#the pretending to care about Katara is what really gets me cause she's never even implied to have romantic feelings for him

[fromtheseventhhell]

Zutaras are really the original self-insert, "we understand the story soooooo much better than everybody else" girlies and they just never moved on

[tiny-katara]

Zuko’s happiest moments in the show happened when he was with Mai. He smiled the most when he was with her and when Sokka asked her about Mai he also smiled. If you hate Maiko you hate Zuko. Mai is the one who makes him happy not Katara. If you really wanted Zuko to be happy you would ship Maiko but we all know Zutara shippers don’t really care about Zuko.

this... this is a joke right??? his happiest moments!? anon, i have terrible news for you.

zuko is canonically having the worst time of his life in the fire nation. the entire point of zuko returning to the fire nation is prove that being home isn’t going to make him happy. that’s literally an essential part of his arc. if zuko had left with katara in the catacombs, he would remain unsure of whether or not he made the right choice. he wouldn’t be sure that he didn’t miss out on home and his father’s love. going home and getting everything zuko thought he wanted is essential for the completion of his redemption arc. there’s nothing more he could want from home! he’s got a throne, he’s got the girl, he’s got power, he’s got his father’s “love,” zuko has it all, so why is he still unhappy???

a huge part of why our lovely zuko is so unhappy is that he’s pretending. he’s unable to be himself and spends all his time in the fire nation playing a role: the son ozai always wanted. zuko pretends to be confident to the point of arrogance, he pretends he's a hardened war strategist, and he pretends that he feels better than those around him. crown prince zuko is not the same plain ol' zuko. regular zuko cares very passionately and very deeply about doing what is right. his conscious and morals weigh on him heavily if he does something that contradicts them. he is empathetic and understands the pain that others are going through, a huge part of his arc in book 2. it is in zuko’s nature to care about the world, about people, about things. it’s just who he is.

mai as a character is apathetic and doesn’t have a strong sense of morality. it just isn’t something that concerns her. that’s just how she’s characterized. she obviously does care about things/people, but not many. mai’s motivations are often self-serving in nature, such as joining azula purely for the thrill of it. mai never does anything simply because it’s the right thing to do. she always has a personal stake in what she does and to be perfectly honest there’s nothing inherently wrong with being selfish if it doesn’t actively harm other people. 

things get sticky when you stick these two people together. mai and zuko are just so vastly different, it leads to a lot of problems. zuko doesn’t get why mai doesn’t express herself and keeps everything bottled up, which is literally canon based on the beach episode. mai doesn’t understand zuko either, as she’s very confused as to why he leaves the palace at all because to her it just seemed like things were perfect. she doesn’t know why he blows up and why he just generally cares so much. they just literally don’t get each other and that’s not a good foundation for a relationship believe it or not. 

another issue is that mai is dating crown prince zuko and is completely satisfied with that, aka the zuko that zuko is pretending to be. when the real zuko slips out, the passionate and headstrong zuko, she is irritated that he can’t keep his feelings in check. she doesn’t encourage him to grow and would prefer he stay the perfect little fire nation prince she fell for. this literally just all goes to show that mai doesn’t even like zuko, she likes the idea of him, which would be fine if she wasn’t projecting it onto him. mai needs someone she actually likes the personality of lol. 

speaking of the beach episode, that’s a like showcase of why they don’t work. mai doesn’t get zuko’s “romantic gestures” and her lack of affection for these makes zuko very insecure, causing him to act out. it is important to note that zuko’s actions are not in anyway condoned by me, but i am saying that they understandable. zuko was acting ridiculously and his jealousy was out of control, but he was ignored by mai all day and from his perspective she was showing no interest in anything he did and more in some random guy--that’ll mess with your head. and again, zuko should not have had his little beach party meltdown, but the points stands that they misunderstood each other so badly it spiraled to that point.

i really don’t why not liking maiko makes me hate zuko. disregarding the fact that she absolutely does not make him as happy as you’d like to claim, your romantic partner isn’t, or rather shouldn't be, your only source of joy. do you mean to tell me that zuko isn’t happy when he is joking with the gaang about chasing them around? are you claiming zuko wasn’t happy when he and toph bonded over his uncle? are you seriously going to tell me that zuko isn’t happy during that hug on the ember island dock with katara, one of his most soft and genuine moments, if not his absolute softest moment? that would be absolutely ridiculous.

now, saying that i don’t care about zuko is kind of ironic, because it really seems like mai is the one who doesn’t care about zuko. when your partner opens up about their fears, concerns, and deeply emotional moments, the response is never playing it off as a joke and going “don’t worry.” that is literally one of the most unhelpful things mai could have done in that situation like what do you even mean zutara shipppers don’t care about zuko??? don’t you want him to have someone who understands him emotionally? someone who is there for him in those moments of fear and doubt? someone who sees the good in him even when no one else except his uncle could??? like bestie, you have absolutely no legs to stand on here. go home and think about what zuko really needs, and you’ll find it isn’t an apathetic girl that doesn’t understand him.

[juniperhillpatient]

in the interest of distracting myself from writing my fic continuing to discuss observations about my ATLA re-watch, I'm gonna revert from my usual form of pretending the Kataan.g Vs. Zutara argument doesn't exist (because it's an aspect of fandom that annoys me since I'm not into either ship) & instead I'm gonna just blatantly make fun of the show.

because re-watching from the start it's actually hilarious (warning this is fully a hater post) how poorly written the Katara / Aang "romance" (& calling it that is a HUGE stretch) arc is. like, I have no skin in this game. I don't particularly care if ships are canon. y'all have seen my ao3, my main ship is Azutara. I do not give a fuck if ships I like are canon. I don't really ship Zutara, although I totally get the appeal, it just doesn't scratch that itch that's required for me to get excited about a ship ya know?

so, like, as someone who has no skin in this game, it's just kind of comical? in a way? why on EARTH did they write 3 seasons of Katara not being super into Aang as anything but a friend while he thirsts after her, have a guru tell Aang that he should let go of his feelings for Katara, have Aang kiss Katara & her not be into right before the finale & STILL have them as endgame? and like....if that's not stupid enough (& it really should be lmao) they give Katara & Zuko this intense personal scene between them in the catacombs, & I'm all for platonic bonds but it's been established with Jet that Katara likes bad boys who are a bit haunted (& tbh I'm a Jetara shipper like full disclosure I wish Katara had ended up with Jet if she had to "end up" with anyone) & it's really hard to deny that the framing is romantic when later persistent jokes about Zuko & Katara being a couple are made.

then....then.....in the finale. in the show's finale. Zuko dives in front of lightning to save Katara.

......and she....still ends up with Aang?

y'all. I do not even fucking ship Zutara. I know it sounds like I do, but like, I actually don't care about it as anything but a friendship. personally don't really think Katara should've "ended up" with a guy at all since that's not really the point of the show. I'm literally just making observations about the writing & objectively the way this is framed is fucking insane to me

what the fuck were they doing? I've never seen a show fuck up their main romance so badly lmao

ok. I'm done. I won't mention this again for a while. I REALLY don't want to become someone who makes a habit out of / makes my blog about / trashing ships. but I legit just had to get this one super petty post about this out 'cause I can't get over how hilariously dirty this show did their main character's romance lmao what the fuuck

[fakeikemen]

Katara's Grief

(This is my first attempt at a meta post and I know that this has probably been already done but I just needed to get it off my chest and go on a little rant and it kinda got long so bear with me.)

A lot of the hate on Katara stems from the fact that she keeps on mentioning her mother's death at every chance she gets and invalidates other people's pain to assert that her suffering is the worst of the lot.

And even though everybody is entitled to their own opinions, I'm gonna point out why I think the aforesaid claims are not exactly correct.

First we'll take a look at; Katara's Backstory:

We know that Kya is killed in a fire nation raid and that Katara had been the last person to see her alive before she leaves the tent on her mother's insistence. Only to come back a few moments later and find her dead body. This, in itself is a traumatising event.

So yes, her mother died. Other people in the story go through far worse. You're not wrong when you say that.

But what is more important in Katara's story is the aftermath of her mother's death.

As Sokka says while talking to Toph in "The Runaway" in B3 Ep7:

Sokka: When our mom died, that was the hardest time in my life. Our family was a mess, but Katara? She had so much strength. She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom.

As an eight year old, she had to force herself to grow up to step into her mother's shoes and raise herself and her elder brother and simultaneously look after the entire village after her father left to fight in the war. She had to do all of it by herself.

In face of all her responsibilities, she never really had the chance to simply be a grieving child lamenting the loss of her mother. She habituated herself to caring more about others than herself (We see this trait in the entire series as she acts as the stand-in mom friend for the entire Gaang with an exception of Suki and Zuko). She ended up bottling her feelings of grief, resentment, guilt and rage deep within herself.

She had to give up an extensive part of her childhood where most children focus on figuring themselves out, to become a mature and responsible person who was working as the immovable pillar holding up the family and even the whole village not much later.

She put up a strong front to help others and pretended to be fine even though she was hurting inside the whole time.

She could never find any closure from the situation. She never got over it.

Moving on to the criticisms:

1. Katara keeps on mentioning her mother like a broken record:

Here are the number of times Katara mentions her mother's death (not sure if that's all of it, lmk if there are any others):

1. In her first scene with Sokka

Katara: Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!

2. A short while after she meets Aang

Katara: Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother, and they could have done the same to your people.

3. A short while after she meets Haru

Katara: I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her.

4. A short while after she meets Jet

Katara: Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation.

5. In the swamp after she sees a vision of her mother

Katara: I thought I saw Mom.

6. In the Crystal Catacombs with Zuko

Katara: I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me personally! The Fire Nation took my mother away from me.

7. A short while after she meets Hama

Katara: We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid.

8. Repeated mentions in The Southern Raiders episode

(Most of the episode basically)

The first mention with Sokka is in the middle of a siblings' spat where she tells off Sokka for trying to act as if he were superior when it was obvious that in the face of the gaping hole that was left by Kya's sudden death, Katara had shouldered much more responsibility.

When she tells it to Aang, she uses it as a proof that the Fire Nation is capable of immense cruelty and destruction.

The Gaang travel all around the world and meet different people affected by the war in different ways. So when Haru, Jet and Hama narrate their own stories, Katara sympathises with them and talks about Kya's death in lieu of "I understand, the Fire Nation hurt me too."

After they got separated, Aang, Sokka and Katara each had their visions and after they get back together, they all mention their visions and so does Katara.

When left alone in catacombs with Zuko, whom she considered as the face of the Fire Nation— the same Fire Nation that had her mother killed and forced her father to leave to fight in the war, she has a meltdown where she rightfully accuses him of all the bad things he's done and then breaks down while talking about how the war has cost her i.e., by causing her mother's death.

The Southern Raiders is the episode where Katara hunts down the man responsible for her mother's death. If you think mentioning Kya repeatedly in this episode is uncalled for, then I don't know what to tell you.

In all the incidents mentioned above, Katara mentioning her mother's death is a very natural occurrence is the respective conversations. She mostly talks about Kya's death to either extend her sympathy or to use it as an example of the ruthlessness of the Fire Nation.

Another fact to be noted is that 70% of the Gaang's storyline is followed via Katara from a narrative point of view. Plus, being the mom-friend, she acts as the spokesperson. Considering that Kya's death is a major event that played a huge role in shaping Katara's life and is also the source of her severe, unresolved trauma, which acts as the driving force of her story, it is only natural that she brings up this topic whenever she is engaging in a deeper conversation.

It is us as the viewers who have seen her from the start and already know about her mother's death and we see her talking to multiple people about it. Which is why it might come across as repetitive to some people.

While, Kya's death is not necessary information that everyone needs to know, Katara talking about it never comes across as a forced or unnatural.

2. Katara invalidates others' pain because she thinks she has suffered the most:

First of all, if anything, Katara is the most empathetic person of them all. As the mom-friend of the group, not only is she their constant moral support, she also helps them untangle and sort out their own feelings. She is also able to tap into issues that aren't said out loud.

Instances of Katara helping and supporting Aang, emotionally are uncountable.

She is the first one to notice Sokka's sour mood in B3 Ep4 "Sokka's Master". And even though his insecurities seem baseless, she validates him (by saying "I'm sorry you're feeling so down" instead of something like "That's a dumb thing to say") and knows exactly what to do to cheer him up.

In B3 Ep7 "The Runaway" she has the insight to understand that Toph's unruly behaviour is caused by the mixed feelings she has about her parents even though Toph's herself never talked about it.

She even reaches out to Zuko in B2 Ep19 "Crossroads of Destiny" even though she used to think of him as the face of the enemy.

But then there's The Southern Raiders.

Ah yes, that episode where Katara is extremely OOC and a total b*tch.

Agreed that she said some things that she definitely shouldn't have said. But like, she's just 14?? And has been hurting on the inside since she was 8?? And pretended to be fine just for the sake of other people?? Like, there's a limit to how much she can have her shit under control?? And she did a real good job of Sokka's upbringing and taking care of the village and taking care of Gaang on her own?? Some people out there are really willing to forget everything she has ever done just because she was mean for 5 minutes?? A traumatised 14 yo shouldn't be villianised and called toxic because she got mad and lashed out at people that one time??

But here's my take on the scene anyway:

When Aang gets to know that she's going to go face her mother's killer:

Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?

Katara: I knew you wouldn't understand. 

Aang is a non-confrontational person who prefers running away from difficult situations as opposed to Katara who firmly stands her ground and is never afraid of confrontations. Katara had approached Aang only hoping that he would understand. But going by his dismissal, he obviously doesn't understand the burning need that she has to confront the man who had single-handedly destroyed her childhood. (Most people infer that what Katara means is that she thinks that Aang doesn't understand the pain of losing people. And so does Aang, I guess)

But things start getting even more tricky when:

Aang: Katara, you sound like Jet.

In all honesty, this is probably the most insensitive thing that she could've heard from anyone right then, let alone one of her closest friends. Hearing herself being compared to a homicidal maniac just because she wants to avenge her mother's killer. (No, I'm not justifying murder but there's a clear difference between homicide and avenging someone's death. And Aang may not be my favourite character but I do love him but this wasn't really a good thing to say either. And he wasn't even mentally distressed in the very least to be completely lacking tact or a filter.)

And then the situation escalates:

Sokka: Katara, she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right.

Katara: Then you didn't love her the way I did!

After 6 long years of Katara bottling in her dark feelings and letting them fester inside herself, she is finally letting them out and the first things she faces in a span of few minutes are outright rejection, invalidation of her feelings, comparison to a homicidal maniac and nothing akin to the unconditional support that she has provided to everybody. Her own brother tells her that he is siding with the boy who just compared her to a homicidal maniac.

Yes, accusing your own brother of not loving your mother enough is a very cruel thing to do. But both Sokka and Katara know that she doesn't entirely mean it.

But also, there is one very important factor in here:

In B3 Ep7 "The Runaway", Sokka says to Toph:

Sokka: I'm gonna tell you something crazy. I never told anyone this before, but honestly? I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like. It really seems like my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there. And now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture. 

Katara overhears this conversation just as Sokka had meant her to.

This dialogue lets us know that Sokka's coping mechanism has made him suppress all memories of Kya and replace them with memories of Katara in order to attain a semblance of normalcy.

Both Katara and Sokka had very different ways of coping with Kya's death. Katara pressed down her feelings and tried her best to pretend to ignore them while Sokka partially succeeded in forgetting her.

When Katara first hears these words she is shown to be crying. But if she were to remember these very words while she was justifying herself infront of her own brother and a close friend for wanting to avenge her mother, it would've had a negative impact on her.

In her rage, she would've thought: "Of course he doesn't want to avenge mom. Because he doesn't think it's worth it and that's because he doesn't even remember enough of her to be mad about her death."

And for someone who has spent each day of the last 6 years trying to fill in the shoes of her mother and experiencing her absence everyday, the idea of forgetting her mother is a ridiculous concept to her.

Her thoughts would have quickly derailed to: "He didn't love her enough to remember her."

In light of these thoughts, saying "Then you didn't love her the way I did" doesn't feel out of the blue.

No, I am definitely not justifying what she said, I'm just laying out a possible explanation to why she said what she said.

Yes, she should've apologized to Sokka for this and I think that they definitely should've had a long conversation about their mother's death and how it affected them. Between Katara supressing her feelings and Sokka supressing his memories, i don't think they ever had this conversation.

But sadly we are given neither of these scenes.

Tl;dr: Everytime Katara mentions her mother, it's with good reason and I don't think it's fair to call a character toxic when they lack a mind to mouth filter for 5 minutes and say some mean things. And considering all that Katara has done for everybody, it isn't fair at all.

Peace out!

[sasuhinasno1fan]

The way you had your hair reminds me- Zutara Week Day 1

My second Zutara Week though I hope I can actually finish it this time. I decided I really wanted to do something with Katara doing rhythmic gymnastics so I decided that since most of the prompts fit, I’ll do a sort of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo AU. It’s a good kdrama if you’ve never heard of it. trying to fit 16 hour long episodes into 7 days is gonna be interesting. I’ll warn you now and let you know there will be onesided LuTara but for like a day maybe. I haven’t written that day yet so we’ll see. This will end in Zutara happieness, I promise. Anyway, enjoy. Hair

Zuko crawled carefully as he wiped down the windows. Most of his classmates didn’t want him anywhere near an open area, especially with his limited vision but he’d just gotten his bandaged taken off and he wasn’t about to let it hinder him.

Without them on, he didn’t see Mom flinch at the sight of them, though the massive burn wasn’t any better. The fights between his parents weren’t either and Azula’s teasing was starting to be hurtful more than playful. He wanted it all to stop. If he pretended that things were ok, maybe they would be eventually.

“Hey scarface!” Zuko looked over, 3 of his school bullies storming over. He tried not to flinch, already knowing what they were going to yell at him about. They’d been doing it all day. “We lost the race thanks to you!”

Zuko used to be more confident. But after the burns, a few harsh words and he’d start retreating back down into himself. These bullies took advantage of it. During their Sports Day yesterday, Zuko had dropped the baton in the relay race and ran in the opposite direction, away from the bullies yelling at him.

“Mr. Reversal, can’t believe you’re so stupid.”

“You need a walking stick, scarface? Huh?”

Zuko felt one of them shove him and he expected to hit the window frame. Instead, he went flying out the open window. Years later, Zuko would mostly remember him being caught by an older man with darker skin, most likely from one of the Water Tribes, with kind blue eyes, who held him as he burst into tears and two younger children. The boy patted his back, telling him not to worry because his sister would take care of it and the girl screaming up at the bullies from the ground floor. Her long braid swung back and forth as she shook her fists and threatened to do violent things to them. her eyes seemed bluer than her families, like the clearest ocean.

He didn’t know they’d slip back into his life years later. That the little girl who threatened bullies for a boy she didn’t know, would become so much more important to him.

                                             ________________

Zuko unlocked his bike, trying not to feel discouraged. It was hard not to when he’d been disqualified from another competition for having a panic attack. Every time he walked onto the mat, his hearing would go wonky and he’d start seeing double, not to mention his heart beating like it was trying to escape his chest. As a result, he’d always forget to sault his opponent and the referee.

Along with being propositioned to train an up-and-coming fencer to get onto the national Olympic team – which he refused because how was he supposed to help someone when he could even finish a match – all he wanted to do was collapse onto his bed. He could already tell that during training tomorrow, he’d have to deal with snide remarks from Jett. How that guy became captain, he’d never know. He knew if he just beat him in training like always, it would piss him off even more and with the school’s Sports Day coming up, he was not in the mood to do the worst event for the Fencing Department.

He climbed on his bike, adjusting his kit sitting on its place but stopping himself from peddling back to campus when his phone rang.

“What Sokka?”

“So, the results of the match went up. Jett wants to talk to you; says he’s got the prefect thing for you to do to make up for your loss. The rice lifting challenge.”

Zuko had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. The idea of the lifting challenge was to carry as many bags of rice and the industrial size, like the one the school cafeteria ordered and hold it for as long as possible. Usually, the Karate Department would be the one to win, fencing never even coming close.

“I’m not going.” Zuko said, making up his mind.

“What?”

“I’ll hang out at Lu Ten’s office or something, but I’m not going. Not to the crapshot of a meeting or to Sports Day. I don’t care what he threatens me with. I’m only coming back to drop my kit off.”

“Um, well I actually heard Mai was back. Didn’t make it past the preliminaries for the national team I hear.”

This day couldn’t get any worse.

“Screw it, I’m not coming back for the next few days. I’ll be with my uncle if you need me.”

“Wait! Ask Toph to do your event for you. it would put the Weightlifting Department in danger of losing but most of those guys don’t like her anyway. She’d love a chance to get back at them. come back to campus and ask her and then I’ll take you out for lunch. At my dad’s restaurant. You love his marinated salmon.” Sokka said, trying to entice his roommate.

Zuko sighed. “I want two orders. And you’re paying.”

“Done! Get here soon.”

Zuko didn’t bother answering, stowing his phone away and pushing off, heading towards Republic City Sports University.

                                     ______________________

Effortlessly, Katara grabbed her back leg and straightened it as she did her pivot. She kept her balance as she came out of it and continued to twirl her ribbon. Her coach nodded.

“Very good. You’ve been practising. Your balance is better. Now I want to see if your fouettés have improved as well. If you want a chance at placing first and getting noticed by our sponsor and qualifying for the national team preliminaries, your routine can’t have any mistakes. Ty Lee, pay attention. I’m testing your fouettés as well.”

Katara looked over at the girl dressed in pink, who was pouting down at her matching hoop, Suki patting her on the shoulder. While Katara and Ty Lee weren’t friends, it was hard to not bond over being singled out by their coach.

Katara stood at the ready, twirling her ribbon as she readied herself when the door burst open.

“Azula!” Ty Lee cried.

Azula Lung was the student with the most sway in the whole school. Her father was the Prime Minister of the Fire Nation and while he didn’t hold much power in Republic City, since all powers were equal, that didn’t mean much at the University. She got the best room, private transport to competitions and rules didn’t apply to her. She could boss around any coach, even though she was in the Karate Department. There’d been rumours that her place was bought, until her first competition where she creamed everyone. She was her department’s ace. In fact, she managed to take the Weightlifting Department’s old gym for the Karate Department, which started a massive feud between them. she was rude and arrogant and somehow, one of Ty Lee’s best friends.

Katara noticed a girl standing next to her. She was dressed in all black, the only colour being the red of her nails. She looked incredibly bored and only looked annoyed when Ty Lee launched herself at her.

“Mai, you’re back!”

“Mai has returned from her qualifying competition for the national team. We’ll be taking Ty Lee with us. Problem?” Azula announced.

“No of course not. Except, Ty Lee, you were supposed to show me your routine for Sports Day? Since you’re our department’s cheerleader.”

Azula scoffed. “Sports Day, waste of time. She won’t be attending. You, blue peasant.” Katara balked at that and narrowed her eyes. “You’ll be taking her place. Problem?”

Katara opened her mouth to say, yes big problem, but all the girls of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Department crowded around her, suffocating her with their hands.

“None at all.”

“Thanks Katara!” Ty Lee said, scooping up her bag and dashing off, Mai following and with a raised eyebrow that spoke of her superiority, Azula leaving as well.

“You can’t argue with her Katara.”

“She’d have you removed from the school. I heard she got a person’s whole family business shut down for pissing her off. Do you want that for your dad?”

“Her dad might be the Prime Minister, but he’s practically a mafia boss.”

Comments like this floated over her head, as well as ones telling her they’d help with making a routine for Sports Day, which was in a few days. All Katara could think about was how completely unfair this all was.

And she let it out too once training was concluded for the day.

“It’s completely insane how she can just lord over them like that!” she said, harshly untangling her hair from its bun.

“Easy, you’re gonna rip your hair out.” Suki said, stopping her from tugging at it more and helping to pull half of it into a bun like she usually wore it.

“She’s a student. A sophomore at that. Where does she get off acting like she’s the greatest thing in the world? Just cause her dad is a Prime Minister? So is mine!”

“I thought Water Tribe issues fell under Yue’s dad’s jurisdiction?” Toph, a member of the Weightlifting Department asked, her hand holding on tightly to her guide dog’s harness. She was just as well known as Azula, due to the fact that she was blind but was still one of the highest climbing Weightlifting competitors at the school. She beat all the senior’s bests within her first month.

“Yeah, only because the South is smaller. That’s not the point! The point is, she does whatever she wants and doesn’t get in trouble for it and it extends to her friends too. I have a competition coming up soon and instead of working on my routines for that, I’m going to be learning choreo for a routine for one of the dumbest traditions of Sports Day.”

“Oh,” Toph said, a massively mischievous smile on her face, “well you won’t think it’s stupid when you hear what I heard. Wanna take a guess as to who’s the Fencing Department’s cheerleader?”

Katara looked over at Toph, who’s smile was growing maniacal. Usually that meant someone was going to get embarrassed as hell. It usually tended to be Sokka.

“Wouldn’t it be one of the girls?”

“Nope.” Toph shook her head, popping her p.

“Is it-?”

“Katara, watch out!”

A guy on his bike and panicked look as he turned the corner, thankfully started the veer off course at the sight of her. She still stumbled over her feet and fell to the floor, her hands pricking in pain as they were scratched. Thankfully though, her jacket took most of the damage. The guy on the other hand, had to shove his bike off his feet, rubbing at his shin.

She took in the pale skin, paler than Toph’s and dark hair surrounding his face. It didn’t stop her from noticing the large burn surrounding his right eye. she noticed that his school jacket was the same one Sokka wore, meaning he was in the Fencing Department.

“You should be more careful.” She meant for it to come out a bit nicer, but the anger from dealing with Azula slipped in.

clearly the guy didn’t enjoy being yelled at as he snapped back. “I didn’t see you.” he seemed to rethink his anger and continued in a calmer voice. “Are you ok?”

ok, now she felt bad about snapping at him. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, what up Sparky?” Toph asked, seeming to brighten as she figured out who almost crashed into them. her guide dog Badger, lead his owner over and with surprising accuracy, Toph punch the guy on the arm.

It was a little scary how well she could do that.

“Stop calling me that.”

“Hey, tell me. Seen his skirt yet? I know he doesn’t shave his legs so please tell me he’s going all out for this.”

The guy sighed. “Thought Sokka told you not to tell anyone.”

“Sokka? He’s the Fencing cheerleader? That’s why he’s been borrowing my hair pins? Those things are expensive.” Katara interrupted.

Toph burst into laughter, clearly enjoying herself while Suki looked thoughtful.

“So that’s why he asked for makeup advice. Suddenly Sports Day is looking a lot more fun.”

“Speaking of which, I’m going back to my room before Jett finds me to let me know my event. Oh, Toph wanna annoying your department?”

“Always.”

“Take my spot for the Rice Lifting event. I’ve dealt with way too much to even put up with Jett today.”

Katara furrowed her brow, wanting to say something about the fact this guy wasn’t going to participate but then she noticed Toph’s smile dropped a little and her punch was definitely softer the second time she hit him.

“Done deal Sparky. Tell your old man I’ll see him later.”

“So who was that?” Suki asked as the guy finally took off.

“Zuko Lung, not related to the royal brat. I go to his old man’s tea house sometimes. He’s Sokka’s roommate apparently.”

“Oh yeah, he’s a pretty good fencer from what I hear. Weird though, I haven’t seen his name in the announcement of students placing.” Suki said.

She had a point. Katara never remembered seeing anything either. She also found it a bit strange Sokka never dragged his roommate to meet the rest of them. there was something about Zuko though that seemed familiar. It was on the tip of her tongue but nothing came to mind. Oh well, for another day then.

“Hey, let’s go find Sokka. Maybe if we catch him off guard, we can get him to agree to let us wax his legs.”

                                             __________________

“I hate you.” Sokka mumbled, hiking his cheerleading skirt up. Katara bit her lip to keep from laughing at the crop top he was in. apparently, he pissed off their department captain by telling him that Zuko wasn’t participating and Toph was taking his place, so his new uniform was worse than his last.

She tossed her braid behind her, trying not to think about how young she must have looked. She had her hair like this when she was younger since it was much easier to put it into a bun. Her own uniform was rather pink for her taste, but Ty Lee basically guilt tripped her into wearing it since it already been bought. She was still annoyed at this, even more so when she found out her new roommate was Mai. The dark and depressing girl was apparently in the Archery Department and Sokka, who’d been in that Department before transferring to fencing, said she was undefeated. Yet she didn’t get past the first round of preliminaries to get onto the national team.

“Hey Sokka!” Aang, a member of the Track and Field Department came bounding over, his own skirt floating around his legs. “Katara, you never told me how much fun a skirt can be. Took me a while to find boxers that weren’t too long but still.”

“I’m glad your having fun Aang. At least someone is.” She said, smirking at Sokka.

“You deal with 3 hours of having your hair ripped out and then come talk to me.” Sokka snapped. “Ugg, I’m gonna kill Zuko. This is all his fault.”

“Wow.” A familiar voice said. Zuko was in casual clothes, carrying a cooler. Next to him was a man, with a squarish face, the same gold eyes and dark hair as Zuko, though his hair was pulled back into a top knot. “See if I bring you anything ever again.”

“You know Jett will kill you if he sees you.”

“He can’t do anything. My uncle called to pull me out for the afternoon. This is work, we’re delivering ice tea for the Fencing and Track and Field Departments. Aang, next time, don’t put your order late at night.”

Aang looked embarrassed. “Sorry. You were already gone when I got back from training. I was going to order for the Rhythmic Gymnastics department, but I know how conscious your coach is about sugars and such.” He said, looking at Katara.

“It’s ok. I’m stealing one though, I deserve the extra sugar for being in this outfit.” She said, walking over to Zuko and opening the lid on the cooler. She noticed he was staring intently at her face.

“What elementary school did you go to?” he asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

“Did you go to Ba Sing Se Preparatory?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“You screamed at those bullies.”

Bullies? Wait. It hit her like a thunderbolt, why he looked so familiar. His burn was a bit more faded but she couldn’t believe he forgot him. He’d been pushed out the window by bullies and her dad, would come to drop off lunch for her and Sokka, managed to catch him before he hurt himself and she’d screamed at the bullies from the floor.

“Holy crap. That was you!” Sokka said, “you had like no hair then!”

“Sokka!” he’d disappeared from class for a few weeks and when he came back his hair was cut so far back that it made his bandages stick out more.

“Yours was in a braid then.”

She was confused for a moment when she realised, he was talking to her. Yesterday her hair had been out but now it was in the same style she had it in as a child.

She’d always wondered what happened to him when Zuko suddenly disappeared for good one day. She’d didn’t think she’d find out now.

[theclockworkmonk]

Desire and Will

This is the most popular fic in my "Aang/Katara Missing Moments" series on AO3. This is the first time I'm posting it to tumblr.

Summary: With Aang still having trouble letting loose with his firebending, Zuko asks an alarming question:

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"

Words: 3,944

Read on AO3

FF.net

*******

Katara was awoken by what was, to her, the scariest sound in the world: the sound of Aang in pain.

"OW!" she heard him cry out, and she wrenched her eyelids open and rolled to face where his voice was coming from. There, she saw Aang still laying on the ground where he had been sleeping, rubbing his backside like it had been kicked. Towering over him, fists clenched and face scowling...was Zuko.

A jolt a fear cut through Katara's still half-asleep mind as she reached over for her bending skin and flicked it open with her thumb. She was ready to fight, ready to—

"You're burning daylight!" Zuko barked at Aang, "Get up! Twenty hot squats, now!"

Katara's sleep fog finally cleared and she remembered why Zuko was here in their camp. She remembered their whole reluctant arrangement to have Zuko teach Aang firebending, and the nerve-wracking few days they had disappeared together and apparently danced with dragons.

Katara groggily collapsed back onto her pillow, too tired to even growl at Zuko that the rest of them didn't have to train to defeat his evil dad, thankyouverymuch, so maybe bark his orders more quietly at absurd hours in the morning.

Aang seemed to be feeling the same way, because he just moaned in response. Zuko squatted down next to Aang and pointed out into the canyon that contained the Western Air Temple, where the sky was already turning blood red.

"You see that? That's sunrise, Avatar. That's the sign of a firebender's inner strength coming to life with a new day." He grabbed Aang by the shoulder and started shaking him, "Can you feel it, Aang? Can you feel your inner fire starting to reignite?"

"No," grunted Aang plainly.

Katara was remembering more now, and becoming more annoyed. Right, what had Zuko said to her at the north pole? "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun?" of course it made perfect sense that on top of being cruel, bloodthirsty monsters, firebenders were also something far worse: morning people. Ugh, did this mean that Aang was also going to be a morning person from now on?

"Well we've got to fix that," said Zuko, and he practically dragged Aang to his feet and started pushing him off towards the courtyard that they used to train, that jutted out from underneath the rock overhang so they were actually in the sun. With their sleeping area quiet again, Katara tried to go back to sleep, but now the knowledge that Aang was off with Zuko, alone, at the other end of the temple was nagging at her brain. It wasn't like she thought Zuko would suddenly attack him or something; she had accepted by now that this wasn't some kind of absurdly elaborate plot against them—mainly because she didn't think Zuko was clever enough to pull off something like that. But still, whenever she thought about Aang with no one around him but Zuko, she found that she...didn't like it.

After a few minutes, she accepted that she wasn't getting any more sleep, so she got herself up and started making her way in the same direction Zuko and Aang had gone. As she was rounding the last corner before the courtyard, she started to hear their voices.

"So if my firebending wakes me up with the sun, and my waterbending keeps me up with the moon, when exactly am I supposed to sleep?"

"You slept for a hundred years, isn't that enough?"

Aang laughed, but Katara recognized it as his uncomfortable laugh. Aang never liked being reminded of all that time he wasn't there for the world, which Zuko would know if he wasn't such a heartless jerk and a terrible teacher. The fact that he barely knew Aang and had no way of knowing what he was uncomfortable with was entirely beside the point.

Katara decided to not announce her presence and instead leaned against one of the stone pillars within the shade of the overhang, while they were out in the increasingly bright morning sun. She was far enough away and in enough shade that they were unlikely to notice her, but if they did happen to look her way then she could plausibly deny she was snooping. She didn't like the idea of leaving Aang alone with Zuko, but she still realized hovering would interfere with them. Aang was always trying to impress her and Zuko was still visibly terrified of her ever since she threatened to kill him the day he joined their team (which she definitely didn't take any pride in).

Aang and Zuko finished their warm-ups and faced a target at the far end of the courtyard, a few wooden logs they had haphazardly nailed together in the vague shape of a human.

"Okay, let's see if that trip to almost get eaten by dragons was worth it," said Zuko, "set your stance..."

Aang positioned himself in a sideways battle stance in opposition to the dummy.

"Now, control your breathing…"

Aang drew in a deep breath and slowly released it.

"Now…STRIKE!"

Aang punched his right first towards the dummy, and a single fireball erupted from his knuckles, traveling about 10 yards to the dummy, briefly engulfing it in flames before dissipating. After the fire and smoke had quickly cleared, Katara saw that the dummy was slightly singed, with a few spots glowing orange for a few seconds before cooling down. Katara could feel the heat of the blast from where she was standing.

Zuko, however, didn't look impressed, "Well that was...certainly better, I guess."

"You guess!?" Aang incredulously asked out loud, and Katara incredulously asked in her head at the same time, "Come on, that was the biggest blast I've ever made!"

"Yeah, and if you were any other novice, we'd call that a really promising start. Heck, you might even be called a prodigy. People would be saying you could become a master in just a few years."

Aang's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"But we don't have a few years, obviously, so sorry, but we need to find a way to fast-track this."

Aang threw his hands in the air, "Well what more can I possibly do!"

Zuko frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well to be honest, I think you're still being too timid and restrained. You're certainly doing a lot better than before our trip, but I still sense a lot of energy in you that you're not letting out."

Aang looked confused and started to get defensive, "Well of course I'm holding a little back, I'm trying to stay in control! Jong Jong said that firebending requires constant discipline or fire will destroy you. He didn't even let me shoot fire, he had me try to stop a bit of fire from growing, and when I didn't listen to him—" Aang managed to cut off his own rambling and managed to take a deep breath and closed his eyes, "that was when I burned Katara."

Zuko's face cycled through several different expressions as a lot of things suddenly started making sense.

"...Oh," was the only thing he could say.

Aang continued, "I hated that version of myself, even more than when I've gone into the Avatar State. After that, I promised myself I would never firebend at all!"

Katara tried to keep track of all the different emotions she was feeling. She was touched by the fact that Aang cared about her so much that the memory of hurting her still got him to be this upset, annoyed at him for being this worked up over something that happened months ago, she had long since forgiven, and was really not important in the context of their mission, and guilty that her getting hurt and the way she reacted had caused him this much heartache, even while she knew that she hadn't really done anything wrong.

Zuko sighed, raised his hand, and after a few seconds of hesitation, lightly patted Aang's shoulder in the most awkward, panicked "there-there" gesture Katara had ever seen.

"Look Aang," said Zuko, "I can't speak to what this 'Jong Jong' guy taught you. Maybe his way is better, I don't know, but it sounds like it takes a lot longer, and we don't have the luxury of being patient and deliberate about this."

He pulled on Aang's shoulder and turned him around so he would stop looking at his feet in self-pity and look his teacher in the face again, "The people of the world don't need their Avatar to be a wizened sage right now, they need a stick of dynamite."

Zuko took a few steps away and tried his best to pretend to be a wizened sage himself, "I can only teach you how I was taught, and I was taught that even when it's not fuelled by anger and rage, all firebending is still fuelled by strong emotion. When teaching me about the elements, my uncle said—let's see if I can get this right…"

He started rubbing his hand on an invisible large belly, stroking an invisible beard, and speaking in an old man's raspy voice in his best impersonation of his uncle.

"Fire is the element of Power. The people of the Fire Nation have Desire and Will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

Aang chuckled at the impression, his mood clearly improving, while Zuko looked really impressed with himself. Katara wouldn't have been surprised to learn that this was the first time in his life the dour prince had made someone laugh.

"See what I mean? Remember what we learned with the dragons. Fire is Life. And passion for life is what fuels firebending. You need to stop thinking like a monk and use your passion."

Aang didn't look frustrated or dejected anymore, but he did look puzzled.

"Um...okay," Aang said, thoughtfully scratching his head, "How am I supposed to do that?"

Now it was Zuko's turn to get frustrated. He hadn't anticipated one of his jobs as a teacher being having to explain how to feel things to this guy. That was something he was not qualified for.

"I don't know," said Zuko, not hiding the annoyance in his voice, "just think about it. Try to recreate those emotions when you're channeling your energy for your bending, and it might make your firebending more powerful. Hasn't there ever been something you...desired? Coveted, even? Something that you needed to have or to win more than anything?"

Katara almost laughed out loud, boy are you barking up the wrong tree.

Aang spent a few seconds earnestly considering Zuko's question, "I don't think so. My people believed that worldly material possessions were meaningless, and attachment to them was the source of suffering. We didn't really have anything beyond what we needed and a few toys that we shared. I played games with all my friends, but I didn't really care much if I won, I just tried to make sure everybody had fun."

Katara was grinning at what an unbelievable dork the mighty savior of the world was.

Zuko, however, groaned and dragged both hands down his face, "Yeah, of course you did." It seemed to Katara that this was the first time Zuko was having to relate to someone who was actually a good person.

Aang just shrugged at Zuko's exasperation, "Sorry, hotman."

"Stop calling me that!" Zuko thought for several more seconds before his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers with an idea, but then immediately looked like he regretted having the idea, and started looking deeply uncomfortable.

"Hey...can I ask you a personal question? It's going to sound weird and unrelated, but just trust me, okay?"

Aang raised an eyebrow, "Uh….sure?"

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"

Aang's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, his face turning bright pink, and Katara's heart seemed to stop in its tracks.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aang finally found his voice again, but all he could manage was a weak, "Uh...what?"

"Just bear with me for a second," pressed Zuko.

"Um," Aang squeaked, "Yes. Yes I have." and his face moved past pink into deep scarlet.

"Okay," breathed Zuko, "Now, I know I'm sounding like a gossiping school girl, but I promise I'm going somewhere with this. Ugh."

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, like this conversation was physically painful. "Tell me about your first kiss," he finished in a too-deep voice, very transparently overcompensating.

Katara was positively screaming inside her own head, No Aang, do not, under ANY circumstances, tell him about your first kiss.

She felt like her heart and stomach had completely removed from her body. She refused to believe that these were the circumstances where The Incident between she and Aang was finally getting verbalized. Aang hadn't even bothered to talk to her about it yet, there was no way he was going to spill it all to Zuko. The fact that the main reason Aang hadn't talked to her about it was the fact that she had been avoiding him non-stop was entirely beside the point.

Katara started running through a hundred scenarios to try to find some way to stop this conversation. Should she rush in and pretend to be sick? Say that they're under attack? Just stay hidden and bloodbend them both unconscious? But before she could decide on one, to her horror, Aang started talking.

"Well," Aang began, his cheeks still red, "it was back at the Southern Air Temple—"

All of Katara's panic seemed to instantly vanish and be replaced with confusion.

Wait, what? Why is he telling him that? Katara thought, We barely knew each other at the Southern Temple….Does he THINK we kissed at the Southern Temple? I guess that would explain a lot. Did he hallucinate or something while in the Avatar State—

"—and she was part of a visiting caravan."

….Oh.

Oh.

"We got along really well while she was there, she was really good at all of my favorite games, and while we were saying goodbye she just kissed me."

OH.

"By the time I realized what was going on, she just giggled and jumped up on her bison."

Katara was simultaneously feeling unbelievable relief that her big secret wasn't being talked about and unbelievable white-hot fury at Aang. She had just spent several weeks believing that her first kiss had also been Aang's, and now she finds out that she's just the latest? Latest of how many? Exactly how friendly had he gotten with those fangirls on Kyoshi Island? She was two years older than him, by all rights she should be on at least equal footing with him in this mess between them, who gave him permission to have more experience with kissing than her? The fact that he had never once told her that he had never kissed a girl before was entirely beside the point.

But Katara cycled through all these thoughts in just a split second before calming herself down and realizing that she had no reason to care about this. What did it matter if Aang had kissed some girl a hundred years ago? It's not like she thought of Aang that way. Aang had clearly just misunderstood her platonic affections. It's not like she had ever seriously thought about kissing him (especially not during some of the more recent times she had kissed him on the cheek). In fact, she doubted that even he had given any serious thought to kissing. He just had a little crush and the intensity of the moment got to his head. So this is fine.

It's fine.

Seriously, it's fine.

It's completely fine. Whatever she was feeling certainly wasn't jeal—

"Wait, she kissed you?" Zuko interrupted Aang's rambling and yanked Katara back to reality, "I asked you if you had ever kissed a girl."

"Well you also asked me to tell you about my first kiss!" Aang yelled with his hands in the air, frustrated again, "Which one is it!" He was clearly angry that in his panic he had revealed an embarrassing story for no reason.

Zuko put his palms up defensively, "Okay, okay, sorry, bad wording on my part. So, to clarify: have you ever kissed someone else? Have you ever been the one to take the initiative?"

Katara's heart started racing again. Why couldn't Zuko get distracted and drop this?

"Um…" Aang's face had been red before, but now all the color seemed to drain from it and he looked like a ghost, "...yes. But I don't think dwelling on that will help fix my problem. In fact, it's kind of a downer, actually."

"Why, was she an airbender too?" Zuko asked. He supposed dwelling on a girl he had feelings for that had been killed a hundred years ago would be counterproductive in fueling Aang's inner fire.

Despite how angry she had gotten at Aang's kissing experience, Katara now found herself hoping this girl was another airbender.

"No," Aang responded, rubbing the back of his neck, "this was after I came out of the ice. Pretty recent, in fact…"

No such luck.

"Okay, so what's the problem?" asked Zuko.

"Well...it didn't exactly work out well for me. She didn't really kiss me back."

Katara scowled, well that's not fair, she thought with more than a little bitterness. It's not like she had a chance to. You're not allowed to act upset if someone doesn't kiss you back when you spring a kiss on them with no warning and then fly away before they even know what's going on. If he hadn't been so dramatic and used his actual words then she would have—

Katara let out a gasp of fear at where her train of thought was leading her. She would have….what, exactly? If she had known the kiss was coming ahead of time, what would she have done? Let him down easy? Told him to focus on the mission? Thrown him into the ocean?...or would she have kissed him back?

No.

Well…

Certainly not.

Maybe?

Perhaps if they tried again wow where did THAT thought come from?

Meanwhile, back in reality, Zuko was waving away Aang's concerns, "That doesn't matter. Don't think about anything that happened afterward. Just bring yourself back to that one moment, where you overcame caution and went after what you wanted. Set your stance."

Aang faced the dummy and resumed his fighting stance.

Katara couldn't help but inch a little closer away from her "hiding" spot. Now that Zuko had stopped pressing Aang for details and was doing his job, she felt like she could observe with a nervous curiosity instead of outright panic.

"Now," instructed Zuko, "take a deep breath, close your eyes, and picture this girl, how she looked in that moment."

Aang's eyes closed and drew in a breath.

Katara swallowed hard. At this moment, there was no more uncertainty about Aang. He was thinking about her, in that way, right now. And that knowledge made her hold her breath and made her face get a little warm.

"Try to remember how you felt immediately beforehand. How she made you feel. Try to recreate how your heartbeat was affected. It's starting to get faster and harder. How your breathing changed—remember, it's your breath that creates energy in the body for firebending. Yours is getting shallower and more intense. Remember how your stomach muscles reacted. They're tensing in anticipation. Now, in your mind's eye, make your move and kiss her, and at the same time….STRIKE!"

Aang punched his right fist towards the dummy, and his hand exploded.

There was no whoosh like with the previous fireball, but a roar as a conical wave of fire erupted from Aang's knuckles, completely enveloping the dummy 10 yards away and continuing onward to blast past the outer railing of the stone courtyard into the vast expanse of the canyon. And to Katara's alarm, it kept going. It wasn't a single blast but a continuous, monstrous stream of fire easily 15 feet wide at its biggest and so hot that Katara had to turn away and shield her eyes.

Several seconds later, the flames finally died down and Aang blinked his eyes open, looking equal parts proud and terrified of himself. The wooden dummy….did not exist anymore. There was no way to tell if Aang had burned it to ashes or simply blasted it backwards into the canyon. The previously white stones that made up the part of the courtyard that had been in front of Aang were now blackened and cracked.

Zuko had reflexively thrown up his arms to shield his face, stumbling backward. He was still sitting on the ground, eyes widened to the size of Appa's, and his mouth hanging open in shock. He sat there for several more silent seconds until Aang gave an awkward cough, then his face split into the biggest grin Katara had ever seen on him and he started cackling with delirious relief and excitement.

"All right!" Zuko exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" he loudly clapped his hand on Aang's back, who had returned to looking embarrassed.

"No, don't you clam up again," warned Zuko, "hold onto that feeling. Come on, I'll show you how to make a flame whip."

Katara slinked backward away from her pillar and began a very undignified scurry back to their sleeping area. The fire had long since dissipated, but her face still felt hot and flustered, and her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. Her mind was filled up by the same three words, repeating over and over again:

I did that.

Thinking about her made Aang able to do that. She could no longer simplify things by telling herself that this was just a confusing crush he had let get to his head. For most of the time she had known Aang, the thought that he would have any….desires like that for anyone simply didn't compute for her. He was too selfless, too kind, too pure. He was a monk for crying out loud.

But what she just saw Zuko coax out of her sweet, innocent friend was….not pure. Had he had this inside of him the entire time? And what brought this out of him was thinking about her. Thinking about kissing her. As much as she tried to deny it, when she thought about this power she had over him….she liked it. She was now able to see Aang in a new light, and at least consider the possibility of being more than friends with him.

But she still fought against it, because that realization was absolutely terrifying.

Katara shook her head and splashed some of her bending water on her face. She resolved to keep doing what she had been doing: focusing on their mission. She could sort out all this confusion when the war was over.

Although….

If the goal was to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord and end the war, then naturally they all had an obligation to assist Aang with his bending in any way they could, right? So she supposed it couldn't hurt to give Aang the occasional extra-tight hug now and then. Purely for training purposes, of course.

After all, she thought with a slight smirk as she arrived back at camp, everyone else still sound asleep, what kind of teacher would I be if I didn't give my student the attention he needed?

[missmorosis]

Terrible

Hi! Hello! 

Part of the inspo for this fic is here! Whump & fluff are my soft spots… I really loved this prompt by @whumpster-dumpster​ omg I was scrolling through your prompts and I LOVE THEM!! I’ll definitely have to do one or two more in the future!

Please please please send in requests through my asks!! I would LOVE to write more for y’all~

Pairing: uhhhh soo it can be Zuko x reader, buuut it’s pretty much Gaang x reader :) pairing can apply to everyone? idk

Warnings: Just some dizziness, sickness, fainting! Also please pretend that covid doesn’t exist here~

Word count: omg i wrote 2.5k words!

Summary: Y/N is very sick, but of course, she’s so stubborn that she still needs to help set up for Aang’s birthday party.

When Y/N woke up, she wasn’t sure what was wrong, but she felt out of it. She blindly reached out next to her, feeling for Zuko’s warm body, but he wasn’t there. He must be off at work at the Jasmine Dragon already or something…  

Y/N turned on her phone and groaned. 8:30 AM. She had to get up; she had promised Katara that she would help set up for Aang’s birthday, and she was supposed to meet her in one hour. Sighing, she kicked her blanket off and peeled her eyes open, slightly shivering from the cold. She squinted her eyes. Why was the sunlight so bright? Her eyelids felt heavy, and she wanted more than anything to pull the blanket back up and make herself comfortable once more. However, she scooted her body out of bed, forcing herself to get up. 

Her body didn’t approve. She groaned, rubbing her pounding temples with her hand. She stayed still, hoping for the headache to pass before she made any sharp movements. After a while, the throbbing ceased a bit, and Y/N deemed it safe to move. She checked the time. 8:42 AM. She cursed, getting clothes from her closet as fast as she could. Ignoring her headache, she made a quick mental checklist of the things she needed to do. 1. Take a shower. 2. Get dressed & get ready. 3. Pick up the cake from the bakery, and 4. Drive over to Katara’s and help her with anything else. She could do that in 48, now 47 minutes, right? 

She trudged through her room, through the hallway, heading towards the bathroom. She brought her clothes over, setting it down on the counter next to the sink. She paused, leaning on the bathroom door for just a second, feeling lightheaded. She sighed, closing her eyes. Why was it so hot all of a sudden? Why was the room spinning…? That never happened before… Where was this sickness coming from? Her knees sank into the ground. No. She promised to help Katara. She lifted herself up with difficulty, using the edge of the sink as support. She staggered, but eventually, she pulled herself up.

Maybe a shower would make her feel better? She pulled her clothes off and got into the shower. The warm water ran against the skin, flowing through her hair.  She was going to be fine. She needed to help Katara! She didn’t want Katara to set up the party all by herself. 

Ahh, yes, this was making her feel… better. Right? The water steamed, fogging up the shower glass. She shampooed her hair, running her fingers through her scalp, but it wasn’t making her feel better. No, it was making her feel worse. She was feeling incredibly dizzy and her limbs were weak. The steam from the hot water made her even more dizzy. The shower violently swayed to one side, the world spinning too fast for Y/N to keep up. She washed out the bubbles in her hair, her body slowly sinking into the floor of the shower booth. She was now on all four, unable to stay standing. 

What was happening to her? Y/N washed her body with a loofa, still sitting on the floor of the booth, moving slowly with low energy. She washed all the bubbles off and turned off the water. She crawled out and grabbed a towel and the clothes from the countertop. She wiped away the water with the towel and she slowly pulled the clothes on, starting with her lower body. The ripped jeans she picked out were seriously annoying to put on. Her feet kept getting caught in the holes, and it was especially hard because Y/N was seeing double. She then pulled on her top and exhaled in relief. She reached for her phone. 9:13 AM. She internally screamed; she spent way too long to shower. She only had 17 more minutes to do… what?

What was number 2 on her checklist again? She couldn’t make her brain think. She was too busy trying to stay conscious. She closed her eyes, shakily bringing her legs in, moving her body into a fetal position. She rested her head on her knees, trying to stop the room from spinning so severely, trying to stop her from feeling so weak, and trying to stop herself from passing out. She felt faint and she didn’t know if she could get up. She would rather lay on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. 

“Y/N?” Someone knocked at the door, and Y/N barely recognized his voice. Her brain was not working at all. 

“Zuko?” she weakly managed to call his name. Hadn’t he gone to work? 

“Hey, are you okay? Can I come in? You’ve been in the bathroom for over 40 minutes.” 40 minutes!? How has time gone by so fast?! Y/N reached one arm up and unlocked the bathroom door, grunting at the effort. The door burst open, letting in the cool air from outside the bathroom. She sighed, and tried to look up at Zuko. “Oh my gosh, Y/N!” He kneeled down next to her, his hand immediately on her forehead, checking her temperature. “You’re burning up! What happened?”

“I- I woke up feeling sick and now I’m about to pass out,” she breathed. Her wet hair was dripping onto the white bathroom tiles. Her breathing was shallow, and her surroundings were still wobbly. Her eyesight was going wonky… why was everything blacking out? She squinted, trying to focus on Zuko, but he kept moving. “Z- Zuko, stop moving, I can’t focus on you.”

“Y/N,” he looked at her with concerned eyes. “I’m not moving.” Her mouth opened to form an “o” shape, and she blinked. She was sure he was moving. “Here, lean on me, okay?” She could hear him repositioning himself. She rested her head on the front of Zuko’s chest. She could hear his heartbeat. Thump… thump… thump…  She slumped further onto his knees as the world spun and her vision went black.

✧･ﾟ: *

“Y/N? Hey, are you alright?” Zuko was above Y/N, looking very worried.

“Z- Zuko? What time is it?” Zuko checked his phone.

“9:53, but that’s not important. You literally just passed out.”

“9:53?!” She was late! “Oh no, oh no. I need to pick up the cake and get to Katara’s!” She quickly sat up, which caused her to groan. She shouldn’t have done that; she buried her head in her hands to try and stop the room from spinning once again. 

“Hey,” Zuko gently pushed Y/N back down. “I’ll take care of it. It’s okay, you need some rest. Clearly you’re not okay.” He spoke in a soft, calm voice, which calmed her down a bit, but Y/N’s frantic eyes darted all over his face. She shook her head.

“No, I’m fine,” she insisted, despite her headache and the dizziness. She couldn’t get up, let alone drive, but she was undeniably stubborn. She had to help, even though she was definitely not fine. “I promised Katara I would help with Aang’s birthday party. The cake is under my name; only I can pick it up from the bakery. I swear, I’m fine.”

She got up to prove her point, but it backfired. Her knees collapsed from weakness, causing her to trip over herself. She clutched the side of the couch for support. Why did she have to be so dizzy? Zuko’s arms grabbed her from behind, and she lay limp, allowing him to carry her. Why did it take so much effort to stay standing?? 

“Y/N. I’m worried about you, and you definitely can’t go alone.” He sighed. “If this is really important…” Y/N eagerly nodded. It was important! “I’ll go with you. Sounds good?” Y/N nodded again. That was fine! She checked her phone. 9:58 AM! Already?! 

Oh wow, she had a lot of messages. She scrolled through her notifications... 

Katara: Hey Y/N! Are you coming?

Katara: Y/N?

Katara: Sokka and I are starting to worry…  are you okay?

Sokka: helloooooo?

Sokka: Y/N? you’re… very late ahaha

Sokka: seriously tho- hello?? can ya answer

Sokka: y/nnnn answer me :(

Sokka: heart 💔 been broke 📉 so many times ⏰ i don’t know 🤔 what to believe 

Katara: Missed Calls (4)

Sokka: Missed Calls (5)

Y/N groaned: she didn’t mean to make them worry! She was completely fine. She quickly texted them back, letting them know that she was running late but she’ll be coming soon. She clicked her phone off and got up, letting Zuko support her. Y/N was grateful; she didn’t think she could walk on her own. He led her to the car, once again looking at her worriedly. 

“Are you sure you want to go? You can just text them that you can’t make it,” he said. She waved it off. She was going to be fine. She slumped further into the seat, rubbing her temples. Her head still hurt like crazy, and on top of that, she was shivering from the cold. Why was her body like this…? “You’re cold?” She nodded. She was very cold. “Y/N… it’s 82 degrees.” Oh shoot. Now he was going to worry even more. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. She sent him a smile, just to tie it in. He bit his lip, perhaps to bite back some more worried comments, but instead he started the car. The dizziness multiplied as soon as Zuko started driving. She probably should have stayed home, but it’s too late now… “Head over to umm…” Y/N racked her brain, trying to remember the name of the bakery. She closed her eyes as another headache struck her temples. She was tired of this. 

“Y/N?” Another worried glance. She had been “thinking” for too long.

“Oh, umm, the one in the plaza next to Katara’s house. It has brick walls.” Zuko changed course, heading to the bakery Y/N described. The car ride felt terrible. Every second, her head hurt, the world kept spinning, and Zuko kept on looking at her as if she was going to pass out again any minute. Which could actually be a possibility, but she put that aside.

Finally, they arrived at the bakery. Zuko gestured for Y/N to stay in the car, which she was totally fine with. She felt like she closed her eyes for a second, and when she blinked, Zuko was already back in the car with the cake in the backseat. 

“Oh, hi… Welcome back!” Y/N said. Zuko sighed.

“Y/N, you need to rest. You… look terrible.” 

“Gee.. thanks.” She knew, in fact, that if she looked as bad as she felt, she looked very terrible. “But it’s too late now! We’re practically already at Katara’s house. I can see it from here.” Zuko sighed again and started the short drive. After only a few minutes, the two pulled up in Katara’s driveway. Zuko helped Y/N out, and she was not ready. Her leg crumpled as soon as it hit the floor, but Zuko caught her. She mumbled “sorry” as she tried to stand up straight. Zuko practically carried her; she definitely could not walk on her own. Everything was spinning, including Zuko, so she trusted him to lead the way. He rang the doorbell. Sokka answered the door.

“Hey guys! Hi Zuko, didn’t know you were coming.” Y/N smiled. Sokka looked at the scene in front of him. Y/N knew that they must look really weird: she was leaning on Zuko, and Zuko was supporting her with one arm around her waist. “Y/N, you guys are getting reeaaal comfy there.”  She could see Zuko rolling his eyes. “Anyways, come in! We’re just finishing up decorating.” 

Zuko kicked his shoes off and he helped Y/N do the same. Ahh shoot. Everything spun around her once again. She shut her eyes as tight as she could until it passed. She opened her eyes, looking up at Zuko. His concerned eyes met hers, asking a silent question. Are you sure you’re okay? She nodded, sighing. 

“Hey Y/N!” Katara waved at her. 

“Sorry I’m so late, I got held up.” Katara nodded in understanding. She could feel Zuko’s eyes on her but she ignored him. She did get held up. By passing out... but she could leave out the details.

“Can you help me put this up?” Katara held up an orange banner in one hand. She read the banner: Happy birthday Appa! Appa? No, she read it again. Aang. Ugh, she couldn’t even read anymore. She climbed up the ladder with one side of the banner in her hand. Shoot. She stopped midway, gripping the edges of the metal ladder as everything spun harshly around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to squish out all of the dizziness.

“Y/N?” She heard Katara’s voice calling to her, but she couldn’t tell from where. She felt someone pulling her off the ladder. The warmth of the body told her that it was Zuko. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” someone asked her, but she couldn’t tell who. She felt Zuko pull her in tighter, but she couldn’t see anything since her eyes were completely shut. She wasn’t planning on opening them until everything was back to normal, which meant that it would be a while. She felt terrible, the room wouldn’t stop spinning, her head pounded, and everything was gross. She buried her head further into Zuko’s arms. Everything hurts so much. She wanted everything to stop.

 “Y/N?” Zuko asked her gently. 

She heard someone (Sokka?) open and close a cupboard. “Let me take your temperature. Holy- 104.8! Y/N! You shouldn’t have come here. You need to rest.”

“That’s what I was saying, but she insisted on coming.” She heard Zuko’s exasperated voice. She choked back a sob. Everything hurt so bad, the room was spinning and she couldn’t even open her eyes. She should have just stayed home. 

“Y/N? Are you going to pass out?” Katara’s worried voice asked.

“Y/N, it’s not healthy to pass out twice in one day,” Zuko whispered.

“Twice?! When did she-”

“This morning. I found her on the bathroom floor.”

“That’s why she was late..? Y/N! You didn’t have to come if you weren’t feeling well!” Everyone else mumbled in agreement.

“Hey, Y/N?” Zuko asked again, softer than before. “Can you say something?”

“I’m sorry,” she muttered. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay, but you seriously need to rest, alright? It looks like it just keeps getting worse. How do you feel right now?” Zuko’s hand gripped hers. 

“Terrible.” That summed it all up. She felt herself be lifted up, and she was carried away. Zuko’s footsteps echoed in her brain. She was set down on a bed and tucked in.

“Get well soon, okay?” A tender kiss was planted on the top of her burning forehead. She was going to get well for Zuko’s sake.

A/N: that ending do be weird tho

SOOOO that kinda made no sense & it wasn’t too realistic buuut I did write a lot! Hopefully you guys liked it! If you read that mess, THANK YOU!! HUGS TO ALL!!

Please request something in my asks... I would love to write for y’all! I LOVE YOU GUYS!! STAY SAFE!!

[firelxdykatara]

um not to start anything “zuko had everything handed to him by the end of the show even though it took him until nearly the very end to realize he’s wrong: a country, a crown, his girlfriend that HE left behind, the love of his uncle that zuko spent most of the show yelling at and being a dick to, and that’s why he just doesn’t deserve ANYWAY I’M JOKING but this is how y’all be talking about aang” who even talks about aang this why????

It sounds to me like some Aang stans grossly misunderstand criticisms surrounding the writing of Aang’s arc in book 3, in particular during the finale.

This is actually a pattern I’ve noticed with distressing frequency, particularly of late: any criticism of Aang at all--of his actions, the narrative scaffolding surrounding them (never having to apologize for kissing Katara without her consent, for example), or of the failings in the way his narrative was handled (in book 3 especially)--is written off as hate and derided by stans who I can only assume believe that the writing of his character arc was perfect and he never did anything wrong that deserves fair criticism ever in his life.

To this, I can only state my firm disagreement.

The thing is, they don’t really have any counter arguments to refute the points that actually get made (which isn’t to say there aren’t bad faith criticisms of his character just like everyone else, but unlike most of the cast, ppl seem far more inclined to act like there are no valid criticisms of his character or his writing), which is likely why they just write it all off as unfounded hatred of their precious bean fave and ignore it accordingly. But that doesn’t, like, make the issues with his writing, or with book 3 as a whole, go away, and the fact that they refuse to engage with good faith criticism (and, in fact, often refuse to engage with criticism at all by pretending there’s no foundation for any of it--I’ve actually seen people try to justify Aang’s actions in, for example, Bato of the Water Tribe by insisting that Sokka and Katara were actually worse and that Aang lying to them shouldn’t be held against him because they were Mean About It which.... yeah I could go off for days about that alone) says more about their lack of actual engagement with the text of the show than it does about the people who are criticizing his character.

The things that we say were handed to Aang--the deus ex lionturtle (which gave him energybending), the Rock of Destiny (aka the thing that gave him back the Avatar State without having to even attempt to do the work to unblock his chakras again himself), and Katara, presented to him as the prize he’d won at the very end of the show--are things that he did not do the work to actually earn.

Which will probably get some peoples’ backs up, so let me rephrase--the narrative did not put in the work to show how he actually earned these things, preferring to waste time with pointless filler in the front half of the season and then only bring up problems and then solve them within the four episode finale because they left no more room for these very plot critical points earlier in the show. Take Aang’s unwillingness to kill Ozai, for example--this is something that absolutely should have come up far earlier in the season (prior to the invasion at least), and the fact that it didn’t says two things: one, that because the writers knew Aang wasn’t actually going to face Ozai during the eclipse, they didn’t think it mattered to follow through on what Aang planned to do if the invasion had been successful; and two, his sudden clinging to his people’s pacifism seems directly at odds with where the entire narrative of the show had been headed to that point. Why is he suddenly insisting he’s the consummate pacifist when we’ve seen evidence in the show of not only Aang reacting in violence and vengeance (towards the sandbenders, and that wasp he killed), but also evidence that Air Nomads were not the sort of pacifists who would roll over and just let someone commit genocide (the fire nation corpses surrounding Monk Gyatso, clear evidence [which Aang never seems to so much as consider at any point during the series, despite the fact that it could have been a point of much-needed growth and maturation, or at least examining his own people’s beliefs and realizing that, at twelve, he had a flawed and incomplete understanding of his own culture] that even Aang’s mentor was willing to kill in order to protect his home and his people)? Why, if he’s so damn pacifistic, did he never seem to consider with guilt any of the lives he took while in the Avatar state and fused with the Ocean Spirit?

And no, by the way, I’m not saying he’s to blame for the deaths Koizilla caused, but I am saying that it doesn’t make sense that he feels no remorse over all of that blood. Particularly since we see that he considers actions taken while in the Avatar State to be his own--he feels guilty when he goes into the AS and scares his friends, and he very specifically removes himself from the AS to avoid killing Ozai, which tells me that he does consider the AS’ actions to be his own. And if all life is sacred to him to the point where he won’t even eat meat (although Air Nomad vegetarianism makes no sense, but that’s another rant entirely) why doesn’t he so much as mourn for the lives lost during the attack?

These are all questions which the narrative itself never considered, and it’s frustrating because many of them are questions which should have been asked--and answered, or at least attempted--in the course of the final act of Aang’s character arc. He had a great set up going into the third book, with Monk Gyatso’s teachings filling in some of the blanks in Aang’s (again, flawed and incomplete--I challenge anyone to try telling me that if they were completely removed from their culture at age twelve, and it was subsequently wiped completely from the face of the earth, that they’d have anything close to a deep and nuanced understanding of it; twelve-year-olds don’t have a deep and nuanced understanding of anything, nevermind an entire culture and worldview, which is why Aang kept parroting soundbytes from the monks without actually understanding them) understanding of Air Nomad beliefs, but this thread was completely dropped in favor of... I’m still not sure, honestly.

Was Aang running away from his problems and effectively lying to his friends (does he ever actually come clean about being completely unable to access the Avatar State of his own volition?) more important than going back to the Guru, or at least his teachings, and coming to understand his own culture? Where was his arc of regaining the Avatar State because he worked for it, because he tried to re-open his chakras and, for example, came to understand what letting go of his attachment to Katara really means? (That’s actually one of the most frustrating bits, because a) he gets to have his possessive and unhealthy attachment to Katara and get the Avatar State back, despite paying lipservice to letting her go at the end of book 2; and b) he never seems to get what ‘attachment’ the Guru was actually referring to--letting go of Katara doesn’t mean he had to stop caring about or even loving her, but it does mean he was supposed to give up his selfish and possessive attachment to her, which means no nodding when some actor in a play calls fake!Katara ‘the Avatar’s girl’ and no assuming they were supposed to be in a romantic relationship despite never actually asking about her feelings and no kissing her without her consent just because he wanted her to feel the same way about him and didn’t care whether or not she actually did [otherwise he would have asked, and he never once even tried].)

Instead, rather than having a season-long arc of re-navigating his chakras, opening them, and regaining the Avatar State under his own power, he gets thrown against a well-placed rock which does all the work for him at the very last second. Energybending, which wasn’t even thought of as a possibility earlier in the season, rather than being a concept he comes to discover on his own as he navigates his chakras for a second time and comes to understand the how the energy flows between each one, is likewise just given to him by a third party, with no work necessary on his part. And as for Katara, well, I’ve ranted at length about that in the past, but their last one-on-one interaction before the epilogue is when Aang kisses her without her consent, and she gets pissed off about it and storms off. There is nothing to bridge the gap between that and make-out city, nothing at any point indicating Katara’s feelings (because, as far as Kataang was concerned, her feelings never mattered) and how they were changing, no apology from Aang for violating her boundaries, no understanding of what he did wrong and why it was wrong. Nothing. Not a single conversation.

That is why we say that Katara was handed to him like a trophy. Because she was. Kataang was endgame not because it made any sense for Katara, but because Aang was the hero, and he saved the day, and he deserved to get his forever girl on top of it. There was never any real attempt to broach Katara’s feelings on the matter--she’s never shown reflecting on their pre-invasion kiss (in fact, by all appearances she completely forgot it even happened), and she is never once asked what her feelings are, not by Aang or the narrative--because, at the end of the day, they didn’t matter. Aang was getting the girl he wanted, and that was that.

We say that Aang was handed these things without working for them because the entire narrative of book three seemed particularly engineered to making sure he didn’t have to. Zuko, meanwhile, had to work for everything he achieved--the gaang’s trust, Katara’s in particular, his crown and his kingdom. (No, he didn’t particularly work to get Mai back, but that’s a whole other discussion, and he would’ve been much better off if she never showed up again after TBR.) He didn’t get to take any shortcuts. Aang’s arc is all shortcuts, at least in book 3, and that’s when they attempted to show how he got from point a to point b at all.

Anyway, the situations couldn’t possibly be any more different, and idk who said that but whomever it is clearly does not understand where the criticisms about Aang and his hamstringed book 3 arc are coming from.

[missturtleduck]

Fake dating anon-I think it would be cool if it wasn’t a modern au? But thank you!!!!

Sorry for your wait, anon! I hope you like what I wrote for you <3

Fake It Till You Make It

Sokka x Reader - FakeDating!Trope

Needless to say, Y/N was slightly shocked by Sokka’s proposition.

By the age of sixteen, they had been crucial pai sho tiles in the gambit against the once Fire Lord Ozai. Returning home was odd for many reasons, but notably the reminders that they were still children really, or at least in the eyes of their families. It was Zuko who had suggested a gang trip – a joint life changing field trip – after the nations settled down from Ozai’s defeat.

The first to return home was Y/N. Her mother lived in Fire Fountain City. It was only a short journey away from the capital, and Hakoda had already travelled to see his children at the palace. Sure, she had joked about pushing off her mother’s insistent affection, but she definitely cried a little bit when she got to hug her mum, and even more when her brothers piled on too. Ever the monarchist, Zuko was welcomed into the house with open arms and plenty of celebration. Toph especially got on with her family, rough-housing with Y/N’s brothers like it was nothing.

Since Toph didn’t want to see her parents as of yet, the only family member left to visit was Sokka and Katara’s Gran Gran since Suki’s family were doing work in the Fire Nation anyway. It took some convincing for Toph to put on snow boots – “I’ll risk frostbite if it means seeing, Katara!” – but soon they were travelling all the way to the South Pole. It was on their stop at Kyoshi Island that Sokka had approached Y/N.

“I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

Y/N barked out an incredulous laugh. “Tui and La, what?”

“Exactly what I said,” Sokka nodded, face solemn. “Katara wrote to Gran Gran a couple of times and mentioned Yue and Suki, but you know how that ended.”

“One turned into the moon and the other is a raging Sapphic in a relationship with Ty Lee.”

“Exactly!” He looked distressed, throwing his hands in the air. “And Gran Gran sent a letter back saying how excited she was to meet my girlfriend!”

Frowning in confusion, Y/N looked at him. “You could just tell her what happened.”

“But, Y/N, she was so excited!” He simpered the way a child would, and Y/N couldn’t help but laugh. “Obviously, we’re just friends, but would you do this?”

Ouch. Sure, they were ‘just friends’, but it hurt anyway. Maybe it was the terseness with how he said it, or the fact that since the war had ended all Y/N could think about is how pretty Sokka looked when he could finally relax. Whatever it was, it stung in her chest, panging with the intensity of heartburn. Heartburn seemed a fitting enough description regardless of its denotation.

So that was how she ended up fake dating Sokka, all for the sake of his ego and his gran gran’s happiness. As they travelled over the ocean on Appa’s back, he was as physically far from her as he could possibly be. Ouch, again. For a fake boyfriend, he was doing a crappy job at it. Staring daggers at the back of his head, Y/N sulked quite contently next to Zuko, who seemed to be comfortable with her mood – something about being friends with far grumpier girls. That had made her laugh.

Her laugh had made Sokka stare.

The sharpness to her gaze melted almost immediately when she saw the concern etched on his face. Instead, she beamed at him. Sokka grinned back, turning away to continue his conversation with Suki.

Y/N could feel Zuko’s gaze on her. “I swear to the spirits, Zuko, if you say that’s rough, buddy, I’ll chi block you.”

The crown prince was kind enough to stifle his laughter, though it seemed contagious. Her frown shifted into a small smile and she took to staring over the edge of Appa’s saddle at the canvas of blue beneath them. There was something tranquil about the polar water, the great water beasts breaching the waves only to dive back down into the impossible depths. Being from the Fire Nation, Y/N had never experienced such wonder in a single image – nor such freezing weather. Pulling furs over herself, she readied herself for what would happen on the ice.

Gran Gran looked to be the loveliest but scariest woman she would ever meet. The woman stood as the leader of the tribe; a gaggle of children stood behind her in uncertainty. However, as soon as Sokka hopped off Appa’s back, they were screaming and charging past her to tackle him to the ground. Her heart warmed as they hugged him and cried, shouting at him for leaving them without a warrior in the village.

“What are you seal pups on about?” He snorted, trying to avoid being winded by tiny elbows. “I trained you better than this.”

“That’s enough of that.”

At the woman’s words, the children picked themselves up, leaving Sokka in the snow. He didn’t last long though as he and Katara took their turn in charging. Embracing their grandmother with the tightest hug Y/N had ever seen, she left them to their moment, opting to instead help Toph down from their trusty steed.

“I hate this,” Toph muttered, holding both Zuko and Y/N’s arms in her own death grip.

“I know,” Y/N said softly, “But you’ll be able to take those boots off once we get inside one of the igloos.”

“And this must be Y/N.”

With wide eyes, she pried herself from Toph, trusting Zuko to make sure she didn’t cause any avalanches. Stepping to Sokka’s side, Y/N tried not to startle as he wrapped his arm around her hip. “Sokka, let me meet your grandmother before you steal me away!”

She felt smug satisfaction at how he flushed.

“Let me look at you, dear,” The matriarch ordered, though not unkindly. Presenting herself in the woman, she brushed off the scrutinous stare with a smile. “You’re very beautiful.”

“Thank you, erm- “

“Please,” She beamed, and all Y/N could see was the saccharine threat that Katara often fronted, “Call me Gran Gran.”

As the woman turned away, she swatted Sokka’s arm, meeting his gaze with a scowl. Stalking past him through the snow – which was harder than she had assumed – Y/N was followed by a curious flock of children tugging on her sleeves. Patient as a saint, she laughed with them, answering all of their burning questions.

Why is your hair like that? Why are your clothes red? Is that the same scary man who attacked our village? But he doesn’t look scary. Why is Sokka smiling at you?

Whipping her head around, Y/N met Sokka’s eyes. He was grinning like a dope, chin rested on his palm as Katara talked Gran Gran’s ear off. Somehow, he hadn’t realised that she had caught him staring, but the children soon fixed that; a snowball to the face promptly brought him out of his stupor. Had he hit his head on the way down from Appa? Whatever it was, it made her heart hurt and she had promised Toph a warm igloo anyway.

The sun was beginning to set behind the glaciated mountains on the horizon, illuminating the village in the evening light, dappling the ice with sunspots. She had never seen something so beautiful before, but as the sun disappeared, so did the warmth; the igloo more than made up for it.

As she sat with Zuko, Suki, and Toph – Sokka and Katara obviously busy whilst Aang promised the children some airbending games – Y/N grumbled to herself. Not only was she playing fake girlfriend, but fake girlfriend who was hated by the family. Well, it probably wasn’t hate. She wouldn’t blame Gran Gran for being protective over one of her two grandchildren. In fact, thinking of how her brothers reacted to Sokka, maybe she had it good.

Laid flat on her back, she listened to the gossip of the Fire Nation, of how Ty Lee was doing, and how Toph was seeing some weird stuff under the ice. Whatever it was, it couldn’t spike her interest enough to join in the conversation.

“Y/N?”She barely turned her head to see an anxious looking Sokka in the doorway. 

“Yes?”

He looked around the room at all the faces and fidgeted. “About earlier- “

“Listen, I don’t care, okay, Sokka?” She said, trying her hardest to not seem entirely mean, nor upset; Toph scoffed, muttering something that sounded like liar.

“Just,” He sighed, “Can we talk outside?”

Pulling furs back over herself, she looked pleadingly at her friends to rescue her, but to no avail. Trudging after Sokka, she was growing more and more vexed as they moved further from the village and into the cold. The moon began to rise in the sky, glossing the ice with an ethereal glow, which was perhaps the only nice part about being out in the bitter cold.

“What, Sokka?” Y/N finally huffed, putting her foot down. “Am I not being a convincing enough girlfriend for you?”

“It’s not that Y/N,” Sokka started, waving his hands in a panicked motion as if warning off a polar dog.

“Then what?” She interrupted, not having any of it. “Did you want me to hold your hand? Maybe give you a cuddle?”

He flinched at the venom in her tone. “No, Y/N, if you’d just- “

“Just what?” Y/N snapped. “What you asked of me what really inconsiderate, 

Sokka, but I did it anyway because I'm your friend – just your friend.”

“Spirits, Y/N,” He sighed, realisation passing behind his eyes.

“But it’s fine! I’m a great actress, Sokka, because I wouldn’t be acting. See? I can hold your hand, hug you, even kiss you if you needed it, but it hurts me.”

Looking down at the ice, Sokka kicked some snow under his boot, looking very ashamed of himself for a second. It pierced through her anger in a way that was unfair. Instead of dealing a final blow, all she could think to do was grab his hand and comfort him. Yes, she still felt she was in the right, but Y/N didn’t want one of her closest friends to suffer at her hand, retribution or no.

“Gran Gran shouted at me, y’know,” Sokka said, a small smile quirking at his lips as his eyes fell on his hand in hers.

Y/N frowned. “Why?”

“For thinking she was a ‘dumb old lady’ apparently,” He chuckled, meeting her eyes. “It seemed Aang had let slip that we weren’t actually dating, so she told me off for that.”

“You deserved that,” She grin, bumping his shoulder.

“And then she called me dumb, which I didn’t appreciate.”

His smile said otherwise, so Y/N pushed. “What did you do now?”

“Try to fake something I actually wanted.”

Shocked, Y/N dropped his hand, and for a moment his heart fell heavy in his chest. This was the perfect chance to be with her, he thought, now that the war was over and she knew her family was safe. Now they had autonomy, surely they could focus on each other.

“Y/N, I’m so- “

His apology was cut off by an insistent pair of lips, begging him to be quiet and just enjoy their moment. Deepening the kiss, she looped her arms around the back of his neck, the scruff of his unshaven hair brushing against her arms. His heart was soaring, hers no longer burning but glowing. She pulled back and reaching up to his face, Y/N felt the warmth of his cheek in the bitter cold, radiating warmer than the sun. Whatever light had been taken by the night was captured in them.

“Gran Gran likes you by the way,” Sokka said quietly, leaning his forehead against hers. “Says you wrangle those kids better than I do.”

“Praise Agni,” Y/N gasped, letting out a bated breath she hadn’t realised was stuck. “She does the same scary face Katara does.”

Sokka chucked, rubbing his nose against hers. “Don’t you worry, Y/N. Me and Dad are just as scared by it.”

With a giggle, she rested her head in the crook of his neck, basking in their embrace for as long as she could.

[engagedzukka]

Ok so ur Taylor Swift Zukka playlist is *chefs kiss* and I need to add that my tears ricochet is 10000 percent about Zuko’s relationship with his family and no one can convince me otherwise

FIRST of all, thanks for listening! 

SECOND of all, thanks for giving me a platform to ramble even MORE about this!

THIRD of all, about my tears ricochet.....

I know you said that no one can convince you otherwise, but have you considered the possibility that MTR is not about Zuko, but rather about Azula?

Because what is MTR about? It’s about stooping low, refusing to take the high road, and instead vowing to take revenge when someone you love, and someone who claims to love YOU, has hurt you. this is very in-line with Azula’s mindset around the time of the final Agni Kai against Zuko. 

I think MTR fits much more with Azula’s perspective than it does with Zuko’s for three main reasons: 1) Azula’s attacker (Zuko) claims to act based on selfless motivation; on the other hand, Zuko’s attackers (Azula, Ozai) never claimed to act out of anything besides self-interest; 2) Azula’s attackers (Zuko, and to some extent Ozai and Ursa) claim to view her in a positive light, whereas Zuko’s attackers (Azula and Ozai) do not claim to view him that way; and 3) Azula lashes out against Zuko and the other people close to her out of anger and a desire to inflict pain and instill fear; Zuko is only the aggressor when defending himself or pursuing what he views as a higher moral ideal. 

ANALYSIS UNDER THE CUT CAUSE THIS GOT LONG 

1) Azula’s antagonists claim the moral high ground. Zuko’s do not. 

Consider the following lyrics: 

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And you're the hero flying around saving face

I think this lyric really serves to capture Azula’s state of mind following the final Agni Kai. Zuko, after taking the throne, is the “hero,” pretending to save the Fire Nation from its past. Obviously, Azula fails to see or to accept that this motivation is genuine, because to her, being the Fire Lord is personal. It’s not about pursuing a higher ideal; it’s about securing power for herself (which in turn is a way of securing the affirmation she desperately craves from her father). 

On the other hand, it’s highly unlikely Zuko would ever characterize Azula or Ozai as acting like a “hero.” He sees them for what they are, and they see themselves that way, too. 

Additionally: 

You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same Cursing my name, wishing I stayed You turned into your worst fears

You HAD to kill me. You had some moral OBLIGATION to kill me. Zuko’s abusers never felt the need to extinguish him, and this is borne out by the fact that they never actually did. He was never dangerous or important or powerful enough. But it’s different for Zuko - he HAS to put a stop to Azula’s reign, or countless people will be hurt. Thus, I think this line makes a lot more sense coming from Azula’s perspective, speaking to Zuko. 

Also, Zuko doesn’t think Azula turned into her worst fears. He thinks she became exactly what she wanted to be, a dictator with unlimited authority. But Azula thinks Zuko became HIS worst fears by becoming an arbitrary, power-hungry leader, one willing to take out his own sister to get what he wants. 

2) Azula’s antagonists claim to love her. Zuko’s do not. 

It’s likely that Azula would disbelieve or mischaracterize Zuko’s mourning of her, as Taylor does in the following lines: 

And if I'm dead to you why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed

When Zuko defects from the Fire Nation, he has no expectation that anyone in his family will be “wishing he stayed.” There is no genuine mourning of the loss of Zuko, and he doesn’t think there will be. Neither Azula nor Ozai ever make any sort of public claim that they wish he stayed, not after Day of Black Sun. 

On the other hand, Azula likely does hear Zuko mourning her loss, post Agni-Kai. I think we can all imagine that after Azula is committed for treatment and Zuko has ascended to power, Zuko will likely make clear that he is remorseful for what happened to Azula and expressly wish that things were different. And if you’re Azula, the person Zuko is “mourning” after he beat her and took away what was rightfully hers, how would you react to that? You would think it was disingenuous. You would ask, if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake? If you’re the one who finished me, how can you despair that I’m finished? 

And you can aim for my heart, go for blood But you would still miss me in your bones 

In case it isn’t clear without the context of the song, in this line Taylor is basically saying: you can hurt me, but you’ll regret it, because you’ll be hurting yourself, too.

Now, after Zuko defected for the last time from the Fire Nation, I don’t think he has any fantasy that Ozai or Azula will be “missing him in their bones.” He has come to recognize their family dynamic for what it is, one based on manipulation as opposed to love. He doesn’t think they’ll regret the hurt they’ve caused him, and he accepts that. 

But at the time of the final Agni Kai, Azula hasn’t had this revelation yet. She DOES think she will be missed eventually, either by Zuko or by Ozai. She does think that time will tell, and Zuko will come to regret hurting her, that he’ll miss her in his bones. And honestly, that’s probably an accurate assessment to some extent! 

And you're tossing out blame  Drunk on this pain Crossing out the good years

Azula sees Zuko as “crossing out the good years” of their childhood friendship, whereas Zuko has come to realize by now that there were no good years, not really. Thus, this line makes a lot more sense coming from Azula’s perspective. 

Finally: 

And I still talk to you When I'm screaming at the sky And when you can't sleep at night You hear my stolen lullabies

When Zuko has given up on his family, I don’t think it can be said that he’s still reaching out to them (”I still talk to you”) or trying to make himself heard by them (”when I’m screaming at the sky”). Nor does it seem like he expects for them to haunted by his memory (his “stolen lullabies”). It’s more likely he believes they will be apathetic. 

On the other hand, I think it’s likely that Azula would continue lashing out at Zuko after she’s locked up - even if it will never really reach him. Even if it’s just screaming at the sky. And more importantly, I think that she would hope that he would be kept up at night thinking of what he did to her. She would want him to hear her stolen lullabies when he can’t sleep. She would want him to be haunted by his memory. She would EXPECT him to be. I don’t think Zuko ever wished anything like this on Ozai or Azula, and I don’t think he EXPECTED this from them, either, because he doesn’t believe either of them ever truly cared about him at all.

3) Azula's motivations are personal. Zuko’s are not.  

THIS, the idea of taking revenge against a lost love who betrayed you, is at the core of my tears ricochet. And that’s the primary reason why I think this song fits Azula so much better than it fits Zuko. Zuko doesn’t fight Azula because he wants revenge; he does it because it’s what he thinks is right for the Fire Nation and the world as a whole. Azula is objectively dangerous and needs to be incapacitated for reasons that are not personal to him. On the other hand, consider these lines: 

And if I'm on fire You'll be made of ashes, too

and

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves

Both of these lyrics refer to the decision to commit a violent act, not to pursue some higher ideal (like ending a war), but out of anger for an act committed against oneself. I find that both of these lines go a long way to describe Azula’s mindset DURING that final Agni Kai, when she forfeits the fight and decides to aim for Katara instead of Zuko. At that point, Azula knows she’s losing. She knows Zuko has KILLED her, metaphorically, and maybe a literal execution is soon to follow. And what does Azula do in that moment? She doesn’t have it in herself to go with grace. She doesn’t accept that she’s lost. Instead she fights dirty. She makes it personal. 

Zuko never goes there. Azula does. AZULA’S tears ricochet. Which is why I will always, more than anything, associate this song with her. 

And if I'm dead to you why are you at the wake? Cursing my name Wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet. 

LISTEN FOR YOURSELF AND DECIDE.

[sokkathebluewolf]

I am chickened out from gladiator because it is this long and it keeps getting longer is it worth my time to read it ??

... Uh, well. I can’t help but wonder if you’re aware this blog is run by the actual author of the story in question? I don’t know if you expect me to give you a non-biased answer when I’ve considered the story was worth 8 years of my life xD as far as I’m concerned, it absolutely has been worth it, but I can’t speak for the whole wide world when it comes to that. If you want the opinions of readers, there’s probably other blogs run by people who have read the story and who might have critical opinions about it... that may be what you were looking for. If, however, you were deliberately hoping to get my opinion on my own story... well, yes, for me it’s clearly worth it xD Otherwise, I would’ve quit ages ago.

The story is indeed very long and it keeps getting longer, and it will keep getting longer because we’re not done yet and won’t be for a while :’D if you’re the type of reader who can’t stand it when they catch up to stories and have to wait for updates, well, feel free to give it a shot when I’m done writing it, I guess? It’ll be a while until then, but it’s up to you. If you don’t like reading really long stories, then it’s probably better for you if you don’t force yourself to read this one, I know not everyone is ready to dedicate that much time to reading something, especially if they have lots of things to do. Hence, if the length daunts you, that’s alright, it daunts me too and I’m responsible for it xD it’s fine if that deters you from reading it.

But as the way you phrased your question almost sounded like you’re challenging me to give you some sort of sales pitch to catch your attention, let’s see if I can pull it off:

Gladiator is a massive ATLA AU, not only in terms of story length but also scope: it’s a complete rewrite of the entirety of ATLA in a more mature setting, starting chapter 1 with the characters 5 years older than they were in canon. Aang’s adventures in saving the world did not take place here because of a simple enough reason: Katara didn’t accompany Sokka on his boat on the fateful day when they were meant to find Aang, which means the story as we’ve known it simply doesn’t take place. I’ve taken liberties here and there, added some changes from canon when I needed to do so, in order to ensure the story works, but the gist of the story is to set a stage where the Fire Nation marched onwards, practically unopposed, and conquered the Earth Kingdom with the power of Sozin’s Comet (just in case it needs to be clarified, without certain technological developments, Ozai’s wild plan to incinerate the whole world wouldn’t happen, and if Team Avatar isn’t assembled before the Comet shows up, said technological developments simply wouldn’t exist... :’D). I’ve had to figure out how many details would change, how much of the original story would or wouldn’t happen without Team Avatar’s involvement, I think most my choices have been solid, but it’ll be up to you to decide if you think they are or not if you read the story.

The worldbuilding of Gladiator, then, is preeeetty huge and complicated because of that starting point. There’s a lot of elements that are completely new (such as the Gladiator League and all its derivates), some OCs, some lore expansion, so you can definitely say it’s an ambitious project. In a sense, I’ve reset canon to zero, and at the same time I haven’t, which makes things complicated but, for me, really fun to develop. If you’re interested in seeing more of the Avatarverse explored, characters repurposed, with new dynamics and relationships, Gladiator may just be what you’ve been looking for :D

In my experience, the main reason why most people stumble into this fic (other than by sorting FF.net’s ATLA stories by review count and drawing blanks upon glimpsing a Sokkla story on the first page xD) is because they’ve been drawn into Sokkla, or they’re looking for stories centered around Azula or Sokka. Gladiator, evidently, features all three such elements because, obviously, those two are the protagonists and their relationship is the beating heart of the whole tale. I’ve been asked in the past who’s the real protagonist and I honestly still have no idea xD but anyways, if you’re interested in reading a story with a toooooon of Azula character development, even if it takes place across a long, long time, this story may just do the trick. I’ve done the best I could to keep her character as true to what I believed a young adult Azula might become, within the circumstances of this story. She has grown a LOT in 200 chapters, goes without saying (if she hadn’t, I’d be one heck of a failure of an author x’D), so if you’re interested in seeing a slow but effective growth arc for Azula, you’ll certainly find that in Gladiator. Same is true for Sokka, but I think most people who come to this fic for Sokka are interested in seeing him being a badass, which we have plenty of as well xD still, it’s also a long and slow process for Sokka to grow into a powerful warrior, neither him nor Azula start out in the story with all the answers, and they both bump into many hurdles as they navigate their complicated lives.

There’s a lot of humor in Gladiator, perhaps more than expected with a story that has that sort of dark premise, but it’s, on great measure, because Sokka and Azula are inevitably given to banter xD if you want to read a lot of banter between those two, well, you may not be bored in 200 chapters because, while the nature of their exchanges does vary as they both develop, their conversations are usually pretty spirited and they love trying to outsmart each other all the time.

If you are already a Sokkla shipper and the main reason you’re here is because you want more Sokkla goodness in your life... I’ll just say Gladiator has become a bit of a dream come true for me as a Sokkla shipper as well, because it’s the perfect space for me to work with virtually every idea I’ve ever had for these two. Yes, there’s drama and conflict here and there, if you’re not too given to angst there’s a few parts of the story that won’t sit so well with you, though if you love angst you’ll probably enjoy them plenty... yet what I’m most proud of, with this story, is having developed their relationship not only as best I could, but I’ve also attempted to defy typical storytelling structures for romance stories, where the lead couple can’t seem to have a stable relationship because “that would be boring”. Screw that, man: these two have been in a serious relationship together in-story by now for well over half the published chapters, and I’ve had the time of my life writing their dynamics as a couple while the plot continues to develop around them. This, however, is not everyone’s cup of tea, so if you aren’t all that given to seeing such traditional romance storytelling structures dismissed because I wanted to write my favorite ship dealing with all their external struggles while finding strength in the bond they share, Gladiator may not hold your attention long enough for you to devote yourself to reading it beyond chapter 100-ish. On the other hand, if this subversion of romance structure is what you’ve been looking for all your life, or if it’s what you always wanted and never knew you wanted it, or if you’re simply curious as to whether it works or not, Gladiator may suit your interests fairly well. Again, Sokkla is the absolute center of this story, both together and independently, so if you want to see a rewrite of ATLA with them at the core of just... everything? xD that’s absolutely what you’ll find here.

That being said, there’s things I guess you should mind about Gladiator: I have some relatively controversial takes about certain things, including interpretations of fan-favorite characters that some people have been known to take offense over. I, personally, believe my interpretations of those characters don’t deviate that much from canon or that, when they do, the setting itself explains why the deviation works as it does, but due to the fact that I work with a protagonist who was in a villainous role back in ATLA, her relationships with some characters can be more complicated than a lot of people seem to believe they should be. Hence, if you’re not particularly adverse to reading content that brings up big questions about the motivations of certain characters, or how they’d react if the story from ATLA hadn’t happened exactly as it did, you’ll have enough fun in Gladiator. If, however, you don’t particularly care to see anything that shows beloved characters in a not-so-flattering light, this story may not be for you (though, if you’re willing to humor me and allow my story to question your perception of those characters, feel free to try the story as well). 

There’s also a variety of dark themes and situations in Gladiator, something that any reader should be warned about in this day and age: I am 100% against violence for the sake of violence, to name one such subject, and I generally try to portray it with as much nuance as possible, but even if I feature my own characters criticizing their violent world and wanting to put an end to the strife caused by the Fire Nation, some of the violence in Gladiator may be a little too much for the readers who prefer the tone of the original ATLA. Hence, if that’s how it is for you, it’s another reason to approach the story with caution. I won’t pretend I’ve handled every theme and subject perfectly, but I’ve never wanted the darker moments to feel gratuitous in any way, so if you’re open to reading a darker take on the Avatarverse, this may work for you after all.

Alas! If you want to see Azula growing out of the toxic Fire Nation indoctrination, if you want to see Sokka gaining confidence and strength as a man and warrior, if you want to see a fleshed-out but still very much villainous Ozai, if you want to see Toph fulfilling her dreams of joining an all-out fighting league where she can beat people up for a living, if you want to see a myriad of secondary ATLA characters (like Song, or Shoji!) given new lives and even genuine protagonism, if you want to see Zuko discovering he’s allowed to just... be happy? xD Gladiator may prove interesting enough for you.

Furthermore, if you want to see Azula being true friends with Mai and Ty Lee, discovering a dragon, developing new firebending styles, confronting her misplaced beliefs about herself, rebelling subtly (and lately, not so subtly) against her father, growing into a great leader who could change the Fire Nation’s nefarious direction...  aaand if you want to see Sokka fighting creatively (sometimes with TWO swords!), navigating the dangerous waters of interacting with Fire Lord Ozai, staying true to his beliefs while also learning that the world is not as black-and-white as he was raised to think it was, understanding himself better and making the most of his potential as a quick learner, writing embarrassing haiku and being an unapologetic rebel who goes toe-to-toe with Heads of State just because he can... yep. Probably read it? xD

Lastly... if you want to see Sokka and Azula grow through their mistakes, learning to understand each other, fighting side by side, training together, dancing to no music, learning the underrated pleasure of proper communication in a relationship, sassing each other left and right, flirting in ridiculous ways, taunting each other in many regards, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, protecting each other fiercely, challenging each other to a spicy ramen eating contest, discovering indirect bending, being highly inappropriate at times and places where they shouldn’t be, making long, dangerous yet fun journeys together, sneaking around to meet up when they’re not supposed to, standing by each other in their darkest moments, watching over the other when they’re sick/injured, being ready to sacrifice virtually anything for each other, and even defying and defeating even death to save each other...? Well, I don’t know if there’s any other stories where you might find all of this, but I can guarantee you’ll find it in Gladiator :)

If none of this is convincing enough... that’s a shame, but I understand. If it convinced you to give it a shot, however... I guess I’ll just hope you enjoy it enough to stick around! :) thanks for taking my story into consideration regardless of whatever you decide. Have a nice day!

[radishaur]

Sorry I already submitted this but then i realized i could submitt it this way. But whar if y/n has a celebrity crush( still dont care who) and zuko gets jealous

Hi! Firstly, I love your username. Secondly, I would love to do this! I’m going to assume that this is still in the ATLA universe. I hope you like it!

•••

Someone Famous (Zuko x Reader)

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

Part: 1/1

Summary: See Request

•••

“Isn’t he just the cutest? Ugh, it should be illegal to be that handsome,” you sighed, continuing to cook dinner with Katara.

Gossiping and having girl talk with Katara was something the two of you had done since the very first day you joined the Gaang. Toph was never one for that kind of thing and Suki wasn’t around for the majority of your travels, so you were a welcome addition.

“I know, right?!” Katara agreed, grinning widely, “And that was only the photo!”

Your conversation carried over into the other room where Zuko, Sokka, and Aang were all relaxing after training. Zuko felt a hint of jealousy hearing you swoon over some random guy but tried his best to hide it from the other boys. Aang seemed to miss it, but Sokka didn’t.

“Someone’s jealous,” he teased, elbowing the other teen in the side.

“No I’m not!” Zuko protested, shoving Sokka away and scowling at him.

“Jealous of what?” Aang asked innocently.

“Zuko’s eavesdropping on Katara and Y/N’s discussion in the kitchen. They’re swooning over some boy,” Sokka explaining, a cheeky grin on his face directed at Zuko.

“I’m not eavesdropping, Sokka. They’re just loud,” Zuko groaned, once again trying to defend himself.

Sokka rolled his eyes and laid back into the couch, ready to let the topic go and continue talking, but Aang seemed suddenly very interested in their conversation.

“I mean, it couldn’t hurt to listen. Maybe then you can get intel on what kind of boy’s Kata- I mean Y/N likes! ...Yea...,” Aang said, grinning sheepishly at his slip up.

Sokka sent an empty glare at Aang that still managed to make him cower, nevermind that he was the AVATAR, but conceded to eavesdrop with the other two.

All three boys sat silently, the sound of Katara and your’s talking filling the room easily. Zuko was right after all. You guys weren’t exactly quiet.

“And those eyes! Don’t get me started on those eyes,” Katara giggled.

“I know. It’s no wonder he’s famous,” you said, sending a sinking feeling in Zuko’s stomach.

This guy was famous? It was bad enough when he thought the person was some random nobody, but someone famous? How was he supposed to compete with that? He was just a banished prince with an ugly scar on his face.

Not even trying to hide his souring mood, Zuko dunk into the couch and crossed his arms. Aang and Sokka were still listening animatedly.

“Shuji has got to be one of my favorite celebrities. Not only is he a good performer, but I’ve heard he’s actually a good person,” you said.

Zuko remembered seeing a poster for a famous street dancer in the marketplace of Ember Island named Shuji. He was a performer from the colonies, using his fire bending and Earth Kingdom good looks to dance and to charm the hearts of his audience. To be honest, even Zuko had to admit he was handsome. He could never compete with him.

“He seems like such a genuine person. It’s hard to beat that combo. Handsome and kind. What a dream,” Katara swooned, a lovesick expression on her face.

Aang visibally deflated at her words, mirroring Zuko’s own crestfallen expression. Sokka seemed to notice the gloomy boys because he rolled his eyes and turned to face them.

“You guys, it’s just a celebrity crush. They don’t actually have feelings for him,” Sokka said concolingly.

Zuko just grunted and continued brooding. Aang seemed to be a little brighter at the encouragement but he still looked disappointed. Before either of the boys could respond, Katara’s question caught their attention.

“What’s your top 3 list of celebrity crushes?” she asked excitedly.

Zuko listened intently, trying to push down the feelings of jealousy he was experiencing about listening to you talk about other guys. Maybe if he listened he could figure out your type at least. Even if he never thought it would be him.

“Hmmm. Top three? That’s hard. I guess my #3 would be Shuji, my #2 would be Kichi, the actor from Omashu, and my number one would be...,” you paused, trying to think of who it could be.

Zuko was on the edge of his seat. So far, your type was Earth Kingdom boys which wasn’t anywhere close to him. He grabbed the cup of tea in front of him to hopefully calm him down and took a sip.

“Oh, I know! My #1 without a shadow of a doubt has to be the Blue Spirit!”

Zuko promptly choked on his drink, spitting it out as he began to cough out what got caught in his throat, his jealousy gone and replaced with shock. Aang was looking at him with wide eyed and a huge smile. Sokka began pounding on his back to help him clear his throat. Apparently the commotion caught your and Katara’s attention, because the two of you also ran into the room to see what was going on.

“Zuko, what happened?” you asked in concern.

Zuko was still too busy coughing to respond. Aang took that as his opportunity to answer for him.

“We were just listening to your guy’s conversation. Do you really like the Blue Spirit that much?” Aang asked, smiling innocently and ignoring the wild look of panic that crossed Zuko’s face.

You didn’t seem at all bothered by the question though, simply laughing and smiling back at him.

“I do, actually. I know that he’s had questionable ethics in the past, but he saved you from Zhao. That and I saw him once when we were in Ba Sing Se,” you admitted, the corner of your lip turning up slightly at the memory.

“You did?” Sokka asked in shock.

“I didn’t know that,” Katara said, feigning hurt at not being told the secret earlier.

“It didn’t seem that important to mention!” you argued, crossing your arms defensively.

“You’ve gotta tell us!” Aang said excitedly, bouncing in his seat.

“Well, I was just walking around the lower ring when I saw this lady getting robbed. It was getting kind of late, so it was kind of dark. I was going to jump in, but then he came out of the shadows and beat me to it. He gave the lady her belongings back before disappearing again,” you explained nonchalantly.

“He seems like a great guy,” Katara said with a small smile.

“I think so. I didn’t see him again after that, but I kept hearing stories of the Blue Spirit who would come out at night and save people from danger. Maybe they’re just rumors, but I know what I saw that night. Besides, I can respect a man who changes for the better like that. Like Zuko!” you exclaimed, turning to smile brightly at him.

It was then you noticed his face was a bright red and he was curling into himself on the couch. He averted his gaze as everyone turned to look at him, his embarrassment clear. You cocked your head to the side, not understanding what was going on at all.

“Zuko, buddy, what’s wrong with you?” Sokka asked, shaking Zuko slightly with a hand on his arm.

“I um...N-Nothing. I’m fine,” he forced out, still refusing to look at anyone but especially you.

Frowning, you made your way to the coffee table and sat down on it across from Zuko. It was pretty hard to ignore you from there, especially when your knees brushed his.

“You’re not fine. Spit it out. Why does the Blue Spirit make you so uncomfortable?” you insisted, leaning back against your arms.

Zuko flicked his gaze over to Aang who simply gave him a small thumbs up and a smile. He bit his lip before returning his gaze to you. You stared at him expectantly, but your gaze was free of judgement. He felt his heart flutter as he looked at you and decided to just admit it.

“It’s just that uh, well.... actually I’m the Blue Spirit.”

The room was silent for a moment as everyone processed the new information. You seemed the most shocked of them all and he felt his heart drop as he watched a million emotions flash across your face.

“It’s true,” Aang piped in, “I saw him when he rescued me. His mask fell off when he got hit in the face with an arrow.”

Silence once again filled the room and Zuko felt his heart sink. He was waiting silently for you to judge him and think differently of him for lying or pretending to be someone he wasn’t, but that never came. Instead, he felt you wrapping him in a warm embrace.

“That’s so cool!” you exclaimed, pulling back from your hug before asking eagerly, “Did you really save a a kid from falling out of a window or was that a rumor?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. Sokka snickered from beside him and began cracking some joke about how Zuko was broken now. None of it reached his ears though. He was too nosy looking at you in a mix of awe and apprehension. Maybe this was all a joke?

“You’re not mad?” he managed to ask quietly.

“Mad? Of course not! I just said you were my number one idol. Why would I be anything but excited?” you asked, clearly confused.

“Actually, you said he was your celebrity crush,” Aang corrected you, innocently oblivious to the embarrassment that caused you.

Your cheeks reddened as you turned to face Zuko with a sheepish smile.

“Right. I did say that.”

Zuko’s jealousy was long gone at that point. The two of you spent the rest of the night talking about his adventures as the Blue Spirit, from how he got the mask to how he ended up becoming a savior instead of a thief. Before the two of you noticed, it was the late hours of the night and both of you were getting tired.

“I should probably go to sleep. I have a long day of training with Aang tomorrow,” Zuko said, standing up awkwardly to leave.

“Yea, I should go too,” you said, standing up as well.

There was an awkward pause as the two of you simply looked at each other. It was like the world stopped and nothing else mattered but the other person. After a few more moment, it was you who broke the silence.

“Hey Zuko?” you asked quietly, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah?”

“Remember how I said you were my celebrity crush without really knowing it was you?”

“...Yes?”

“Well, I have something to confess.”

“What is it, Y/N?”

“You’re not just my celebrity crush. You’re also my actual crush.”

Zuko couldn’t stop a giddy smile from breaking out on his face. He began laughing which made you frown. You thought he was laughing at you, which made you want to take back everything you had just said and bury yourself in the ground.

“I like you too, Y/N. A lot,” Zuko admitted before you could say anything.

You smiled up at him, the full weight of his words lifting a weight off your shoulders. He actually liked you back. You actually liked him back. The two of you had the stupidest grins on your faces as you stood together.

Zuko let his hands curl around your waist and pulled you closer. You had no qualms about that, moving your arms to rest on his shoulders. Slowly, giving you time to back away if you wanted, he began to lean in to kiss you. You moved your head up to meet his and felt your lips melt into his.

If this was going to be the outcome everytime, perhaps you should talk about your celebrity crushes more often.

[ladylynse]

A second part of the ATLA role reversal AU, this one focusing on Sokka training Aang as a thank you to @cakercanart for donating to my ko-fi. You can also find this chapter on FFN and the AO3.

How can someone who isn’t a bender teach water bending?

Atonement (Part I): Sokka wants to make up for his past actions, to join the Gaang, and Azula is having none of it.

-|-

“Ignore them,” Sokka said as Aang looked over his shoulder at the fire bender siblings again; at least the earth bender had gone off…somewhere. He’d lost her quickly in the trees, though she’d picked her way through them without any trouble. “Concentrate on replicating these forms.” Sokka moved his hands in the same fluid motions as before. They were still working on the simplest forms, as Aang had been too distracted to make any progress. He wasn’t just sloppy; he was wrong, and Sokka didn’t need the still bowl of water set between them to know that he wasn’t getting it.

They hadn’t been sitting cross-legged opposite each other for very long, however. Sokka’s legs weren’t aching for movement yet, and it was cool enough in the shade provided by the trees overhead. He could stay like this for hours if he had to.

Aang was already fidgeting, though Sokka knew perfectly well he could sit still if he had to.

The air bender would put on a show of concentrating, even going so far as to stick out his tongue between his teeth and screw up his face, but he seemed to be more focused on the faces he was making than on the forms he was supposed to be replicating.

“Bending is about more than just forms!” hollered Azula from where she sat against a tree not ten feet away.

Not that Sokka possibly had any idea why Aang couldn’t concentrate.

“You need to feel it, and you can’t! Which is why Aang needs a real water bending teacher!”

It certainly couldn’t have anything to do with the judgemental stares and accompanying heckling.

“You might be more successful if you moved to the stream,” observed Zuko. “Perhaps, if he’s immersed in the element—”

“That would just make it more dangerous to the rest of us,” Sokka snapped, finally acknowledging the two of them. “Besides, I highly doubt your method of teaching fire bending had you throwing him into an inferno.”

“Well, they did,” Aang said, sounding entirely too cheerful about that memory, “but not before they thought I was ready. Toph’s the one who nearly ran me over with a boulder.”

He was grinning.

Sokka had no idea how he could be grinning.

Years of searching for the Avatar had formed a solid idea in his mind of who the Avatar was—which had promptly shattered once he’d found the kid. Because Aang was a kid, younger than both Sokka and Katara. Besides, even when they’d been Aang’s age, they hadn’t acted it, at least not in public. It wouldn’t have been proper. Aang? More often than not, Aang did act his age—unless you counted the years he’d been in stasis as part of his age. Sokka had seen him act that age, too, and it was far more disconcerting, but that was more in line with what he’d expected from the Avatar.

This Avatar, however, had quickly gotten bored of Sokka sketching out the forms in the forest detritus with a stick and had instead started drawing stick figures of all of them. Flattered as Sokka had been to be included in the group so easily, he was not impressed that Aang had apparently stopped paying attention to him almost immediately. That was the primary reason he’d emptied his waterskin into a bowl and started demonstrating the simplest forms for Aang. He seemed to learn better by doing than anything else.

Unfortunately, that was when Azula and Zuko had decided to join them, each picking a tree to recline against while offering unwanted commentary.

While Zuko’s suggestion of the stream wasn’t a bad idea, per se, as it was one Sokka had considered himself, it was clear enough that Zuko hadn’t thought the suggestion through. Water might not be as obviously dangerous as fire, but it was still dangerous. They should know that as well as he did. He hadn’t been sure if Aang would have an infinity for water, and someone with a great deal of power and very little control was not—

“Look, look, I’m doing it!”

Sokka blinked.

A tiny waterspout had formed over the bowl.

“That’s air bending,” he said, causing Aang to let it collapse with a huff. “Twisting your own element around the water doesn’t make it water bending.”

“But I know what water benders can do,” Aang complained, “and they don’t just—” He made a crude slicing motion with one hand.

The water in the bowl didn’t react, all its ripples merely remnants from the earlier disturbance.

“Water flows,” Sokka said. “Like air. You still need fluidity in your motions.”

“Can’t you teach me more complex forms? That’s probably why I can’t get this. Because it’s too simple. I mean, if it is like air bending, then I should be able to get my whole body into it, right, and that’ll make it work better.”

Sokka let out a slow breath through his teeth and kept his voice low in a futile attempt to give the fire benders less fuel for their inevitable criticism. “Is that how you learned the other elements? By jumping right in over your head?”

“Well, no, but—”

“You can’t do that here, either. There might be similarities, but you can’t treat water bending like air bending. They’re not the same.”

“You just said they’re like each other!”

“You really did,” called Azula. “We all heard that, non bender boy.”

“Having more similarities to air than to earth doesn’t mean water isn’t its own element,” Sokka said with a glare in Azula’s direction. He hesitated for a moment, looked at Aang’s crestfallen face, and made his decision.

“What are you doing?” Aang asked as he stood and flung the contents of the bowl in the general direction of the fire benders. He was rewarded with twin squawks of surprise, but they were far enough away to just get a spray rather than anything satisfyingly substantially wet.

“Come with me,” Sokka said. He tucked the bowl back into his pack and strode toward the clearing where they’d camped last night. It was near the stream but not near enough to give Zuko any gloating rights. “I want you to show me how air benders move.”

“You know how I move,” Aang said as he hopped up to follow. Unfortunately, Sokka saw the fire benders rise as well. “I mean. We have fought. A lot. It’s not like you haven’t seen me air bend.”

“Humour me.”

Aang shrugged but skipped ahead without protest, guessing their destination when Sokka didn’t call out to correct his direction. For someone carrying so much responsibility on their shoulders, he could appear remarkably carefree. Sokka envied that, though he wasn’t about to admit it. He liked joking around, but he rarely had an opportunity to do that anymore. Katara didn’t mind it much in private, whatever she pretended, but it was heavily frowned upon in public. Even now, Sokka wasn’t convinced the Fire siblings could take a joke from him, Azula especially, and in the years since he’d been off searching for the Avatar in an attempt to crush the threat before it came to crush them, well….

He hadn’t had the opportunity to be himself for a while.

Aang, it seemed, had never stopped being himself.

Before they even got to the clearing, Aang had formed a spinning bubble of air and was bouncing off the last of the trees. As Sokka reached the edge and dropped his pack, Aang used one of Toph’s stone tents like a ramp and shot off the top before letting the ball of air dissipate. Using his momentum, he spun like a leaf and sent a powerful rush of wind towards Sokka that nearly knocked him off his feet. The acrobatics continued, Aang being very careful not to disturb Appa further after the bison lowed a sleepy protest at being blasted by the wind.

Predictably, Aang finished with a flourish, alighting on the tip of Toph’s tent and giving an exaggerated bow.

“Yeah, you’re making great strides at teaching him water bending, aren’t you?” Azula said from his left. Zuko snorted but thankfully didn’t comment.

“He needs to see the differences for himself.”

“And how are you going to show him those differences when you can’t bend?”

“Azula—”

“Watch,” Sokka said sharply, not caring that he cut off Zuko’s defence. That wouldn’t silence Azula. This…. This might not silence her, either, but it might at least earn him enough of her silence to give him a chance to teach Aang something.

Sokka stepped into the clearing and flowed.

He’d grown up surrounded by water in all her forms. He knew her scalding touch as well as her frigid bite. He knew how she could rage and how she could laugh. He knew what it was like to be completely at her mercy, and he knew how to steer her towards the end he wanted.

He had never danced with her like his younger sister had danced with her, but he knew the motions that the masters used to sculpt her into their weapons. What he was doing now was far less impressive than it would be if he were working with water, but his audience was made up of benders; they would have some sense of the power and intent behind his actions, even if their elements were different.

Besides, whatever Azula believed, he knew the mindset that was needed for water bending.

Too gentle a touch, and she would gleefully overwhelm and swallow you, trying to drown you in her depths. Too harsh and demanding, and she would balk and become as immovable as the ice shelf itself. Working with water required a partnership like the sea had with the moon. If you were careless, you’d exhaust yourself over something that should be simple, and any attempt to force a form would fail miserably. If you didn’t trust her, didn’t trust yourself, you were as likely to find your trap falling flat as you were to be caught in it.

He wasn’t sure how to convey to Aang that working with water would require him to surrender himself to the current so that he could learn to guide himself along and work with it rather than fighting it every step of the way, as he seemed to be doing now. If nothing else, this demonstration of the difference in styles should drive home Sokka’s point that water bending, while fluid, was hardly the same as air.

Anyway, Aang had asked to see some more advanced forms, even if Sokka wasn’t moving slowly enough for him to learn any of them.

They could float leaf boats on the stream after this, and he could try to explain about the currents then.

He finally stopped opposite Aang, breathing a mite heavier than he ought to be, even though it had been years since he’d run through this entire sequence.

Once it had become clear that he wasn’t a bender, his practice of the forms—even under the guise of exercise—had been frowned upon. His time was much better spent learning other things, military tactics included, and practicing moves and training muscles as he would ultimately use them in battle. He was not his sister. He didn’t need to have every step of the water bending forms perfect. His talents lay elsewhere.

Katara had excelled under her tutelage, and Sokka had been kept busy enough with his own classes, so he hadn’t been able to watch Katara train as often as he would have liked. He’d learned more from watching her and the other masters in action. He knew the breadth of their skills—he needed to know as much to know how best to use them—but while he knew the rain could be stilled and turned into sharpened daggers, for instance, he did not know the exact combination of forms required to do that. He could guess, based on the breakdown of the motions he knew and how the water reacted, but he could not do that for every outcome. Besides, there was far too much flexibility of the potential motions involved for him to have any certainty, as more than one combination could have the desired effect.

Ultimately, Aang would have to learn from experimentation—and, if Sokka managed to teach him anything, intuition. Water was a very intuitive element, as Aang would realize once he stopped trying to force it to move the way he wanted it to. Like a river took the path of least resistance, the simplest combination of forms was more effective and efficient than a complicated set that led to the same end. Aang would fight better if he learned to bend water even half as intuitively as he did air, and he’d need that to face Katara.

Aang grinned down at him. “That was awesome!” he said as he jumped lightly to the ground. Sokka could hear Azula muttering that she wasn’t impressed, but she wasn’t saying that louder, which had to mean she was, at least a little bit. “Are you going to show me how to do that now?”

Sokka picked up his pack and reached for his waterskin, only remembering it was empty once he held it. “Let’s head to the stream for now.”

“So you are taking my suggestion?” Zuko murmured, a smirk on his face. Sokka rolled his eyes and held up the empty waterskin.

It was snatched out of his hand a split second later by a chittering Momo, who had it halfway up a tree before Sokka could blink.

“It’s empty,” he said as the winged lemur uncapped it and held it over its mouth, waiting for the last drops to fall.

“What do water benders do when they run out of water?” Aang asked as Momo frowned at the waterskin and threw it down at them. Sokka ducked, but it still took him in the head. He scowled, and Momo dashed back the way they’d come, presumably to steal someone else’s waterskin. “What if what they had is used up and there isn’t any water nearby? If they’re somewhere really dry and they had to drink the last of their water or something like that?”

Sokka rubbed the top of his head with one hand and slipped the waterskin back into his pack with the other. Any anger he might have felt towards Momo drained away at Aang’s question, as it reminded him of the fact that he hadn’t seen all the horrors of which the Water Tribe was capable. He must think blood bending was the worst of it, and blood bending was terrifying, but it wasn’t the only thing water benders could do.

“If you’re lucky,” Zuko said before Sokka could decide how to answer the question, “they’ll pull a weapon and fight like any other non bender.”

“If you’re not,” Azula said tersely, “and they’re skilled enough, they’ll take it from you. Or another living thing, if they want to torture you first. Unless they’re entirely alone in the middle of a desert, they’re not without water.”

“Oh. That’s….” Aang trailed off and looked at Sokka, maybe hoping he’d say the Fire siblings were wrong, but he couldn’t.

Chances were, they’d seen what was left behind after a water bender had done that. Sokka certainly had, and even he didn’t like it.

Instead, he picked up his pace and started telling Aang about the currents, trying to relate them to the element of air and hoping that would snap Aang out of it, but Aang’s troubled expression made it clear he wasn’t listening.

No doubt, he was thinking about how water was the lifeblood of all the living things around them, and if Sokka couldn’t distract him, he’d think too much on the sickening feeling of seeing it drained—or worse, doing the draining—and that would only make him more reluctant to learn how to wield water as a weapon.

But maybe that was the trouble.

Sokka was trying to show him how water could be used as a weapon, but it wasn’t only a weapon. It could shield as easily as slice. He admittedly didn’t know the intricacies of it, but it could heal as well as hurt. And it could bring delight as readily as destruction; upon learning to control multiple droplets, the youngest water benders—Katara included, when she’d first found her bending—would invariably decide to throw up a spray of water into the sunlight to create a rainbow, and peals of joy were always the result.

He missed those days.

“None of the elements are one-sided,” Sokka said, touching Aang’s arm briefly to make sure he had his attention. “None of them are inherently good or bad.” Yes, a water bender could pull water from any living thing—but an air bender was no different. Aang could pull Sokka’s breath from his body if he wanted to. He wouldn’t, but he could. Sokka wasn’t going to say that, though, because Aang would be horrified by the suggestion, and he wouldn’t win any favours from the fire benders for thinking of the possibility. “What you intend to do when you bend will influence the outcome as much as anything. You balance them all as the Avatar, but there’s a balance within each of them as well.”

“I’m trying not to hurt people,” Aang insisted, perhaps thinking that Sokka was implying that he was doing more harm than good with his bending. “I don’t want to. I just…. I know there have been some accidents, but I’ve been trying.”

Sokka glanced at Azula and Zuko, raising his eyebrows just a hair, as he would hardly call the amount of destruction the group had left behind accidental. It was one of the reasons they’d been relatively easy to find and follow, at least off the start. It might not happen as frequently as it once had, but it certainly still happened.

Zuko looked away, but Azula met his gaze steadily.

At least, she did until he tripped over a tree root and found himself spitting rotting leaves out of his mouth, and then she laughed at him along with the others.

Sokka picked a twig out of his hair and stood to brush off his clothes. Leaves and burrs and dirt and— He paused, plucked up a mostly-intact leaf, and straightened up. The others were giving him questioning looks as he tried to balance the leaf on the edge of the stick, and they erupted into the giggles and snorts when he was unsuccessful. Repeatedly. He wound up laughing too much to get manage it, and they were still chuckling when they reached the stream, but he pulled out his boomerang to make his point anyway.

He dropped his pack and sat down on the edge of the stream. They followed suit, Aang jumping to the opposite bank first while Azula and Zuko stayed on this one with him. He balanced the twig on the side of the boomerang, with much more success than he’d had with the leaf. And then, even as they were asking him what he was doing, he scrapped the edge of the twig along the boomerang just enough to scar the bark, and then snapped a bit off the end and tried to balance it again. It wouldn’t balance in the same spot it had before, as he’d known it wouldn’t, so he adjusted it accordingly.

“See?” he said, even though it was clear from the looks he was getting that none of them understood what he was trying to do. “It wouldn’t balance where it did before. It’s changed, and I needed to move it so it would balance again. People are like this twig. Everyone is different, and sometimes they change so that they’re different from who they used to be. They have to find their own balance.”

Azula snorted. “You couldn’t think of a better way to try to explain that?”

“I don’t hear you coming up with any grand suggestions here.”

“You’d need to make sense before I could try.”

“Or you could listen to him and let him finish explaining things before you interrupt,” Zuko pointed out as Sokka tossed the twig to the current and put his boomerang away.

Azula made a face, somehow managing to look incredulous while scowling at her brother. “He did finish. He just finished poorly.”

“It wasn’t that bad of an explanation,” Aang started, but Azula cut off the rest of his feeble defence, assuring him that it was.

“You two hanging around isn’t helping either of us concentrate,” Sokka retorted. “Why didn’t you go with Toph?”

“Because we can’t break into that new earth bent bunker she sensed and see if there are any supplies left.”

“You could’ve helped her carry stuff!”

“What, you think I can’t carry stuff by myself?”

Sokka blinked. “How long has she been standing behind me?”

“Long enough that I’m surprised you didn’t notice, Twiggy.”

Sokka winced, and not just because there was a heavy thud behind him. He turned to see a slab of stone heaped with a mishmash of materials sitting on the bank behind Toph. He couldn’t make out much, but from what he did see, there wasn’t any food, which was unfortunate but understandable. The rope might not be any good, but she’d found it, and if they looked over what else she’d found, some of it might be salvageable. Anything was better than nothing, really. They were sorely unprepared to face his sister at the moment.

“How goes the water bending?” she continued as she sat down beside him. “Swimmingly?”

“More like glacial,” Sokka admitted. He cupped his hands and drank from the stream, wondering if they should try a few more forms or if they should skip straight to the leaf boats.

“Have you tried throwing Aang into the water?”

“Hey!”

“I suggested that, but he didn’t like the idea,” Zuko said, nodding at Sokka.

“We could really do without the audience,” Sokka said, hoping Toph would take the hint.

Judging by the smirk that spread across her face as she shifted position, she knew exactly what the hint was supposed to be and deliberately ignored it. “Too bad you’ve got one, then.”

Sokka sighed. “On your feet, Aang. I’ll show you one of the first things every water bender learns.”

“What, how to make an ice dagger to stick through someone’s heart? I think Aang can do without learning that.”

Sokka spun on Azula. “I just told you guys that none of the elements are inherently bad. That includes water and water benders!”

“She didn’t mean it,” Aang said. “Right?”

Azula shrugged, but when Zuko elbowed her, she muttered an apology.

Sokka ignored them and turned back to Aang, demonstrating the form and explaining how it called up the water as a simple globe to start, though it could be refined to multiple droplets with practice if so desired.

While Aang was frowning at him, Sokka demonstrated how non benders did it—and splashed him.

Judging by the way Toph had cracked up as he’d knelt to scoop up the water, she’d known exactly what he’d been about to do.

She splashed him before Aang had the chance to retaliate.

The ensuing water fight quickly involved all of them. No one was bending at first, but Toph was the first to cheat, shielding herself with the ground, and the others followed suit. It didn’t take long before all of them were soaked and laughing.

At some point in the midst of it all, Aang let out a shout that had them stop in place, slowly dripping as they watched him juggle a wobbly ball of water.

Maybe immersing him in the element hadn’t been a bad idea after all.

It was just a start, but a start was all Sokka had needed. He could help Aang get this. He could help the Avatar—and, ultimately, he could help the Water Tribe.

Even if it did mean going against Katara.

(see more fics)

[dancingkirby]

Fanfic: The Morning After

Sokka and Ty Lee have a little chat about their mutual lover, and then Sokka has an encounter with Azula herself.  This is a direct sequel to the Sokkla scene I wrote for the Chapter 69 special.  Like most of what I post here, this is a right draft.  I feel that the ending still needs some work, but I think the rest of it turned out well.  Especially since this was my first time writing Sokka’s PoV!

WARNING: Referenced past sexual abuse/incest.  Kind of par for the course with this series.

Waking up in the mornings was so, so overrated…especially when it was this early. Sokka had been wrenched out of sleep by a strong urge to pee, but once that had been taken care of, he found himself unable to drift of again.  The birds outside his window were causing a racket, and even when he turned his head away from the window, he felt as if it the sunlight was drilling a hole in the back of his skull.  Resigning himself to the inevitable, Sokka sat up in bed and reached for the stash of blubbered seal jerky he’d stashed under his pillow, only to be severely disappointed when he found that the bag was empty.  That was right…he’d eaten the last few pieces last night.

Last night…what had that even been?

He had, of course, been hoping he’d get lucky that night, since it was a wedding and all, so he’d come prepared.  But he would have never guessed in a gazillion years that it would be with Azula.  Yes, he’d been aware that she’d been looking at him all day, but he’d assumed it was because she hated him and was fantasizing about his death.  It turned out that her fantasies had actually been about something slightly less violent…and way more sexy.

(He hadn’t been entirely blameless in this either…he’d stared right back at her, thinking about how hot she’d become.  And not in the firebending sense.)

And then…they’d had sex.  In a closet that was so tiny that Sokka hadn’t been quite able to stand up straight. Azula had proven to be a screamer, and when they’d left the closet, they’d had to do a Walk of Shame through a large and boisterous crowd to get to the sleeping quarters.  

He held his head in his hands.  If Zuko didn’t know yet, he certainly would soon.  And then Sokka was really gonna get it.  Well, he might as well go outside for a walk first, so he wouldn’t face the Fire Lord with all this metaphorical gunk clogging his thoughts.  It was a testament to his current emotional turmoil that he didn’t even eat breakfast first.

They hated each other, right?  That much hadn’t changed.  And yet…that sex had been something else.   He’d heard about hatesex, of course, but he’d never thought he’d actually experience it. What was more, Azula had evidently been satisfied enough with how it’d gone to suggest that this could become a regular Thing.  However, that was before they knew that everyone in the palace was aware of it.

Sokka navigated the maze of corridors more or less successfully, and flung open a side exit door leading to one of the gardens.  When the spring air, still cool this early and laden with the scent of flowers, hit his face, he thought he already felt a little better.  As he started walking around the perimeter, he thought that surely no one else would be out here at this hour…

Except there was.

He had thought, upon initially passing it, that it was simply an ordinary bush with biggish pink flowers on it.  Sokka had no idea what the flowers were called. (Hey, he was the meat and sarcasm guy…not the plant guy!)  Then, he had almost walked by it when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.  He figured it was probably only the breeze, but turned back to look anyway,,,and saw that the bush had grown large eyes that were staring right back at him.  

“Whoa!” he cried out.  “Please leave me alone, Creepy Bush with Eyes. I wasn’t doing any…”

He broke off his sentence, feeling more than a little embarrassed at himself as he realized that the eyes did not belong to the bush, but rather to the now-giggling lady sitting next to the bush, feet tucked behind her head. (How could that possibly be a comfortable way to sit?)  Her pink outfit had made her blend right in.

Wait.  Pink?  This was Ty Lee!  Shit. She and Azula were dating, right? What if Azula had cheated on Ty Lee with him?  

“Weeelllll…it was really nice seeing you, Ty Lee, or rather not seeing you, but this is a little awkward, wouldn’t you think?  I think I’ll just be…leaving, and then we can both pretend that this never happened. Sound like a plan?”

But Ty Lee lowered her feet, stood up, and said, “Wait.  No.   I wanted to talk with you for a bit.”

Oh fuck, he was in for it now!

“What about?” he replied.  He was trying to be casual, but the fact that his voice was currently an octave higher than it had been in about four years gave him away.

“I’m not mad at you, silly!” Ty Lee insisted, sitting on a nearby bench.  “Just sit right here...”–she patted the spot next to her– “And we can clear some things up, okay?”

“About Azula?” Sokka sighed.  Ty Lee nodded.

“Yeah.  About Azula.”

Sokka gingerly sat, crossing his legs just in case.  “I take it you know about last night?”

“M-hm,” Ty Lee said. “But that…what you probably think is the problem isn’t.  Azula and I have…kind of an arrangement.  We see other people.  I’ve been starting to do a bit of dating myself.  Not that anyone’s really worked out for me yet, but…well, anyway, you don’t have to worry about that.”  She flushed as she realized that she’d overshared a bit.

“Then what is the problem?” Sokka pressed.  Ty Lee’s gaze flickered down to her lap, and she seemed to be trying to figure out how to put what she wanted to say into words.  

“Be careful with her, okay?” she finally said in a soft voice, pleading gaze back on him.

Sokka shuddered. “No need to tell me that twice.”

Ty Lee shook her head, braid swaying from side to side.  “Not like that.  Well, I guess kind of…but what I was trying to get at was, she’s good at putting on an act, but she’s still really emotionally fragile.  She…you were at the meeting; you know what happened to her.”

Yes, Sokka remembered that meeting well.  No sooner had Katara and Sokka gotten back home with Dad than they’d received a message telling them to return to the Fire Nation for an urgent matter.  Sokka’s first thought was that Iroh had gotten sick, but that proved not to be the case.  

As soon as he and Katara had arrived at the palace, they had been ushered into a small conference room.  Somewhat oddly, metal buckets had been placed by every seat.  The two of them, Aang, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, Zuko, and Mai had been the only people in the room, and the new Fire Lord had sworn them all to secrecy.

“I’m not sure how to lead up to this, so I guess I’ll just come out and say it,” Zuko had said, face pale and grief-stricken.  The entire room was horrified to hear that Ozai had raped his own daughter multiple times, and not only that…he had impregnated her.  

It had quickly become clear that the buckets had been placed there in case anyone had to vomit, and Aang and Suki had had to use theirs.  Sokka hadn’t, although it had been close.  But Ty Lee had taken it the worst of all of them.  After a few seconds of shocked silence, she had burst into tears and been utterly inconsolable.  The only things she had been capable of saying were, “I should have known!” and “It’s all my fault!”

For all he knew, she could still be blaming herself for it…

Sokka swallowed. All he could trust himself to say was, “Yeah.  I know.”

Ty Lee squeezed her eyes shut, as if she too was revisiting that memory in her head.

She said, “Azula’s had a lot of relearning to do. And she’s trying to be a better person in her own way, I think.  At the very least, she’s realized that she wasn’t happy the way she was before.  But sometimes, she’s not quite there yet.  Be patient with her, that’s all I’m asking. And if she starts doing something messed up, you have to let her know about it.  And if you ever, ever take advantage of her…you’ll have to answer to me.”

That last part sounded slightly ludicrous on the surface, coming from such a sweet-faced woman, but Sokka knew well that her appearance was deceiving.  He held up his hands.  “Hey, no advantage-taking going on here!  I promise.”

“It’s okay.  I believe you,” Ty Lee stated.  She gave him a crooked little smile, while simultaneously blinking away tears.  “I…I was happy when I heard last night.  I think you might be the person Azula needs right now.  So…friends?” She held out her little finger to pinky-promise.

Sokka smiled as he linked her finger with his.  “Sure. Friends.”   Naturally, his stomach had to choose that very moment to give an audible growl.

“Whoops.  Guess I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast,” he muttered.  “Well, I should go now.  It was nice talking to you, though!  Glad we set things straight.”

“No problem!” Ty Lee replied.

Once Sokka had gone to the kitchens and successfully begged for some grub (They had leftovers from last night!  Score!), he encountered none other than Azula on the way back to his room.  She was dressed in her training garb, but had looked like she had been in no hurry to get to the sparring grounds.  In fact, from the way she’d been leaning against a doorway, it almost looked like she’d been waiting for him.

He sidled up to her, and whispered, “So…are we still on for tonight?” She nodded.

He couldn’t help it; he winked at her.  After all, he was Sokka, and he had to uphold certain standards.  Azula looked taken aback at first…but then she smiled.  She had dimples, and it was strangely adorable.

Before she could speak, though, a shout rang out from behind them.

“There you are! Mai and I heard some really weird stuff about…”  Zuko rounded a corner, and the “weird stuff” was apparently confirmed when he saw Sokka and Azula standing so close to each other.

“Yes, Zuzu, we fucked,” Azula said, sounding impressively nonchalant.  “Do you have a problem with that?”

A long pause ensued. Sokka tried to follow Azula’s lead and act casual by whistling tunelessly, but his attempt was much less successful than hers.  At long last, Zuko shook his head.

“You know what? Fine.  I don’t want to think about it.  Just…be sure to use protection, okay?”  And off he went.

“I should be off, too,” Azula said to Sokka.   She strode briskly away, but not before discreetly dropping a folded scrap of paper on the floor at Sokka’s feet.  Once he was back in the privacy of his own room, he opened it and read the few characters printed on it.

Eight o’clock.  Don’t be late.

He certainly had no intention of letting her down.

[avatarstories]

izumi’s birthday part three:  sources of wisdom

The next morning, breakfast with the family is awkward. Izumi was a few moments late, having had to stop by the royal seamstress to have the last adjustments fitted for party outfit finished. By the time she arrived at breakfast, everyone was seated, and the only empty chair was between her father and Bumi. Bumi’s stony expression made her want to just be swallowed up by the floor. Maybe she could go find Druk and convince him to eat her. She gives Bumi a sad smile, and he rolls his eyes with a noticeable exhale. Izumi takes her seat quietly trying her hardest to give him as much space as possible. 

“Are we going to talk about how Izumi and Bumi are making the air in the room extremely uncomfortable?” Kya says. “Lover’s quarrel?” she jokes. 

“Fuck off, Kya” Bumi mutters, looking down at the table in front of him. Kya is across from him and leans in trying to get his attention. 

“Excuse me?” she says with a joking lilt in her voice. 

Bumi doesn’t say anything. Instead, he throws his tea at Kya and storms out of the dining room. Everyone is silent but all eyes are on Izumi. Having managed to stop the tea from hitting her, Kya bends it back into a cup. 

“Well, Happy Birthday, Izumi! What an exciting way to start the day,” Kya deadpans. Zuko looks at Izumi with a concerned expression. Azula looks ready to go to murder. Toph and Lin have their eyebrows raised and are taking a big sips of their mango juices. Tenzin hangs his head and focuses intently at his rice. Izumi notices Katara giving Aang a look that says go after him and when he doesn’t move she shakes her head. 

“This looks like a job for a wise old man like me,” Iroh says, pushing his chair back so that he can stand up. 

“General Iroh, it’s really ok, Aang can take care of it,” Katara says. 

“Uh, I kinda agree with General Iroh,” Aang replies sheepishly. 

If looks could kill, the ice in Katara’s eyes would have Aang pinned to the wall. “You are unbelievable,” she says quietly, though the anger and disappointment in her tone are unmistakable. She follows Bumi out the door 

“Looks like Twinkletoes is in the polar bear doghouse,” Toph says. Aang groans and then goes after Katara and Bumi.

“Care to enlighten us, Izumi?” Azula asks. 

“Not really,” she mutters. “I’m going to the training yard,” she announces quietly, and she walks out the door. 

Azula looks between Zuko and Iroh “I would go after her, but I was planning to go boss some staff around to make sure her party is perfect, which I think now needs to be even more perfect,” she says. 

“I will see what is bothering our dear Izumi,” Iroh says pushing out his chair once again. He and Azula leave the room. 

“Man,” Lin says “I thought mom and I would be the ones to start drama.” At that, Sokka laughs so hard he snorts, and Suki punches him in the side for it. ————————————————————————————————— 

Izumi is moving through advanced katas when Iroh finds her.

“I have told you before, forms practiced in anger are like tea steeped in unclean water, dear Izumi.” 

She finishes the form sending an arc of a flame towards the stone wall with an audibly annoyed exhale. 

“Now, are you going to tell me what is wrong or should I guess? Kya suggested a -” 

“IM NOT DATING BUMI! CAN EVERYONE STOP THINKING THAT!” 

Iroh chuckles. “Everyone used to think the same of your father and Katara when they were yours and Bumi’s ages. When people share a special bond others cannot help but wonder. But of course I did not come here to talk about your father’s youthful affections. It appears you and Bumi are experiencing a strain. Care to inform your old grandfather so he can help you?” 

“We had a misunderstanding.” 

“I know that I am old, Izumi, but I am not blind.” 

“Bumi was telling me about some issues in their family between him and his dad, and I basically told him that he should be lucky not to have the weight of a legacy on his shoulders.” 

“So your problem stems from your fear of your future,” Iroh affirms. “Rightfully so on an occasion as momentous as your 17th birthday, but Izumi, you are a kind, gentle, and fair minded young woman, and your father is a picture of health, what has brought about this anxiety?” 

Izumi crosses her arms and says nothing. 

“Izumi?” 

“I overheard some of the noblewomen talking about a curse on the Fire Ladies.” 

“And what is this curse?” 

“That Fire Ladies who die in childbirth give rise to evil Fire Lords. The spirits make them pay the ultimate price for what they bring into the world.”

Iroh takes in her words. “And so you have applied this to your own birth?” Izumi nods.

“You’re young yet Izumi, but I think you will find that destiny is what you make of it,” he says. “You and your father are the descendants of Sozin and Azulon, but you’re also the descendants of Avatar Roku on your grandmother’s side. There’s light and dark in you, and you will have to chose what nature you will allow to flourish. But knowing you, I would largely place my bets on the light side. And,” he takes a pause, “you can always seek to redeem yourself for your faults. I tried to break through the walls of Ba Sing Se, and then I took it back from the Fire Nation. Your father chased Aang halfway across the world, and now they are best friends. Azula was one of the most terrifying people in existence -” 

“She still is.” 

He chuckles. “Yes, she still is. But the original fire bending masters deemed her worthy of regaining her power when she lost it and repented, and they even gifted her a dragon egg as they did to your father,” he explains. 

“Your father’s legacy was to end a war. Yours will be the equally important one of maintaining peace,” Iroh says. “Now, maybe you should go practice that and make your amends with Master Bumi. I am off to make some tea.” 

“What if he won’t speak to me,” she asks. 

“Well then your partner dance in front of the court later on at your party will be terribly uncomfortable!” he says walking back inside. ——————————————————————————————————— Bumi does not really know where he is walking to, and he just follows the direction that instinct takes him. He can hear his parents behind him, but he does not stop. 

“Bumi please,” Katara calls. 

He groans and walks faster. In this instance, he was incredibly pleased with himself because he still remembers some of the secret passageways in the palace that Izumi had showed him as children when they would play hide and explode with Izumi’s Aunt Kiyi and Aunt Azula, so he ducked into one that he knew was coming and hears his parents run right passed. It was slightly dark inside, which made perfect sense considering that usually only firebenders used these hallways and had no need for any other light. 

Bumi went off memory and kept his right hand on the wall. If he had to figure this out like a maze in order to get out, that’s what he would do. After about ten minutes in the dark, he feels a variation in the stone that tells him he’s found a door. If he remembers correctly, this one will let him out by the portrait gallery. However, when he opens the door, he’s stopped by a piece of furniture. 

“Huh?” he hears someone ask, and soon the furniture is being shoved out of the way and the door opens and bright light blinds him, and Azula is standing in front of him.

She stares him up and down. “I would offer to help you but I will warn you first that if you ruin Izumi’s birthday, not even the fact that your father is the Avatar will save you from me.” 

Bumi remains frozen, unsure what to do. 

“Well don’t just sit there,” she says, raising a brow. He stumbles into what he realizes to be Azula’s office. 

“If you are avoiding your parents who ran after you when you caused quite the commotion at breakfast, then my office would definitely be the best place to hide. Push that back into place,” she commands gesturing to the small table she had just moved. 

Bumi has not spent much time alone with Azula. Whenever he would visit the Fire Nation, he and Izumi were attached at the hip. Every summer when Kya would go to the Southern Water Tribe and his dad and Tenzin would go to an Air Temple, Bumi would get dropped off in the Fire Nation for a few months of sword training with Master Piandao. After Piandao passed away, Zuko offered to continue training him since Sokka was busy trying to get Republic City up and running. In all that time, he’d never really gotten to know Azula. From what Izumi had told him, Azula was Zuko’s right hand. She lead his small council and sat in on meetings when he was away on diplomatic trips, which made her an extremely powerful person. 

He looks around her office. It’s clean and tidy. There is a small ink portrait of Izumi on the wall to the right of Azula's desk, and vases of Fire Lilies around the room. 

Azula studies him while he looks around the room. “Should I ask what’s bothering you or should we pretend this exchange never happened?”

“Whatever you prefer,” he replies. 

“I prefer to be well informed.” 

“Izumi and I had a fight.” 

“I gleaned that,” she says flatly. There’s a pause. “Izumi hates celebrating her birthday. She tells us every year it makes her feel guilty, but the 17th birthday of the Heir Apparent is a rite of passage in the Fire Nation.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Traditionally, it’s when the Crown Prince, or in Izumi’s case, Princess, starts sitting on the small council and has to take up a stronger political role than just kissing babies and doing well in school… it’s seen as the last day of childhood.”  

Oh Bumi thinks. “That’s why she’s so stressed.” 

“Most likely a factor.” 

“She never mentioned it.” 

“Well, you know Izumi. Unless it’s Zuko, getting her to tell you what’s wrong is like pulling teeth. She is like you in that regard.” Bumi looks puzzled. “I read people very well,” she says in reply to his reaction. There’s a pause as she regards him. “I do not imagine it is easy to be a non-bender in a family like yours.” 

“Man, you really don’t hold back.” 

She offers him a half smile. “I understand the fear of being a disappointment too. When I was 12 I was so scared of failure and what would happen if I disappointed my father. It was not even two years by the time I self destructed.” 

“I’m not going to self destruct,” he mutters. 

“Then you might need some help carrying that weight on your shoulders around.” 

He is quiet for a minute. “What if there’s no one to help me?” 

 She glances down at a small ink drawing of her mother, Zuko, and herself  that sits on her desk. “From my experience,  you can often find help in very unexpected places, but you have to be open to being helped.” 

AN: you cannot convince me Azula didn’t get a redemption arc and a lot of healing and become a strange source of wisdom. you just can’t. azula redemptions are a peak of feminist literature. 

I imagine redeemed Azula serves Zuko in a position similar to the hand of the king from GoT. 

[naga-and-appa]

Unconventional

Written for @sassydoilies as part of @atla-secret-santa. I hope you enjoy it!

Read on AO3.

Iroh eyed the sulking Toph sitting at one of the tables in his shop as he headed back to the counter after giving tea to a customer. The earthbender had claimed the same spot in the Jasmine Dragon for several days, and though Iroh would never send her away, he was rather worried that he was still as sullen as she’d been when she’d arrived in the city.

Glancing around to make sure there were no customers who needed him, Iroh headed for the small corner table where Toph had propped her feet up. Despite not having her feet on the ground, she heard him coming, and she at least guessed who was pulling out the chair across from her because she didn’t say a thing as Iroh sat down.

“I have to say, Toph,” he began, “I wasn’t expecting to see you in Ba Sing Se for a while. Not that I don’t appreciate the visit, but we both know it’s not your favorite place to be, and I definitely wasn’t expecting you to come alone whenever you returned.”

Toph’s bottom lip protruded slightly as she picked at a loose string on her shirt.

“It’s not as bad here as it used to be,” she said with a shrug.

Iroh couldn’t help but sigh. He reached for the untouched teapot that he’d sat by Toph hours ago. Holding his hand against the porcelain, Iroh quickly had the tea at a proper temperature again. He poured a cup and pushed it towards Toph, careful to place it far enough away from her feet that she wouldn’t send it flying across the shop on accident. He was quite fond of the set he’d given her.

“Still,” Ioh said, taking a sip of his own tea, “I take it that something prompted the trip. Last I heard you were quite busy in Republic City.”

Toph snorted, but she reached for her tea and took a sip, which Iroh considered its own victory.

“It’s kind of busy, yeah,” she said with a shrug. “It’s not that bad. There’s just so many people around all the time. It gets kind of loud.”

Iroh didn’t bother to mention that Ba Sing Se still had significantly more people than Republic City. Toph didn’t need to be told that. He understood that Toph’s standing as a friend of Avatar Aang meant something very different in Republic City than it did in his tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Toph had been recognized a few times since she’d arrived, but no one was demanding her help on anything like he imagined certain people were back in the place she currently called home.

“Ah, so this is a relaxing vacation of sorts,” Iroh said. “Tea is a good aid in that, but if it's relaxation that you want, I have other recommendations that you might enjoy. There are far better things to do than just sitting around here all day.”

Toph squirmed, her face contorting as she considered the offer.

“Maybe,” she muttered before taking another drink of tea. “I don’t really care. Sokka was just being a pain, and I needed to get away. I didn’t think much about what I’d do once I got here.”

Her cheeks turned pink, and Iroh couldn’t help but smile, glad that Toph’s feet were still propped up so she couldn’t see. It felt like they were finally getting closer to answers about the mystery of her arrival. Iroh hadn’t been oblivious to how she and Sokka had begun to behave around each other as they got older. Since Toph had become an adult, it had only been clearer, though Iroh could also tell that very little had actually happened between them.

He allowed himself a small chuckle though and pretended not to notice Toph’s stiff posture.

“Despite never having been on the receiving end of it myself, I do understand that Sokka can be on the intense side once he gets into one of his plans.”

Toph’s frown deepened.

“Yeah,” she said into the tea. “But that’s not really…”

She hesitated and downed the rest of her tea before she decided how to continue voicing her thoughts. Straightening her shoulders, she said, “Sokka’s actually not talking to me much at all. He does when he has to, about important stuff, but other than that… Nothing. And I don’t get why, so I tried to ask him, but he got even weirder and said a bunch of stuff about how everything’s normal and I should stop reading into stuff. So, I got annoyed and left.”

Iroh watched her closely, noting the expressions that passed across her face unwillingly. He wondered if Toph understood what was causing Sokka’s distance more than she was letting on. There had been a handful of times where she’d let her guard down for Iroh over the years, but most of the time, she kept such walls up that Iroh genuinely wasn’t sure what she was thinking. He couldn’t read her with quite the same efficiency as he could Zuko.

He poured her another cup of tea.

“That does sound frustrating,” he said. “I can understand why you needed a break. Though I must say, leaving the city doesn’t do much in the way of getting him to speak to you, does it?”

Toph snorted.

“No,” she admitted. “Obviously not.”

They fell silent. Iroh busied himself with sipping his tea, giving Toph the time she needed to consider her next words.

“I want to stay a few more days,” she said. “Then I’ll go back.”

Iroh smiled gently before getting up to greet a newly arrived customer.

<hr>

Toph had come to Ba Sing Se to be left alone. Okay. So, she had also been hoping for a bit of wisdom from Iroh, but other than that, she had hoped to be left alone. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that Aang and Katara would be leaving the Northern Water Tribe soon, and it wasn’t much of a stretch that they’d stop at Ba Sing Se for a visit with Iroh on their way back to Republic City.

It wasn’t surprising, but it was somehow unexpected. And unwelcome.

Toph knew that she looked hostile despite Aang and Katara being two of her closest friends. Aang had greeted her and stuttered out an excuse about seeing some of the city before fleeing the tea shop. Katara was braver. She was still sipping on her tea across from Toph at the table. Her gaze flickered over to the younger woman frequently, but she didn’t speak.

“Just ask,” Toph said with a scowl. “I know you want to, and this silence is getting to me.”

“We didn’t expect you to be here,” Katara said. “Not that seeing you isn’t a welcome surprise. We just thought it would be a few more days. And you seem a little…”

“Grumpy?” Toph finished once Katara’s waffling was too much to handle.

Katara sighed, her shoulders slumping.

“Yes, that,” she said. “Did something happen while we were gone?”

Toph snorted and downed the rest of her tea in one go, a move that would have scandalized Iroh if he’d seen it.

“When doesn’t something happen in Republic City? That place can’t go two seconds without some kind of crisis.”

Katara pressed her lips together but didn’t say anything. They both knew it was true. It was probably expected in a place that was so new compared to the places that surrounded it, not that knowing that made it any easier to deal with.

“You’re not this sullen because of something with Republic City,” Katara pointed out, leaning in close to avoid being overheard by the other customers. Not that any of them particularly cared to listen to their conversation. Toph could tell that not a single one of them had recognized who they were.

She shrugged in response to Katara’s words. Leaning back in her chair, she propped her feet up on the table. She didn’t want to see the way Katara was watching her anymore, though she still heard the noise of embarrassment Katara made in response, and she could imagine Katara looking self-consciously at the other customers even though she couldn’t see it.

It was silent for a moment before Katara spoke again, a slight hint of nerves in her voice.

“Is this about Sokka?”

Toph froze. Had she been that obvious? She had genuinely thought that Katara hadn’t noticed a thing. Or maybe that was just what she had hoped. She was suddenly grateful that she had her feet propped up and couldn’t sense Katara’s satisfaction in her body language. Her cheeks were warm, and that was mortifying enough.

“It is,” Katara said with satisfaction. She deflated a second later. “I thought things were changing between the two of you. Especially after…”

She trailed off awkwardly, but Toph didn’t need her to finish. They both knew that things had started changing after Sokka and Suki had mutually decided to call it quits. Toph was grateful not to have it spoken aloud.

“Did he do something to screw things up?” Katara asked instead.

Toph snorted and tilted her head back towards the ceiling in a thinly veiled attempt to hide the expression on her face.

“I don’t know what you’re on about, Katara, but since when does Sokka do anything without screwing it up?”

Katara didn’t answer, but Toph sensed that she’d fallen into deep thinking mode, which was more than Toph could bear in the moment. She dropped her feet to the ground, trying to ignore the return of sensing Katara’s body language.

“I’m going to practice some bending,” Toph muttered, hurrying from the shop before Katara could stop her.

<hr>

Toph breathed in deeply and focused on the ground beneath her. The rocky outcropping in the park was her favorite place in the city. The only downside was that the rocks had clearly been put there through human intervention. They didn’t have the deep connections to the earth that rocks often did. Even where the ground had been dug out to place them in the ground, Toph felt that the soil didn’t cling to the rock the way it would if they’d had a longer relationship with each other.

That didn’t matter because it was all she had in the city. Most of the time, the amount of metal in the place didn’t bother her. If anything, it gave her a chance to show off her metalbending, but now and then, she couldn’t escape the desire to be among the dirt and rocks that she was so intimately familiar with.

She felt Sokka approaching long before he thought she could. It wasn’t surprising that he’d find her eventually. Katara had implied that she was going to speak to him when Toph had accompanied her and Aang back to the city, and Toph’s protests hadn’t done a thing to change the waterbender’s mind. Toph watched as Sokka moved a little closer to her chosen spot only to freeze and backtrack a few steps. The process repeated itself over and over, gradually bringing Sokka to where Toph sat on top of one of the larger rocks in the outcrop.

When he got closer, the racing of his heart was even more apparent. Toph almost wanted to smirk at the thought of speaking to her creating such a response in him, but she was too angry to do anything but scowl before calling out, “What do you want?”

It was a testament to how much time they’d spent together that Sokka didn’t jump despite Toph detecting his presence while her back was to him. He walked around the rock to face her but didn’t make any moves to climb on it himself.

“To talk,” he said unnecessarily.

They fell into an awkward silence for just a second. It felt like a competition, and Toph didn’t want to be the one to break it. But the way Sokka’s heart was racing even faster than when he’d been approaching her left Toph thinking he’d be taking a while, and she was impatient.

“So now you want to talk?” she asked, crossing her arms against her chest. “You sure didn’t for the last month.”

Sokka reached up and tugged on his hair nervously as he answered.

“I guess if I say that I was busy with work you won’t believe me?”

Toph didn’t bother with a response. Sokka sighed and shifted on his feet before climbing onto the rock Toph was on. He wasn’t the best climber and slid backwards a few times. Toph remained silent until he was sitting cross-legged across from her on the rock.

“I get it,” he said flatly. “I’m an idiot, and I probably always will be.”

Toph snorted, the closest thing to a smile that she’d shown all day forming on her lips.

“Yeah, I already knew that. I just didn’t think you were the kind to completely avoid your problems, Sokka. Especially like that.”

The brief silence that fell between them then was more comfortable than any of the ones before. Sokka’s eyes were on Toph, and despite her face being turned away, Toph kept her palm pressed firm to the rock, analyzing Sokka’s every move.

“You’re right,” he said. “I should have told you that I had feelings for you, but I was worried about how you’d react.”

“Really?” Toph retorted. “You think I don’t like you too? I know you’re an idiot, Sokka, but that’s even—”

“No,” he said with a sigh. “I thought you did like me, but we’ve known each other for so long that I wasn’t sure how to handle it. You don’t do anything conventionally, Toph. Even though I know you, I don’t know you like that. Not yet at least. Making some kind of romantic speech or something didn’t seem like what you’d want. You’d probably punch me or something, but I didn’t know what to do. So, I avoided the whole thing instead. I figured I’d deal with it later. But then you ran off to Ba Sing Se before I could.”

“I’m sure you coming here now has everything to do with self-reflection while I was gone and not with Katara biting your head off the second we got back,” Toph said, tilting her head to the side and grinning.

She felt Sokka’s heart speed up in embarrassment. He scratched at his head and averted his eyes.

“That was a good motivator too,” he admitted. “But I would have done it soon anyway. It was getting ridiculous, wasn’t it?”

Toph snorted and leaned forward to punch Sokka on the arm. He let out a shout and moved away, rubbing at the spot where she’d made contact.

“You didn’t want to make a confession because I’d punch you or something, right?” she said as she sat back. “I had to prove your fears right.”

Sokka grumbled, but there was a grin on his face. He moved to sit beside Toph instead of across from her. Closer together, Toph’s nerves, which had been abating, returned in full force. Her fingers pressed hard into the stone, and she struggled to keep her breathing even as she felt Sokka’s eyes on her.

For a second, she waited for him to do something, but then she realized that was ridiculous. He’d already proven that he could take ages to do anything.

With a grunt of frustration, Toph grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss. Sokka let out a humph against her lips before returning the kiss. Both of them were smiling when they pulled away, but Toph quickly schooled her face into a frown, waving a finger in Sokka’s face.

“Try not to ignore me again,” she said firmly, smirking when Sokka swallowed nervously.

“Of course not,” he promised, relaxing slightly after Toph slugged him on the arm a second time.