the shops or wherever Suki wants to take them. Zuko likes it because the trees are away from prying eyes enough he can slip away and practice his bending and Yue is just there for the adventure.

I think I need to work out a few more details before giving more information than this. But this is the dynamic at the start of the would be comic that might get made at some point in the future.

#asks #inbox #college au

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