#messing with Zuko should not be as fun as it is

[seyaryminamoto]

The Shadows in her Reflection: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

Day 4: Summer

Rated: M

On FF.net//On AO3

"He ran off with her?! He… he wasn't her prisoner but her ally all along?!"

Zuko's temper flared at any given trigger, but Azula tended to be the worst of them all. Now, though, he was presented with a new challenge in the form of learning that Azula apparently had more unexpected support than ever before, in any of their clashes: it appeared that Sokka had revealed to Kuei that he had run off willingly with Azula from the very start…

And they had escaped together now, again, according to the guards who had found Azula's cell door had been busted. Zuko had no idea where they'd gone or why, exactly, they were running together in the first place. He had sent his guards to search for them, as had Kuei, but who knew if they'd come by any clues or not…

"I cannot understand it any more than you do! She has poisoned his mind somehow, manipulated him into thinking ill of his past allies, like me!" Kuei squealed. "I… I bet she seduced him! Women like her cannot be trusted to be above such practices…!"

"She… huh?! You're talking about my sister here!" Zuko seemed to be on the verge of throwing up at the very notion that whatever connection existed between his sister and his friend might be of a carnal nature… "She doesn't need to sleep with anyone to have her way!"

"But I bet it wouldn't hurt much, you know? If she did," Toph interjected, carelessly.

Zuko shot her a confused stare. She smiled at him, sensing she had his attention. They were still sitting in a Palace living room. Zuko's forces had already taken off to canvass the city's outskirts while Kuei's soldiers searched inside Ba Sing Se, looking for any tracks or signs of where Azula and Sokka had run to after breaking out of prison. But Toph betrayed no eagerness to track them down… something that hadn't truly sunken in on Zuko so far.

"I know you love making fun of me, Toph, but maybe it's not the right time for it right now," he said, shaking his head. "Azula isn't that kind of person, and I'd love to think Sokka wouldn't get swept up in something like that… I mean, isn't he with Suki?"

"Sounds like he's not, actually," Toph said. Zuko's eyes widened. "When we talked, it sounded like that's over. I figured he was cheating on her with Azula at first too, you know…"

"W-why would you…?! Hell, what's the matter with all of you?!" Zuko winced, glaring at Kuei too. "Azula doesn't think with… her loins? Ugh! I don't even want to think of it! Stop bringing that up, it makes me sick!"

"Oh, come on, Sparky… you don't have to be so prudish. Would it bug you that much if I told you that I'd gladly go wild on you if I had the chance?"

Both Zuko and Kuei froze on the spot. Toph smirked, hands behind her head: she was definitely making progress here. Enough progress to hopefully secure an escape for those two…

"T-the hell?" Zuko said: his heart was pounding. Oh, she almost felt bad for this, but it was even endearing to find the Fire Lord would get nervous that way over being at the receiving end of shameless, bold flirting.

"What'd you mean, 'the hell'? Aren't you supposed to be a catch?" Toph smiled. "I'd like to know why! And as I can't even see if you're handsome, whatever that even amounts to, to begin with, might as well just figure out why you're appealing the only way I can, right?"

"Y-you…! What? Toph…!"

"You, uh, could leave that odd flirting for later, couldn't you?" asked Kuei, clearly off-put by the conversation topic. Zuko's face couldn't have been redder.

"Why? Prude King," Toph smirked. "Big deal, if I want to bang my friend…"

"You don't! S-stop saying that! You're just trying to embarrass me!" Zuko exclaimed, a hand up his forehead: Toph's laughter certainly didn't help dissuade him from his convictions that she was merely teasing him. "Ugh! Back to the subject! How did they get out in the first place?!"

"Why, I wish I knew. He must have had some strange invention on him…" said Kuei, scowling. "Something with which he melted the door's lock from the outside, but… it's strange. They checked him thoroughly, and while he was wearing some Dai Li uniform that was entirely out of place, he wasn't concealing any secret weapons or so. I don't know…"

"Wait. The door's lock?" Zuko said, brow furrowing. "It was… tampered with? Damaged?"

"It was, indeed," Kuei said. "I… I'll go check out if anyone has any new leads, if you'd like. I never meant to lose her, but at this point…! Well, I'll make sure to catch her before she slips out of the city, promised thing!"

Zuko's eyebrow twitched, but he nodded at Kuei: something had changed in him. Something dark, and swirling, and…

And that he meant to unleash upon his friend, once Kuei had left the room.

"Toph…" he said, with a fist tight, as he stepped close to her. She bit her lip. "The lock was… busted?"

"You know… I've held a torch for you since we were kids," Toph started saying, toying with a strand of her hair carelessly. Zuko's face contorted with frustration and outrage. "I don't know what it was, maybe the sound of your voice, or…"

"Toph! Did you break her out yourself?!"

Toph bit her lip… before nodding, a wicked smirk across her features. Zuko's jaw dropped.

"Why? Why?! Toph…!"

"I'll explain one day, maybe, but for now… you have your hands full trying to catch them as it is, don't you? What does it matter, why I did it or why I didn't…?"

"It's bad enough for Sokka to be in her pocket! You too?!" Zuko exclaimed, striking the wall right beside Toph with a spread palm. He glared at her closely, and she didn't even flinch.

"You know… this is how they started out, too," Toph smirked. "I helped him, even then. Pinned her to a wall for him, so he could get all close and personal with her, in the tunnels during the Invasion… nice of you to do the same thing. Here I thought I was the only one interested, but I guess I'm not."

Zuko gritted his teeth: he impulsively wanted to pull back, just to flee from her wild accusations or claims… but he couldn't afford to stop challenging her this time. Instead, he leaned closer still, as though to call her bluff – and perhaps it really was one, because she seemed slightly uncomfortable when he failed to run away bashfully, for once, before speaking with a deep, stern, authoritarian voice:

"Why did you do it… and where the hell did they go, Toph? Where the blazes is my sister?"

Toph breathed deeply: disquieting as his stubbornness might be, she didn't back down from challenges, not without issuing one of her own.

"Just what are you willing to do to find out, Zuko?"

___________________

Fleeing from Fire Nation soldiers certainly was something Sokka and Azula had in common, even if they'd never done it together: she used to be the one hunting him, back in the days of the war, and then she was the one who fled from her brother's forces, after the war ended…

Winding up dangling on a rope, under a bridge, holding onto Sokka for dear life as the troops struggled to find them, on the suspended bridge over a tall cliff, came as a surprise even when their circumstances had changed as much as they had recently. After going on the road again, bereft of the hot-air balloon they hadn't had the chance to retrieve, the pair were left with no choice but to run on foot… and that meant dodging and avoiding patrols from either the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation. This time, it was the latter.

"Where did they go?! They came right here!" screamed one of the soldiers, stomping on the bridge: it shifted, and Azula gritted her teeth as she pressed tighter to Sokka still: if they fell, they'd fall together. He was holding her firmly with one arm as the other grabbed the rope, which he had fastened over his wrist multiple times. It would hurt to hold their weight for that long… but the bastards had to leave soon. They had to go. They wouldn't stay on the bridge forever…

"Maybe they jumped, sir?" suggested a nervous soldier.

"Into the river, from this distance?" asked the leader: he scowled as he scrutinized the stream, so far away, so far below them… there was no sign of the people they were hunting there.

He snarled, shaking his head: it was their only lead. Maybe the river moved faster than it looked.

"Let's go! Follow the river, then!"

Azula gritted her teeth, remaining as quiet as possible as the bridge creaked under the heavy footsteps of all their pursuers. Sokka breathed deeply, waiting patiently even after they left… the bridge was broad enough that they hadn't been seen, but if they climbed out right away and any of the soldiers dared glance back at them, things would likely turn out a lot more unpleasant than they already were…

He glanced down at Azula, offering her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She didn't grin back, though her eyes were aglow with unspoken gratitude for his quick plan: she had no idea what he was doing when he pulled out that rope, but when he told her to trust him and gripped her tightly, she hadn't hesitated to do that.

Trust… it was so strange, finding someone she actually trusted now. The feeling was foreign, but greatly welcome, nonetheless. It truly surprised her how clearer everything became, how much smoother… how she hardly felt out of place in the world as long as someone actually wanted her to be part of it, as Sokka did.

"Guess that worked?" Sokka said. Azula swallowed hard and nodded, though she angled her head away from his: the temptation to kiss him would arise again if she stared at his damn handsome face for a moment longer.

"You're resourceful, that much is true," Azula said. "Weird, truly, to be hunted by the Fire Nation along with someone else with that much experience fleeing from them…"

"Used to flee from you. And Zuko," Sokka said, with a weak grin. "I don't mind running from him still… but I won't run from you. Not anymore."

Azula couldn't hold back a small smile, even if it faded quickly: the weight of the mirror in her pocket spoke for itself. Sokka ought to know better than to flirt with her at all, but the jerk never seemed to stop… and he did it in such a good-mannered way that she couldn't help but be drawn in. If he were mischievous, she wouldn't feel any less appealed… but she gravitated towards his kindness, even if she hardly felt worthy of it. If she dared act on her impulses, she'd fully prove she wasn't, too.

"Should we…?" Azula asked, jerking her head at the bridge. Sokka nodded.

"They should be too far to see us now," he said.

He helped Azula climb back on the bridge, a slightly awkward process in which she used his boomerang to reach the edge of the bridge and balance herself on it to climb up. Then, she reached out for Sokka, and she clasped his hand firmly as she pulled him up too. Within moments, Sokka undid the strong knots on the rope that had ensured their survival and they rushed away anew, in the opposite direction from the soldiers had disappeared through.

They found a cave to rest in after another half hour, but they had plenty to discuss, this time around.

"As much as I enjoy dangling on bridges with you, we have to make up our minds about where we're going," Sokka said. "And how we're getting there. What's next for Yue? What does she want us to do?"

"Didn't we agree that you would be the one to choose this time?" Azula pointed out. Sokka's eyes widened.

"Oh, uh… right. Well, anything that's fine with her is fine with me," Sokka concluded, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Can't really say I have huge plans on where to go right now, so… unless she chooses something I really don't like this time, anything's good."

"If you say so…" Azula said, pulling up the mirror. Yue smiled warmly at her, and Azula raised an eyebrow. "What's next on the wish list, then? Got anything in mind?"

"Huh… well, Ba Sing Se was fun," Yue started, and Azula scoffed at the notion.

"Define 'fun,' if you please…"

"But I guess it might be a good idea to go elsewhere now. I did want to see the seasons, and we saw spring, so… the next one is summer!"

"Yue, you can't just force the seasons to happen whenever you want them to," Azula sighed. "It's still about a month before summer starts in the south. And frankly, we're going to be hounded and hunted in the Earth Kingdom far more persistently now. Might be better to go elsewhere."

"Wait… she wants to see summer?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows. "Well, that's doable."

"What?" Azula eyed him skeptically.

"There's this tropical nation I know about, you know? Where it's basically summer all year long?" Sokka asked, with a smirk.

Azula's eyes widened. She scoffed, shaking her head.

"Yue's been in the Fire Nation before. That's where she first latched onto me, remember?"

"But you were on the run. I didn't get to see all the sights!"

"Oh, so now we're picky, are we?" Azula scoffed. Yue giggled.

"I want to see more of your nation. Sokka is right, it's the land of summer! So… take me to the beach!"

"The beach?" Azula repeated, with a heavy sigh. "You're whimsical, that's for sure. As royal as can be, making that kind of request…"

"Ember Island had some really good beaches," Sokka reasoned, tapping the stubble on his chin. Azula winced.

"Ember Island?" she repeated. "It's also a great place to fuck with someone's head."

"You've been a frequent visitor, I take it?" Sokka asked. Azula scoffed.

"Unfortunately," she said. "My parents brought me there constantly when I was a child…"

"Oh, yeah. Zuko mentioned! I actually stayed in that house of yours, back in the times of the war?" Sokka said. "Zuko's done some repairs, I think. Might not be all complete yet, but it's probably looking better than whatever you remember of it."

"I'd gladly remember nothing of it," Azula sighed. "It can be worse to think of easier times. Can't help but wonder where I went wrong back when I was younger, you know? If I did anything so stupid as a child that it resulted in… well, every member of my family despising me. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, though. Must be the things I did later…"

"Well… your father's a piece of shit," Sokka said. Azula winced upon hearing him say so. "So, I doubt you're to blame for how he treated you."

"He praised and doted on me. Believed I was fated for greatness," Azula said. Sokka sighed.

"Maybe you are. Just… not the greatness he put into your head," he said.

"I doubt he was right about it anyway," Azula said, shaking her head. "If any of this is fate… maybe I'm just fated to be a mess."

"You're not that much of one, even if you try to convince yourself otherwise," Sokka said, with a gentle smile.

Azula scoffed: she shook her head carelessly, at first just to refuse his words… then, to make her hair a chaotic disaster, standing in wild directions, strands flying back and forth. Then, she stared at the amused Sokka matter-of-factly.

"Convinced yet?" she asked. He laughed, shaking his head.

She had only been teasing him, but she wound up smiling regardless. She looked at the mirror again, set on the floor as it was, and Yue giggled at the sight of her unkempt hair.

"It's not that bad, now, is it, Yue?" Azula asked.

"You look funny."

"Funny? Well, that's just offensive," Azula said, with a scoff.

"I… never really did anything like that. You know, just… loosening up my hair to see what it was like."

"Ah, well, I recommend it," Azula said. "Nothing better to convince your advocates that they're betting on the wrong ostrich horse than having a bad hair day. Not that Sokka would know anything about that, feels like he doesn't have any bad hair days…"

"You'd be shocked," Sokka smiled. Azula scoffed, looking at him derisively. "For real!"

"Nonsense. Yue and I, we understand each other in that respect. You have no say upon the matter," she declared, haughtily. Sokka chuckled and shook his head again.

"Maybe… I could try it?"

Azula blinked blankly before Yue bit her lip, raising a hand towards the adornments of her hair. A fair amount of it was loose… but not all of it. Twin braids ran together down either side of her face, and there was a complicated accessory that held it together in two different branches right at the back…

She started loosening everything, undoing every tangle of hair, an eager look on her face as her white hair slowly unfurled. Azula smirked at the sight of it, watching intently as Yue struggled with the trickier tangles… until, at last, all her white hair – and there was a lot of it – fell in careless waves around her face.

"There!" she said, enthusiastically. Azula chuckled.

"Mess it now. Shake your head like there's no tomorrow!" she said. Yue bit her lip, a giggle slipping past her lips before she followed Azula's suggestion.

The result had both Azula and Yue laughing at the chaos of unruly hair. Neither one was more presentable than the other… a notion entirely wild and foreign for the two princesses.

"Looks better on you than on me. See? Why be the perfect Moon Spirit when you can be a messy one instead?" Azula smiled. Yue giggled, running a hand through her tresses.

"It's going to be difficult to put it back together," she confessed. "But that was fun. Do you… mess your hair often?"

"I try not to. It becomes unruly too quickly," Azula said, running a hand over her hair to tame it too.

"Well… we have one more thing in common, then. The messy-haired royals," Yue giggled. Azula smiled.

"The Royally Unkempt," she concluded, and Yue burst out with laughter. "Fitting, truly… save for him. Curses, Sokka, you just sabotage all our team-naming efforts, you…"

He smiled at her with a fondness that caught Azula off guard. A part of her welcomed being watched with such warmth… just as she felt terribly self-aware about it, while Yue was right there.

"What?" Azula mouthed at him. Sokka shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess… I'm just happy to see you two are good friends," he said. Azula's eyes widened, and Yue grinned brightly in the mirror.

"I'm happy for it too. I… I don't think I'd ever had a female friend like this before."

"Well, you'd never had a friend to communicate with through mirrors or reflective surfaces, so that's for sure," Azula said, matter-of-factly… but she frowned at Yue anyway. "But… you didn't have friends, in the Northern Water Tribe?"

"I'm afraid I was a little isolated. Princess, after all… I didn't go to school like other kids my age. I barely knew any of them."

Azula frowned upon hearing those words. She ran her hand over her hair once more, an uncanny urge to reach trough the mirror to comfort the other royal suddenly blooming in her heart.

"Guess… guess we have more in common than we thought. Though I did have friends… just, not very good ones," Azula said, with a lop-sided smirk. "Then again, they'd say the same thing right back at me, but what can you do. I always did feel isolated as well. And after everything fell apart, well… it was as though I'd been alone all my life. Maybe… you felt that way, too?"

"A little. Memories helped, at times, but… being the Moon Spirit is lonely."

Azula grimaced: for once, the thought that Yue might have reached out desperately, as good throwing a line into the sea in the hopes of finding someone, anyone to talk to, crossed her mind. Was that, maybe, why she was so good-natured? Why she constantly seemed impressed by Azula? Had she latched onto her for greater reasons than the apparent…?

"Well… you're stuck with me now," Azula said, with a small smile. "For better or for worse, you're not alone anymore."

Her words struck Sokka deeply: not only because of Yue's loneliness, which he certainly felt no small amounts of guilt over, even if he hoped he and Azula might have helped Yue stem the feeling lately… but because the Fire Nation Princess had experienced no shortage of loneliness. Yet, precisely because she had, she was finally finding it in her to relate to Yue… wanting to do right by her. To help her fight her loneliness, and perhaps, find a solution for her own in the process, too.

"And what's the matter with you?"

Sokka winced: he dabbed at the tear that slipped past his eyes and he laughed, shaking his head.

"Nothing. I'm fine, I'm fine…"

"Is it so moving to see my hair being such a weird, wild mess?" Azula asked, shaking her head carelessly again – Yue laughed at her behavior, and Sokka rolled his eyes before shaking his head.

"You know what? You've asked for it. I can't take it anymore. I'm sorry, Yue! You'll be messy haired buddies again later, but right now…"

Yue hummed in surprise as Azula winced at Sokka's words: he pulled a brush out of his pack, and he approached her with a wicked smirk.

"Time to style your hair again, silly. Come on."

She sighed, letting him get away with that for the second time. Yue had a perfect view of the process, chuckling as Azula groaned over how much of a worrywart and a party-pooper Sokka dared be… but instead of focusing solely on that, she turned her attention to what actually mattered:

"Are you two sure you want to go to Ember Island?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say I'm sure-sure, but… you did say it was my turn to choose. So that'd be my pick, if Yue's happy with it," Sokka grinned carelessly. Azula sighed.

"Annoying. I hope you're not just expecting to… uh, perv out at random girls in swimsuits."

"Pfft! I'm a gentleman! I wouldn't do that!" he squeaked.

"He's lying, Yue. He's totally going to do exactly that," Azula smirked.

"Hey!"

Yue laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. Azula smiled warmly at her, but her grin receded when the Moon Spirit countered with a rather surprising statement.

"Maybe he's telling a half-truth… maybe he won't do it over every girl, but he might just do it over you!"

"He… what?! Don't say that!" Azula winced: she hated to see herself blushing as Yue giggled in the mirror.

"You are very beautiful. He'd have to be blind not to see it… and it's his friend who's blind, not him, right?"

"I… don't understand what's gotten into you," Azula said, bashfully: Sokka was almost done taming her hair by then.

"Is she saying you're the one who'll perv out at people in swimsuits, or…?"

His guess earned him an elbow to the ribs, but he rolled with laughter on the floor after taking the blow, nonetheless.

"Idiot. You're both weird," Azula growled, cheeks alight with embarrassment. "And I'd elbow your ribs too, Yue, but… you know. I can't physically. Just imagine the pain and live with the shame."

"Oh, I'll try," Yue laughed, nodding promptly.

"This being said… while it's summer all year long in the Fire Nation, it's going to be difficult to get there," Azula pointed out.

"Well, it wouldn't be easy, no… but there's a good reason to go right now. If Zuko could send his troops to hunt us as fast as that, doesn't that mean he's around here lately?" Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"He… was in Ba Sing Se?" Azula said. "Huh. Then, if he's here… we have the way clear to the Fire Nation, at least, for a while. Ember Island isn't my usual area of operations, it might not be as protected as other cities…"

"See? It's not that bad if we're careful," Sokka grinned.

"We're not returning to the city to get the hot-air balloon, are we?" Azula asked.

"Oh, no. Too risky. Just as it was risky to fly out on it, they might have taken us down if they were watching for us by the walls," Sokka said. Azula sighed.

"Then what are we going to do? Do you have custody over the shaggy beast anytime soon?" she asked. Sokka snorted.

"That's not how that works, so no. But… hot-air balloons, you say?"

"We can't get it back and stealing another one's going to be…"

"I didn't say anything about stealing."

Azula frowned. Sokka smiled as he sat up, a proud smirk spreading over his face – Azula's damn stomach somersaulted over that confident expression on his features.

"I know a guy," he said, proudly.

"Again? Who?" Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Literally, the inventor of the balloons. If you'd like to know… I actually had a hand in their development and design, back in the days of the war."

"You… you're pulling my hair," Azula smiled.

"I'm done brushing it, so clearly, I'm not pulling it anymore," Sokka smirked. Azula rolled her eyes, but she failed to contain a chuckle. "Heh. You laughed."

"Fuck off," was her eloquent response, to which he laughed even harder. "You're serious? You can get us a hot-air balloon?"

"Problem is they'll know where we're going even if I do get it," Sokka reasoned, frowning. "We're close to where he lives these days, after he left the Northern Air Temple. I could go there, ask for a balloon, he most likely will give me one to borrow… and then we'll be very easy to track for your brother's forces."

"Not necessarily," Azula reasoned, raising an eyebrow. "Not if we… split up."

"What?" Sokka winced, his amusement receding.

"Just for a few days. Goodness, you're that worried about not being near me nowadays? That's terribly clingy of you," Azula smirked. "I could misdirect them away from you and the inventor. The Mechanist, right? Same one who made the Drill…"

"That's the guy," Sokka confirmed.

"If I flashily use my blue fire to lure them southeast… you can collect that balloon, then snatch me up one night, maybe, around the Fighting Cliffs," Azula said. "You know, the mountains right below Ba Sing Se? If we time it right, if you don't even land, they shouldn't notice the balloon at all and they won't know where we went. Will take a while for them to realize what we're doing… and if we need supplies, be it coal or food, we'll be free to land to get them once we're far away from Ba Sing Se. At least, far enough that word wouldn't travel quickly to Zuko and Kuei even if someone recognizes either of us all the way over there."

"That's… a good plan," Sokka said, begrudgingly. "But I would rather not leave you anyway."

"Don't be so silly," Azula smiled at him. "You'll be stuck with me in a balloon for weeks afterwards. Take this as a well-deserved respite from me."

What she didn't know was that Sokka actually didn't want a break from her at all… a notion that caught him by surprise as she continued lining out their plans. The urge to take her hand and not let it go should not have been so overwhelming… but it was, somehow. He had to put his everything into not telling her as much, into not acting on that impulse, as he agreed to her strategies.

Thus, a few hours later, she took off carelessly, carrying her pack, undoubtedly ready to bring about as much attention to herself as possible. Sokka sighed as he watched her leave, a burst of loneliness striking him so abruptly… since when was he so prone to missing people's company? Or was it just… her?

He shook his head and set out to the Mechanist's new home: the sooner he arrived, the faster he would be back with Azula.

The jolly inventor welcomed him gratefully into the small town he had taken residence at, and he provided him with supplies and a stylish hot-air balloon, with the latest upgrades to its design. Sokka offered him no end of gratitude before climbing aboard, relieved to sort out that predicament quickly enough. The plan was proceeding perfectly smoothly for him… and after three days apart from Azula, which was how long it had taken him to reach the Mechanist's home, he was more than ready to come find her.

He succeeded a day and a half later: by nightfall, he steered the hot-air balloon to one of the tallest peaks of the Fighting Cliffs to find Azula resting there, holding the mirror in one hand. Sokka smiled fondly at her before loosening his rope, lightly brushing it over her face until the discomfort caused her to snap awake, scowling…

Her eyes brightened visibly once she saw Sokka had returned.

"Been a while," Sokka smiled. "Ready?"

She couldn't help but grin too as she handed him her bags, first: he opened the balloon's basket, reaching down to hoist Azula aboard without landing at all, just as planned.

"Everything went swimmingly, I take it?" Azula asked: she hadn't let go of his hand yet after boarding, and that didn't bother him one bit. "This balloon is… nice, actually. More spacious, too."

"A new model," Sokka grinned. "More aerodynamic, from what he told me. We'll get there in no time."

"Then… go on and dazzle us with your piloting skills, why don't you?" Azula smiled: she set the mirror up on one of the available seats, as she sat down as well, and Yue smiled eagerly at the grand hot-air balloon… at the chance to see Sokka at work, handling the vehicle expertly once more.

The journey was faster this time, as they had enough supplies not to need to land at all until they reached Ember Island. Their time aloft in the sky proved amenable too, as they talked about just anything and everything, sharing stories about the war that startled and amazed Yue alike. Their strange journey, and the banter they shared, was proving enough to bring Azula to smile more honestly, more earnestly, than she had in years.

She'd sleep while cradling the mirror sometimes, and she even dozed off with her head on Sokka's lap once, the mirror resting on her chest. It almost felt as though the two girls were asleep… and it warmed Sokka's heart to feel the connection between them growing stronger than ever. Where Azula had been openly hostile and reluctant to host Yue at all, at first… by now, he had no doubts she had grown to fully, earnestly cherish her connection to the Moon Spirit. Instead of Azula being an outsider, in between him and Yue when she didn't belong there, now it was Sokka, instead, who appeared to be the odd one out…

And he actually kind of liked that.

He couldn't truly communicate with Yue, even if she could hear him and see him, as long as he was within her reflection's line of sight. But the more time went on, the less he longed to speak with her directly, to interact with her as Azula did… because Azula was there. That was Azula's role. Yue had never had friends before… not truly, not the way she did now, with Azula. He didn't want to be the only important, valuable person in Yue's life… and the more he grew to treasure Azula, the more he hoped she would be even more important for the Northern Water Tribe Princess than he ever had been. The two of them were so different, starkly so… but he had the feeling that Yue's influence on Azula was even more powerful than his own could ever hope to be. She inspired Azula to do better, to be better… to find joy and bliss in the simplest pleasures of life. Instead of locking her up, instead of hounding her and chasing her down… maybe that was what Azula needed, instead. A friend who would show her there was so much more worth in living life freely than by serving some old fart's wretched designs for nationalism, social superiority and Fire Nation control over the entire world.

Perhaps she'd go back to old habits once they reached her homeland, Sokka figured… but as they began their descent on Ember Island, a week later, the Princess's demeanor didn't change in any worrisome manner as she eyed the island with uncertainty.

"Is it…?" she started, running a hand over her hair. "What day is it, Sokka?"

"Uh, I've kind of lost track of time, so… no real clue," he smiled awkwardly.

"I think… we've arrived at a strange time in this damn island. I don't think I've ever been here for this before," Azula said, eyeing the place with uncertainty.

"It looks like… there's a procession across the streets? A celebration?" Sokka asked, intrigued. "What's that about?"

"It's… a celebration, yes," Azula said, tense. "A slightly less dignified one than most of what you might have heard about in the Fire Nation, though."

"What?" Sokka asked, amused. "That sounds dangerous… or amusing."

"Might be both," Azula said, with a dry grin. "It's a yearly tradition, particularly noisy and messy, in Ember Island. Lots of drinking, lots of gambling, firebending accidents…"

"What? What are they celebrating, exactly?" Sokka asked, confused.

"Uh, well, the technical, traditional explanation is found in the legend of the volcano from which the Fire Nation spawned?" Azula said, biting her lip. "And of course, Ember Island has a small volcano around which people convene, firebenders launch fire into the dormant volcano, as a manner of tribute to the land for giving us everything it has. It's… a celebration of life, you could call it?"

"Heh. Sounds fun," Sokka smiled. Azula bit her lip.

"Of course, well, celebrations of life tend to be a little… peculiar," she said. Sokka crooked an eyebrow. "By which I mean, well, people aren't simply going to chant songs and run around the island happily, they're going to, uh…"

"To…?"

"Create more life?"

Sokka's eyes widened. Azula's cheeks flushed.

"… This is a fertility festival," he concluded. Azula gritted her teeth.

"You know, we could always turn back," she suggested, with a dry grin. "Go to another island, where they don't celebrate this at all, and come back in a couple of days instead. That might just be…"

"I want to see it!"

Yue's sudden declaration caused Azula to wince and snarl. She turned towards the mirror, finding the eagerly smiling teenage princess closer to the mirror than ever before…

"It sounds like such a lively event!"

"Yue, half the people are going to be drunk, and the other half will be horny, some will very much be both things at once. I don't think you…"

"Well, it's still early. We can see everything before it comes to that!" Yue beamed. Azula huffed, and Sokka chuckled.

"The Water Tribes have some rites of this nature, you know? But probably none like this," he said, patting Azula's back. "Can't blame Yue for wanting to see it. I'm a little curious, myself. You and your people always prided yourselves on being oh so advanced and modern…"

"Well, I'm afraid we're not quite so modern yet that we'd know how to procreate with anything but sex," Azula said, cheeks flushing upon speaking of the subject as she did. Sokka laughed. "Either way, if you two are quite sure about what you want, fine. But… be careful, Sokka. Desperate girls might throw themselves at you if you're not."

"No worries, I'll just… stick with you," Sokka smiled. Azula blushed. "If anyone tries, I'll just say I'm with you and they'll back off."

"Hopefully," Azula said, cheeks red: it wasn't a lie, he truly had come with her… but evidently, he'd say the words to imply there was a relationship between them that didn't actually exist. As far as she knew.

She glanced at Yue in the mirror, finding her grinning eagerly. Azula swallowed hard: she wasn't about to do something stupid that could hurt the girl. And she wouldn't let Sokka do that, either. They'd be distant witnesses to the damn festival, that was that.

After safely tucking their balloon away in the Royal Family's private beach, they left their luggage in the house that, to Azula's surprise, appeared to be far more livable than it had been in her last visit. They cleaned up after the long journey, changing into fresh and light clothes, and they took off together to check out the sights in the island while showing as much of it as they could to the eager, delighted Yue.

The warm weather didn't disappoint, for they were drenched in sweat simply by walking down the streets. That moist heat of summer always compelled Azula to wish she could jump into the water, hoping the sea would ease the high temperatures slightly. The tall palm trees, the chirping of insects… she described that which Yue couldn't see or hear, while showing her as much of the colorful island to the Moon Spirit as possible through the limitations of the mirror.

They were immediately assailed by the salesmen from the stalls once they entered Ember Island's main streets, most of whom were eager to sell aphrodisiacs or even accessories for sexual purposes, most of which Azula didn't even dare guess the use of. She clasped Sokka's arm, reassuringly smiling at the sellers that they were just sightseeing, and she dragged him away quickly before he got any wild ideas in his head about any of the lotions, oils or harnesses some of those stalls were eager to sell to shameless customers.

"This is unreal. I'd heard it was messed up, but… it's weirder than I thought," Azula said. Sokka chuckled.

"I can't help but think it's kind of funny. I thought your people were very repressed about a lot of things… but not this, sounds like," he said.

"Honestly? This festival wasn't banned because it had a purpose in the times of the war: if you make your people procreate more, you get more soldiers to send out to war. It's bound to be the only reason why my forefathers didn't outlaw it as a crime against public order and morals," Azula explained, glancing about herself. "But… actually, there ought to be one area that's not so raunchy!"

She dragged Sokka eagerly in that direction to find foods that weren't being advertised for their sexual potential: there was even a small puppet play, where the children could witness the story of the volcano without any implications regarding how most fully-grown people actually celebrated this strange festival. They found something to eat there, and they rejoiced far more in the family-friendly activities than in looking for anything strange to spice up the bedroom life they didn't actually have.

But there was one particular stall that caught Azula's eye once they paced through less busy streets, by midafternoon. A woman in perfectly sober, proper clothes, sat with a disgruntled expression in a stall that nobody appeared to want to approach: 'Public Morals Protection Stall.'

"You! You two! Come, come, come quickly!" the woman exclaimed, startling them once she noticed they were staring.

"Uh… what's this?" Sokka smiled awkwardly as he obeyed her command.

The woman didn't answer him: instead, she stuffed his hands with a surprising assortment of objects with purposes he couldn't even fathom.

"At the very least, you two shall be safe!" the woman almost squealed, startling Azula with her passionate declaration. "Safe intercourse is possible! But these imbeciles…!"

"W-wait… safe? What do you mean by that?" Azula smiled awkwardly.

"I mean your husband there is holding a good assortment of measures to prevent pregnancy and diseases when you happen to copulate," the woman said: both Azula and Sokka winced upon hearing her declaration.

"W-wait, we're not… I mean, we're not exactly married?" Sokka said, with a weak smile. The woman yelped.

"All the more reason for you to use them!"

"What?!"

"If you're not married you should not be procreating and having children yet! Get married before you even start! Don't be like the rest of these fools who… who just keep making sure that this island thrives in countless, thousands, millions of babies...!"

"I'm quite sure there can't even be a million people living in this island, let alone a million babies…"

"There will be soon, when these fools have their way!" the woman exclaimed, shaking her head. "You have no idea how many girls will turn up two months from now in the sanatorium, having broken up with their mediocre boyfriends, begging for help with… well, reversing pregnancy."

"Oh," Sokka said, eyes wide.

"And do you even realize that the most common months for children to be born in our island are the tenth and eleventh months?! It's like a perpetual birthday celebration in every family!" the woman exclaimed, exasperated. "Care to guess why?"

"Because… this is the second month, and everyone procreates around the time of the festival?" Sokka smiled awkwardly.

"A smart lad indeed! See, you'll use protection for sure, yes you will!" the woman exclaimed, finally smiling proudly at him. Sokka's cheeks couldn't have been redder.

Then, she proceeded to explain the use of each of the objects and gadgets she'd given Sokka, including a manner of thin membranes he would be expected to wrap around his manhood, fruits that could affect male sperm and render its components temporarily inert, as well as seeds Azula would be expected to eat, or boil into tea, to prevent herself from conceiving any children. A few of the products were medicine in case of infections or diseases caught after the fact, too. The woman was delighted to hand them everything she did, free of charge, no doubt desperate to spread awareness to the rest of the island that there were far more responsible ways to indulge in their fun… but unfortunately, it looked like only a handful of people were willing to listen.

Sokka and Azula ambled out of that particular street five minutes later, winding up taking a corner quickly and hiding there with their load of new goods. They glanced at each other in surreal disbelief… and then they burst out laughing. Azula supported herself on his arm, as Sokka rested against the wall of a building, tears blinking in the corners of his eyes.

"That poor woman…!" he said.

"Let's hope her wisdom spreads one day… but with this kind of reckless crowd, I wouldn't bet my money on that," Azula said, wiping the tears in her own, too.

"Say… the stalls are pretty fun, but maybe we should do what we came here for," Sokka smiled, nudging Azula's pocket: Yue's mirror rested there. "Didn't she say she wanted to go to the beach?"

"Well, she did, but… I'm not exactly dressed for it, am I?" Azula said, tugging at her Earth Kingdom clothes. Sokka smirked.

"We can buy some new clothes for it now! There's stalls for that, too!" he exclaimed. Azula sighed.

"You love shopping far too much for your own good," Azula determined. Sokka snickered, leading her back into the streets.

An hour later, they had returned to the house with the results of that day's outing. They left their haul of equipment for responsible sex on a table by the living room, and they changed out of their casual Earth Kingdom clothes into classic Fire Nation garb. It struck Azula how long she had gone without wearing anything quite as bold as a swimsuit… all her last Fire Nation attires had been sober and formal, or combat-oriented. There was a tall mirror within the bathroom where she changed, and she blushed slightly upon realizing that a sneaky Moon Spirit was glancing at her with appreciative, raised eyebrows.

"Is it too bold?" Azula asked Yue, her voice deadpan and dry. Yue bit her lip, failing to stifle a mischievous smile.

"Bolder than anything you've worn around me. But you look amazing!" she exclaimed, beaming. "You really are beautiful, Azula."

"I don't feel beautiful, most days," Azula sighed, running her hand over her hair… finding she might actually not be so hard to convince of that right now. Staring at herself just now wasn't as unnerving, unpleasant, as it typically was…

Was she finding some peace with herself? Some manner of tranquility she hadn't really experienced for years, if ever before? It was still difficult to fathom thinking of herself as beautiful… but she'd have to try. At least, Sokka and Yue appeared to be visually impaired enough to think so…

"Are you okay with this?" Azula asked Yue. "I mean… me being around the guy you like, dressed like this? Or, uh, undressed, because honestly it almost feels like I'm not wearing anything, in this thing…"

"Why… I don't have anything to worry about," Yue smiled warmly. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you enjoying yourself in the beach too!"

"Uh… hopefully. Maybe," Azula said, swallowing hard and breathing out heavily. "Okay, then. Fine. If he ends up being a perv and a creep or so, you'll have yourself to blame for pushing me at him."

"What? Sokka isn't either of those things!"

"We'll see about that," Azula smirked slightly. "You should get some, uh, spirit swimsuit of your own. You're bound to reflect on the waves, you know?"

"Oh… maybe. But probably only if they don't move around too much," Yue smiled awkwardly. "But I'll be fine like this. I approached Aang once when he was in the ocean, you know? And I didn't dress any differently than I do right now."

"Heh, fair enough," Azula shrugged, shaking her head. "Anyways… let's get going."

She wore a sarong over her waist that would at least conceal most her legs from ogling gazes. Not that she expected to draw many of those… but Sokka did say she was beautiful. Perhaps she really should cover up her torso further… who knew what Sokka might react more to, anyway? He'd see a lot of her skin, more than he ever had before… she needed to stop feeling self-aware about that, she really did.

She marched out of the bathroom to find Sokka standing by the living room table, still checking out the birth control and safe sex supplies, with a slight smirk on his face…

But she couldn't really register the expression when her eyes were entirely enticed by his strong, broad and muscular back.

"Oh! You're… b-back."

They froze for a moment, gaping at each other. Awkwardness settled between them as they took in the other, the bare chest Sokka presented for Azula – curses, he had grown far too fit in his adulthood – and the smooth abdomen she showed off before him – the dip of her hipbones, hiding under that skirt, sent his mind flying in some rather raunchy directions…

But they reeled it in. They reeled themselves in. They blushed, recognizing each other's interest… and stashing it aside. It wasn't the time for that.

"I've got the mirror here," Azula said, showing Sokka at Yue, as though that would suffice to remind him that she wasn't supposed to be his. At least… not yet. Not until Yue's situation was sorted out and they could take their time to figure out what to do with what was brewing between them.

Though, unfortunately, that resolve was slightly more difficult to stand by now than it ever had been…

"Right. Right," Sokka said, waving at Yue. "Hope I'm not too gross nowadays, compared to what I used to look like…"

"Gross?" Azula repeated. Sokka shrugged.

"She never did see me without a shirt, true, but… she's still sixteen," Sokka smiled awkwardly. "Might be I'm not exactly appealing to her right now."

Well, if Yue wanted to skip on that, Azula certainly would be happy to take over in her stead… 'gross', of all words, wasn't how she'd describe his surprisingly alluring body. She truly wanted to reach out to touch him and… and she wouldn't do that. She couldn't do that. She refused to do it at all.

Yue in the mirror, however, giggled and startled Azula. The Princess glanced at her to find the Moon Spirit smiling brightly in Sokka's direction.

"You really did grow up to be so handsome, Sokka," she said, beaming. "I… I hope you two can swim a lot! And maybe build a sandcastle? That's what people do in beaches, right?"

"Well, you can tell us what you want us to do, and we will," Azula said, with a careless shrug. Yue clapped happily.

"Then… a sandcastle!"

Yue's request proved tricky to fulfill: Sokka's ability to work with sand was astonishingly poor, to Azula's utter amusement. They discussed the possibility of heading out to the public beach, but instead, they stayed in the private one by the Fire Lord's villa, for it would be safer. Talking to Yue would draw less confused stares that way. It also meant that Sokka's skills at molding sand would only be judged by Azula, rather than by a large crowd.

"No, no, no! That tower is crumbling, Sokka, damn it!" Azula huffed, reaching over with the bucket to fix the tower that Sokka couldn't seem to compose properly. "Water! Use more water!"

"If I use too much it just crumbles anyway!" Sokka pouted. "You're such a perfectionist…"

"And you're not one at all. You… you meant that as an insult, too?" Azula scoffed. "Being a perfectionist is far better than being mediocre, just so you know…"

"I'm not mediocre!" Sokka's voice cracked, and Azula smirked as she knew she had successfully stoked his pride. "I'll do better than you! My own castle against yours! You'll see!"

It was a hilarious competition, one that Yue couldn't seem to stop laughing over as both struggled with different aspects of the composition of the castle – Sokka's castle certainly was a misshapen mass, more than anything, while Azula's frustrated her constantly, as she couldn't fully bring her vision to reality – instead, she would have to settle for a smaller, simpler building that she couldn't help but find frustrating.

And so, they tried again and again and again, and once they were finally close to success…!

A potent wave rushed in, without warning, and slammed into the side of both castles, nearly knocking Sokka and Azula off their feet.

"Nooooooo!" Sokka cried, hands up his hair as his grand work of sand architecture crumbled. "Not again! How dare you, sea?! How dare you?!"

"Oh, forget it! I'm not starting again, I'm done with…!" Azula exclaimed, turning towards the mirror…

… To find it was no longer there.

Azula's eyes widened: the foam was receding, and the water returning to the shore… and in it floated a surprised Yue, carried away by the ocean.

"YUE!"

Azula rushed out into the water, probably unnecessarily so: technically, Yue wouldn't go anywhere, even if her mirror did. But she still sprung out in a hurry, eager to pick up the mirror that kept going deeper into the water.

"Azula! Azula!" Sokka followed her, watching in surprise as the Princess loosened her sarong, tossing it aside before jumping fully into the water.

She certainly had a good form as a swimmer, but Sokka wasn't sure she'd be fast enough to reach the mirror right away. The water level would rise the deeper she went… and more waves were coming.

"Damn it…!" Sokka rushed after her, diving into the sea and swimming quickly to reach Azula. "Deep breath!"

Azula glanced back at him in confusion upon hearing him say that.

"Wave incoming!" Sokka explained.

Azula only had a small moment to obey his suggestion: the breath wasn't all that deep, but the wave crashed against her, she broke it with her body… and then she opened her eyes to realize the mirror was nowhere in sight.

"N-no… no!" she glanced back, trying to find it in the wave that had just rushed in, but she couldn't see it. Just as she couldn't see Sokka. "Sokka? Sokka?!"

Something rammed into her legs, not too violently, but hard enough to be noticeable: a shape underwater gave away that Sokka was floating below her, kicking fast and hard on his way… somewhere. Azula breathed deeply before sinking in, rushing in after him.

She reached for his back, touching it gently. He turned around, recognizing her with difficulty, squeezing her hand and urging her to catch up to him. Their breaths wouldn't last forever, but if they were going to find the mirror…

Something gleamed, deeper into the sea. It was falling lower and lower, dropping through the liquid… but the sun still gleamed upon its surface. That was enough for them to know where they had to go.

They kicked fast, speeding up further, and the mirror dropped lower still…

Their hands gripped it at the same time before they began kicking upwards instead.

Sokka wrapped an arm around her waist, and Azula wondered if he needed help… but when she surfaced, she realized he wanted her to break out of the surface first, instead.

Her hair whipped back chaotically as she took in a deep breath, cleansing her lungs. Sokka surfaced afterwards, his hair all over his face, and he shook his head violently to make the strands flop aside. They were floating deep in the ocean, and more waves would come next…

But they raised their hands, and the mirror sat between them indeed. Relieved sighs left both their lips.

"There… there! We've got it! We…!" Sokka gasped… when he felt the water receding again, reeling them deeper into the ocean.

"Sokka…!" Azula shrieked, grabbing onto him in a panic.

"Azula… I'm sorry," Sokka said, forcing her to let go of the mirror. "I hope this isn't a huge mistake…!"

He reeled his arm back, and he threw the mirror as powerfully as his arm could take it, all the way to the shore. Azula gasped as she saw it fly, partially grateful that his arm was strong enough to send it out of the water's reach… but hoping, just as well, that it wouldn't break against the sand after he'd thrown it quite so powerfully.

But they were still being dragged in, still in the currents' control.

"Breathe!" Sokka warned Azula: his grip around her tightened, and he dragged her under water.

He didn't go much lower than that: they felt the push of the surface wave, large and messy as it might be, and Sokka followed it as best as possible, letting the wave itself carry them closer to shore. They didn't make it too far, but they progressed towards the sand all the same as they resurfaced and continued swimming.

"We'll do that again…! Let the sea do the work for us…!" Sokka panted heavily. Azula nodded: his grip around her remained tight, their legs crashed when they kicked…

Another wave, and this time, they rode it carefully enough that Sokka's feet finally touched the sandy ground underneath them once again. He sighed in relief, walking a little further until Azula could stand properly in the water, too.

"Fuck… fuck," Sokka sighed, gripping Azula tightly. "You okay?"

"I'm… maybe a bit bruised. Hair's a mess. Got water in my ears, I think," Azula said. Sokka smiled awkwardly. "You?"

"Same," he laughed, though he glared at the sea with frustration. "It was a perfectly calm sea just a little while ago and now it went bonkers! What the hell was that about?"

"Huh… maybe the Ocean Spirit was trying to reclaim Yue," Azula proposed, playfully.

Sokka's eyes widened. The next wave rose, prepared to rush in once again.

"You're not saying…" Sokka glared at the water, and Azula smirked at his reaction.

"Sounds like your ex's new partner doesn't particularly care for us…" Azula said.

"You… HEY! If you want Yue for yourself, woo her properly, you bastard!" Sokka roared, splashing angrily. Azula laughed in his arms, pressing her face to his chest. "You're not taking that mirror, and I'm not handing it over, ever! You…! Uh… uh-oh."

Azula glanced again: apparently, Sokka's threat did not sit well with the Ocean Spirit, for a larger wave still rose in the distance…

"Run! RUN!" Sokka roared, grabbing Azula's hand and racing out of the water, knowing they would be goners otherwise.

The sea had receded enough that they could run across the wet sand without resistance. They kept going, they kept running, the wave broke, it was coming over them…

And it did exactly that, as good as drenching the entire bay and, of course, knocking Azula and Sokka off their feet once the last legs of water crashed hard against their calves, violently enough to break their balance and send them rolling across the wet sand. A rather wicked display by the Ocean Spirit, but an effective one to command proper respect from those who hadn't offered it any.

Sokka rolled over the sand, the water seeping through them and drenching them all over again. He clung to Azula nonetheless, shielding her from the impact with his body as best as he was able. It took him a moment to realize she was hugging him right back, face pressed against his chest.

"Now… now we're more bruised than before, heh," Sokka said, hand touching her flank, keeping her in place. "You okay?"

Azula breathed heavily and nodded. She sighed, eyeing him remorsefully after a moment.

"I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that, after the mirror, I… fuck. I can see her whenever, wherever. The mirror isn't the only way…" Azula whispered. Sokka hummed, rolling them slightly so Azula would lie on her back.

"It's not. And I can get you another one too, if you lost this one," Sokka said. "But it's okay. We're fine, and hopefully the mirror is too… wherever it landed. I'll go fetch it in a bit…"

"Please," Azula said, with a small smile. "I… I don't want to lose it."

"I figured, but…" Sokka said, sitting up beside her. Azula sat too, shaking her head – sand clung to her hair, which was certainly more chaotic now than it had been before. "I still think I could've gotten you a new one, if you had. Maybe a prettier one, with a better finish? A little bigger, I don't know…"

"Heh," Azula smiled a little, lowering her gaze. "Didn't even think of that. I guess I just…"

"What?" Sokka asked, when she trailed off. Azula breathed out slowly, her heart pounding when she dared share her actual train of thought.

"That mirror is… the first gift anyone's given me since before Sozin's Comet."

Sokka froze in place. Azula bit her lip, breathing deeply as she forced herself to share more… to explain where this strange, unlikely bout of sentimentality had come from.

"I just didn't want… I mean, I don't even like it much, you already know I don't, but I didn't want to… to lose it anyway. Because you gave it to me. So… that. I'm sorry I was such a–…"

She couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't convey her full thoughts: she felt his hand reach for her neck, the other her cheek, and he raised her face so it would meet his as he leaned in to press his lips to hers.

The impulsive kiss caught Azula off guard entirely. Her eyes widened, and she raised a hand to push him away at first, by instinct alone…

Only to realize he was, indeed, kissing her.

A euphoric feeling she had not anticipated seemed to take root in her chest, roaring with a fierce, powerful emotion that brought her throat to thicken with tears, no matter how triumphant she might feel. The hand that had almost pushed him now fell upon his arm, upon the chest that had enticed her so…

She dove in, kissing him back without restraint.

She didn't care if he was pitying her, for once. The thought didn't even form fully in her head: he was kissing her. He had chosen to do it, so it was on him. She had kept her distance, she had sensed the feeling of intimacy and closeness developing between them, but she hadn't done anything out of place. She had behaved herself… but he didn't want her to. Clearly he didn't, or else he wouldn't be doing exactly what he was doing right now. And if he wanted her lips, she'd give them to him gladly. If he wanted her body… she might as well give him that, too.

His hands roamed her back, as he pressed her smoothly on the sand. He kissed her passionately, eagerly, ignoring the new waves that tickled their toes, pinning Azula in place as though to ensure that she wouldn't be able to run away this time, or shirk him off, or dismiss what was happening between them. He'd had enough of holding back when he could tell they both wanted the same thing…

This was new to her, entirely new. Her first kiss had happened in this island just as well, but it had been nothing like this. She had damn fished for it, hoped to catch his eye… now, she was on the receiving end of a passion more powerful than the waves that had rolled them earlier. He was as imposing as that ocean, and she welcomed him as the shore might, her cliffs finally eroded and ready to receive him.

Though the truth was that she didn't quite know what they were doing once Sokka's lips left hers, latching onto her neck instead. She gasped, knowing that was an avenue of intimacy she had never experienced… his hands moved over her flanks, slightly higher now, and – his thigh slipped between hers. His thigh was…

He gave her no quarter, no room to run away from the latest of their battles, if this could be called that at all. Her hands remained as good as inert upon his body… but she dared do more shortly, even if the tongue that jousted with hers threatened to throw her entirely out of balance. There was a danger to his bold touches, to the impulsive way in which he had pounced on her…

A danger she liked. A danger that set her heart on fire, racing at full speed.

Sokka was ready to have sex with her. He wanted to sleep with her.

And she wanted him to do it, just as well.

She moaned at last, when his lips found a weak spot on her neck. He sucked on it gently, then more intensely as he savored her, tasting her body as best he could, regardless of the saltwater that clung to it. Her hands finally moved, caressing his pectorals, his abdomen, his waist… she reached the hem of his swimming trunks, knowing that was all he wore. Her fingers dipped past the band, boldly daring reach down to touch, to grope his rear and squeeze it deviously. Sokka groaned: he wanted to do that too, did he? His hands indeed slipped down lower, to her waist… then, they jumped over to her thighs and from there, he raised her legs so they would lock behind his back.

While it wasn't ideal, he still could touch her like this. Her swimsuit bottoms were small, leaving very little to the imagination, and his hands cupped each buttock smoothly as he groaned against her neck. He growled hungrily before switching back to her lips, tasting her thoroughly once again, just as his hands massaged her intimately, touching her in ways no one had ever touched her before. Was this what desire felt like? Her cheeks flushed crimson, never having truly conceived that the day might come when someone would want her quite this badly. She didn't truly know why Sokka had gone wild on her this way, but she certainly had no complaints on that front so far: every daring, bold gesture on his part startled her, leading her to reel back out of fear of the unknown… only to discover that the unknown in this case was actually a surprisingly pleasant thing, instead. She trusted him, more than anyone… and so, she spread her legs wide open, pressing her chest into his, hoping he would continue to elicit sensations unparalleled upon her skin.

His groans into her mouth might just be having a stronger effect upon her lower body, for the warm tingles in her core strengthened each time his sounds echoed inside her. Likewise, his trunks tightened with every sensual moan that slipped from her throat. He couldn't have enough of those soft, shrill sounds, of eliciting that kind of response from his new lover… She gripped him more tightly, nails digging slightly in his skin, and Sokka hissed as he pressed his brow to hers.

"Hey, now…" he managed to say: she answered with a wicked laugh, one he found delicious enough to kiss off her mouth at once. Curses, he had to be losing his grip… but he found her laughter so seductive, much like everything about her was. He bucked his body against hers, and she responded with more of that moaning… he was losing it. He was really losing it…

Her head was buzzing with delight when she finally dared do something she truly didn't know how to do… oh, but how hard could it be? She allowed her hand to slide to the side, leaving the other one in place, fondling and rubbing his rear… while the other one slipped between their two bodies, touching coarse hair first until she finally found what she was seeking.

Sokka gasped, looking at her in surprise when her fingertips touched his manhood's base. Azula swallowed hard, smiling slightly at him.

"Guess… I found something," she concluded. Sokka swallowed hard.

"Can I…?" he asked. Azula shivered: he was seriously asking for permission now? The bastard truly knew how to make her legs feel like hot water, truly… he wanted more of her, more intimacy than they'd already found…

She nodded. She wanted more, too.

He responded to that permission by kissing her fiercely: one of his hands slid over her body, trailing inside the hem of her swimsuit bottom, and boldly slipping lower until the fingers dipped into her folds.

Azula gasped, and Sokka caught the sound with his mouth. He stared at her as he kissed her, and when she opened her eyes, she found his: she couldn't decide whether his finger's touch was more erotic or if the way he watched her, eyes so full of greed and lust, happened to be more powerful still…

She wanted to be naked with him, for him. She wanted to shed her every layer and let him see her as she was. He wouldn't run away: he wanted to see it all, too.

But before anything of the sort could happen, Sokka's fingertips rubbed smoothly, teasingly, over her folds. Was he trying to memorize her weakest spots, perhaps? Was he mapping out the way her body jolted and shifted with each caress? The clever bastard might just be doing exactly that…

She couldn't hold herself back at all. She couldn't help but surrender to the erotic situation: she threw her head back, and when his fingers rubbed her clit again, she didn't hold back from reaching the finish line right then and there.

Sokka gasped in surprise upon hearing her desperate, orgasmic moans. He was even weaker for her upon hearing them, and his curious fingers dared dip lower… he bit his lip as he dared enter her with one finger, finding her soft and tender, and thoroughly soaked.

"Hell…" he whispered. Azula's chest heaved against him as he continued to crush her to the sand.

She closed her eyes, and he dreaded the climax might just clear her head and she'd realize exactly what they had been doing, and that they'd been doing it out in the open…

Her hands rose to the back of his head, and she kissed him fiercely again, as though her earlier breathlessness had become a rather amusing addiction rather than a cause for concern…

"Azula…" Sokka groaned into her mouth, thrusting against her hand as though to sate his throbbing manhood: fuck, but he wanted her. He wanted to see just how compatible they truly were, on every level of the act…

"Sokka… Sokka…" she called for him, her voice a mere whisper unless his touch caused her to cry out louder. "Fuck…! S-Sokka, fuck… fuck me. Fuck me…!"

He hadn't actually expected her to ask for it, let alone after she had just finished. It suited her, of course, to be as unexpected as possible. He smiled in relief, heart pounding as he nodded eagerly.

"I want you. Fuck, I want you so badly…" he whispered: he tugged his trunks down properly now, and Azula wrapped a fist around his base: he was as good as fully erect already, and Sokka only groaned further as her hand helped him grow harder and larger still…

She could feel his size, she certainly feared he might be too big for her to accommodate him properly… but she didn't care. Oh, she didn't mind. She felt so smooth and supple now, as though she were made of rubber… and she certainly wanted more. She needed to know how it felt. She wanted to do exactly that with Sokka. She had wanted it for so much longer than she had let herself accept she did.

He tugged her swimsuit bottom aside, exposing enough of her core for him to breach: Azula gasped at the awareness of where they were being quite so inappropriate, realizing again that the water, while not as fierce and dangerous as before, still lapped at their feet on occasion… she gripped him, anticipation building as he kissed her reassuringly, finding the right entrance angle at last.

He pushed his way inside her.

Azula clenched up at first: the invasion certainly was complete now. If only this had been his long-term plan, she would have called it a resounding success. But where she had fought him off without fear ten years ago, today she didn't want to fight. She embraced him, instead… and he whispered warm words in her ears as he adjusted inside her.

"There… there. You okay? Breathe… loosen up, okay?"

Azula's breath hitched as she nodded, trying to obey him. The tension in her lower body might recede slowly, but there was a chance that he'd have to help with that. Maybe he didn't dare yet, but… oh, she wanted him to. She truly wanted him to…

"M-my… m-my breasts," Azula whispered. Sokka winced, pulling back as if fearful that he might have been crushing them. "T-touch them. Touch me. Sokka…"

"Oh… oh," Sokka smiled a little: she slapped his rear with the hand that remained there, as though encouraging him to get going already. He laughed, kissing her once more before thrusting slowly inside her…

His head moved to her neck as his fingers slid up finding the lower hem of her swimsuit's bra: he didn't settle for touching them under the cloth, instead yanking it up at a lack of knowledge of how to remove that precise swimsuit style… but with that, her breasts were delightfully exposed, and he pulled back just to admire them with a greedy, wicked smile. Her cheeks flushed as he ogled her: he liked what he saw. He really did…

"You're so… so damn perfect," Sokka whispered, startling Azula by his use of the word: she couldn't have been more imperfect as of late if she tried. Right now, she was covered in sand, her hair an unkempt mess… but he didn't lie. He couldn't have said it unless he meant it, so… maybe his notion of perfection was that removed from reality. Surely that was all there was to it…

His hands caressed her intimately, distracting her entirely from the light pain resulting from that initial penetration: it helped all the more when his lips latched onto her nipple, and Azula nearly screamed in bliss at the sensation. Oh, he had to do that again, and again, and on both sides, and…

He thrusted, and the pain seemed to fade to oblivion as he did. Its very final ripples were replaced by the booming arousal that threatened to run away with her for a second time already.

She gripped him tightly, and he was startled when it was her who thrusted upwards, as good as begging him to claim her.

And so he did, kissing her fiercely, giving free rein to the hands that caressed her intimately, to the hips that rolled recklessly into hers, his manhood dipping deeper and deeper, making his way through her as she opened up further and further… she had never been so excited in her life. She had never experienced anything on par with this. She damn near screamed with each hitch of pleasure, delighted to be fully pressed to the sand by him. Thankful, too, for his refusal to run away when she had nearly done that out of confusion at first: this exhilarant sensation was dangerously addictive, a high she wanted to chase without fail, knowing the fulfilling culmination would be even better than the one he had gifted her already…

He thrusted harder, faster, losing his grip on reality as his need for her overwhelmed him. His brow pressed against hers, his lips trailing all over her face, letting hers suck on his lower lip, a rather weak manner to stifle her own cries of passion…

His hips bucked, hands leaving her breasts briefly solely so he could hoist her hips carefully: the change in the angle of entry had her crying out even more desperately as he brushed more weak spots, as he claimed every part of her body she had never allowed herself to be ruled by… until today. Until that afternoon, when the shroud of dusk and the distance they kept from the rest of the beach's visitors might still not suffice to conceal Azula's next peak…

Her walls jolted so violently and pleasantly around his shaft that Sokka couldn't help but lose himself in the sensations, surrendering and succumbing to his primal need, unleashing himself deep inside her mere instants after she'd done the same thing.

He thrusted still, accompanying her as she navigated that climax, much as they had ridden the waves earlier. He didn't slow down until her walls slowed down, until they were no longer jolting… and by then, Sokka leaned over her chest, pressing soft kisses upon the exposed mounds he had wanted to explore so very thoroughly… maybe she would let him still. Maybe his failure to hold out for much longer wouldn't be punished all that harshly… but she truly hadn't made it easy at all. As far as he could tell, the past weeks of their relationship, probably since their drinking spree in Ba Sing Se's rooftops, had been the longest foreplay of all time.

"Sokka…" Azula called him. He groaned in response, still pressing his face to her breast: she would tell him he wasn't allowed to do that anymore, wouldn't she? Now that they were done, surely she would shove him off… "We… shit. We didn't use… any of that."

"Any of…?" Sokka blinked blankly, raising his head in confusion.

"The safe-sex stuff that woman… gave us," Azula admitted, cheeks flushed. Sokka's eyes widened.

"Uh… oh. Uh, heh, well… next time," he said, before his stomach sank: would there be a next time?

The smile on Azula's face suggested he wasn't wrong to hope for that, and his heart soared to see it.

"Well… better late than never, I suppose," she said, with a slight laugh. "Sokka…"

He smiled warmly, and she did the same before reeling him closer, arms wrapped around his neck. She kissed him again, unconcerned with how uncomfortable the sand was, careless about how shameless they were, letting themselves get carried away out in the open this way…

"Let's go… go inside," Sokka suggested, licking her lips. Azula hummed. "Come on. We can get the stuff and… and go again, when you're ready. If you want…"

"I want to. I… t-that was…" Azula said, with a small smile. Sokka grinned. "You know I'd never, well…"

"You're way too bold already for someone who's new at this," Sokka laughed, kissing her cheek. "I can only wonder how much wilder you're going to get in a couple more rounds…"

"Guess we'll see," Azula smiled: what the hell was this? She had no idea. She didn't think there was a rational explanation for it either. She just… liked this. Liked him. She wanted more of his thrusts, plowing into her with abandon… her heart raced with unbridled excitement upon knowing he wanted more of her, too. How much more? Would he grow bored of her? She hoped not. She truly hoped not…

Sokka sat up, and their bodies uncoupled. Azula gazed at him as he moved, knowing she remained exposed to him… doing absolutely nothing to change that. The way his greedy eyes locked on her nipples sent a special kind of shiver down her spine.

"Come here," Sokka whispered, slipping his arms underneath her body and hoisting her into his embrace.

She kissed him willfully again once he did that, and while he stumbled slightly while standing up, carrying her, he managed to do so in the end. They laughed together, brows touching, as Azula caressed his cheek gently.

"Weak on the knees?" she asked.

"Maybe a little," he admitted, earnestly. "Your fault for being so…"

"So?" Azula asked, amused by the sudden accusation.

"So seductive, I suppose that's the right word," Sokka laughed, kissing her neck as he marched her back towards the small road that led to the house. Azula moaned, wrapping arms and legs firmly around him. "Like it when I do that, do you?"

"Still haven't done anything I didn't like," Azula smiled. "I'll bite you if you do."

"And what are we going to do if I happen to like it when you bite me?"

She burst out laughing again, and Sokka smirked as he carried her inside, letting himself explore her body even if his hands had to remain firmly locked on her rear, keeping her in place. Azula had better chances to do it, caressing his shoulders, his chest, his strong neck… she claimed kisses off his lips constantly, and Sokka surrendered them generously each time, squeezing her ass when he did. If her mouth wasn't busy claiming his, his own would press to her collarbone, to her upper chest… and a couple of times, to her mounds and the nipples that were smoothly pressed against him.

"Like those, do you?" Azula asked teasingly, as they finally entered the house anew.

"Like you said… still haven't found the first thing I don't like about you," Sokka smiled, leaning in and sucking on her nipple teasingly. Azula moaned, arching back slightly as Sokka finally reached the living room… and the table filled with contraceptive methods, too.

They laughed as Sokka set Azula down on the table, and their adventures deciding which ones to use began then. They laughed together as they realized they'd mixed up some of the methods, with him eating the seeds while she ate the fruit at first, then switching it around. They decided to settle for that for the time being, though Azula was curious, regardless, about the membrane that Sokka didn't seem convinced by…

"I don't know if it'll feel the same, but fine, we can try it, we can…" he said, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her again. "But right now…"

"Yes…?" Azula asked: she had rested plenty by now. She certainly was ready to go again…

"We should clean up."

Azula raised an eyebrow, and Sokka chuckled as he hoisted her into his arms again.

"We're going to keep doing this, aren't we? Why not clean up after…?" she asked: Sokka groaned, pressing his face to her neck and kissing it softly.

"Because… we've got sand everywhere, girl."

She winced and glanced towards the trail they'd left on their way inside the house. Indeed, there was sand scattered leading up to the table, and plenty on the table too, where he had placed her. She laughed, shaking her head, and the sand spilled down her back, out of her hair, causing her to shiver at the sensations.

"That's… a compelling argument," she conceded, laughing as Sokka carried her away. "As you wish."

"Bet it's going to feel a lot better without sand grains sticking into us everywhere," Sokka chuckled. "If we do it again out there, we'd better set down a towel."

"A good idea," Azula smiled, kissing him earnestly again.

They cleaned up together in the bathroom near Sokka's room: they finally dared be fully naked together, shedding the very exposed clothes they had still been wearing – Azula hadn't even fixed her top to cover her chest so far, and now she wouldn't bother doing it anyway, either. They washed each other thoroughly, intimately, though Sokka proved himself all over again as a grand catch for a lover once he focused particularly on cleaning her hair properly. Azula smiled: she hadn't indulged in the feeling of someone washing her hair for her in so long… what a delightful privilege to reclaim, and by the hands of her lover, who covered her neck in warm kisses while whispering wickedly delightful things in her ear…

Most people took their time to relax in the tub after cleaning up thoroughly: the eagerness led Sokka and Azula to forsake doing that. Instead, they marched into Sokka's chosen room, unable to get their hands off each other at all, trading no end of deep kisses as they finally fell into a comfortable, smooth bed.

All the while, their hearts didn't seem to stop racing. The thrills they felt in each other arms seemed unlike anything they had ever experienced – Azula, naturally, had known this would be an unprecedented matter for her… but Sokka could only smile brightly as he nibbled on her neck, as he fondled her chest, as he stirred her arousal, caressing her core: this was what he had been missing all along. This excitement, this thrill… he had never known he had been looking for it, but he had found it indeed. The cumbersome, dark year he had endured, begrudgingly, suddenly seemed so bright… for she was making it brighter. And she was dangerous, and chaotic, and wicked, and her sense of humor could be as unrefined as his… every single one of those things convinced him further that he was exactly where he always wanted to be, with the right person to be with, just as well.

They determined to spend the night in bed, then, learning each other thoroughly, touching intimately, finding their shared kinship could become something so much deeper than that. They hardly seemed to stop kissing, and they laughed together without restraint at each other's occurrences without fail. After two more rounds of sex, each smoother and more pleasant than the last, they lay together, with Sokka resting atop Azula, comfortably nestled atop her breasts, occasionally pressing soft kisses or even toying with the nipples – Azula even urged him to do it at times, prompting him to laugh as he pleasured her anew.

"Hope your first time was a lot better than you expected," Sokka chuckled, smiling warmly at her as he palmed her chest gently. She smiled, running her fingers through his smooth hair.

"I never expected one, frankly. Thought I'd die a virgin and I wasn't exactly upset about it. Didn't think I'd meet anyone worth doing this with," she whispered, kissing his brow softly. "You make it your life's mission to be contrarian to anything I'm resolved to do, as far as I can tell."

"Isn't it worth it, though?" Sokka grinned goofily. Azula laughed and shrugged.

"You're making it worth it, yes. Smug asshole," she whispered. Sokka snickered proudly.

"Safe to say Ember Island isn't that bad when you go with the right person, huh?" he asked, hand dipping lower, resting on her waist instead. Azula hummed in agreement, reeling him in for a deep kiss.

"Or the wrong person, for the right reasons," Azula laughed. Sokka scoffed. "What?"

"You're just being contrarian like me," he decided. Azula snorted. "You're going to pretend otherwise, are you?"

"Sokka… I'm not sure anyone's ever thought I'm the right fit for anything. Well, other than my father, when it was about sending me to do his bidding," Azula sighed. "We've had great sex, no doubt, but… you think that means I'm right for you?"

"No… I think everything else we shared before that means you're right for me," Sokka whispered, startling Azula. "What? You thought I'd only started wanting you right now?"

"W-well, no, but…"

"Didn't you hear I'd drawn Suki firebending once before?" Sokka smiled, leaning close to kiss her cheek. "The only girl I'd met who could firebend is in this bed with me, right now…"

"Pfft! You're not saying you wanted me like this all along! Sokka…?" Azula said, eyeing him skeptically. He snickered and shrugged.

"I'm not going to pretend I did it consciously, but…" he said. Azula scoffed.

"Sokka… you didn't have a crush on me, did you?"

"I…! Might have?"

"You're ridiculous," Azula snorted, bursting out with laughter again as Sokka groaned, pressing kisses to her neck.

"Well, you slept with the ridiculous idiot who has a crush on you and still has it and would love to keep on sleeping with you, so who's more ridiculous now?" he said.

"Still you," Azula decided. Sokka sighed and shrugged.

"Guess I'll live with that," he said, with a slight smile. "Did… did it never cross your mind? Back in the war, I mean. Ever looked at me and thought: 'oh, what a handsome peasant! If only he had been born Fire Nation, I would be expecting him to ask my father for my hand in marriage…' or so?"

"You really have some wild fantasies, don't you?" Azula smirked. Sokka chuckled and shrugged.

"An imagination is a healthy thing, Princess," he smiled, kissing her lips softly.

"Well… relinquish it a little bit as I tell you the truth," Azula said: Sokka's eyes widened.

"The… huh?" he raised his eyebrows.

"You… were indeed handsome. And when I realized you were actually with Suki, I was disappointed. If just a bit."

Sokka's eyes widened at her confession. She laughed, shaking her head.

"I did enjoy our clash in the tunnels far more than I should have. You're terribly dominant when you want to be," Azula smiled, trailing a hand over his flanks. "It's a good trait in a man… knowing when to stand his ground, as well as when to submit? Fascinating. So… yes, I liked you far more than I should have, I dare say. Never expected anything to happen, of course, and I wasn't about to admit it aloud to anyone, it was treasonous to so much as wonder what it might be like for you to kiss me, but…"

"Well… it's not treasonous now," Sokka smiled, pressing his lips to hers. "And you don't need to wonder much anymore."

"Still treasonous, actually," Azula said, with a slight smirk. "You're in bed with a wanted criminal, didn't you know that?"

"Oh, they can piss off," Sokka growled, and Azula laughed at his reaction. "They sure as hell don't want you as badly as I do."

"Is that right?" Azula laughed, before he kissed her long and tenderly.

The comfort they found together was next to none: Azula wanted more of this, more of him, maybe another round or twenty… her body might not be up for it anymore, she might need a break, but curses, if he asked for another, she would gladly push her limits just for him. Her arms looped around his neck, reeling him in, showing him she wanted him just as badly as he had said he wanted her…

He smiled warmly at her once they pulled back – no one ever smiled at her that way. She knew no one had done it before. Her heart tingled with hope, with bliss, to know that someone did now…

"I just…" he started, before smiling and shaking his head. Her heart jolted with anticipation and eagerness, wondering if he was about to admit he was as hooked on her as she was on him… or would he say something else instead? Who could ever hope to know…?

"What?" Azula nudged him. He laughed, shaking his head. "If it's that funny you should say it. Then, if it's not actually funny, I'll pinch you for getting my hopes up…"

"It's not funny, no," Sokka smiled, cupping her face. "But I think you don't want to hear it, actually."

"Unless you're about to say you were messing with me the whole time and none of this is real? I'm not sure I understand why I wouldn't want to hear it," Azula said, a sense of trepidation rising inside her. Even so, Sokka kept smiling, shaking his head.

"It's not a bad thing, it's just… I'm not sure you're ready to hear it," he said.

"Well… I did say I liked how honest you are, from quite early on actually," Azula said. "Might as well be honest and tell me what you were thinking rather than messing with me this way…"

Sokka breathed deeply, gazing at her with heartfelt emotion. He didn't want to tell her what he was thinking… but once he did, she'd understand exactly why that was the case.

"Very well. Might as well do it," he said, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "What's on my mind, you ask? Well… that I'm pretty sure I love you, that's what."

Of all things he could've said, that hadn't so much as crossed Azula's mind.

Where she had forced herself to feel his touch in ways she wasn't used to, only to realize how pleasant it could be after it was done, this time she didn't restrain her impulses to run away. This time, she sat up on the bed, pulling back from him, leaving Sokka to hover where her chest had been moments ago while she pressed against the headboard, as though someone were threatening her rather than making a positive confession. Sokka sighed, gazing at her helplessly… to find immense fear in her eyes. Inexplicable fear, at that.

"Y-you… no. You don't," Azula said, shivering. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "No. You think you do, and you're crazy if you do, but that's not… no. Sokka, you couldn't possibly be… you didn't just say…"

Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with a hand. Tears bloomed in her eyes:

Someone had told her he loved her.

Sokka loved her.

The initial denial shifted into a burst of disbelief: this wasn't true. It couldn't be true, only…

Sokka didn't lie.

It was a dream, then. It had to be. This couldn't be happening for good, not for real, not to her, because this wasn't what happened to her. No, granted, she didn't sleep with people either, considering this was the first time she'd done that, but… that was different. Sex wasn't love. It didn't have to be. And yet… and yet it might just be for Sokka.

And she had just rejected his confession by refusing to believe it, hadn't she?

"Sokka…!" she gasped, watching him sit up on the bed. He breathed out slowly, offering her a sad smile.

"I know what's going on in my heart, Azula," he said, reaching out to take her hands in his. "And I know it's… not normal, you know? It's… it's really wild, and reckless, and unexpected, and… and I'm enjoying it like nothing I've experienced in my life. You… you've made me happier than I remember being in ages, Azula. And I'm not saying all of this to get you to say the words back to me… I'm saying it so you know that I'm not impulsively blurting this out now because our sex is mind-blowing. It's… it's because I know I feel this way. And if it seems awful to you, and you don't want me to feel like this, I get it but… I can't do much about it, as it happens. You didn't really leave me much of a choice other than falling for you, so…"

"I didn't leave you a choice?" Azula asked, perplexed. "I… I didn't do anything."

"Exactly," Sokka smiled. Azula raised an eyebrow. "You didn't have to."

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She stared at him in disbelief, perplexed, and Sokka smiled as he leaned in, pressing his lips softly to hers.

"You don't have to say it back. You don't even have to feel the same way about me," Sokka whispered, caressing her face affectionately. "If you did, well, I'd be a lucky bastard, but it's fine if you don't, too. Whatever makes you happier, whatever you want to do… we'll do it. This is… on your terms. Even if it's my impulsiveness that got us here to begin with…"

He chuckled, eyeing her with a tenderness that struck her deep down in her heart. Azula shivered, raising a hand to clasp his…

"I… I don't know how to love someone," Azula said. Sokka's smile receded. "I… you'd be better off if you didn't feel that way about me, of all people. I've never… Sokka, no one has ever said that to me before."

Sokka gritted his teeth: the revelation came as no surprise, considering everything he knew about her past, about her life until they had converged together as they had. He hadn't loved her all along, regardless of the guilty attraction he constantly tried to stifle and never acknowledge as such from years ago… he had believed she was dangerous, just as everyone else did. He hadn't given her much thought outside of knowing that, whenever she turned up, any given situation was bound to grow more complicated.

So it shouldn't have outraged him that she had never heard those words before. Her brother wasn't likely to speak them – he couldn't remember hearing him say them to Iroh, whom he certainly loved, so how would he ever say them to Azula? Her relationship with her mother was troubled in ways Sokka had scarcely understood, since Zuko didn't often talk about it, and when he did, he appeared not to understand it either. Her father, evidently, was out of the question entirely.

No one had ever loved her. If anyone had, she certainly had never felt it.

Sokka sighed, cupping her face and kissing her softly. He dreaded that she might shove him off, that she might reject his feelings, not out of distaste towards him, but out of fear. This was new territory for the Princess. She had reasons to be uneasy, uncertain… his heart pounded for her, and he longed to wipe away every sorrowful moment she had ever endured. When he pulled back, she appeared unusually lost and vulnerable.

"I don't know if I can… if I can love anyone to begin with," Azula whispered. "In the asylum, the things they said, well…"

"Nothing you've said about that place sounds like they had your best interests in mind at all, Azula," Sokka said, stroking her hair affectionately. "Sounds more like they were glorified jailors, trying to keep you out of Zuko's path for his peace of mind."

"That… might be accurate," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "Doesn't mean they weren't right about me, though."

"Doesn't mean they were, either," Sokka said. Azula laughed softly.

"You keep giving me so much credit… Sokka, I'm not a good person," she whispered. "If you intend on pursuing this crazy idea of loving me… then you'd do best to keep that in mind. I won't make it easy for you. I haven't so far, as far as I can tell…"

"You'd think… but maybe that's true for anyone but me," Sokka smirked smugly – oh, how she hated the way her heart jolted at the sight of that confident smile upon his face. "I've already told you… I love the way you challenge me. I love that you make me work for… well, everything, really. It's crazy to say it, but… maybe I'm my most authentic self right now because you're with me. And while I'd never say I love myself, I… kind of like the man I've become ever since I've been by your side."

Azula swallowed hard, closing her eyes as though to hold back the tears.

"I'm… not sure I can do this. I don't want to hurt you," Azula said, her voice small. Sokka smiled.

"Well, I'm pretty hardy. I'll roll with the punches until we figure out how this works, how about that?" Sokka said. Azula sighed.

"Is that what a relationship should be like?" she asked. "I mean, I wouldn't know, but it sounds like a chore…"

"I'm a pain in the ass, I make bad jokes, I'm reckless and impulsive when I want to be, and I scold you when you do crazy but fun things like tampering with the tea in your uncle's shop…"

Azula couldn't stifle a chuckle at the memory of her mischief. Sokka smiled, caressing her hair and pressing his lips to her brow.

"If you can endure me at my most irksome… because, well, so far you've never said you won't," Sokka said, with a slight smile. "I'm pretty sure I can take you on no matter what."

"We'll have to test that thoroughly," Azula said, shaking her head. "I trust you in a lot of ways, but right now it sounds like you want to say all the right things, even if you do mean them, but you have an ulterior motive…"

"Do I, now?"

"You know, that you just want to make sure you have cleared the way to get into my pants," Azula declared, haughtily: she feared she might just piss him off, but that was exactly the point: he needed to remember who he was dealing with. Several rounds of incredible sex didn't erase that she…

He snorted and laughed, wrapping his arms around her tightly still, burying his face in her neck.

"S-Sokka…?"

"Test my resolve, then… go on," Sokka smiled, gazing at her warmly once he pulled back. "I dare you."

"You're… infuriating," she said, unable to hold back a slight smile.

"Am I?" he asked, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Azula sighed.

"I… I'm sorry if I'm being a pain right now, but… Sokka, I want this," she whispered, earnestly. "I want you. I just… don't know how to make love work, I guess. I'm too new to it, too scared of fucking it up…"

"We'll figure it out together," Sokka smiled, taking her hand into his. "And if it's not working? We can always just… have sex anyway."

"Oh, really?" Azula laughed, and Sokka smirked shamelessly. "You're an opportunistic piece of work, Sokka."

"Come on, we're too good at it to stop just because you don't love me," Sokka laughed. Azula scoffed, taking his head in her hands to press an intense kiss to his lips. He responded gratefully, giving as good as he got, and they rolled back on the bed, this time with Azula atop him.

"I never said… I didn't love you," she whispered. Sokka smirked.

"Well, that's a promising start at least," he said, hands on her hips as she blushed, hovering above him, her breasts dangling temptingly in front of his greedy eyes. "Though we can finish that conversation later, I think my brain's just stopped working because, well…"

"What? Something the matter with the landscape?" Azula asked, amused by the sight of his lustful gaze.

"It's a glorious, perfect landscape, yep," Sokka said, smiling slightly as he raised a hand to fondle her chest.

Azula sighed: she could certainly do this, as he had told her. She could succumb to the need of physicality, of feeling his lips on her, his hands raking every curve upon her body, his manhood impaled firmly inside her. Even if she was as fucked up as the damnable asylum said she was, she could try this and defy their beliefs about her, too. Nothing would be quite as gratifying as proving Zuko and his goons wrong… though sleeping with Sokka might just be better than that, actually.

She leaned in, pressing him against the bed, and he laughed as she seemed to suffocate him between her breasts, pressed to his face. She smiled as she let herself forget the heavy matters, to instead unwind by basking in the very thing Sokka wanted to persuade her to do…

Her body would certainly charge her quite expensively for the extended exercise she was subjecting it to: she wasn't used to this, to everything Sokka awakened in her body. The arousal, the new discoveries she was making… she might just be overstimulated, and yet she couldn't have enough of hearing the wicked sounds of his mouth working upon her skin, feeling his warm, teasing tongue darting back and forth across her nipples anew…

She had started bucking her hips against him when she heard a startling sound, coming from deeper in the house.

She jumped away immediately, to Sokka's disappointment. He groaned in frustration, sitting up as she glared towards the door they'd left carelessly open.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Hopefully, just something dumb we misplaced, or that got misplaced ages ago and finally just… fell over?" Sokka said, pressing his face to her chest again. "We'll check it out after…"

Her heart was racing, and not solely because of the excitement Sokka elicited inside her: she pulled back, bringing her fingers to her mouth to urge him to be quiet. Sokka blinked blankly – his leisurely demeanor dwindled over her urgency. If Azula was that worried…

He glanced over too… and then they heard the sound of the front door, closing abruptly.

"Oh, shit," Sokka gasped: Azula yelped, climbing off him at once.

"Isn't Zuko looking for us in the Earth Kingdom?!" she asked Sokka urgently, scrambling out of the bed as he did the same. "What do I…? What do I wear? Sokka…"

"I've got my things here, give me a second," Sokka said, dropping by his bags, pulling them open as he began rummaging for clothes…

Footsteps. Dubitative ones, approaching the room.

"Who the hell would…?" Azula gasped, gritting her teeth and yanking the sheet off the bed – if nothing else, that would help cover her body while Sokka offered her his clothes to wear…

But by the time he flung a long tunic at her, while jumping into a set of pants of his own, the shadowy silhouette of whoever had arrived could be seen through the threshold of the room already… and it wasn't all that dark anymore: the sudden arrival brought a lantern along, and Azula's heart sank – she wouldn't have enough time to put anything on, curses, Sokka had barely just pulled his pants up when the third occupant of the house stepped into the room.

Her heart sank.

Her stomach too.

No, perhaps they imploded.

She had never quite wanted to be deleted from existence quite as badly as she did when her eyes met those of her mother.

Ursa stood in place holding up the lantern, confusion plain across her features as she glanced across the room… at first, she didn't recognize them. No surprise that she wouldn't have, of course, she hadn't seen Azula in a fairly long time and certainly not with her hair in utter disarray as it was… nor had she seen Sokka in this shape, either, holding up his pants awkwardly, his own hair down too. She must have thought they were drunk travelers, sneaking into an empty house for the sake of it…

But Sokka yelped with recognition, paling quickly… even if not as violently as Azula did.

Ursa's jaw dropped slowly. Azula shuddered, gripping the sheet around her body even more tightly. Of all people to walk into the damn room, of all possible people…!

"… Azula?"

The embarrassment of being caught by someone would have been bad enough. The mortification over it being her own mother, with whom she hadn't even spoken in ages, only made everything a million times more unbearable. Whatever progress she had made emotionally on that day with Sokka was poised to backtrack entirely because of this.

Ursa had enough sense to leave them to dress up, and Azula wistfully hoped she would just have taken off altogether. Panic flared in her when she wondered if she might have brought her wretched family too… but after leaving Sokka's room to dress up in her own, and then inspecting the house again, she heard no other voices, no sounds: no sign of Noren and Kiyi. She certainly preferred it that way, even if she would have actually preferred for her mother to not show up at all…

And now they sat on the steps that led outside to the beach, where she and Sokka had gotten carried away wonderfully and delightfully by their mutual attraction. Azula glared in the sand's direction, wishing to turn back time, to go back to feeling cherished and wanted and desired… rather than judged, despised, regretted, as she no doubt expected her mother would feel.

Sokka sat between them, his awkwardness palpable. No doubt he wanted to tell Ursa that he hadn't done anything harmful to Azula – he could even share that they'd tested some birth control methods, as suggested by the woman they'd met earlier that day – but he didn't dare. This tense situation was entirely unprecedented for any of them, and his occasional glances at Ursa revealed that she, clearly, didn't feel any better about it than he did.

He wanted to talk things over. So did Ursa. Azula, most likely, wanted to hear none of it.

"I…" Ursa started, her voice grating on Azula's nerves at once. "I had heard that you were in the Earth Kingdom. I didn't realize you would be, well… here."

"We're traveling a lot," Sokka responded, as calm as he could present himself. "Did, uh, did you know I was with her?"

"There was confusing information on the matter," Ursa smiled awkwardly. "It rather sounded like, uh…"

"Like I'd kidnapped, gagged, drugged him and dragged him with me everywhere?"

Azula's cutting tone sent shivers of the bad kind down Sokka's spine: he wanted to hug her, tell her everything would be fine… but he knew she wouldn't take well to that right now.

"Well… I hoped that wasn't the case," Ursa admitted. Azula let out a bark of sarcastic laughter.

"You hoped? Well, it's not, so I suppose you must be happy now," Azula growled.

"I'm… confused, if anything," Ursa said. Azula scoffed.

"If what confuses you is the obvious? My personal life is none of your business," she snapped. Ursa winced, and Sokka glanced at Azula mournfully.

"I… I guess not, but…" Ursa whispered, gritting her teeth.

"No. No, don't give me that damn tone, I'm not having it," Azula snapped: she pushed herself up, shaking her head and pacing in front of the stairs.

"Azula…" Sokka called her, but she ignored him. As much as she might have grown to care for him, this did not call for his intervention.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Azula asked, turning towards Ursa. "And without your damn family, too? What, are you sick of them as well by now? Did they finally bore you and you were looking for something more invigorating in Ember Island? Eager to replace your husband and daughter yet again, maybe?"

"Azula, I didn't…" Ursa started. Azula scoffed.

"Don't lie. That's exactly what you did. And don't pretend that you're sorry for it now," Azula growled. "I… I was a damn terrible daughter, sure I was. And my father? He was a nightmare of a husband to you, I'm sure! Everyone in your life was making you miserable, everyone but precious, perfect Zuko! Oh, Zuzu, the light in everyone's lives, the only person worth anything carrying Sozin's rotten blood…!"

She let out a laugh, shaking her head and turning away from her mother: the dark night left the stars to gleam brightly above them, and Azula shuddered as more words she should have withheld, that she should have never spoken, spilled from her lips.

"I'm under no delusions that I deserved a better mother," Azula hissed. Ursa winced next to Sokka. "Regardless of whatever nonsense you think of me, Sokka? I truly am not worth any of that. I'm a terrible person, a mess, living my life just for the sake of it, knowing I'm fated for nothing grand, nothing worthwhile, nothing significant! I don't have a purpose, not for myself, not for real! All I have is ten tons of baggage that I most likely deserve to carry, and yet…! And yet no one, ever, thought that maybe I didn't want to carry it. That maybe I just wanted… to find some stupid boy I might like, someone to have a normal life with, someone I could just be myself with, settle down without needing to be on the run, fleeing from a brother who wouldn't shed a tear if his bounty hunters and soldiers slaughtered me under his orders!"

"What…?" Ursa gasped.

"So I'm quite sorry, Mother, but I don't want to hear whatever excuses you want to make for everything you've done, or haven't done!" Azula exclaimed, glaring at her. "I don't need to hear it. I don't want to. If you get to be selfish, to run away with the man you actually wanted, and have a life of leisurely carelessness while forsaking your son and daughter? Then I get to be selfish and tell you I don't give a shit! I get to be selfish and fuck whoever I want to! I get to be selfish and sabotage Zuko and Iroh in whatever stupid ways I can, if I still can, because they vex me! And I get to walk away, just as you did, and forget that I even had a mother if I feel like it, just as you forgot about me! How does that sound?!"

Ursa gritted her teeth, lowering her gaze. She said nothing, and neither did Sokka. Azula dreaded her outburst might just chase him away, but as uncomfortable as he looked, he hadn't said anything still. He hadn't fled. He hadn't come to Ursa's rescue, either. That last thing was probably the most surprising of them all…

"There's… so much I never got to say," Ursa whispered at last, and Azula snarled. "But above all, I… I don't blame you for my mistakes. That's the main thing I need you to understand, Azula."

"You don't blame me?" Azula smiled slightly. "Well, that's too bad. I blame you for a ton of things, myself."

"You're right to," Ursa said. Azula huffed, shaking her head. "Azula, I know it must be annoying, frustrating to hear me say it, but…"

"It is, yes. Thanks for noticing," Azula said, sardonically.

"There's nothing I can do to make up for the past," Ursa said. Azula scoffed.

"Which is why you won't even try."

"I didn't say that…"

"Might as well have. You didn't come here to see me, you had no idea I was here, and I'm sure the first thing you'd like to do is run for the hills at once," Azula growled. "And I know that because that's how I feel about being anywhere near you. And I'm unloading all this on you, right here, right now, because I know the chances are I'll never see you again. So, mind you, while you're not the only person to blame for the fuckup I've become, you certainly are responsible for plenty of it."

Ursa gritted her teeth, lowering her gaze again.

"I… I know this is something you've carried with you for a long time," Ursa whispered. Azula frowned. "It's only grown worse, I'm sure, as time goes by. I… I can acknowledge I wronged you, Azula. I never did right by you…"

"Nobody did," Azula cut her, cleanly. "And yet… I suppose you assumed my father, of all people, would be able to raise me into being a respectable, dignified Princess one day?"

"I… I had no such expectations from your father, no."

"So you forsook me while knowing that he was a bastard who would have sacrificed my life in a heartbeat, if it had ever come to that, to win so much as petty victories in the war," Azula concluded. Ursa grimaced, lowering her gaze. "And I… I would've accepted it, yes. I served a greater purpose, after all! The Fire Nation's cause, furthering our march of civilization all across the world…! That was all that mattered, the only thing I should've spent my life doing, and instead, I wound up losing everything and becoming a wanted criminal, a complete wreck of a human being, if I'm even that, because you think I'm a monster after all…!"

"I don't…! Oh, Azula…!"

"That's fine, I must be one. Why deny it now?" Azula laughed sardonically, looking at Ursa mercilessly. "If I wasn't one all along, which I probably was, and you were most likely right about me the whole time, then I sure became one later, right? Because the moment someone was crazy enough to… to say he loved me? I felt like saying it right back and yet I was terrified, terrified right out of my mind because how could I possibly say that?! It would be a lie, a monster wouldn't possibly love someone and… and if I did? If I did, I'd fuck it up somehow! I'd hurt him, I'd mess up, because that's just all I can do, all I've ever done, as the monster I've become. And you know what? I own up to that fact… to being one. But don't you dare pretend… don't you dare pretend you're not responsible for who I am. You, my father… the two of you, hell, my uncle for underestimating and then despising me! My brother, for constantly trying to prove himself better than me instead of ever just being my brother?! None of you… none of you get away with pretending I was too far gone, that I could not be saved! If you had bloody tried, maybe I wouldn't have seen you in mirrors and in reflections, maybe you wouldn't have haunted me the way you did until I knew, for sure, that you had never cared about me and that you never would! 'I'm sorry I didn't love you enough'? What kind of blasted mother would say something like that?! You had a choice! You could've done better, and you didn't! And this… this is your retribution for it. The daughter you revile, letting you know you're never going to live down the shame of your responsibility in who she has become. Because, believe it or not, I'm not all good now. I'm not, even if I'm trying to fulfill someone's dream, I…"

She faltered suddenly.

Her words brought back something that had escaped her mind blissfully, carelessly, so far.

She froze up, covering her mouth with a hand. The rushing disgust that overwhelmed her, that overtook her, was so much worse than being caught by Ursa…

"Azula?" Sokka frowned, standing up and approaching her: she held a hand out, stopping him at once.

"Stay… stay put. Stay there. I…" Azula said, snarling. "I can't do this right now. I can't do this anymore."

She marched back inside, an anguished expression across her face. Sokka raised a hand as though to stop her, but he didn't have the heart to do so. Instead, he sighed as he watched her leave, longing more than ever to hold her in his arms and protect her from everything that might harm her… even if it was someone who appeared to be as tame and unthreatening as Ursa.

The woman stood up, wiping tears from her eyes, but she released a heavy breath as she turned towards him.

"You'll… go after her?" she asked. Sokka nodded.

"I mean to. But I'll give her some more time," he said, biting his lip. "I have a feeling I know what… what's bothering her right now."

"I can leave," Ursa said. Sokka frowned. "Though… I mean to come back tomorrow anyway, provided you'll stay a little longer."

"You'll… leave? And stay where?" Sokka asked.

"There are plenty of inns. If that fails… Lo and Li might just have me," Ursa sighed. "Not the best place to stay, but it would do. I just… was she talking about you? When she said that… that someone told her he loved her?"

Sokka grimaced, nodding slowly. Ursa sighed, offering him a watery grin.

"Good. I'm glad… I'm glad you feel that way," she said.

"Do you feel that way, too?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows. Ursa's face fell again, and she lowered her gaze.

"My heart breaks every time I think of her," she whispered. "And the more time goes by… the more I realize just how much I wronged her. In fact, I… I needed to hear everything she said. She would likely think I'm patronizing her, no matter if I'm being fully honest…"

"She does have a tendency to think everyone's lying to her," Sokka admitted. Ursa winced. "Guess I'm lucky I'm the only one who's such a bad liar that she knows there's no way I'm being anything but honest."

"Well… she needs people like you in her life. Without a doubt," Ursa said, earnestly. "And I won't shirk away my responsibility in her state of mind. Which, well… has it improved, do you think? I've never done anything to help her with that, though, honestly… it sounds like I was the source of her mental disturbances, if anything."

"I don't know if the source, or the sole one, if you were, but… she's better," Sokka said, nodding. "She does see visions of someone else, not you, these days… but as much as I can't see her myself, she's really there. She's no mirage like you were."

"Wait… what?" Ursa frowned. Sokka sighed.

"I'm only telling you that because I assumed that you would want what's best for her. But if you say that you'll have her locked up in the asylum for seeing things, I…"

"That's…! I wouldn't have said that, not even years ago, Sokka. Though… what would you do, if I had said it?" Ursa asked. Sokka's eyebrow twitched as he glared at her distastefully.

"Honestly? Probably scooped her up and ran for the hills before either of us did anything we'd regret, whether to you or to guards or whoever came to get her," Sokka said. "But you won't do that, then?"

"No. I… no one can take her to that place anymore to begin with, I thought Zuko would've told you about that. But more than that, I know I've failed her, Sokka, but I want to do better. I want to do right by her," Ursa said, earnestly. Sokka raised an eyebrow, puzzled by what Ursa had implied about the asylum, but choosing to focus on Azula instead. "Even if I have no idea how, right now. But… I'm done running away. I'm responsible for my daughter. I can do better for her sake. I want to. I just… don't even know where to start."

"Saying you'll come back tomorrow is a good start, I think," Sokka said. "Not wanting her hunted down… that's also good. But she's going to need much more than that. And mind you… while I'm willing to try to smooth some things over, I'm her ally, not yours. I'm with her. Don't ask me to help you build bridges between you two. It'll only anger her more."

"I understand," Ursa said, breathing deeply and nodding. "Thank you, Sokka. For your candidness… and for helping Azula as you have. I… well, I don't really know what kind of relationship you have, it seems to be, well…"

"We're not really sure yet either," Sokka admitted, cheeks red. "But we'll figure it out."

"I hope so. Just… take care of her," Ursa whispered. "None of us have, so far. I know I ask for more than I have any right to… most of all when I'm to blame for so many of her sorrows. But… don't leave her alone. Stay with her. Stand by her side and… and make sure she knows she can be loved. It won't be easy… but if she's already opened up this much to you, and you understand each other well, then… as long as she has you, she might just find true happiness, true peace, one day."

"I intend to bring them to her, yeah," Sokka said, with a small smile. "As much as I don't know what we are yet… I do know I would spend my life with her. I've only done it for a few months and I can't imagine my future without her in it anymore."

"That's… that's marvelous," Ursa smiled warmly, nodding at him. "Then… go. Go to her now and… and let her see that she's not alone. I'll go, and I'll come in the morning again. What I have in mind might not work out, but if it does, maybe… maybe I can start building those bridges after all."

"If you already have a plan in mind… that's good," Sokka said, smiling a little. Ursa nodded. "Good luck, then. See you in the morning."

"Have a good night, Sokka."

She was shockingly civil for someone who had just faced so many harsh accusations from her daughter, Sokka thought… accusations that might not have been off-base at all. But Sokka couldn't help but worry about Azula anyway: she wasn't fine, not only because of Ursa…

But because of Yue.

He found the Princess in her own room, unused as it had been, sitting in a corner, hugging her legs to her chest. He sighed, approaching her and taking his seat by the edge of the mattress.

"She's gone," Sokka said. Azula winced. "Says she'll be back in the morning, though."

"Right. As if," Azula said, shivering. "Doesn't even matter if she does, because I… S-Sokka, just… go back to your room. Go and…"

"Azula," Sokka sighed, as Azula sobbed and shook her head. "I know what's wrong now. At least, I think I do and…"

"Did you so much as think about her at all? Did she even cross your mind?" Azula snarled, raising her head, glaring at him almost accusingly. Sokka grimaced. "Because… she didn't cross mine at all. I bloody went into the water for the mirror and then… and then I forgot all about her. I was just so lost in what we did, what we had, how I was completely swept up by the whirlwind of it all and…!"

"I did think about her."

Azula froze, staring at Sokka in confusion and chagrin. Sokka climbed off the bed, kneeling before her.

"I knew what I was doing every step of the way," Sokka said. Azula's jaw dropped. "Problem is... you seem to think I'm not over Yue. And that's not true… not the way you think it is, anyway."

"The hell does that mean?" Azula said. "W-well, even if you're over her, you…!"

"I was in a relationship for ten years with another woman, Azula. If Yue didn't hate Suki, why would she hate you?" he asked. Azula scoffed.

"Because Suki didn't even know her! I… I'm the only person she can talk to! I'm the only one who can see her! I've spent all this time telling myself that no matter how many times you bat your eyelashes at me, how often you make it look like you want me just as much as I wanted you, it could never happen! I refused to be… t-to be a traitor. To hurt my… my friend. She is my friend, and I… I betrayed her."

"You didn't betray anyone," Sokka sighed, but Azula shook her head. "Azula, this between you and me isn't some wild affair behind my wife's back: Yue and I were kids! I loved her, yes, but how am I supposed to know if things between her and I would have lasted? Maybe Arnook would've shut things down if Yue hadn't sacrificed herself! Maybe he wouldn't have accepted a man of the Southern Water Tribe marrying his daughter! Maybe she would have changed her mind and found someone else… hell, she was supposed to marry someone else! And she was kissing me anyway, and leading me on, and spending time with me and then breaking my heart every time she walked away by telling me this thing between us couldn't last!"

Azula stared at him in astonishment after his tirade finished. Sokka breathed deeply, hands trembling as he struggled not to reach for hers until he knew for sure that he could do it.

"I told you already… I'm not traveling with you, I didn't join your journey, because I thought I'd get Yue back as a result," he said. "This is…"

"About doing right by her?" Azula cut him off, startling Sokka. "Do tell, how exactly are you and I doing right by her when I…? I can't even fathom… she must have noticed what happened. When we cleaned up, at least, there was water and I didn't even look. A mirror, surely, and I was so swept up with you that I couldn't…! I forgot all about her! Just like my mother forgot me!"

"Well, you're not Yue's mother…"

"No, I'm her friend! Her only friend!" Azula nearly screamed, shivering. "And I stabbed her in the back with you. Not because you think it was fine does it mean it really was. This isn't… it's not excusable. It's not forgivable! If everything was different, if she hadn't become the Moon Spirit, she would be with you! And then, you would have never taken one look at me because you would've been all about her! And I might as well have died alone, without anyone ever saying those damn words to me, without ever knowing what it felt like to… to connect with anyone! To feel like I was real, for once in my damn miserable life…! Like I… l-like I actually mattered. Like I…"

Sokka huffed, shaking his head and staring at Azula sternly. She didn't meet his gaze, hands going up to her hair.

"I'm… I'm unforgivable," Azula said.

"You think Yue would want me to live my entire life without experiencing anything properly just because I can't be with her?" Sokka asked. Azula laughed.

"I know I would… if I were in her shoes. I'm selfish like that, don't you know?" Azula said, glaring at him again. Sokka snarled.

"Selfish? If you were selfish you wouldn't be grieving for Yue's potentially broken heart as you are right now," Sokka said. "You'd have gone to a mirror to rub in her face that you've gone further with me than she ever had a chance to. You could do that, couldn't you? So why aren't you?"

"What kind of… unreasonable bastard are you?" Azula asked, glaring at him. Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"What? Want me to bring you some water, then, so you can do it?" he asked.

"I'd throw it at your face if you did," Azula hissed. Sokka smirked.

"And then I'd take you into my arms anyway. And if there were a reflection upon the water you flung at me, she'd see everything we're doing…"

"She wouldn't…! Not like that! She wouldn't see from the reflection of water on your body just because…!" Azula scoffed. Sokka chuckled, rising to his full height. She snarled, pushing herself up as she supported herself on the wall. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"What? That I know you're wrong, that's what," Sokka said, with a careless shrug. "About everything, actually."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Azula snarled.

"I know Yue doesn't hate you because you and I have any manner of connection or relationship," Sokka said, firmly. "Toph was standing near the cell for a very long time, you know? While you confessed all the things you did. The mirror was in Toph's pocket then, and Yue surely overheard what you said. Before that? You set the mirror down that night, when we were drunk. We talked, and I said you were beautiful. She must have heard all of that, you were close enough that she would have…"

"Shut up…" Azula said, eyes widening.

"What did she say about any of those things?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows.

"She must have missed it…!" Azula said. Sokka smirked.

"Or she didn't. And she just… didn't hate you for it."

"That's not…!" Azula exclaimed, glaring at him in disbelief. "If that were the case, she'd be even more foolish than I thought! Who the hell would think it's fine for their best friend to sleep with the man they love?! What kind of…?!"

"Maybe the kind of person who knows that their material life had to be sacrificed, and who cherishes the people they left behind, and hopes they can live on to their full potential, whether they're around not!" Sokka exclaimed. Azula's eyes widened. "And mind you, I wouldn't call that foolish. I'd call that… wisdom. Soulfulness. Compassion. But I bet you think… it's just pity, right? All over again?"

"I didn't say that," Azula hissed. Sokka huffed. "I don't believe you."

"Then she's been lying about how miserable she is about you and me?" Sokka said, raising his eyebrows. "You're going to accuse her of lying again? Well, then, why do you care?"

"What do you mean, why do I care?" Azula scoffed. "Why wouldn't I care? What kind of monster do you think I am that…?"

"If she's lying to you, and pretending something's fine when it's not, maybe it's on her for not making things clear in the first place," Sokka said. Azula winced.

"Or maybe it's on me to not hurt someone the exact same way I was hurt? How is this so hard to understand, Sokka? Are you that eager to get back to where we left off?" Azula asked, eyes wide. "Men. Guess it's true that's the only thing you think about."

"Find Yue," Sokka said, firmly. Azula shook her head. "Talk to her. Hear what she actually has to say…"

"I won't."

"Azula…"

"I won't look in a mirror! I won't look at liquids, or metal, or… or even go to sleep!" Azula exclaimed. Sokka frowned. "I'm not seeing her again. I refuse. I couldn't possibly…! What kind of shameless piece of shit would I have to be to just go up to her and try to make her understand just why I made you cheat with…!"

"It's impossible to make you understand, is it?" Sokka sighed. "You really think that, across the ten years I spent with Suki, I was cheating on Yue?"

Azula shivered. She shook her head, glaring pointedly at the floor.

"I already told you… it's different because of… of the connection I have with Yue. Suki didn't have that," Azula said, closing her eyes. "As I do… as she's the sole reason why you're even here to begin with, I can't… can't disrespect her like that. I can't shame her, I can't…"

"Then say all that to her face," Sokka suggested. Azula frowned. "You know that's what friends do? They own up to their fuckups and accept whatever punishment they're deemed worthy of…"

"I don't need you to patronize me or lecture me about basic nonsense anyone knows," Azula hissed. "I said I don't want to see her. And she'd better not want to see me, either."

"What if she does?" Sokka asked. Azula snarled. "You can't run away from her forever and you know it. Even if you covered every cup of water you drink, she'd be able to speak to you as she has so far. Even if you stay awake for ten days, you'll end up passing out of exhaustion sooner than later. One way or another, Azula…"

"I don't…!" Azula gritted her teeth. "I'll just walk away! I'll leave you here, and when I have to face her again, I can do it by telling her that I'll never see you again!"

"Ah. Is that how it is?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows. Azula winced, covering her mouth with a hand. "Okay, then. Go on ahead and leave… but ask yourself why, exactly, you're crying just to think of doing that."

Azula winced again: her hand forcefully wiped the tear that spilled down her face, and Sokka approached her again, almost pinning her to the wall anew. Azula glared at him begrudgingly… not knowing whether she wanted him to leave or stay more.

"I don't want to go anywhere," Sokka told her, bluntly. "I wasn't lying earlier. You told me you were too complicated, too difficult to love? Well, I'm sure this is what you meant. And you know what? I'm ready to face it. To chase you all across the world if I must. To have my heart broken time and again… and even then, I won't give up on you. I gave up on Yue because of her duty, because she asked me to let go: I refuse to do the same with you. I learned my lesson. I'll be selfish… and I'll keep you to myself."

"I thought… you'd said this would be on my terms," Azula said, frowning. Sokka breathed deeply. "If my terms stipulate that you'd better get lost…"

"You'll have to convince me that's what you want," Sokka said. "You're supposed to be a better liar than that."

Azula gritted her teeth: Sokka leaned closer, a hand above her on the wall. She shook her head.

"Get out," she said. Sokka pressed his brow to hers.

"I won't leave you," he whispered. Azula snarled, more tears blooming in her eyes.

"You'll regret it if you don't," she said, with a slight sob. "I already regret enough things as it is…"

"I regret enough things too. Like not running to you in Omashu as soon as I saw how beautiful you were," Sokka said. Azula winced, confused by his claim. "Or fighting you when I had to, when I just wanted to get to know your name. Or resisting against you, when all I wanted to do was surrender. Pinning you to walls without kissing you senseless… leaving you behind in prisons, or temples, instead of reaching out to you and hoping you'd want to come along."

"I wouldn't have. Ever;" Azula said, firmly.

"No, you wouldn't have," Sokka said, with a smirk. "But I should have tried, anyway."

Azula gritted her teeth: he was infuriating. The way he spoke, the way he looked at her… all of it urged her to do the one thing she was resisting constantly, more so upon remembering, realizing, what a betrayal she had committed against Yue. But that was just who she was, wasn't it? The shameless fool who hurt everyone she cared for, who kept proving over and over that she wasn't worth their time… their love.

She snarled, raising her hands to grab Sokka's shirt. The expression on his eyes gave away that he expected her to shove him off, to reject him even though he intended to stay near her, to ensure she wouldn't run away or do anything reckless…

But she could certainly do something insanely reckless by pushing him violently.

Sokka gasped, falling heavily on his back on the bed.

A moment later, Azula climbed over him, her mouth ravenously claiming his.

It was just one last go… one final taste of the forbidden. What was one more? She was a traitor already. She had done something unforgivable as it was. If Yue would forgive her for the first slight, she'd have to forgive the second one too. If she wouldn't forgive her at all, what did it matter, in the end, if she fell into bed with him a second time?

She would be selfish. She would peel off his clothes, she would kiss him fiercely, she would devour his body much as he would do the same to hers, and then they would grind together lustfully, recklessly, knowing their time was limited, that every second that passed as they were entangled together brought them closer to the last. Her body shouldn't have been able to take it, after so much passion and excitement from mere hours ago… but she gave herself to him, regardless, one more time, and then another, and then…

She fell asleep in his arms. She couldn't tell he wasn't even close to dozing off yet once she was unconscious, eyes still open for a while longer as he clung to her firmly, refusing to let her go.

________________

The dark forces gripped her, holding her down, as they always did. Her hair no longer properly groomed, instead running loosely, spilling white, all around her body. But it was paler than before. Everything was darker, as though the restraints were spreading from farther away from where they had begun…

Azula gasped. She was part of this, whatever it was. She could feel Yue's lifeforce, somehow, beating in her own heart. Her guilt reared its head, but it grew even worse at the sight of her in such distress…

"Yue," she called: the Water Tribe Princess raised her head, her blue eyes meeting hers. "Yue… I…!"

"Go," Yue said, her voice tender and earnest. "Leave, before he returns. Go. I'll be fine."

"What? N-no, I… I can get you out. I will get you out, I… I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I…"

A cruel cackle: Yue's face paled further. Azula winced, recognizing the panic in Yue's features. She shook her head.

"Wake up. Wake up. Azula, please wake up…!"

"Yuuuueeeee!"

Azula gasped awake, eyes flying fully open after that unsettling vision… a stranger vision than any that had preceded it. She had never taken such physical shape within dreams… Yue had told her to leave…? To leave before someone else came back? She frowned, uncertainty gripping her chest as deep dread and fear swirled in her gut…

Sokka's arms were still firm around her, but Azula slipped out of his grip without much struggle, if only because he was heavily asleep by now, having passed out at some point after she did.

She couldn't fight the swirling fear in her heart right now, though. Even if she hadn't meant to do this, she had to right now. She would bear with the judgment and the hatred… but she needed to make sure Yue wasn't in danger.

Never had her dreams found any follow up in reality: too often she had seen Yue in darkness, particularly at first. Slowly, the dreams had shifted and she would be restrained by darkness, instead… but seldom would she speak. Never would she express that someone was a threat to Azula's safety. And that shrill laughter, then the deep voice calling her name at the end… they had felt inhumane. Surreal, unnatural…

She pulled her sleeping gown, dressing herself hastily in it and nothing else, before rushing to the bathroom. Dread swirled and threatened to break her as she finally reached the room… as she glanced into the mirror.

A perfectly well-groomed Yue, with no restraints to speak of, smiled at her when Azula finally raised her gaze.

"You… you're okay?" Azula asked. Yue smiled.

"Azula," she said, simply. "Isn't it late? You should be sleeping right now."

"I… I was. I just… had a dream. About you," Azula admitted, frowning. "I didn't really want to see you, whether in dreams or not, but…"

"Oh… huh," Yue said, eyeing her mournfully. "Well, you don't have to talk with me if you'd rather not do it. But I always like talking to you. What happened?"

"Nothing's… no. Sokka is right. Sokka… the bastard is always right when it comes to this kind of shit and I hate that about him, I…" Azula said, covering her face with her hands. "Yue, I'm sorry. I… I'm really sorry. I… I betrayed you."

"Me?" Yue asked, perplexed. "How, exactly…?"

"I… I was intimate with him. With Sokka." Azula gritted her teeth hugging herself, unable to hide the shame. "I was weak! He's… he's far more charming than he has any right to be, and he's affectionate, and kind, and I… I haven't had anyone show me that sort of kindness before. The way he reads me so clearly, the way he challenges me, it all just blurred and blinded me to the fact that… that this would be awful for you. And he says… surely you've overheard things. That you know that he and I… t-that we were fighting some damnable attraction for all this time. But we gave up like fools, and… and I should have told you about this. No, I just…! I shouldn't have done it at all."

Yue remained silent, watching Azula apprehensively. The Fire Nation Princess snarled, shaking her head.

"This isn't what… what a friend should do. I know it's not. I'm not a good friend, Yue. I'm not. You deserve better than this and… and he's an idiot. He deserves better than me too, but hey, if he was down for betraying you this way too? He definitely isn't worthy of you either. No more than I am. So… I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

She had made mistakes she couldn't take back. She had done terrible things Yue would never truly forgive her for. Unfortunately, Yue was still stuck with her despite that…

"It won't happen again," Azula swore, tears surging in her eyes as she said the words. "I… I will know my place. I won't slip up like that again, I promise, I…"

"Azula…" Yue called her, her voice carrying a strange, unusual tone with it. Azula swallowed hard, daring gaze up at the girl in the mirror…

Her expression wasn't that of outrage, or displeasure. Instead, it was…

"How was it?"

Curiosity. That's what it was.

Azula gawked at Yue as her jaw dropped. Yue shifted in place, blue eyes gleaming eagerly in the light of dawn as she waited for Azula to share…

"W-what the fuck? What did you just…? How was it?" Azula asked. Yue pouted. "Are you for real?!"

"I am! I never got that far with Sokka, evidently!" Yue pouted. "We were too young and there was no time and… you know, if I had lived long enough, I would have been happy to test those waters, but it never did happen. So, well, I thought I'd ask you! I hope he was a good lover…"

"You cannot be serious," Azula said: the dread that swirled in her gut seemed to freeze over. Yue blinked blankly.

"Why not? You just slept with him, why would you think I wouldn't be serious about it if you just did it…?" Yue huffed. "And don't start with your silly claims of having higher standards than I do: you're the one who slept with him after all."

"I…! Why are you acting like it doesn't matter that I did this?" Azula asked.

"What? Of course it matters!" Yue exclaimed. "It's very important and I'm really, really… curious. Intrigued. I really wondered if you'd share… but, well, other than a couple of glimpses of you two in the bathroom, I didn't get to see much…"

"T-that's…! That's private! What were you looking at?!" Azula exclaimed, cheeks flushed. Yue chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Honestly, I was a little curious about a lot of things," she laughed. "But I admit, it got a little too intense after a moment so I covered my eyes and then you were out of my field of vision when you were washing up or so. I only overheard a lot of kissing, and funny moans, and…"

"You might as well just kill me now. Smite me with your moon powers so I can get out of this conversation, please," Azula said, hiding her face behind her hands. Yue giggled.

"You don't understand?" Yue asked. Azula shook her head.

"You love him," Azula said, firmly. "He was supposed to be yours."

"He wasn't supposed to be anyone's," Yue said. Azula frowned. "That's… that's not how love works, Azula. It's up to Sokka to decide who he wants to be with. And right now… it looks like he really, really likes you! I really hope you two will be a great match…"

"Why?" Azula said, her heart pounding in her chest. "Yue, w-why would you…? Please tell me you understand why this makes no sense to me. I… I'm your friend, aren't I? Your first friend, you said? Why would you…?"

Yue gazed at her in perplexity… and then Azula's words seemed to sink in.

She smiled.

"Well… you're not wrong: I love Sokka," Yue said, earnestly. "But… I guess what you don't realize is that I love you too."

Azula froze. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back. Yue smiled warmly, hands by her chest.

"The truth is… well, I might have known more about what was happening between you sooner than you or Sokka knew I did," she said, with a guilty smile. "It's not just what I've overheard of you two when you thought I wasn't listening… it's how much I've grown to know you both. And you know what? I… I know you better than I know Sokka, actually. I didn't realize how little I knew of him until this journey started. I've come to learn so much more of him, of the man he has become, than I ever imagined…"

"Because of this trip?" Azula asked, perplexed. "But even then… you loved him before, didn't you?"

"I looked forward to getting to know more about him. To finding out if… if we were truly a good match or not," Yue laughed, with a shrug. "That can't be anymore. It has been the case for well over ten years now. When he first started out with Suki, well… I saw him hesitate. At first, I was jealous, yes, but… when he pulled away, I realized what the memory of me might do to him, if he couldn't move on. At that point… I couldn't be selfish. I didn't want to be. Instead… I hoped for his happiness. I knew it wasn't up to me to grant it to him anymore… but I hoped Suki could. And then it turned out that she didn't, to both of our surprises… but you? You… you and Sokka are better suited for each other than I ever imagined. So… maybe you're the answer, Azula."

"I… I'm not the answer for anyone. For anything," Azula said, tears spilling down her cheeks again. "It shouldn't be me, Yue, it should be…"

"Nobody gets to decide what should or shouldn't be," Yue said, firmly, if kindly. "Sokka has spent years suffering the guilt over failing to save me in the North Pole, for not defeating Admiral Zhao before he could kill Tui. Do you think it was his fault? Do you think Admiral Zhao was fated to do that, just as he pretended he was?"

"I… I don't know. I… I hope not. I don't think you could have ever been fated to just… die," Azula said, snarling. Yue smiled kindly at her.

"Nobody gets to decide what fate will turn out like for us," she said. "And if it was my fate to live my life with him, and misfortune changed that… then I want Sokka to find happiness in his life, all the same. I want him to find love… and I know he found exactly what he was looking for with you."

"I'm not… n-not worthy of this. Of your understanding," Azula said, covering her face with her hands. "I've been breaking things, constantly, hurting people deliberately, doing awful things without fail…! Why are you so compassionate? Why can you look me in the eye without… without disdain? Without hating me?"

"Because I love you," Yue said again, warmly. Azula shivered, shaking her head. "Because I see you, Azula… I see you so much more clearly than you think I can, stuck in these mirrors and bodies of water and metal. I really do. I've seen the kindness you don't want anyone to witness… the vulnerable sides you hide from those who would exploit them. I've seen your helplessness, your need for a purpose, your loneliness! And there's one thing I've never seen, in this year I've spent by your side: I've never seen a monster."

Azula shivered, her hands lowering as she dropped to her knees: suddenly, it was as though she were the teenager, the child, while Yue was the wise, older figure who could offer her guidance, who could show her the way no one else had ever bothered to point her to. Her throat closed in as she broke down in desperate tears…

She wasn't lying. Yue wasn't lying.

Azula crumbled, a hand upon the mirror, as though wanting to reach her… as though wanting to hug the Moon Spirit, offering her the kindness and compassion she had craved desperately, for so long. To think her mistake had been answered this way… as though it were no mistake whatsoever. As though she had made the right choice to fall in love with Sokka.

"I'm here for you," Yue said, warmly, earnestly. "I want you to be happy. I know just how much this means to you, because… it means just as much for me, too. We really do have so many things in common, Azula… down to even loving the same man. How could I ever blame you for feeling the way you do towards him, when I never could hold back, myself?"

She laughed guiltily, kneeling before Azula too. The Fire Nation Princess's dark hair spilled over her features, but when she raised her face, her eyes were earnest, emotionally charged like never before.

"You… you forgive me for this? You won't… w-won't tell me I can't be with him?" Azula asked. "You think I could…?"

Yue smiled tenderly: she raised her hand… and placed it right against hers. Azula's heart jolted for it.

"I'd be cross with you if you decided not to be with him because of me," Yue smirked slightly. "I don't have a chance with him anymore: you do. Don't waste it."

Azula's heart trembled upon hearing those words. Her generosity made no rational sense to her… but it was a shocking revelation, an offer she couldn't refuse… she wasn't strong enough to do it. She wanted Sokka, she craved him… and she didn't want to lose Yue either. She truly didn't want to. She…

She didn't want Yue to leave. After a year of trying to get rid of her… now Azula didn't want her to leave at all.

"I… I've never had a friend like you," Azula admitted, between sobs. Yue smiled kindly.

"And I haven't had one like you, either," Yue said. "It's kind of… thrilling, isn't it? Exciting?"

Azula trembled as she gazed at her friend, between tearful eyes. It looked like Yue was moments away from crying, too.

"I… I'll keep fulfilling your dream. The purpose you gave me. I promise, even if… i-if Sokka and I do go forward like that, I… I won't set you aside," Azula said. "I promise… I'll keep going. I'll do right by you. I'll take you everywhere… we'll see this world together."

"And you'll live all the experiences I couldn't," Yue said, beaming. "You're still in the material world… you really have to make the most of it. Eat all the wonderful foods… and have fun in the craziest places! Katara once talked about otter penguins in the South Pole… you and Sokka should go see them! And maybe even ride them…!"

"That sounds unreal. Riding a penguin…?" Azula repeated, and Yue laughed while nodding enthusiastically.

"She said it was doable, so I hope it is," she said. "You went swimming already, and you tried to build sandcastles…"

"They weren't anything noteworthy," Azula smiled. Yue giggled and shrugged.

"There's bound to be so much more… oh! You promised you'd try to see me in a drink!" Yue exclaimed. Azula laughed. "I want to try that too. Maybe I won't get drunk at all, but I could act like I am, and then maybe it'll be funny anyway."

"It might be," Azula said, earnestly. Yue grinned. "You… you want me to live my life. To… to actually live it, rather than sulking over what I lost, or trying to find petty revenges? To… to finally close the door to those stages of my life that… that no longer can be fixed? You can't reclaim what you lost, and neither can I… but we can look for a new future. Maybe one that… that you could be a part of, too."

"That would be wonderful," Yue said, with a heartfelt, pained smile. "But as it is… I'll just go on and experience life through you, somehow. That's enough for me, for now."

Azula shivered, nodding as she pressed her hand to the reflection of hers. Yue grinned kindly.

"I'm glad…" Yue whispered. "I'm really glad it was you. That the one person who could see me… was you."

Sokka had said those words first. He had told her he was glad Yue had connected to Azula, of all people… Azula's heart pounded heavily in her chest as she felt more tears spilling down her eyes: they loved her. They thought she mattered. They cared about her… in ways no one else ever had.

"I'm glad too," she finally said. "I'm glad I… I'm glad I can see you. I'm glad you're with me. I'm glad you're okay and not… n-not like in my damnable dreams where you're always in pain. I… I won't subject you to my nonsense with Sokka, I promise, but… please, stay with us. Stay. No matter how my bond with him might change, you… you're someone I treasure. I don't even know how it happened, or when, but I just… I really care about you, Yue. I…"

She couldn't believe herself. She laughed, pressing her brow to the glass as she knew the sentiment to be true. To be true to one more person, too, besides the one she would speak it to now. And while the feeling certainly could have different natures, and she was experiencing those differences already, the truth was one and one alone:

"I love you, too."

Yue giggled, beaming brightly upon hearing those words from Azula. The Princess smiled back at her, her tears finally drying as the darkness that wore her out, that dragged her down, seemed to slowly relinquish its grip upon her heart.

Just as the sun was rising, Azula's vision cleared. She saw Yue over her reflection's shoulder, and the heavy guilt, the unpleasant thoughts and emotions that had dragged her down faded away with astounding ease…

"Thank you," Azula said. Yue giggled again.

"I'm the one who's grateful," she said. "Now, though… might be good if you go back to Sokka. He might be scared that you're leaving him if he wakes up without you."

"He… oh, well," Azula smiled warmly. "He'll see that's not the case soon, I guess. I… I'll go fetch the mirror first, though. He threw it somewhere, I hope it didn't break…"

"Oh, I can tell you where it is once you come closer to it, like we did with the coins!" Yue exclaimed, beaming. Azula laughed and nodded.

"Very well."

It was a rather amusing quest, one Azula undertook with a cup of drinking water in her hands. Whenever Yue felt herself slipping into another reflection, she'd let Azula know and the Princess would rummage through the foliage and bushes to look for the mirror… until, at last, they found it sunken halfway into a small cluster of fortunately soft sand. It was intact. Azula grinned at Yue in it, drinking the water to quench her thirst, but not to chase her friend away, unlike how she used to do it before…

She was halfway back into the house, making up her mind to talk to Sokka about what happened with Yue, when she overheard a cluttering sound in the kitchen. The Princess frowned, a sense of dread rising in her chest: well, it was one thing to sort out her problems with Yue and Sokka, a whole other to deal with her mother, the likeliest culprit for those sounds…

At least, she thought so until she reached the kitchen to find Ursa, wearing an apron, her hair fastened awkwardly underneath a bandana, struggling to cook something in the stove.

Azula watched in perplexity, intrigued by her mother's clumsy kitchen work. Apparently, she wasn't a good cook… but how, exactly, had she survived in Hira'a with her new husband without knowing how to do that? Azula watched with confusion after Ursa cracked an egg and dropped half the crust in the frying pan.

"Not again…" she groaned, struggling to remove the crust with her fingertips.

"Guess we have one thing in common after all," Azula said, startling Ursa upon speaking to her. The woman turned nervously, finding Azula with a small smile, almost too small to be noticed, leaning on the door frame.

"Azula?" Ursa whispered her name with uncertainty. "You're… already awake."

"Need to dress up, though. Didn't expect you this early," Azula said, lowering her gaze: strange how her conversation with Yue had placated so much of her strife… to the point where her earlier unwillingness to be anywhere near her mother, and her immense guilt over her longing for Sokka, were suddenly, blissfully, gone… "I'd offer to stick around and help but I wouldn't be much use. All I can do effectively in a kitchen is… pour togarashi chili powder in tea, apparently. The one time I did anything related to cooking and the result was exactly what I intended it to be."

"I… do not follow," Ursa admitted, puzzled. Azula smiled and shook her head.

"I'll be back in a moment," she said. Ursa swallowed hard and nodded.

Sokka was still in bed once Azula returned to her room. She sat by the bedside for a moment, caressing his loose hair, before leaning close to kiss his brow softly.

"Hmm…?" he groaned. Azula smiled.

"Stay in bed. It's okay," she said.

"You okay…? Feels… damn early," Sokka said.

"I'll try and do something about breakfast," she said, brushing his hair out of his face. "You can sleep for a while longer."

"Hmm. 'Kay…" Sokka said, opening one eye and gazing at her with curiosity. "You… alright?"

"I'll explain later," Azula smiled.

She leaned in, and she pressed her lips softly to his. Sokka would truly be confused over her clarity, her tranquility… but he would likely understand where it had come from shortly. First, though, she had to handle her mother… and while she would cherish having Sokka's support during that conversation, it might be better if she faced Ursa alone. She had put Sokka through enough of an emotional ride since the past day, as it was.

"Sleep. I'll come fetch you in a bit."

"Okay…" Sokka said, with a gentle smile. "See you in a bit."

Azula breathed out slowly, watching over him as he closed his eyes again. She truly should tell him soon, too… just as she had told Yue. It was strange, going from never uttering those words to anyone… to suddenly hearing them from two people who had elicited the same feelings inside her, too. Love truly was a confusing, if fascinating thing…

She returned to the kitchen to find her mother anguished by her burning rice this time. Azula sighed, tending the flames and restraining them so Ursa wouldn't struggle as much… but it appeared to be pointless.

"I'm so helpless at chores like these… it's unbefitting of me, I know that, but I truly thought…" Ursa sighed.

"Did you not cook when you were living in Hira'a?" Azula asked "Or did you swap out memories somehow? While you're Noriko, you don't remember Ursa, and while you're Ursa…"

"No, no, I remember everything from both lives right now. Which means I remember I was in charge of cleaning while Noren handled the food," Ursa said, with a guilty smile. Azula laughed softly. "I hope Sokka is a better cook than us, if you truly aren't much of one, yourself."

"He's… not," Azula admitted, with a guilty chuckle. Ursa sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, may you always have ready foods to eat whenever you're hungry, if cooking is too hard," Ursa said. "I… well, wanted to make some things that aren't working out, of course. I'll keep trying, though! I brought many ingredients…"

"You really didn't have to bother," Azula said, taking her seat by the kitchen's table: Ursa truly had brought a pile of ingredients with her, most of them resting on the table in question.

"You may say that, but… I disagree," Ursa said, proudly. "I wanted to make… well, spice rice."

"Spice rice?" Azula raised her eyebrows, turning towards Ursa in confusion. "For breakfast?"

"I know, I know… a complicated conundrum," Ursa smiled guiltily. "I remember you asked for it, once. When we were staying in this house, during vacations. I told you spice rice was a meal for lunch or dinner, not breakfast…"

"And then we didn't have it for lunch, or dinner anyway," Azula remarked, with a slight pout. "Was it because you couldn't cook it?"

"More… because I had other ideas for meals in mind," Ursa confessed. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Servants helped with our meals back then, as you'll recall… I didn't really have to make anything. But I was terribly stubborn about certain things… still am, I suppose. And instead of listening to you… I did whatever I cared to and thought you were the selfish one instead."

Azula's eyes widened. Ursa sighed, smiling sadly at her.

"I won't ask you to forgive me, Azula. The spirits know I'm truly sorry, and that you're not wrong about so much of what you said last night," she said. "I knew I wasn't the best mother I could have been… but the true extent of the harm I caused you had never truly sunken in. If you felt any guilt over what you said, or how you said it… I assure you, you had every right to be as clear, as forthright, as you were. It was time I stopped pretending that I could hide from my worst mistakes the way I have for over a decade now."

"Well… that's not really what I expected to hear, but I'd rather hear that than 'you're just unreasonable and unfair', or so," Azula said, watching as Ursa sighed, stepping closer to her, standing beside her by the table.

"I don't want you to think I have excuses. Nothing I say would ever justify what I did to you, or what I didn't do, as the case might be," Ursa said. "But… the truth is, my failure to resolve our conflicts has been taking a greater toll on me than I was ready to acknowledge."

"That so?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. Ursa offered her a sad smile before pulling up a chair, too.

"You wondered… why I'm alone in Ember Island?"

Azula frowned: she wasn't sure that any answer to that question would satisfy her, or aid her mother's case…

"Thing is… I thought I could sort out this emptiness inside me," Ursa smiled, shaking her head as she gestured at her chest. "I thought I could do it by… by confronting your father. By visiting him in prison and telling him exactly what kind of heinous monster he was. By calling out what a selfish, heartless bastard he had been, and how he had hurt our children without remorse… I was right about everything I said, of course. And at first, I felt better. A slight relief, maybe, enough that I could hold Kiyi again without the same kind of dread as before…

"But a week later, it was back. Even if Kiyi didn't hate me as much for no longer being the mother she remembered, the unsettling feeling inside my gut couldn't seem to go away. And my mind kept returning to that moment, to standing at his prison cell, speaking out as I did… his accusing glare gave away that he didn't care about any of what I was saying. As though he thought it was… well, rich, I suppose, that I would say any of that. And once I realized why that bothered me… it hit me that every word I'd spoken against your father could so very easily be turned against me."

Azula froze, a fist tightening over her lap. Ursa gazed at her remorsefully.

"He was selfish… but so was I," Ursa said. "He was a monster? Well… a mother who forsakes her children ought to proudly own up to being one, too. I left you with the monster, too, so… I'm not blameless. I'm not simply his victim… I'm responsible for the pain you and Zuko felt under his control. And what's more, when it comes down to it… I'm to blame for so much more than that. I didn't do right by you, Azula, not even as you were a child. I… I painted a target on Zuko's back that caused Ozai to treat him as though he weren't his son! I… I could've done so many things differently, and I didn't. So, with so much that weighed on me, what right do I have to judge anyone else? Even if nothing I did compares to waging war upon the world… ultimately, I was far from the best person to pass judgment on Ozai when I was his accomplice at times, a willing witness, even…"

"Were you truly that?" Azula asked, perplexed. Ursa shrugged.

"I don't think anyone would judge it any differently than that, considering it was by my poison that your grandfather was killed," Ursa said. Azula's eyes widened.

"Huh. Well, then… that's somewhat close to what I suspected, I suppose," Azula said, frowning.

"Do I really get the right to pass judgment on anyone else when I'm responsible for something so heinous? I kept giving your father weapons to use as he pleased… even when you and Zuko weren't weapons at all, that's all he ever saw you as," Ursa said, shaking her head. "And while I doubt I could have stopped him, even if I'd tried… the truth is that I never really did. I pretended you would be safe because he preferred you over your brother… that you were no cause for concern when that couldn't have been further from the truth. I abandoned you, and… I can't even make up for it. I can't turn back time to fix that. My guilt, my remorse, my misery… Noren and Kiyi don't understand it. Zuko? Oh, he's… he's even worse, I'm afraid."

"Zuko is?" Azula asked, perplexed. Ursa shook her head.

"He has bottled up his feelings about what I did. He acts like he's fine with it. If he truly is, he's in dire need for a rude awakening," Ursa whispered. "And if he's not fine? Then he ought to do what you did and just… tell me everything. Just like Ozai does."

"Ozai?" Azula repeated, her chest tightening at the present way her mother spoke his name… she had never felt quite such sense of dread upon thinking of her father before. "What do you mean, 'does'? Do you…?"

"Do I visit him, still?" Ursa said, with a helpless smile. "Weekly. Sometimes more often than that."

"W-why? Why would you…?" Azula grimaced.

"Because he's the only person who won't mind my feelings and will tell me everything he thinks of me," Ursa laughed, smiling helplessly. "Despicable as he is… he's so much more honest than everyone else. And I need to hear the truth… I need it so badly, Azula. I'd rather be called every insult, every name he can think of, because I can just go ahead and do it right back at him. It's twisted, it's messed up… but I feel so much more alive, so much more real when I'm there, facing my true sins and flaws instead of pretending I never did anything wrong and that Zuko is right to act as though that's the case. When I sit at home, with Noren and Kiyi… they don't understand that I don't belong there. That I'm not Noriko anymore… not the person they need me to be. And the truth is… I don't even know who I am. Not anymore."

"And you came to Ember Island thinking you'd figure it out?" Azula asked. Ursa sighed.

"I come to Ember Island whenever I'm… overwhelmed, I guess, with the pretenses and the undeserved peace," she said. "They're used to it by now. I've been doing it for years. I take breaks… I try to meditate here, and then inevitably return to bad habits upon returning to the Capital. I know I should stop visiting Ozai, but… it's hard to help it. It's twisted to find that I appreciate him far more now than I ever did when he wasn't behind bars…"

"Well. Nice to know my parents are getting along great lately by screaming and calling names at each other," Azula said, crooking an eyebrow. Ursa sighed, with a hopeless smile.

"I wish I knew… how to do away with this strange urge to be around something that punishes me. I want to make use of this guilt, Azula… to turn it into something useful instead of moping with it or making anyone uncomfortable. You, in particular, I… I want to help you. I want to fix what I broke. I can't really do it, I know I can't… but I wish I could. If I can't do anything about the past, maybe I can about the future, I thought, but… that hinges on whether you'd ever want me to be part of it, too."

"Of my future?" Azula asked. "You do remember that I'm a wanted criminal, right?"

"I intend to have a word with your brother about that as soon as possible," Ursa said, with a frown. "He told me he was hunting you down to bring you home, strictly that. This you said about… his bounty hunters killing you? I cannot possibly fathom… I will have words with him about that, I promise."

"Well… if he'd listen to someone, it'd be you, I think, but who knows," Azula sighed, running a hand over her hair. "He thought I'd captured Sokka, so he thought I deserved to die for it, apparently. Dead or alive, says the poster…"

"Unbelievable," Ursa scowled.

"I had no intentions of letting him get to me. Though I don't know what else awaits me in the future besides… well, traveling more. Yue would want to…"

"Yue?"

Azula gritted her teeth: this would be difficult. She wasn't exactly trying to argue that her mental health was fine, but her mother was bound to want to lock her up in that asylum again if she thought she was hallucinating once more…

But she had to be honest. Ursa had been, so far. She might just surprise her.

"I told you I… I'd seen you in visions and dreams and reflections, right?" Azula said. Ursa nodded. "I was… well, in a bad place. After I found out the truth about you? Well, that ended. I didn't see you anywhere anymore. It helped, admittedly… I was no longer plagued by some random delusion telling me my future was going to be glorious… felt like even the hallucination had given up on me, heh. But then, about a year ago… I started seeing another person. Someone I didn't know. And it's… well, the Moon Spirit. Princess Yue."

Ursa frowned, though not with disgust. She seemed intrigued, instead.

"Sokka… well, he had a short-lived relationship with her, when they were teenagers. She died to take the Moon Spirit's place after Zhao killed it," Azula explained. Ursa gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "So, well, she's a sixteen-year-old girl, basically, and she's been showing up in every reflection I see. In dreams, too, even if not all of them. At first, I just… wanted to get rid of her. But then, after I bumped into Sokka in the north? The two of them convinced me that if we tried to fulfill all of Yue's final wishes, mainly to see the world through our travels, well… we might just be able to offer her the peace she needs so she can return to her duties as the Moon Spirit properly, and the moon can glow fully again in the sky."

"Is that why… it's been so faded?" Ursa asked. Azula nodded. "My goodness…"

"I've… stopped causing as much trouble with my antics lately because I've been busy with this. Though, uh, I did cause a slight mishap in Ba Sing Se," Azula admitted, with an awkward smile. "That's what I was talking about earlier. I, uh, sabotaged one of Iroh's workdays by briefly infiltrating his teashop and pouring spice in all his teacups…"

"Azula…!" Ursa gasped. Azula smiled guiltily and shrugged.

"I don't have any excuses. It was a petty revenge, and I thought it was funny at the time…"

"It… oh, goodness, all those customers…" Ursa gasped, running a hand over her hair. Azula snickered. "You're so mischievous still, goodness, but… that's not exactly an act of terrorism. Just… a prank."

"Well, thank you. If Zuko returns to the Palace by the time you get there, please advocate in my defense by saying so," Azula smiled. "I got captured for it, Sokka and his friend Toph broke me out eventually. He and I ran away, and I suppose Zuko showed up at some point after we left and sent his soldiers after us. We figured, once Yue asked to see the summer, that we could come to the Fire Nation to show her the place while Zuko wasn't around… I didn't exactly intend to bump into you."

"Nor I into you… but I'm glad I did," Ursa said, warmly. Azula sighed.

"This is our most civilized conversation for as long as we've known each other, isn't it?" she said. Ursa smiled sadly and nodded.

"I'm afraid so," she said. "I'm glad you've found Sokka, and Yue… that they're both helping you. Maybe I wouldn't have been as effective as they have been… doesn't change that I should have tried anyway. But that you have such good friends is… uh, well. I suppose Sokka is more than a friend…"

"I don't know what's going on any more than you do, so… don't overthink it," Azula said, cheeks flushing. Ursa laughed.

"Well, as long as you're happy…" she said. "If you want any advice…"

"Relationship advice? From you?" Azula asked. Ursa shrugged.

"Learn to cook," she said. Azula snorted and laughed. "Also? If some prince tries to steal you away from him, well… don't let him."

"I have the feeling Sokka would be too threatening for anyone to… well, I'm too threatening for anyone who would want to take me anywhere," Azula said, rolling her eyes. "In itself… I have no idea how he's ever convinced himself that I'm worth, well, everything he's done for me. He had a life of his own, and he gave up on it fully just to join me on this journey."

"Maybe, just as he's helping you figure out who you are, you're helping him do the same thing without your awareness," Ursa smiled fondly at her. Azula raised her eyebrows. "That would be suitable, I hope. He's definitely taken with you."

"And like I said, I have no idea how," Azula shook her head. "I haven't been exactly the sweetest person in the world…"

"He might like you better because you're not," Ursa suggested. Azula laughed, shrugging at her idea.

"He's weird if that's how it is, but fine," she said, cheeks still red over discussing her romantic attachments in this way, and to discuss it with her mother, of all things… "You… you feel lost too, though? That's why you came here?"

"Well, yes, but… focus on yourself, Azula. If I never sort out whatever's messed up in my head, it'll be nothing less than I deserve," Ursa said, with a defeated smile.

"You're not serious," Azula sighed. "You… you could come with us too."

Ursa's eyes widened. Azula grimaced, rubbing the bridge of her nose after words she hadn't intended to say spilled out of her mouth.

"I mean… you and I probably have more things to talk about and resolve. And I would expect you to handle it with full honesty too, just as I'll be as blunt as you need me to be. If you're getting nowhere with Father, and of course you aren't… well, you could join us, maybe. Sokka might be fine with… w-well, I mean, we'll behave ourselves. I'm sure that he can show some restraint…"

"Hopefully," Ursa laughed. "Though, truly, I welcome the offer, but I wouldn't want to tag along just like that, Azula. I'm not sure where I'd fit in your group, and I really wouldn't want to cause you any trouble…"

"You wouldn't, I think, but… maybe it's time we stop screaming at each other and start actually looking for solutions," Azula decided: she didn't know where this good-natured, reasonable behavior was coming from… but she guessed it might just be Yue's influence, shining through her in its own way.

"You… you're sure?" Ursa asked, with a small smile. "I… well, wait. I might need to make a more compelling argument yet to truly earn joining you on this journey."

"What?" Azula smirked, as Ursa excitedly rummaged through her bags, the numerous shopping goods she had brought… before depositing a box in front of Azula.

"I would try to make them myself, but… I don't know how, as you've noticed. And I really didn't want to mess that up, particularly," Ursa smiled. Azula frowned, reaching for the box and opening it.

"You did not…" she gasped.

A cluster of mochi sat snugly inside the box, catching the fallen Princess by surprise entirely. Ursa laughed.

"You were going to buy me over with mochi. You… you are dangerous. Clever. I definitely take after you, this is the most effective manipulation technique anyone's used on me," Azula said: her stomach growled, and she only realized how hungry she was now that she had a chance to eat mochi to her heart's content.

"Try to… pace yourself. But it's okay if you don't, too," Ursa smiled sadly. "I owe you quite a lot of mochi, for all the times I forbade you from eating any. Those stomachaches of your childhood were something to behold…"

"They may have been, but this is… oh, I'm not holding back. I'm not strong enough. Sorry," Azula shook her head, picking up the first mochi and nearly dropping fully on the table in sheer bliss at the taste. "Coerced… by mochi. I'm so easily bought and paid for…"

Ursa laughed fondly, smiling at her daughter in a way she most likely hadn't before: what had changed in Azula through the night had opened the gates, the possibilities, of a true and proper reconciliation between them… and Ursa wouldn't waste that chance. She meant to make the most of Azula's offer, even if she'd have to send word to Noren and Kiyi about where she'd go…

She had been moments away from saying as much to Azula, proposing to go into town for a messenger hawk, when the front door blasted open violently.

The placid mood between mother and daughter, as they amended their estranged bond slowly, froze entirely when that abrupt noise caught them off guard. Azula jumped upright again, wanting more mochi but deciding to wait and assess this threat, instead…

She froze in place when a squad of Imperial Firebenders filed into the kitchen's area, hands raised threateningly.

"What…?" Azula gasped. Ursa snarled, stepping forward.

"What's the meaning of this?!" she asked: then it wasn't Ursa's doing that they were here? It couldn't be. She wouldn't have been so dishonest and shrewd, Azula would have picked up on it if there had been any subterfuge in her demeanor so far…

But no soldier responded to Ursa's demand for an explanation. Instead, someone else stepped out from among them. His hairpiece glowed under the rising sunlight, his cloak fluttering haughtily in his wake…

Azula's stomach sank. There was no way he was here now… no way he had tracked her down all the way here.

And yet Zuko stood before her and Ursa, a heavy scowl upon his face as he locked glares with his sister.

"Finally," he hissed, his tone foreboding and hostile. "Was about time you turned up, Azula."

[lokigodofmyheart]

Date

Zuko x Reader (Fluff, Smut)

Summary: After escaping the Fire Nation and deciding to go to Ba Sing Se, Zuko, Iroh and Y/N found themselves working on a tea shop. Y/N and Zuko had been friends for a long time, and when he was banished, she followed him in his hunt for the Avatar. One day, while they were working, a girl that was a costumer of the shop, asked Zuko out on a date and his uncle made him say yes.  ( 2.910 words)

A/N: Zuko and Reader are both legal.

Zuko looked at himself in the mirror, while Y/N was sitting on the bed, reading a book “How do I look?” 

She forces a smile “You look...” 

“Like an idiot.” He finished. 

“I was gonna say good.” She chuckles. “Maybe just...” Y/N got up and messed his hair “Now, it’s perfect.” 

“Hey, uncle took his time doing my hair.” Zuko complained, making her smiles. 

“It's better now. Really. You’re looking good.”  

He smiles at her, feeling just a little more confident “Thank you. I hope she likes me.” 

“She will. She would be an idiot not to like you” Y/N says before sitting back and look at her book. 

Zuko nods, taking a deep breath as he looks at himself one more time “Alright, let’s do this.” 

“Wait.” She called him. 

“What is it?” Zuko turns to look at Y/N. 

“Don’t forget the flowers.”  

He chuckles softly, realizing he had forgotten “Right, of course. Thank you for reminding me.” 

She forces another smile “Have fun.” Zuko nods at her, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness wash over him. Y/N stays back, alone. Even Iroh had gone out that night to play with some new friends. 

His date with this girl was nice. She liked the flowers that Y/N had chosen for him to give her. She complimented him and after dinner, they went to a walk and talked. As they did, she tries to touch his face, more precisely his scar, but he grabs her wrist stopping the girl. He never let anyone touch his scar...anyone but Y/N. Zuko accompanied the girl back to her home. She kissed him a goodbye, and he step back as soon as her lips touched his. 

“I’m sorry, I...” Zuko started. 

“It’s okay. I understand.” The girl smiled “She’s beautiful by the way.” 

“Huh?” 

“The girl you like...the one you’re work with.” The girl says, making Zuko blushing as he returns home. 

After a couple of hours he had left, he was already back on the apartment, making Y/N, that was now sitting on the couch, confused “You’re back already?” 

“Yes, I...I don’t think it’s going to work out with her.” He sighed and sit down by her side, looking a bit tired. 

“I’m sorry. But hey, there are more girls on the city. I’m sure you’ll find someone.” 

“I know, it’s just...this whole situation we are is kind of messed up” Zuko sighs again and leans back into the couch, closing his eyes for a moment. 

“Everything in our lives is messed up right now.” She chuckles. “But I think we can make this new life work for us.” 

“Yeah...” Zuko replied. 

“We should sleep. We have to work early tomorrow.” She gave him a soft smile. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Good night, Y/N.” He smiled at her and stood up from the couch, heading towards their bedroom. 

“Good night, Zuko.” She stays on the couch for a few more minutes, before she heads to their shared room. Y/N tossed and turned through the night, her mind consumed by jealous and confusion about her feelings towards Zuko. 

The next day was a normal day at work. A lot of tea, costumers say how good it was Iroh’s tea, girls giggling at Zuko and making Y/N rolls her eyes. 

“You’re getting famous around the girls here.” Y/N said, teasing him. 

Zuko just rolls his eyes, trying to hide his blush, before turning to her with a smirk “Don’t worry, Y/N. I won’t forget who my real friend is.” 

She just rolls her eyes at him. As the day goes by, Zuko started noticing she was a bit distant and somewhat annoyed. When they shift finished and they went back to their new home, Y/N went to take a shower and get dressed. She was wearing a cute dress. 

Zuko was sitting on the couch, his uncle had got the play again, and he waited there, eager to talk to Y/N about what was bothering her. When she finally emerged from the room, he couldn’t help but gasp at how beatiful she looked in that dress. 

She made a small turn “So, how do I look?” 

“You’re stunning, Y/N. Absolutely stunning.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

“Thanks.” She smiled at him and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. 

“Is there somewhere you wanted to go?” He asked her, trying no to sound too hopeful. 

“Actually, I have a date tonight.” She replied. 

“A date?” Zuko’s heart sunk at the news. He tried no to show it on his face, but he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealous. 

“Yeah. One onf the costumers always asked me out and today I thought I would give it a try.” 

Zuko forced a smile “Have fun, Y/N.” He turned away, going to the room. 

“Thanks.” She smiles softly before she left. As he hears the door close, he sunk onto his bed. 

After only an hour, Y/N was already back home. Hearing the door opening, Zuko sit on the bed and forced another smile on his face “Did you have a good time?” 

“No.” She sits on her bed. “That was the worse date ever.” 

“Oh,r eally? What happened?” Zuko felt relief that the date hadn’t gone well. 

“That guy only knew how to talk about himself and didn’t even let me talk about anything. How “amazing” he was, how “rich” he was.” She rolls her eyes remembering “He didn’t even got me any flowers.” 

Zuko chuckled at Y/N describtion of her date. “I’m sorry, Y/N/N. You deserve better than that.” 

“Yeah, I do...” She looks down. 

There was a small pause, before he took a deep breath and finally says what has been on his mind for so long “Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you...” 

“Can we talk tomorrow? I’m not in the mood do to anything but sleep.” She looks at him, she was still angry with her date. 

Zuko frowns, a bit disappointed that he won’t be able to confess his feelings. “I understand. Tomorrow then.” 

“Good night, Zuko.” She says before laying down on her bed. 

“Good night, Y/N. Sleep well.” 

The next day they did it all again. Woke up early, went to work and served tea all day. At night, when they were done, they were all tired. But tonight, Zuko had a plan. He asked his uncle to leave for the night. He then got back at the living room, looking at Y/N that was sat down on the couch “Do you want to go out and grab a dinner?” 

“Sure.” She smiles, getting uo. 

“Why don’t you put that nice dress you used yesterday?” Zuko smiled. 

“Why?” Y/N asked confused. 

“Oh, I just thought it would be nice to dress up a bit.” He tried no to sound too nervous. 

“Okay.” Y/N got the dress and went to the bathroom to take a shower and get changed. When she got back to the living room, Zuko was wearing the same clothes he used on the date with that girl. “I’m ready.” 

Zuko smiled at her, trying to hide his nervousness as he took her hand and led her out of the apartment “Shall we?” 

She smiles and nods at him. Zuko took her to a nice place to dinner and after that they walked to a fountain. He looked around and they were alone, so he used his firebend to lit all the lights. Y/N got too distract admiring the beauty of that place to notices when Zuko got a single red rose. He smiled and handles her the flower, his heart racing slightly “Here you go. This is for you.” 

“Thank you.” Her face lights up “You’re such a gentleman.” 

Zuko blushes slightly at her words, feeling even more nervous. He took a deep breath before leaning in closer to her “Y/N, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you...” 

“What is it?” She asked him. 

“I think...I think I might be falling for you.” He says. 

“...what?” Y/N asked in a whisper. 

Zuko swallows hard, his heart pounding in his chest as he looks in her eyes “I...I think, no, I know. I want to be with you, Y/N. More than just friends.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense. If you like me, why would you go on that date?” She asked looking at him. 

He sighs, he knew that date was a mistake, and he should have told her sooner. He took her hands in his and looked in her eyes “I only went on that date because uncle insisted.” Y/N just looks at him, with no reply this time. Zuko felt a knot forming in his stomach as the silence stretched out between them. He knew he messed up, but he still wanted to fix things with her. “I never meant to lie or hurt you, Y/N, I just-”  

She stops him with a quick kiss, making him froze for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise as she kisses him “You talk too much sometimes. You know, I just went to that awful date to try to make you jealous.” 

Zuko’s heart skipped a beat at her confession. He pulled her closer, his hands resting on her his as he kissed her this time “You didn’t have to do that.” 

“Well, it worked, right?” She chuckled before kissing him one more time. Zuko held onto Y/N tightly, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief wash over him. “We should go home.”  

He just nods, still a little breathless from their kiss. He took Y/N's hand and started leading her back to their home. As soon as they entered, she called for Iroh, but had no response. 

“Uncle went out today...again.” Zuko said. 

“Oh, that’s...good.” She smiled at him. They were alone. Y/Nkissed him again and soon they sit on the couch. Zuko eagerly returned Y/N's kiss, feeling his heart race while he presses his body closer to hers. His hand found her thigh, going further as he caressed her inner thigh under her dress. He could feel himself growing harder underneath his pants. 

Y/N could feel herself getting wetter with Zuko’s touch, to she decided to break the kiss. “Zuko...we need to stop.” He pulled back, panting slightly as he looked into Y/N's eyes. “Is not that I don’t want this. I do. But I want you to be sure you want it too.” She says, her hand caressing his face. 

Zuko nodded, understanding her concern. He took a deep breath to calm himself “I do want this, Y/N. More than anything.” His hand moved to her cheek, tracing her jawline gently. 

“Are you sure?” She asks him. 

His eyes locked into hers, his heart beating rapidly in his chest “Yes, I’m sure.” 

“Okay.” Y/N stands up, holding his hand “Come.” 

Zuko followed Y/N to their room, both their heart racing with anticipation. She closed the door behind her, before she smiles at him and opening slowly his clothes. He just watches as she undid his top, revealing his chest. 

Y/N smiled at him shirtless. Not that it was any news to her, while they were on the ship, Zuko used to train shirtless “ I don’t know how many times I’ve seen you like this” She chuckles. 

He chuckled too, looking at her “More than you know.” 

Her hands caressed his face, this time on the side of his scar. Unlike when the girl he went on a date, he let her do it. He had always been self-conscious about it, but with Y/N it felt different. 

Y/N smiled before she guides his hands to the back of her dress. He hesitates only for a second before opening the zipper and pulling it down, revealing her body. Her hands reached the button of his pants “You’re sure about this?” 

Zuko nodded, his heart racing feeling her hands so close to his groin “Yes, I’m sure.” Y/N nods at him, before opening his pants and pulling down with his underwear, making Zuko gasp as she finally free his erection. “Y/N...” His voice was filled with desire. 

“Relax.” She whispers in his ear, as her hand reached for his cock and started to stroke him slowly. Zuko close his eyes, feeling her touch. She kept doing it, speeding up just a little, making him moan softly as his hips starts to move involuntarily. After a few more seconds, she stops smiling at him “Sit on the bed.” 

He opened his eyes, panting slightly from the pleasure, but he nodded and did what she said. Y/N kneeled on the ground between his legs, stroking him a few times before she put him on her mouth. That made Zuko groans, feeling an intense wave of pleasure as she began to suck him. She did it slowly at first, her eyes never leaving his face. Zuko’s head rolled back, his hand was gripping the sheets tightly. When Y/N notices, she took one of his hands and guided to her hair, so he could be in control. He guides her deeper, as his cock hit the back of her throat as his hips bucked off the bed, making Y/N moans. Zuko felt his climax approaching, so he pulled Y/N off him. 

She smirked at him “Did you like that?” 

Zuko looks in her eyes, his breath heavy as he nods with his cheek red with embarrassment “I...yes...It was amazing.” 

She chuckles at how cute he was like that, and she sits on his lap “What do you want to do now?” 

He was still trying to catch his breath “I want this.” 

“What exactly?” She asked while she guided his hand to her wetness. 

Zuko felt his face flush as he slowly dipped his fingers into Y/N's wetness. He gently circled her clit, making her moan “I want to make you feel good too.” 

“Do you want me to lay down?” She asks him. 

He nods “Yeah, that would be good.”  

She left his lap and lay down on the bed, spreading her legs to him. Zuko took a deep breath, still nervous about what he was about to do. He leaned down and kissed her inner thigh, gently moving forward until his tongue found her wetness. He then slowly entered her with one finger. Y/N moans when he did that. Zuko smiled as he felt her body respond to his touch when he begun to move his finger in and out of her, carefully watching her reaction “Does this feel good?” 

“So good...” She says between her moans.  

Encourage by that, Zuko added a second finger, slowly stretching her “You’re so tight...” Y/N doesn’t answer, she just moans. He kept pleasuring her with his fingers, watching her body tremble with each touch “I want to taste you.” 

“Please.” She nods. 

Zuko leaned down tasting the sweetness of her nectar. He then slowly inserted his tongue in her wetness, exploring every inch of her. 

“Oh gods...” She moans. 

He continued to lick and kiss her, listening to her soft moans that filled the air “More?” 

“Please...”  

Zuko smiled at her answer, as he pushed her legs up to her chest, exposing her fully to him “Beautiful...” Y/N moans loudly, and she was thankful they were alone. Zuko was driving her crazy. 

He smiled devilishly as he continued to pleasure her with his mouth. He could feel her walls trembling around his fingers as he added a third, pushing her to the brink of ecstasy “Are you close?” 

“Yes...” She moans, her walls clenching around his fingers. 

Zuko picked up the pace, his tongue flicking against her sensitive clit as he felt her body tensing up. Just as she was about to climax, he pulled away, leaving her gasping “Not yet.” 

She whines desperately “Please, Zuko.” He just smiled and goes on top of her, kissing her neck. She bucked her hips against his to get some relief “Just fuck me...” 

Zuko chuckles feeling in control as he enters her with one stroke, making them both moan. He starts thrusting slowly in and out of her, feeling her walls clenching around him and loving the feeling.  

“Faster...” She whispered. 

Zuko quickened his pace, thrusting into her with more force. Y/N cried out in pleasure as he pounded into her. 

“I’m so close....” She says. That made Zuko picked up the pace even more, his hips slamming against hers as he goes deeper inside of her. His hands gripped her hips tightly as he felt himself getting closer too. With one final thrust, Zuko’s body tensed up and he let out a long moan of pleasure. His hips bucked against Y/N's, feeling her completely as he released himself inside of her. That made her climax as well. Zuko’s body trembled from the intensity of that. 

She smiles at him, laughing softly. He smiled back at her. “You were amazing.” 

Zuko blushed slightly as he kissed her cheek. They lay together on the bed, Zuko pulling the blanked on them and soon they sleep peacefully in each other’s arms. 

Iroh got back to the apartment later and had no answer when called for his nephew or Y/N. As he opens the door of their shared room, he was meet with the image of them sleeping together under the blanked and their clothes all around the room. He closed the door quietly to not wake them “Finally...” 

[moonsaver]

Wait listen‐totally out of the blue but modern!au atla in a high-school or college setting. Zuko x reader btw

Listen listen. Zuko drops down from being a cool popular kid after he joins the gaang,but also? He's kinda the school's crush. Like yes, most of azula's fans and many kids in general from the fire nation dont like Zuko anymore, but many people develop a crush on him. And he's so painfully oblivious to it.

And the gaang is always making fun of his loser aesthetic, posting him on social media and forcing him to actually start using his social media account. He never does use it much except for reposting photos and statuses his friends have on there.

Until you.

He was especially struggling with a problem and awkwardly asked you for help. You were technically just polite out of general respect but you were... really nice. And he groans into his pillow at night when he realizes that small interaction has an irrational grip on him. To make it worse? Sokka from the other side of the classroom saw it and made it his personal mission to track down your socials.

With a lot of pain and difficulty (none, actually. Turns out Suki is quite media-literate), the gaang manages to find your account and send it to the group chat. For once, Zuko's.. actually trying to do normal social media things. Some of them start bickering on whether or not Zuko should send a follow request, but by the time they're done, you've already accepted it, and Zuko curiously scrolls through your profile. The gaang frantically tells him not to like your old photos, he's confused at the concept, but begrudgingly listens anyway. If this happens when they're all meeting up, then they huddle around Zuko and watch the tiny screen and point out all things about your little profile, and ogle at every tidbit of your life. If it happens when they're all at home, then they collectively cyberstalk you, sending various screenshots to the groupchat and discussing about you.

You on the other hand, only know Zuko as the kind of cute, awkward guy who needed your help with a math problem. You wondered if you messed something up while explaining the problem to him, and then brushed it off and forgot about it entirely until you woke up one day and noticed his entire friend group had viewed your status. A few of them had even liked it. (Ahem, Aang and Toph).

It's not soon until one of them actually comes up and talks to you, because Zuko is deathly afraid of messing things up, and he stutters so much everytime Sokka makes him practice talking to you, it's like a lost cause. Of course, in the end, it's Katara and Suki to the rescue! All three of you get along surprisingly well. It's only a matter of time until you actually get added to the friend group. Until then, maybe pretend Zuko's acting skills are believable as he asks for your help with the simplest problems, to borrow your stationaries, and make awkward small talk. You go along with it anyway. He's cute.

[ultfreakme]

Okay concept; S1 Sokka realizes the Gaang is way too noticeable and tries to reduce Katara and Aang’s involvement in literally every local problem. But one time the three of them almost get caught and Sokka decides to wear the Kyoshi Warrior uniform to go help them for an element of surprise. But every time after that, though he keeps telling Katara and Aang not to mess with local stuff and that they should leave soon, Sokka keeps going out in the Kyoshi Warrior uniform to help people without their knowledge the best he can, and this continues up into S2. When they’re in Ba Sing Se, he decides to investigate wtf is up with the Dai Li by going undercover, and people give him leeway when they mistake him for a girl the times he isn’t sneaking around.

and that’s when he meets the Blue Spirit who is ALSO tracking the Dai Li.

Now Zuko’s doing this just to keep himself and Iroh safe, and he gets a hand on the Appa poster so he’s searching for Appa too and in the middle of all this, he occasionally helps people out. He runs into Sokka, who he does not recognize(that’s not the Avatar so why should he care? He never bothered to remember Sokka, and really only remembers Katara because of how much she beat him up lol) and the two of them decide to track the Dai Li together for the night and help each other hide from them.

Sokka’s super pumped because thank fuck, someone else also thinks the Dai Li and the general functioning of Ba Sing Se is weird. He’s heard stuff about the Blue Spirit who’s rebel that’s been wreaking havoc everywhere. He’s suspicious, but for the moment it’s beneficial so he’s okay with the team-up.

Cue Blue Spirit and the mysterious Kyoshi Warrior meeting up every night to figure out what’s behind Ba Sing Se, the case of the missing Sky Bison, and also helping out people in the lower ring whenever they can(ft. Blue Spirit stealing sparkly stuff that catches Sokka’s eye).

Zuko figures the Kyoshi Warrior isn’t a girl(the voice is a dead give away) but he still doesn’t know WHO it is and tries not to develop feelings but he’s having fun playing vigilante and accidentally does. Sokka also ends up really liking the Blue Spirit because he’s cool, uses swords and teaches him too, mysterious and can kick his ass.

[the-badger-mole]

do u have any headcanons about the gaang’s kids? like who they would be closest to in the gaang offspring? or which parent they would prefer or career?

I don't have a ton of thoughts about who the Gaang's kids would be. I'm honestly not super interested in them. But I have thought about who the Gaang would be as parents.

Zutara and Sukka would be the top tier of parents. They would be family movie quality parents. The type of parents that in certain stories would have to be killed off in order to give the protagonist an angsty backstory to overcome because having a functional, loving family isn't interesting enough...😒That's not to say they would be perfect parents, but they would try very hard, be very loving and apologize when necessary, because they respect their kids as much as they love them.

Suki and Sokka would be sports parents. They would take their kids out and teach them to hunt, boat, ski, snowboard, martial arts and generally let them get into dirt and trouble. There would be a lot of broken bones and bloody scrapes among their kids, but they would have the best stories about how they got them.

Katara and Zuko would be more protective. It would be a struggle for them not to be too protective. They would also take their kids out and teach them how to fight both with weapons and bending, but they would be very serious about safety. Zuko would spend a year on sword safety and maintenance before he let any of his kids even touch a real sword, and Katara would be on standby to heal any ouchies or booboos. At the same time, they would also do their best not to make their kids scared to take risks. It's a delicate balancing act, and they wouldn't always succeed, but their kids feel safe and loved, and that's really all Zuko and Katara want.

Toph...I have a really hard time believing she ever planned on having kids, so I go back and forth about her being childfree her entire life, or her having Lin and Suyin and being a Lorelei Gilmore type mother (only way less girly). It's a bumpy road, and she messes up...a lot, but she loves her girls and is there for them....And also she doesn't disappear into a swamp and go no contact with them.

I have a really hard time picturing Aang as anything but a terrible father. I see him with multiple baby mamas. He'd be a weekend fun dad who only sees his kids occasionally. He bails as often as he shows up, and when he does show up, he takes the kids to places he thinks they should enjoy without actually talking to them about it. Once his kids reach adulthood, it's pretty much on them to maintain the relationship or let it die. He has one or two kids who he sees frequently, but only because they reach out to him and he considers them friends.

[watermelonsugacry]

hi, i'm from brazil and i'm obsessed with your writing. I was always ashamed to ask for a request because English is not my first language but I would love to read this one. where harry and YN sing "Summer Nights" together on stage while dressed as Danny and Sandy please this seems to be perfect in my mind

Summer Nights

anon: OMG HARRY AS DANNY AND 1D!YN AS SANDY LIKE SHE DID IN HIGH SCHOOL

A/N: I THOUGHT THE SAME WHEN I SAW HIM COME OUT ON STAGE!!! and Mrs Sarah Jones looked absolutely GORGEOUS as sandy 😍

SINCE 2010 masterlist

As Harry taps his fingers in the air along with the ending notes of Love Of My Life, his heart starts to quicken in anticipation.

It's not long before the beginning notes to Summer Nights begin to play and the fans go into a frantic frenzy when they notice the rising platform in the middle of the stage is slowly bringing someone dressed in Sandy's yellow, high school outfit. But not just, anyone: YN's faux shy demeanor comes up on the big screens above the stage. She has her hands clasped together in front of her as she slightly sways from side to side.

Harry can't help but look toward his fiancée with a loving smirk planted on his lips.

It was only fitting that after singing this song he should bring out the actual love of his love, right?

"Is the box even gonna be big enough?"

"Yeh callin' me fat?" Harry breaks out into a smile when she lets out a giggle from his teasing question. "'Course it is, baby. Just gotta cuddle for a little bit s'all."

"Oh m'sure you love that," YN playfully rolls her eyes as she watches her fiancé scoot into the black equipment box they use to roll him out to the middle of the stage.

Harry extends a hand out to his love as she uses the other one to gather her ankle-length skirt. Once she settles in between his legs, her back to his front, and he immediately wraps his arms around the top of her chest.

"Have fun in there, Love Birds," Jeff bends forward to give a wave to the couple. Anthony holds his camera to his face and immediately captures the way the two flip off his manager. After the crew members get the 'go' from the pop stars, they make sure the couple is secure in there before lifting the side of the black box and starts to roll them out.

"How are yeh feeling, rockstar?"

"Better with you here," Harry presses his lips to her temple, careful not to mess up her make-up, as she lovingly rubs her thumb over his hands. As they continue to get rolled out, they can hear the fans screaming and chanting his name.

Once they get under the stage and out of the box, YN's eyes shamelessly wander over his outfit. He looks absolutely delicious in his Danny Zuko; from his leather jacket to the black eyeliner behind the sunnies resting on his nose. She feels giddy and dizzy, and it still surprises her that he makes her feel that way after so many years.

"Yeh know, this is gonna be the first time yeh gonna be performing in black skinny jeans since we were in the band." Harry looks up from fixing his leather jacket and is met with her loving smile.

"But this time, I'll finally get to hold you the way I wanted to way back when. C'mere," YN instantly walks into his open arms and she tilts her head back so he can plant his lips on hers, both unaware of Anthony taking pictures of them just for the couple to have.

"I love you, YN."

"I love you, Harry," She giggles with a bite of her bottom lip and Harry falls in love with her all over again. "Have fun out there, okay?"

He nods before giving her a final peck, "See you in a bit."

"Summer lovin', had me a blast," Harry sings, solely focusing on her.

"Summer lovin', happened so fast," YN flutters her eyelashes, looking upward. She gives him a flirty smile back and his dimples dig into his cheeks just the way she likes as they begin to slowly take steps towards each other.

"I met a girl crazy for me."

"Met a boy cute as can be,"

Harry huffs out a laugh when she playfully fans herself.

As the couple walks around the stage, they take their steps on the beat and groove to the music. YN's heels add her own flare to the costume choice as Harry did with his by the red, glittery Harryween on the back of his black shirt.

They both can anticipate that their cheeks would be sore the next day from smiling so much as they sing and prance around the stage. It was hard not to! Especially when Harry faces YN and gyrates his hips at the line, "We made out under the dock," as John Travolta did in the film. But what makes the fans go even crazier is when YN breaks from her Sandy character persona to run a hand down his chest, throwing her head back and moving her hips like Harry's.

The fans scream out for the millionth time at the sight of Harry taking a hold of her left hand and bringing it up to his lips for a kiss before he makes his way to the other side of the stage. On their own catwalks, the two slowly make their way down the ends to sing their harmonized high notes. It was interesting to see the difference between how they do so: Harry with his eyebrows furrowed, mouth open wide with an arm in the arm while YN does so effortlessly with a beaming smile.

The lights on the stage go out with the music, but it's not over just yet. The fans lose their entire being when the Love Band begins to play Hopelessly Devoted. Still at the end of the catwalk, YN begins to sing the infamous song sung by the late Olivia Newton-John.

As she makes her way around the middle of the stage, it suddenly becomes a surreal experience. She gets flashbacks from when her secondary school put on a musical production of Grease. Being a supportive best friend to Louis, she accompanied him for his audition only to be energetically persuaded by the music director to audition as well. The angsty teenager reluctantly dragged her feet onto the small stage and sang the sorrowful song for shits and giggles—only for her to get the lead role.

Now instead of singing this song in a tiny auditorium in her school's pocket-sized theater, YN passionately sings the words to a sold-out show in one of the most famous arenas in the world. If her younger self could see her now...

She makes a point to stop by in front of a particular section on the side of the arena and immediately spots the older woman with a head full of gray hair and a matching Sandy costume in the front row. Her old secondary school music teacher has her hands to her chest and occasionally brings one up to wipe the rouge tears from her eyes. YN blows her a kiss, one which immediately gets reciprocated back tenfold.

When planning to perform this song, the couple decided to arrange it as a duet, but the words get caught in Harry's throat as the sight and sound of her. How can he possibly sing the chorus along with her as she makes her way towards him, a loving smile on her lips and singing those lyrics directly to him?

He looks like a love-sick idiot with his back toward the audience while looking at his fiancee with hearts in his eyes.

My head is sayin', "Fool, forget him" My heart is sayin', "Don't let go"

YN grips onto the front of his black shirt and Harry instantly gravitates closer to her. He doesn't care that he's standing in front of thousands of fans and even more who will share their videos online; the world around him fades away when she's near. That's why he doesn't give a second thought about maneuvering his way behind her, wrapping his arms around her torso, closing his eyes, and resting his chin lovingly on her shoulder.

"Hold on to the end", that's what I intend to do I'm hopelessly devoted to you

The arena bursts into a fit of excited screams as they watch the couple lovingly sway together, their heads pressed against one another with YN's hand over his arms.

But now there's no way to hide

YN maneuvers them so that they're facing each other and he wastes no time dipping down to wrap his arms around the bottom of her back, his body molding her.

Since you pushed my love aside I'm outta my head

The fans see the way Harry fondly looks at her, his eyes bouncing around her face as she leans back slightly, her shoulders pushing and pulling together as she hits those notes and riffs beautifully.

Hopelessly devoted to you

YN puts a hand on her fiance's cheek, declaring her love and devotion to the man she's going to spend the rest of her life with. He's so close to her that his nose bumps into hers and he sings the lines with her.

As the song comes to an end, another wave of screams fills the room as the couple stays hugged together. A split second before the lights go out, fans recording were able to capture the way Harry dips his head down to capture her lips.

"Make some noise for my Sandy, YN YLN!" Harry throws his hands in the air to encourage the audience to scream as loud as they can for his fiancée—not like they needed it as they can practically feel the stage vibrate underneath their feet.

She holds the side of her skirt as she bends down in a curtsy before mouthing the words thank you so much to everyone surrounding her. She even scrunched up her nose in a giggle when Harry and the Love Band begins to pump their fists and bark along with the audience.

"Oh, shut up," YN laughs into her microphone. "Thank you, Harry for having me. Thank you, Los Angeles, and have a good rest of yeh night. Happy Harryween!"

The barking still continues as she walks down the steps of the stage and to her place by the barricade where Harry asked to her stand so that when the show comes to an end, they can run out in between the fans hand in hand.

taglist:

@wobblymug @be-with-me-so-happily @ashtongivesmebutterflies @kiwiskiwiskiwi @darlingdesire @obsesseddd @hopefulwastelandcreation @cacapeepee @breezie-b00 @harrysfolklore @theekyliepage @sunshinemoonsposts @nervousspiderling @tbslonelyhes @tenaciousperfectionunknown @harrystylesrecs @certified-nalayak @itsjustsel @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @gviosca @behindmygreyeyes @twobluejeans @allisonxmcu @theemeraldbutterfly @jean-love @marvellover-sam @b-reads-things @reveriehs @rach2602 @thurhomish @perrypughstyles @luvonstyles @mxltifxnd0m @teamspideyman @c00chiemonster @juiceboxrry @s8tellite @folklorehrry @illicithallways @claramllera @eunoiaax @hoya122 @nichmedder @sleutherclaw @gloriousmoneyrascalbiscuit @harianaswhore @teawithcyb0rgs @vrittivsanghavi @vc55bughead @futuristiccroissantlampsludge @onecrazydirectioner @valluvsu @itsgabbysblog @awkwardbisexuall @rosehel @sucker4angstt @isalove

[drpoisonoaky]

Azula is training with the rest of the group cause her therapist ask her to do it. And she’s a great patient

disclaimer: this is years later (at least they’re in their twenties) bc one azula is in therapy; two i’m not comfortable doing some dynamics with literally children even though is nothing explicit

——— Aang

Aang: So let’s start with breathing exercises.

Aang: This helps to have a clear mind.

Azula: I usually do it too.

Aang: Really? That’s so grea-

Azula: Doesn’t help at all. But hey we need to breath in order to bend.

Aang: Meditation?

Azula: See awful things.

Aang: Aromatherapy?

Azula: The smell is awful.

Aang: What did you do then to have a clear mind?

Azula: You’re so funny avatar.

Aang: *looking at her worried*

Azula: So funny. So what’s next?

Aang: Call your therapist.

——— Sokka

Sokka: So first thing first you get a boomerang.

Azula: I would rather not.

Sokka: I hit you with a boomerang before, you have to learn how to use it. At least as signal of respect.

Azula: Just cause something hit you doesn’t mean you have to respect it or like it.

Azula: My father used to hit me and I don’t really respect or like him at all.

Sokka:

Sokka: I gonna hug you and then we’ll spare bare handed. Come here.

Azula: DON’T YOU DA-

——— Toph

Toph: *hit Azula with a rock*

Azula: *throws a blaze of blue fire to Toph*

[Keep doing this until both are clearly exhausted and dirty]

Toph: That was fun.

Azula: Indeed.

Toph: Let’s do it again sometime.

Azula: Sure.

——— Suki

Suki: You have to wear the kyoshi warriors’ makeup.

Azula: We’re training not on a mission.

Suki: I’m wearing it.

Azula: And I admire your bravery for wear that but no thank you.

Suki: To train with me you have to wear it, end of the discussion.

Azula: The last time I wear that filthy makeup I conquered Ba Sing Se.

Suki, raising one eyebrow: The last time I wear this filthy makeup I was trying to train with an ungrateful bitch.

Suki: So?

Azula: Ugh, but if I get a pimple I swear-

——— Zuko

Zuko: No dirty tricks.

Azula: You wound me Zuzu. I would never do something like that to you.

Zuko: You bend lighting at my butt to make me fail in front of dad. So sorry if I don’t trust you.

Azula: *sighs*

Azula: You were already failing, doing that father would laugh at the prank and not punish you for not knowing the forms.

Zuko: I-

Azula: And I admit it was fun. But that’s the truth. And my therapist says I should share my truth of that little moments, especially with you.

Zuko: I didn’t know…are you going to do it again?

Azula: Nah, now you won’t be punished if you mess it up. I’m going to do it while you are eating or something. Like a good sister.

Zuko: We are pretty fuck up, aren’t we?

Azula: At least we’re pretty.

Zuko: *smiling*

Azula: Wait no.

Zuko: Lala did you say we?

Azula, completely red: “I” I said “I” CLEAN YOUR DIRTY EARS!

——— Ty lee

Azula: You don’t going to force me to use the Kyoshi makeup, right?

Ty lee: Nope, that’s Suki’s policy I don’t really care.

Azula: Thank Agni.

Ty lee: I’m going to make you flex baby.

Azula: As if you didn’t know I’m very flexible.

Ty lee: Well we will see. Let’s stretch.

Azula: Do you usually use this as a first move or the flirt start after?

Ty lee: Nah, after. You will see it when we get to the-

Katara: DROP IT RIGHT NOW BOTH OF YOU.

Ty lee: Whao you were right she’s jealous type.

Katara: I am not!

Azula: Then why are you here?

Katara: To train with you, Ty lee’s training looks what I need right now.

Ty lee: Sure. It’s gonna to be awesome. But I’m going to focus on Azula. She asked me first.

Azula: She’s focused on my, sweetheart.

Katara: AND I’M TOO SO WATCH OUT.

Ty lee, whispering: And I don’t even try to make a move.

Azula, also whispering: And she knows I wouldn’t do anything. This is going to be fun.

Katara: STOP WHISPERING I’M HERE.

Azula, ignoring Katara: So what’s next?

——— Mai

Azula: So you throw knives and that’s all?

Mai: What do you want me to do?

Azula: I guess exactly that.

Mai: Maybe we could spicy up?

Azula, raising one eyebrow: I’m listening.

Mai: We need a target.

Azula: Living creature?

Mai: Why not.

Azula: Male or female.

Mai: Whatever.

Azula: Easy or hard?

Mai: Who’s on the hard level?

Azula: Ty lee or Aang.

Mai: And on the easy?

Azula: Sokka or Zuko.

Mai: I guess it’s Sokka’s turn.

Azula: Sure.

Azula: Hey Boomerang boy! If you stay in front of Mai with an apple on your head for 20 minutes lunch is on me.

Sokka: Steak?

Azula: Two steaks.

Sokka: But the good ones.

Azula: Of course.

Sokka: Deal.

Mai: Let’s have fun. Do you want to start?

Azula: I’m going to throw him a boomerang. So you first.

——— Katara

Katara: So listen.

Azula: I’m listening.

Katara: I want to see your hands clearly, not funny business.

Azula: But I am a funny person. And you love my funny business.

Katara: ‘Zula.

Azula: Ok. I’m focus.

Katara: I’m gonna to attack and you going to doge.

Azula: No warm up?

Katara: *throws her a warning splash of water*

Katara: There you go.

Azula: That wasn’t necessary darling.

Katara: No pet names, we’re training.

Azula: Of course. Master Katara.

[two hours later]

Katara: That was good.

Azula: I’m wet and partly freeze. All in a bad way.

Katara: As I said. Good. But you know the better part?

Azula: What?

Katara: I don’t want to see your hands now.

Azula: Why do you don’t…my hands…oh.

Azula: Yeah yes let’s do that.

Katara: You’re a less smooth than you think you’re.

Azula: But I’m hot.

Katara: And very humble.

Azula: Whatever…let’s the funny business begin.

[wisecrackzach]

Durge HCs (with appearances from Gortash)

Some hc rotating in my brain about my durge but I'm too lazy to write fics rn so this is my outlet

The Dark Urge and Gortash learned how to ballroom dance together. Gortash knew he was going to take over Baldur's Gate and figured he should know how to dance like the rich do (he's the kinda guy who believes in dressing for the job you want). So, he decides to teach himself and Durge too since he wants to rule with them. It was clumsy, messy, and got a little violent, bloody, and even erotic at times.

Gortash also made Durge do some other proper society training. Obviously, Durge wasn't built for proper society but Gortash dreamed of it and now thay dream included Durge. So, he made them also learn what fork to use for when (the beast and belle dinner scene frfr) and posture training. Durge hated this very much. They threatened Gortash life many times and many fork were stabbed into hands.

I refuse to believe that Gortash doesn't know how to lace his shirt. Therefore, I've decided that durge used to lace them that way because they were always dressed by their followers so they didn't know how. And now Gortash keeps it that way.

I 100% think that Gortash is obsessed with money and appearing rich. He buys gaudy expensive clothes but doesn't know how to wear them or the current trends because he didn't grow up rich. So, he looks kinda silly with his ugly red shoes and anxiety robe but no one dares make fun of him for it.

And because he cared about clothes and presentation he would buy Durge a lot of clothes that durge probably never wore.

Durge probably went to the shoe store Gortash's parents own when they were a kid before becoming the dark urge.

Orin and Durge are kinda like Zuko and Azula to me. Like even though they're both kinda fucked up inside and hate each other, they're still siblings. They probably had dumb arguments as teens like normal siblings but a little bloodier. And they probably braided each other hair and cared for one enough without admitted it was that. I wish so badly their could be an ending with Orin with a redeemed Durge like their was with Zuko and Azula.

Kinda fucked up but I wouldn't put it past them, Orin and Gortash hooked up after the Durge was taken. Buuut Orin would be shapeshifted into Durge for Gortash. Additionally, Orin used the Durge form to mess with Gortash just for fun.

Redeemed Durge HCs

The general public does not know about Durge being from Bhaal's temple and kinda being the cause of it all. Except for Duke Ravengard (if alive). Which makes it really awkward for a Durge romancing Wyll because his father is so clearly scared of Durge. They feel bad and they're trying to calm him but he's definitely resents them a little.

Durge probably killed Gortash's parents after the whole saving the world thing in the good ending. Like this might be a redeemed durge but they still killed them cause they still felt bad for Gortash and his parents sucked.

Durge made a memorial for Orin, Gortash, and Ketheric. Maybe they even added The Dark Urge too, just to remind themselves that's not who they are anymore.

If Durge is a warlock then original their patron is Bhaal but after they reject him Withers is their new patron.

Since they're kinda the hero of Baldur's Gate now, Durge was forced to do a bunch of public appearances and go to fancy parties and balls. Unfortunately, they've forgotten everything that Gortash taught them before about being in the upper crust so Durge is totally lost and feels like a rabid wolf in a bowtie. However, the gang helps them where they can. Primarily, Wyll and Astarion. Lae'zel offers advice but it's never any good...

[soopersara]

Glowing

After realizing her feelings for Zuko, Katara goes looking for romantic advice.

Read it on AO3

“I thought you said you weren’t going to laugh at me!”

“I’m not!” For nearly five seconds, Suki succeeded in holding her expression steady before a snort burst out of her, and she doubled over, consumed by giggles.

Scowling, Katara whacked her with a cushion. “A lot of help you are. I just need some advice about what I should say to him. I don’t need you making fun of me for having a crush.”

Despite an obvious effort to compose herself, Suki couldn’t seem to stop giggling. “I’m not making fun of you.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure you have some other great reason for laughing at me, then.”

“Oh, come on, Katara.” Suki sat up as straight as she could, shoulders still shaking with barely-suppressed laughter. “You can’t ask me how to figure out if Zuko likes you back and expect me not to laugh.” She wiped her eyes. “I always thought Sokka was supposed to be the oblivious one in your family, but even he saw this coming ages ago.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Katara. Everyone can tell that you like him. It’s been obvious for a while. I think the only person who doesn’t see it is Zuko.” At long last, Suki’s expression steadied. “And incidentally, he’s also the only person worse at hiding his feelings than you.”

Katara pressed her lips together. Sure, she’d had feelings for Zuko for a while now. It wasn’t entirely unbelievable that the others might have noticed it at some point. But when it came to Zuko, nothing seemed that clear. She had noticed her own feelings shifting one morning when he offered her a hand up after a particularly long sparring match, but she’d never noticed any change in the way he acted around her. Even now, when she couldn’t look too deep into his eyes without forgetting how to string words together, he was still just—Zuko.

“Oh, don’t give me that face. You must have noticed it.”

“I haven’t,” Katara insisted. “I mean—yes, we’re friends, and I’m pretty sure he likes spending time with me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

Suki rolled her eyes. “First of all, the fact that he likes spending time with you is a big deal. If you weren’t around, I’m pretty sure that Zuko would be perfectly happy not to leave his office more than once every three days. And beyond that—you can’t honestly tell me that you’ve never seen the way he looks at you.”

That was an exaggeration. Right? It had to be. Katara talked to Zuko all the time, and she would have noticed if there was anything out of the ordinary in the way he looked at her.

“And how exactly does he look at me?” she asked.

For a few seconds, Suki just stared. “You’re being serious, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. He’s always looked at me the same way. Ever since he found us at the Western Air Temple, he’s just been—him.” Katara hugged her knees tight to her chest. “I think I’m falling in love with my best friend, and I really can’t tell if his feelings have ever changed. Can you please just help me figure out what to say to him? I really don’t want to mess things up if he doesn’t see me that way.”

There was another pause, this one almost longer than the last. “Fine. I’ll give you some advice, but I’m not telling you what to say. I don’t need anyone blaming me if you chicken out.”

Katara scowled. “Thanks a lot for the confidence.”

Without acknowledging that comment, Suki leaned forward. “You need to start paying attention to how he acts with everyone else. The difference when you’re not around is ridiculous, and once you see that—”

“Wait a second. If I’m not around, how am I supposed to see how he acts?”

“I don’t know. Just—” Suki waved a hand in the air. “Spy on him. Sneak up on him if you have to. It’s not like he’ll ever get mad at you over something like that. My point is that as soon as you see how much he lights up around you, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to figure the rest out on your own.”  

⁂

This was starting to feel silly.

It wasn’t that Katara mistrusted Suki’s advice—though, admittedly, she’d found the idea of sneaking up on Zuko a little absurd at first. She could see the logic in the idea of it. If Zuko really did light up around her, his uncanny ability to recognize the sound of her footsteps meant that she wasn’t likely to see it herself. If he liked her enough that her mere presence was enough to change his whole demeanor, she would probably have to put in a fair amount of time and effort to catch him off guard.

The trouble was that now, when she’d made up her mind to at least try Suki’s idea, it was proving difficult to sneak up on him. Absurdly difficult. So difficult, in fact, that she’d begun to question whether this much effort could really be worthwhile. She liked him a lot. Of course she did. But if it was this hard to figure out whether or not he felt the same, maybe she would be better off if she accepted the fact that they would only ever be friends.

Maybe. But for now, at least, she’d gone a bit too far to back down without making herself feel even sillier than she did already. Because while she’d contented herself with meandering up behind Zuko while he was distracted yesterday, today, she’d gone a step further and stashed herself in the hollow space behind a tapestry outside of his council room. And as much as she might regret the desperation that had brought her to this point, she couldn’t just leave. Any moment now, the doors to the council room would open, and a dozen stuffy old Fire Nation noblemen would file out right in front of her.

The last thing she needed right now was to humiliate herself quite that thoroughly. It was one thing for Zuko’s council to think she was stubborn and unreasonable in her demands when she attended summit meetings. It was quite another to let them think that she made a habit of hiding behind the tapestries around the palace.

Katara leaned back against the wall and let out a long breath. On the bright side, while the tapestry she’d chosen was opaque enough that no one would see her from the hall, she could at least make out vague silhouettes from here. It probably wouldn’t be clear enough for her to make out anything significant in Zuko’s expression or mannerisms, but she could deal with that for now. As long as she could escape with her dignity mostly intact, she could worry about figuring out Zuko’s feelings later.

She waited in the darkened hollow for longer than she was proud of. Long enough that she would have had several good opportunities to creep back out and return to her room if she’d been brave enough. At long last, the door did open, though, and she watched the advisors file out one after another and another. Including Zuko, there should have been around ten people in the room, so she counted the figures as best she could as they passed by the tapestry. Sure enough, after she counted ten of them, the hall went quiet again.

Silently, she counted down the seconds until a minute passed, then another. Then, when she was absolutely confident that everyone was gone, Katara pushed the tapestry to the side and stepped into the corridor.

At almost the same instant, there was a startled gasp behind her, and a squeak burst out of her mouth. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she spun on the spot.

“Katara?” Zuko hastily dropped back out of his bending stance, and his expression shifted from shock to confusion to something between surprise and relief. “Um—what are you doing out here?”

There was certainly something that changed in his eyes when he realized that it was her, but Katara wasn’t willing to assume that was what Suki had been talking about. She had just burst out from behind a tapestry, after all. Zuko was probably more relieved to see that it was her and not a stranger or an advisor than anything else. It was certainly more relief than infatuation, at least.

Katara did her best to regain her composure. “I don’t suppose you would believe me if I said I was birdwatching. Would you?”

“Probably not,” he answered slowly. “There aren’t any windows in this hall, to start with. And I’m pretty sure I would have heard something if a bird got into the palace.”

“Right. I probably should have guessed that much.” She scuffed her palms against her thighs to wipe away the gathering dampness. “I might need a few minutes to come up with a better excuse.”

Though he still looked bemused and bewildered, the corners of Zuko’s mouth pulled upward. “Whatever you were doing, it looks like you’ve got some cobwebs stuck in your hair.”

Her hands flew up to her head. “I do? Oh, ew! Gross, gross, gross!”

Gently, he caught hold of her wrists. “It’s just one spot. Hold still and I’ll get it.”

He leaned in closer, and Katara froze. That small, soft smile playing across his lips was familiar, but something about it did feel different. Warmer, maybe. Or brighter, or—something. His fingertips brushed lightly over one of the narrow braids hanging by the side of her face and plucked a bit of fine, wispy spider silk out of her hair.

Maybe it was just the proximity. Or maybe Suki’s words were just too fresh in Katara’s mind, but when the usual fluttering in her chest started up again, there was another, newer sensation sitting alongside it.

“There. I guess the next time that the palace staff starts bothering me for things to do, I can have them clean the tapestries. I had no idea they were so full of cobwebs.”

“Neither did I,” she said, her voice scarcely rising above a whisper. Spirits, what was that feeling? The fluttering was beginning to fade, but if anything, she felt herself being drawn even closer to him. It was steadier, though. Calmer and stronger than anything else she’d felt for him before.

“So you weren’t birdwatching,” Zuko said. The amusement was obvious in his voice, but it, like everything else, was gentle. “Can I ask what you were doing, or is that a secret?”

She didn’t have to tell him the truth. She didn’t have to say anything at all, she knew that. Maybe it was just his proximity or the light in his eyes—she couldn’t be certain, but she spoke almost without thinking. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to you. But I knew that you were meeting with your advisors, and I didn’t want to talk to them, and—well, in hindsight, I probably could have found a better way to accomplish that.”

He snorted. “Honestly, I might have to steal your hiding spot someday. I like spiders a lot more than I like some of my advisors.” He turned, stepping back just far enough to give her space to start walking alongside him. “What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

Her face went hot, and she silently thanked the spirits that he wasn’t looking at her. “I was just wondering if you might want to have dinner with me. Tonight. Just the two of us.”

Zuko stopped walking. “Do you mean that? I mean—are you sure?”

There was such a tentative hope in his eyes that it took all her will to resist the urge to reach up and run her thumb along the lower rim of his scar. She smiled up at him instead. “I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t sure.”

“Oh.” His cheeks flushed scarlet, and he cleared his throat. “Okay. Then—yes. I’d like that. I’d really like that.”

Her heart skipped, and she felt her smile broaden involuntarily. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you around dinner time, then.”

His smile warmed until his eyes practically glowed with pure happiness. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Maybe a late dinner time,” she amended hastily. “I have a feeling that I’ll have to wash some dust and cobwebs out of my hair before then.”

Zuko laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I can wait that long.” Then, smiling almost blindingly bright, he took a small step back. “I’ll see you later this evening.”

[shadyruinskryptonite]

Titan Bending Chapter 19

Warning: Violence consistent with cannon, NSFW so MDNI, language, major character death (both consistent with canon of both AOT and ATLA as well as diverging from canon), so much trauma literally everyone is so traumatized, very much slow burn, a little enemies to lovers, SO MUCH ANGST, hurt/comfort, hurt and delayed comfort, AFAB reader

Chapter Warnings: Talking about past severe injuries and near death experiences, extreme burns, sparring with swords, y/n beats the shit outta someone, one mention of bloody knuckles

WC: 3597

A/N: Okay so this is the first time a real reference is going to be made to the multitude of languages I hc are spoken in the four nations. I mentioned this in the hc that I published recently, but for Katara, Sokka, and y/n I hc that the native language of the watertribes is Russian so that’s included. Please note that I don’t know any Russian so everything that is written is ala Google Translate so I apologize if it’s wrong. This conversation is pretty silly, so feel free to translate it but you also don’t have to and it doesn’t change the plot of the story. Later however Zuko says something to y/n and I have written it in wingdings because I’m not immediately going to translate it, but rather I intend that it will be something that’s revealed later in the story.

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Masterlist

Tags: @mochminnie @sseleniaa @naruwitch

The tour ended at the mess hall, where everyone was able to sit together and share a meal. The conversation was kept mostly light, with the kids just asking the Gaang questions about our general experiences and getting answers similar to ones I had given them myself. 

From the other end of the table, I hear Sokka and Katara speaking the native Watertribe language.

“Она действительно кажется счастливой,” Katara says.

“Я согласен. Забавно видеть, как эти дети краснеют каждый раз, когда она смотрит в их сторону. Думаешь, она знает, что они все по-щенячьи влюблены в нее?” Sokka responds.

I can tell my kids are mesmerized by their conversation and it dawns on me that they’ve probably never heard anyone speak another language before.

Oh, well, this’ll really knock their socks off then.

Before Katara can respond, I smugly say, “It’s rude to speak another language when there are people that don’t know it in the conversation. But, yes, I’m very happy. Кроме того, они всего лишь дети, а я для них какое-то странное, экзотическое существо, отдохните.”

Now everyone’s eyes are wide and on me, and in the ensuing silence I say, “What, you two didn’t really forget that we have the same first language, did you?”

Looking like scolded children, they say in unison “Sorry y/n.”

I just shake my head and giggle.

Still in complete disbelief, Hange says, “I thought I was having a stroke for a minute when I didn’t understand what was being said.”

I laugh hardily and say, “No, that’s just the language native to the Watertribes. There are a bunch of different languages all across the four nations.”

Suki chimes in, “Yeah and y/n knows all of them.”

I whip towards her. “What? That’s crazy no I don’t!”

She rolls her eyes and says, “Oh yeah? How many languages do you speak?”

“Fluently? Just Watertribe and Universal!” I exclaim.

Zuko scoffs, “You’re so full of shit. You also speak Mainland Fire Nation.”

Toph adds “Not to mention Sand Bender and one of the romantic languages from the Western Earth Kingdom.”

“Yes but I’m not fluent in any of those!”

Suki turns to Hange and says, “She’s being humble.”

“What?! No I’m not! I seriously don’t know that much of any of the languages you just listed! I just lived in those places or around people from those places for so long that I started to pick up bits and pieces!”

Suki just playfully rolls her eyes at me as I huff a little.

A little incredulously Connie asked, “Any other fun facts or stories about y/n we should know?”

I roll my eyes but I can’t help but notice a spark of mischief wash across the entire Gaang.

Katara, my sweet angle baby, says “I feel like every story with y/n is a fun one. Even when things were tough she’s just…I don’t know, she’s like a ray of sunshine.”

I wasn’t expecting her to say something so heartfelt and I immediately blushed and looked down at my tray, suddenly feeling extremely bashful. Despite looking away, I could see just about every one of my new friends nodding in agreement.

Sokka manages to ruin the moment, though. “Yeah, she’s great when she’s not on death’s doorstep.”

This makes the Gaang cackle, and through my own laughter I say, “Fair enough.”

 But my new friends don’t see the humor.

Noticing the mirad of furrowed eyebrows, Suki lightheartedly says, “Oh, let me guess, she’s told you absolutely nothing about her past.”

Hange responds a little defensively, “No, she’s told us quite a lot. Just nothing about a near death experience…”

Snorts and scoffs can be heard coming from the Gaang which only deepens everyone else’s confusion. Suki points at me and continues, “If I know this one at all, she’s told you plenty about the four nations and our overall experiences but nothing even remotely personal. I mean, there’s a good five years of her life that we don’t even know anything about so I’d be surprised if y’all know. And, based on your faces, my guess is she hasn’t told you that she’s sort of on borrowed time-”

Sokka jumps in “Yeah, she’s like a cat with nine lives. Well…I guess it’d be what, six now?”

Confusion quickly turns to concern as I nod and dismissively say, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Seeing the worry on my squad’s faces, I quickly reassure them, “I mean, I’m here aren’t I? I’m all good. If anything that should make you guys feel better because it means I’m resilient as hell.”

Again, the Gaang laughs. Having been there through each of my brushes with death, they’ve accepted the same opinion about all of my close calls. Everyone else, however, is getting impatient.

Jean finally cuts us off. “Is anyone going to tell us what the fuck you’re talking about?!”

I smile and ruffle his hair across the table, immediately short circuting the kid. “Relax, Jean Boy. It’s not that big of a deal, I promise. But, if you must know, yes, I’ve had a few…close calls. The first one was when I was just honestly kind of in the way when Azula shot Aang with lightning. I was underneath him as he was entering the Avatar state and so I was the quickest path for the lightning to find the ground again. The second was during the Day of Black Sun invasion. It was before the end of the 100 year war. Just like I’ve explained that water benders get their strength from the moon, fire benders get theirs from the sun. So a solar eclipse gave us the perfect opportunity to invade the Fire Nation palace. They had anticipated our attack and retreated to some tunnels underground to wait out the eclipse and Sokka, Toph, Aang and I found Azula. Basically, she baited us into waiting until the sun came back out and the moment it did, she hit me close range with her fire. That would have been bad enough on its own seeing as she was about as close to me as I’m sitting to you right now, but something we didn’t explain earlier about Azula is that she’s a prodigy. She’s such a gifted fire bender that her flames burn blue because they’re thousands of degrees hotter than normal fire. It, um…it essentially melted about a third of my torso…”

As I trail off, Aang quietly says, “We might have been making light of the situation earlier, but that one was really scary. Y/n was basically unconscious for about a week.”

Trying not to let the atmosphere become too dark, I say, “But, thanks to Katara’s healing, I’m obviously fine now. Then, as we sort of alluded to earlier, there was the fight Azula and I had during Sozin’s Comet. She had tried to shoot Katara and I with lightning but Zuko jumped in the way. While Katara healed him, Azula and I fought and I redirected her lightning back at her. That’s what I thought killed her, actually. But, because that’s a really advanced move, it was my first time bending in three years, and the fact that it’s actually a fire bending move and not a water bending one, it also knocked me out. It kinda fried my chi and took a bit for me to recover.” I quickly added, “But again, I’m completely fine now so all of this is just kind of lore about me, I guess.”

There’s a long silence. Finally, after a silence that seemingly stretches on forever, it’s Eren that speaks for the first time in what feels like days. “You weren’t kidding when you said you’ve been through worse than that concussion you got in Shiganshina.”

I burst out laughing which prompts everyone else to join in.

Thank god someone broke that tension.

As eloquently as she says everything, Toph then states, “Bet she hasn’t told you she can fire bend either then, huh?”

My eyes go wide as there are a cacophony of gasps, whats, and huhs.

“No, no, no,” I say frantically looking between Toph and the rest of my friends, old and new. “I didn’t mention that because I can’t do it on command! Believe me, I’ve tried. I have fire bent twice in my life and it’s only ever happened when I’ve been beyond angry. Beyond furious, even.”

Glaring at Toph before realizing exactly who I was glaring at, I continue, “I had good reason not to tell you that I’ve done that because I didn’t want to get your hopes up that it was something that I could do or use regularly.”

I finish by mumbling, “Toph, I’m glaring at you by the way.”

Hange only seemed to hear what she wanted to out of that discussion, because she excitedly starts going on, “Y/n you are going to have to tell me everything about this! How it happened, what you did, everything! We are going to get you to firebend if it’s the last thing I do!”

Levi, seeming as curmudgeonly as ever, says, “Cool it shitty glasses. She said she can’t do it on command.”

The look that Katara and Suki exchange is not lost on me, but what’s more perplexing is the expression Hange immediately gets on her face. It’s both knowing and ornery, but I’m really surprised that she doesn’t press the issue or say anything that seems to warrant her face.

It’s Sokka that changes the subject this time, asking, “So, you gotten to spar any or have you been too busy bending now?”

Connie huffs out, “Has she ever.”

Again, this makes me laugh as I explain to the Gaang, “I’ve been helping them with their sparring lately. Eren asked for lessons to help his titan combat and everyone else has sort of tagged along. It’s been fun.”

“Damn, I was hoping you’d be outta practice so I could smoke your ass,” Sokka quipped.

“Sokka, I could have been in a vegetative state for the last two years and you still wouldn’t be able to smoke my ass,” I say matter-of-factly.

Everyone but Sokka laughs at this as he huffs, “Yeah?! Well…I’ve been practicing too! And I’ll have you know I’m in a totally different league than the fifteen year old boy you last sparred with!”

I raise my eyebrows and tease him, “Oh yeah, hot shot? You wanna bet on that one?”

Getting more indignant as everyone continues to laugh, Sokka all but shouts, “You know what? Yeah! Let’s spar!”

The disgust is evident on my face as I say, “Right now?”

“Yes! Right now! Let’s go to your little training field!” He shoots up as he speaks.

I sigh and begrudgingly stand up as well. As we walk towards the field I hear Toph somewhere behind me say, “My money is on y/n putting him down in less than four seconds.”

We get out to the field and at this point the sun has set and the ground is illuminated by an almost full moon. We take our stances across from each other and he pulls out his sword. 

Just as we’re about to start, I hear Levi call from the sidelines, “Does y/n have a weapon?”

Suddenly Sokka is exasperated, saying, “Yeah, do you?!”

I shrug dismissively. “I mean, I have my knives on me but I always have those. It’s never been a problem when we’ve sparred before.”

Sokka shakes his head violently. “Uh uh, no way. I’m not taking any chances.”

So, with a heavy eye roll, I take one knife from my waistband and the other from my ankle strap and chuck them at a tree on the side of the field, lodging one on top of the other.

With my hands out, I say, “There? Ya happy?” with clear annoyance in my voice.

“Very,” Sokka says with a grin.

I can tell there’s a slight commotion on the side but I’m not sure exactly what’s happening.

“She’s going to fight him without any weapons?” Levi asks, only barely concealing his concern.

Suki smugly responds, “Of course, wouldn’t want her to have an even more unfair advantage against him.”

Sokka swings his sword from the side and in one swift movement I block up and crank his arm backwards, trip him, and then pin him with his own weapon.

“Ha! Called it!” Toph cackles.

Sokka huffs and puffs as he swats my hand out of the way when I offer to help him up. As I hand him is sword back he immediately seems to ready himself for another round.

I raise an eyebrow. “Again, hot shot?”

Without another word, Sokka swings from the side just like he did before. I block up and grab his arm again, but instead of knocking him to the ground and pinning him I say, “You do realize the reason I beat you so fast every single time is because you start every fight we’ve ever had the exact same way, right?”

My comment seems to fluster him so I let go and motion for him to start again. This time he takes a different approach and I have to jump back to avoid being hit.

“Much better!” I say with genuine excitement.

He swings and jabs a few more times before I lay him out again. “See? That was much longer this time! Don’t be predictable.”

I go to help him up and this time he takes my hand, clearly done with this little experiment. I begin walking towards the tree where my knives are lodged when over my shoulder I hear, “I don’t think we’ve ever sparred.”

Turning around slowly, I see Zuko standing in the field, his dual swords already drawn and mischief written all over his face.

Cautiously, I say, “Is that so?”

Again, it’s Toph that makes a snide remark. “Yeah that’s because you two hated each other for a while.”

Making direct eyecontact with me Zuko says, “No, I never hated her.”

I choose not to respond, instead getting into a much more firm stance than I had held with Sokka.

He swings his blades artfully through the air and I do a dive roll over the top of them. While I’m still on the ground the tips of his swords come racing towards me and I have to roll back on my shoulders to avoid the front swing and then spring forward and onto my feet to avoid the back swing. 

At this point I’m within inches of him, but I bide my time before I strike. Our moves are almost perfectly in sync; as he swings left, I jump right. As he swoops right, I spin left. At one point he anticipates my dodge and fakes me out to swing in the direction I was planning on moving, forcing me to flip up and over his swords.

After this goes on for a few minutes, I figure that he’s probably tired enough to be exactly where I want him. So, for the first time since the start of the fight, I back up to a position where we’re squared off against each other. Just as he’s about to move in, I move in a flash; I throw a spinning kick that hits one blade, two blades, then his face. As I knock each sword out of his hands I’m quick to grab it in one fluid motion without breaking the momentum of my kick or letting the swords clatter to the ground. By the time my feet are back on the ground he’s reeling and I’m able to sweep his feet out from under him and pin him on his back, his own swords drawn in a cross over his neck.

We hold this position for a moment, both panting. He holds my gaze for longer than I’m comfortable with so I suddenly back off, getting up and handing his swords to him. Again, I move to retrieve my knives. With my back towards everyone, suddenly my hair stands on end all across my body.

I whip around just in time to see a fire ball hurling towards me. On instinct, I dissipate it just like I would water.

Then, I just stand there staring at Zuko, dumbfounded. With my palms towards the sky, all I can ask is, “What the fuck, Zuko?”

He doesn’t say anything, but even from across the field under nothing but the moon I can feel the fury radiating off of him. He throws another punch of fire my way, and I deal with it the same way I did before.

Now, I’m aggravated. I stand deathly still, eyes narrowing, one eyebrow raised as I practically growl, “I will give you one. chance. to rethink what you’re doing.”

For some reason, he didn’t take my threat seriously and decides to bend at me again. Without hesitation, I absolutely turn it on. Dodge his fire, grab ground water, blast him once with a large cannon of water. 

As he gets knocked back, I slowly approach where he stands and continue my onslaught. I freeze him in place and see him frantically try to melt my ice to no avail.

Stuck, he’s completely at my mercy. I get so close to him that he likely felt my breath fanning across his face. 

Keeping my voice threatening and low enough that only he could hear me say, “This has nothing to do with losing a sparring match. Get over it.” I liquify the ice and he stumbles a bit as I stand there watching him to make sure he doesn’t pull anything.

I turn around to walk away but I’m stopped cold when Zuko says, “✌︎⧫︎ ●︎♏︎♋︎⬧︎⧫︎ ✋︎ ♎︎♓︎♎︎■︎🕯︎⧫︎ 🙵♓︎●︎●︎ □︎◆︎❒︎ ♌︎♋︎♌︎⍓︎.” 

My blood runs cold, my eyes go wide, and my mouth drops open.

Did he really just say that?

As I’m trying to process, I’m overcome with rage at his sheer audacity. In a flash, I’ve spun around and elbowed him in the jaw before cracking him with a right hook, a left roundhouse, and grabbed his shoulders so I could thrust my knee into his solar plexus. By the time I was done everyone had descended and was trying to break up the fight, but I held firm to his collar.

Through gritted teeth I spat, “You’re a piece of shit Zuko. You’re no better than your father.” With that, I threw him on the ground before stalking off to rip my knives out of the tree. While people were busy tending to Zuko’s injuries, I slipped off unnoticed. At least, I had hoped I hadn’t been noticed. 

As I made my way to the roof, I was overcome with embarrassment.

Fuck, I hate losing my temper like that in front of people. 

I flop down on the ledge at the edge of the roof and stare at the sky, trying to force my anger to dissipate. At the sound of the door opening, I have a pretty good idea of who it is but without looking up I simply bite, “I’d like to be alone, thank you very much.”

Just as I had suspected, the steps that draw nearer to me indicate that it’s Levi that’s joined me. As he quietly sits down next to me, I try to pretend he isn’t there.

Little shit is quiet enough, I might as well still be alone.

We sit in this silence for a while and I do honestly forget he’s there after a bit. Actually, by the time he speaks up I’ve pretty much entirely cooled off.

Gently, he says, “You alright?”

I heave an extremely heavy sigh before sitting up and saying, “Yeah, I mean, I guess. Zuko just knows exactly how to get under my skin.”

Just as I had hoped, this was enough to satisfy Levi without having to go into anymore details. Now that I’m sitting up though, I see that he’s brought a cup with him. Nodding towards it I say, “That doesn’t look like tea.”

He snorts and passes it to me. As he does so he says, “You hit him with every ounce of strength you had. I figured your knuckles probably hurt so I thought you could use this to heal yourself.” He completely trails off towards the end, but I still heard him loud and clear.

As I take the cup from him I put my hand on his arm, causing him to snap his head towards me.

Damn, you’d think I’d just burnt him or something.

Without removing my hand and staring directly into his eyes -- Wow have his eyes always been this sparkley? -- I quietly say, “Thank you, Levi. That’s super thoughtful and I really appreciate it.”

Despite it still being the middle of the night, I can see that he blushes hard at what I just said. In fact, this was the first time I was absolutely certain that it was a blush that I saw and not just a byproduct of the environment.

Huh. I wonder if anyone has ever told him they appreciate him? They had to, right?

Silently, I bend the contents of the cup over my knuckles. Until he mentioned it, I hadn’t paid any mind to my cracked and bloodied knuckles but now that I’m actively thinking about it and healing them, they do smart quite a bit.

I’ve finished my healing in no time and throw the remaining water off the edge of the roof. As we continue to sit in silence, I’m suddenly struck by the fact that I’m actually glad to have company and, more than that, I’m glad it’s Levi as opposed to anyone else.

Huh. Maybe Katara and Suki were onto something.

[erisenyo]

For the ask game — may I humbly request Zukka + “You don’t have to stay” ? 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

For this prompt game!

“You don’t have to stay,” Sokka says, taking a deep breath and fighting back the stinging heat behind his eyes, his fancy new shoes squishing unpleasantly with gunky basement-floor water and his favorite pants probably getting ruined and tonight was supposed to be fun and perfect and sexy and instead it’s awful and—

“I know,” Zuko says, tossing down a roll of paper towels from the top of the basement stairs that Sokka reflexively catches before it smacks him in the face, his gold eyes going wide before he ducks quickly away, muttering something about towels.

“Fuck, this is just—” Terrible, horrible, the worst timing of his fucking life, of all times for the sub pump to back up it chooses now, when he’s about to— “Ridiculous,” he says, trying to force a laugh and casting around for something high enough off the ground to put the paper towels on because they…really aren’t going to be enough.

“You don’t have to stay,” he says when Zuko reappears with towels, wincing when he notices Zuko’s nice, lovely clothes traded out for a pair of Sokka’s ratty sweats.

“Okay,” Zuko says, lips pursed as he eyes the steadily widening pool of water. “Should we get stuff off the floor?”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Sokka groans, tossing the towels down as some flimsy stop gap of a barrier and squeezing his eyes shut as something twists in his chest when he goes to pick up the first cardboard box to find it already sopping and soaked through and fuck, he can’t even remember what’s in here but it’s probably ruined. “You don’t have to be here for this.”

“Hm,” Zuko grunts as he hefts up a box, casting around before shoving it on top of the washing machine and leaving a wet dirt-streak behind that makes Sokka’s stomach drop.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry—I can’t believe this is happening, it’s so—you don’t have to deal with this, it’s disgusting, and we were supposed to—” Well, Sokka had hoped for a lot of things, tonight. “You don’t have to—”

“Sokka,” Zuko cuts in, sharp enough to grab Sokka’s attention up off the dirty stain on his shirt. “I know,” Zuko says firmly, brow furrowed. “You don’t have to keep saying it.”

“Just,” Sokka flounders, “This isn’t what we planned, we were supposed to—”

“And life doesn’t always go as planned,” Zuko shrugs, like it’s that easy, like it doesn’t matter, like— “That doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere, right?”

Sokka opens his mouth and stalls out, throat suddenly tight and empty.

“Okay?” Zuko presses, somehow gentle and firm at the same time. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says as he eases the box out of Sokka’s hands, setting it down on a chair before grabbing at Sokka’s wrist, that determined-focused look on his face like he gets when he’s saying one thing but trying to make Sokka understand what he means because he doesn’t know how else to put it, and—and—

“Oh,” Sokka finally says, the word coming out small, his voice shaking in a way he doesn’t want to show but also…but also in a way he maybe doesn’t have to hold back?

“You don’t have to make it perfect for me, Sokka,” Zuko says, searching his face before giving him one of his quick, flashing little smiles. “It’s already perfect, just because it’s use,” he says, sweet and simple and devastating and almost shy as he leans in for a quick kiss that sets Sokka’s head buzzing, spinning, Sokka standing there feeling quietly stunned and warm as Zuko goes back to shifting boxes. Feel like he can just be for the first time…in he doesn’t know how long, doesn’t remember a time when he could just let go like that, but—

“Don’t forget to breathe,” Zuko says without looking up, amused, and Sokka huffs out a shaky laugh before sucking in a deep breath, then another, feeling more solid with each one and looking around the mess, his panicky thoughts finally tripping toward something useful—turn off the water, disconnect the pump, call Bato for his shop vac.

He can’t actually stop right now, he actually needs to take care of this, sooner rather than later. But…it doesn’t have to be perfect, maybe. To still be okay.

[kagayakuseiza]

So I finished the Netflix live action AtLA last night... it wasn't terrible. The original is still better, of course. Cue string of disorganized thoughts on it...

Is it just me, or does the actor playing Sokka in live action look more like the Ember Island Players version of Sokka than the actual Sokka? Did anyone else get that impression?

One of the first things I noticed was when we got a herd of CGI flying bison, they were blurred into the background and/or obstructed by light beams, so I immediately wondered if they were going to be trying to cover up bad CGI throughout the series. Buuuuut when we see Appa up close as Aang is talking to him, he actually looks decent. CGI Momo on the other hand... he looks very similar to how he did in the cartoon, and that's the problem with him. He looks out of place in the live action series.

The bending effects actually look pretty good. This, coupled with actors that have actually trained in martial arts, makes for decent fight scenes... though I'm probably not the best judge of that.

Not as many fun moments as the original... I guess they were going for a more serious tone, but it did still manage to make me laugh at times. I was glad that they kept in Cabbage Man, and the minstrels that sing the secret tunnel song.

I didn't like how they changed Bumi... Rather than messing with Aang for fun while delivering his message, he just... forces him into a duel to the death to try to teach him about making impossible decisions. Granted, it ends well, but still... eh, just didn't like how that was done, and the points that were made (war requiring impossible choices and Aang knowing that he can rely on his friends) were points that were made at other points in the series, so it just didn't feel necessary to change that part.

Another thing that kind of bugged me was that although Katara still wears her iconic necklace, its significance is not at all mentioned, which is disappointing. So Pakkun changing his mind about women water bending doesn't come from the realization that Katara's Gran Gran was the woman he loved, who left the northern water tribe. Noooo, instead, they have this series go out of its way to say "look how amazingly feminist we are!" Like... the anti-sexism message was clear in the original, and it came across more naturally. This version feels like they're trying too hard to drive home the point.

There were some changes that I actually liked though. Zuko's outburst during the war meeting where he protests the plan to sacrifice the 41st division is there with different dialogue but the same point. But having Ozai then send them with Zuko in his exile saying he can have the 41st division if he's so concerned about them was a nice touch. As Iroh notes, they are alive because of Zuko's sacrifice.

Sooo... as far as live action remakes go, it's ok. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being Dragon Ball Evolution, and 10 being the Netflix live action One Piece, I would give this maybe a 6 or 7. The original is better, but this version still has the same core story so far, and it doesn't suck.

As a side note, I know that one of the reasons for live action remakes is to reach the segment of the audience who simply won't watch something if it's animated. And just... can we please kill the ridiculous stigma that says "cartoons are for kids"??? Animation is simply the best medium for some stories, and it is absolute ludicrous that the medium of a story's portrayal would be what determines what demographic should be watching it. Japan seems to get this; if only the west did, too.

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

I've been cooking this one up for a while but early 90s (like set between 91 to 92) college au. Mai, Suki, and zuko are goths who does sokka's makeup every chance they get. they would chilling in sokka's dorm, and Mai would be like "someone hand me the white face paint".

the rest of the gaang + azula/ty lee is still in high school. they're doing a HS trip of the college. azula sees zuko and Mai eating lunch. she gets the attention of the tour guide, points at them, and says "I want THEM to tour us." also azula loves calling Mai and zuko, "Gomez and morticia".

she also does not hesitate to call zuko 'koko' in public and she will do it every time she sees him.

when toph is bored, she likes to fuck around with katara's answering machine at the ungodly hours of night. like when all the tv goes off (bc back in those days, the TV literally turned off. like It was just static), she'll call her, knowing she won't answer and just fuck around. katara would like wake up to fifteen messages on the answering message, all from toph. half of them are just her rambling about random ass shit, and the other half is jokes. Gran Gran would be like "your friend surely does talk a lot."

yue comes into town. she ends up going to the college and meets sokka, whom she becomes friends with. she's really heavily impacted katara's sense in fashion and makeup. yue's fashion & makeup is inspired by the 60s and 70s. she wears a lot of flowy dresses, skirts, and shirts. a lot of white, light blue, and other light colors in the blue family. yue teached katara some brown girl makeup hacks bc she knows how hard it is to find makeup for brown skin. she used to take katara shopping too like she was like the big sister she never had 😭

then zhao did some shit and yue & her family had to move.

SO SOKKA HAD A CAMCORDER WHICH WAS HIS DAD'S AND HE USES IT TO RECORD RANDOM SHIT AND DAY TO DAY LIFE 😭. one of the tapes was sokka and zuko trying to bring up their TV up the stairs since they just brought it. suki was recording. sokka's hand slips and the tv goes down the stairs and breaks. it just gasps and a beat of slience 😭.

and POLAROIDS. SO MANY POLAROIDS.

NDJISNDCNUOXSANUAOXSXNOSAUONAXSUUONASXNUO YOU GENIUS YOU INCREDIBLE HUMAN EATING THIS SHOVING IT IN MY MOUTH THROWING UP!!!!

ohhhhhhhh this gives me so many ideas. I could rave about every single one of these. Katara yue Bestiesm yes pls sharing makeup + fashion ideas would be so them. The 90s college vibes in fic are always immaculate and THIS. Sokka would absolutely use a camcorder ohhhhh I can see it. Nothing has ever been more canon than that. Him recording so many little fun aspects of their life and he gives it as a present to the friend group- like a lil memories vhs thingy. ALSO THE POLAROIDSSSS YES YES. omg that’s immediately reminding me of the wonderful @petricorah ‘s All Time art of modern au zukka in a Polaroid. I need more vibes like this I’ll invest actually.

Also thank u for truthing abt Zuko mai and suki gothism bc it’s so important to me. Also that toph and katara anecdote IM ROLLINGGG. SHE WOULD 💀. like she is such A Little Shit and would make Katara’s life hell (also god forbid in a modern modern au someone gives her discord. she’d abuse the /tts command to its full potential.)

Also omg Gomez and morticia so true bc mai is the hot unbothered kick ass goth lady and Zuko just. follows her around. adores n admires. as he should.

oh and I saw this addition and wanted it to be in the same post cuz. it’s just so amazing I’m LAUGHINGGGG

THIS IS SO CANON SO TRUE THEY WOULD DESTROOOOYYY EACH OTHER FOR THOSE YEARBOOK PICTURES. and like. what’s funny is Zuko’s one is kinda canon. Iroh absolutely did his hair in hs bc that boy was an awkward mess and had no time to worry about his appearance.

this is literally giving me life omfg thank u for this

[forabeatofadrum]

What’s poppin’ LGBTs! Happy “we should totally stab Caesar day!” to all who celebrate, but most importantly happy 12 year anniversary to Kurt and Blaine 😌.

Back due to popular demand (jk?): more thesis talk! As promised, I discussed with my thesis supervisor whether or not I can share my thesis and the answer is yes! I, of course, didn’t mention to her that I am currently sharing my thesis through snippets on my fanfiction Tumblr blog, but alas, wat niet weet wat niet deert. But once I have the finished version (hopefully end June, for pride month, how appropriate!) I can send it to people if I want to. It will still be in Dutch but again ask me in 4 months what to do for my international audience (so weird to say about a thesis).

But yeah to celebrate the news 🥳, have some more of the thesis, aka my WIP for the next couple of months. On Sunday we talked about possible reasons why there are more queer men than women in media (I also added a third reason: Bury Your Gays). I described how heteroflexibility complicates what constitutes as queer representation, since women who have relations with other women aren’t always portrayed as queer, but there’s also a flip side to this:

In Russo's (2014) article on queer female fandom, a distinction is also made between subtext and maintext. The subtext consists of homoerotic elements and the discourse surrounding it. Maintext is the explicit queer representation. The boundary between subtext and main text is not always clear (Russo, 2014). Queer female fandom consists largely of queer women and these queer interpretations stem from a combination of personal and political wishes (Russo, 2014, 2017). This makes the questions surrounding the representation of queer women more complex. Heteroflexibility ensures that not all women who enter into relationships with other women are queer (Annati & Ramsey, 2022; DeCeuninck & Dhoest, 2016; Diamond, 2005; Jackson & Gilbertson, 2009), but on the other hand, queer subtext ensures that that “straight” women are perceived as queer and sometimes fans are more enthusiastic about those characters than explicit representation (Ng & Russo, 2017). Often these "straight" women are also seen as queer representation (McNicholas Smith, 2020a). This shows that queer representation is more complex than previously thought. 

(Dutch under the cut, together with the tags, for the few Dutchies who might prefer to read it in Dutch, since academics can be a bitch.)

Yes, this is technically about Faberry. Literally every paper on this phenomenon I’ve read mentions Faberry and a ship from Xena: Warrior Princess. It’s an interesting thing, because is a character like Quinn Fabray queer? (Fun fact, she also falls underneath the whole heteroflexibility mess after I Do.) I mean, I once had to write a paper on representation in Glee and it hurt me to call her straight (@blurglesmurfklaine remember the “Quinn is straight. Fans disagreed.” line?), but on the other hand it is questionable when straight characters sometimes get more love and recognition than actual on-screen canon representation. I also love pissing off straight people by claiming that Zuko is gay, but Korra is right there, amirite? I didn’t want to add too much text here in this post, but I did give a historical reasoning behind this phenomenon. This is just another interesting thing in a list of interesting things.

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos​ @blurglesmurfklaine​ @coffeegleek​ @esperantoauthor​ @otherworldsivelivedin​ @caramelcoffeeaddict​ @sillyunicorn​ @bazzybelle​ @dragoneggos​ @raenestee​ @tectonicduck​ @nightimedreamersworld​ @urban-sith​ @thnxforknowingme​ @captain-aralias​ @you-remind-me-of-the-babe​ @takitalks​ @justgleekout​ @cerriddwenluna​ @tea-brigade​ @ivelovedhimthroughworse​ @moodandmist​ @whogaveyoupermission​ @bookish-bogwitch​ @confused-bi-queer​ @aroace-genderfluid-sheep​ @ionlydrinkhotwater​ @1908jmd​ @special-bc-ur-part-of-it​ @larkral​ @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​​ @cutestkilla​​ @nausikaaa​​/@wellbelesbian​​ @artsyunderstudy​​ @martsonmars​​ @facewithoutheart​​ @shrekgogurt​ @boyinjeans​

[akiizayoi4869]

It's been a long time since I made this AU or talked about it, but thankfully I remember it. It's not very Iroh or Zuko friendly though. I made them the antagonists in this story bc in this AU neither had any reason to be redeemed.

Also I really liked the idea of having Iroh be the bad guy because I thought it'd be fun to have the Gaang be against a very capable antagonist (not that Azula isn't, she definitely is, but I always got the feeling that Iroh would be much more capable than her if he actually wanted to fight and that it was a very good thing he was redeemed before canon). Also this AU used to be "Zuko pretends to be good and a teacher so he can capture them later" until I realized it makes perfect sense for Azula. So Azula's arc mimics Zuko's in a way.

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

(tw death, marriage, arranged marriage, abandonment, genocide, abuse, betrayal)

So Lu Ten never died (I actually don't want him to be part of this story. So maybe he doesn't even exist), so Iroh took over Ba Sing Sae. He also adopted Zuko. Ursa's out of the picture. I don't know how, but when I do figure it out I'll make her a larger part of the story. The original plan was that after the Angi Kai Ursa took Zuko and appealed to Iroh for help, which he granted. So now they live with Iroh.

Azula kind of was left behind, though, with Ozai. She and Ozai were kind of disgraced bc what did they do compared to the amazing awesome dragon of the west.

Then the Avatar arrives, and Ozai sees an opportunity. He wanted to do it himself, but Azula volunteers herself. She doesn't want to be in the arranged marriage Ozai's planning for her (to get more status). On Ozai's orders, she cuts her hair and dyes it so Iroh and Zuko will have a harder time recognizing her (he doesn't want them to know it's Azula daughter of Ozai doing this until it's too late. Bc that's probably treason and bad.)

Then she fakes joining the gaang to backstab them. And they need a firebending teacher. Perfect opportunity. But then Zuko and Iroh show up. And Azula has to help the Gaang from being captured, and she's the only one skilled enough to actually do something. Which makes her an enemy of the fire nation.

Ozai ends up pretending he doesn't have a daughter anymore once news gets out.

And therefore Azula is pretty much stuck now. She can't go home without Aang, bc Ozai will punish her for making such a huge mess.

She now has to find a way to bring Aang to Ozai without being caught while plausibly pretending to help the gaang while sabotaging their plans. I don't have any scenes from this point on, beyond Azula freaking out once the Gaang realizes that firebenders loose their bending on the day of the black sun and trying to figure out if she should tell about the invasion plans or not.

Though if I had to give a guess, Azula likely spends a lot of time thinking about when to betray the gaang and how to do so (she only has one shot at betraying the Gaang, she doesn't want to loose it until she's 100% certain it's possible) and eventually ends up not doing anything until she's a certified enemy of the fire nation and it's too late. The fact that she doesn't want to do anything suspicious helps.

There's a period where she considers joining Iroh and Zuko in the process, by appealing to Ursa. I don't know if she does it or not.

Mai likely helps Zuko (though she does recognize Azula but doesn't tell anyone) while Ty Lee is on Azula's side. With Ty Lee's help the Gaang can actually beat Zuko and Iroh most of the time.

Oh damn, this is a really interesting au idea! I would love to read it if you ever wrote it.

[kourtniwritesagain]

Could you write a fic where Aang is teasing Katara, so she and Toph pin him down and tickle him with raspberries? Thanks!

"Katara, you're slower than I am. That's ok! It's nothing to be ashamed of!" Aang teased, yet again.

Katara had listened to him calling her slow for the last five minutes, and frankly, she'd had enough. Even Toph was telling the Avatar to get some new material.

"Okay, that's it! Toph!"

"Yeah?"

"Rock cuffs."

Toph grinned. Aang gulped.

"K-Katara! There's no need for that! I'm sorry!"

"Too late!" Toph replies instead of the water bender. In less than 10 seconds, Aang was on his back, his hands and feet immobilized in rock, and his sides and knees were being tickled mercilessly.

"Nohohoho!"

Katara and Toph double teamed him, striking all of his most ticklish spots at once.

"Man, it's a good thing Zuko is on our side now, if he'd known about your little weakness beforehand, you'd've been bullshark meat!" Toph teased.

"Oh Zuko is just as ruthless when it comes to tickling Aang," said Katara with a smirk. "Maybe we should ask him to join the fun!"

"NO! Plehehease!" Aang begged.

Katara and Toph just laughed, moving as a unit while they squeezed Aang's sides and knees. Toph made sure to wriggle a few of her free fingers behind Aang's knees, which made the Avatar dissolve into ridiculous giggles. The moment Katara's hands slid up to Aang's stomach, though, the air bender let out a loud cackle and the rocks holding him in place broke. He immediately curled up in the fetal position. Toph and Katara ceases their attack and laughed.

"Don't mess with the dream team!" Katara scolded playfully.

"Next time we'll see just how much those toes of yours twinkle." Toph warned.

Aang shivered at the threat and held up a thumbs up.