#while zuko is just sitting there thinking ‘it’s so nice that sokka and azula are getting along so well these days 🥰’

[comradekatara]

azula as zuko’s evil advisor is so funny to me i actually fuck so hard w this concept. she gives zuko advice and then zuko looks across the room to sokka and sokka just discreetly gives him a thumbs up or thumbs down. one weekend sokka, aang, mai, toph, suki, katara, and anyone else who might have a modicum of common sense all go out of town for like. omashu coachella or smth. and when they come back the entire palace is in shambles, zuko’s just sitting on his throne shinji style, and he’s just like “i’m so sorry….. her advice seemed so cogent….. she made trickle down economics seem so reasonable……. why weren’t you there….. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE, GODDAMMIT!!!!!!!” while azula slyly sips from a cunty chalice she had personally made just for moments like this.

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine your best friends Mai and Zuko setting you up with Sokka on a blind date

You had been the third wheel to Mai and Zuko for years. So much so you actually weren’t sure which one of them you were friends with first. Some of your earlier childhood memories were spent being confused why Mai and Zuko were so weird around one another. Then when you realised you spent your childhood trying to force them together so they’d admit their feelings. They were both so annoyingly unforthcoming with their emotions you were probably just as happy as the couple when they finally confessed to one another. You were so thrilled your teen years were spent covering for them when they wanted to meet unsupervised or outside of the palace. Zuko would just happen to go on a walk by your house when Mai was sleeping over or Mai would tag along with you to the Ember Islands at the same time Zuko and Azula were there. You did such a good job that everyone actually thought you were dating Zuko or Mai, they were all quite shocked when you revealed you had no part of it. When Azula eventually outed the pair they still invited you to things because apparently your presence while they stared at one another and more was required. You’d been getting kind of sick of third-wheeling with your two best friends lately and they thought they’d found the perfect solution.

Sokka.

"Why are we so dressed up just to go to our favourite restaurant and where is Zuko?" you asked as you and Mai headed into the restaurant district of the capital. The three of you had this planned for weeks but they’d be mysteriously quiet about the details and Mai had practically refused to leave before you dressed up a bit. So you were more than a little curious to know what was going on but Mai never let something slip if she didn’t want to. Mai just shrugged "because it's nice to dress up sometimes and Zuko's just got something to do beforehand so he's meeting us there". You nodded and fell into silence which did nothing to ease Mai’s nerves. Mai and Zuko were fairly sure you’d incinerate them on the spot when their plan was revealed.

You reached the restaurant and were shown to a table. You and Mai were chatting aimlessly when you noticed something. "The table has 4 places mats not 3". Mai feigned surprise "ow yeah it does". "And the waitress said we'll wait for your companions to arrive not companion. Plural not singular. As if were expecting 2 more people not 1". Mai looked at the floor "yeah...". "Mai!" you said in warning "what's going on?" but you were cut off by Zuko’s arrival. "Hi guys sorry we’re late. Y/n you remember Sokka?". You look past him to see the water tribe boy Zuko was fond of. He waved at you awkwardly "hi y/n, hi Mai. You both look lovely". Mai smiled "thanks Sokka take a seat" and Zuko moved to sit next to her leaving the space next to you free for him. This was a double date and you were furious.

Judging by Sokka’s awkward reaction he also hadn’t been prepared for this. You stared at Zuko and Mai, wreathing in anger as they both pointedly avoided your gaze hiding behind their menus. “Wow this all looks so good” Sokka said tentatively into the awkward silence. Zuko nodded “yeah it does, what you thinking of having?”. The two descended into chatter and you caught Mai’s eye “so when I asked if there was anything new you chose to leave this out?”. “Y/n” Mai hissed “please just try it” she said lowering her voice. You rolled your eyes “you are not getting away with this” and went back to your menu.

After your orders had been taken there was nothing left to hide behind and Sokka tried cautiously engaging with you. “So y/n Zuko tells me you’ve known him and Mai since you were all very young?”. You nodded “ahh so he can tell the truth sometimes?”. Zuko blushed and Sokka chuckled “I’m dying to know what kid Zuko was like? Was he anything like the god awful ponytail version?”. You paused caught off guard “you meant the pouty angst machine? That’s always been his main personality”. “I knew it!” Sokka cried “Zuko tried telling me he was wise and calm before his banishment”. You snorted “is your name Iroh? No Zuko has always been hotheaded and mardy” you smirked “some things never change”. Sokka nodded “tell me about it, I beat him fair and square in sword fighting the other day and he invented a rule to deny me the match”. “That is not what happened at all” Zuko complained and you and Mai smirked. “Ow yeah? What was the rule?” Mai asked. Zuko paused and Sokka turned to you both “apparently I didn’t wait three seconds after my last point of contact”. You and Mai burst out laughing and Sokka grinned “it’s crazy right? No rule like that really exists?”. Mai smiled “it does but at the academy when everyone is still learning and can easily maim one another. The rule is usually dropped when kids get to around 13...is there something you’re not telling me Zuko?” she asked and the three of you all continued laughing. Zuko blushed folding his arms “I didn’t know Sokka’s level, I was being responsible”. “He trained with Piando and you know it!” you cried before you paused looking at Sokka “that was you right?”. Sokka nodded proudly “yup!”. “Sorry Zuko talks about you guys a lot so sometimes it’s hard to remember who is who...are you the one who also got the same fish hook stuck in his thumb twice?”. Now it was Zuko’s turn to burst out laughing. “You told her that!” Sokka cried kicking Zuko under the table. Zuko just laughed and Mai grinned. Sokka sighed turning back to you “yes that was also me but I wish Zuko thought to tell you something less embarrassing about me”. You smiled “don’t worry we can get him back later” you found your mood had been lightened and decided to embrace it. “So Sokka, what is it like growing up in the Southern Water Tribe? We hear many stories of course but you're the first water tribesman I’ve ever met so i’d like to hear it from you”. Sokka sat up a bit taller, seemingly pleased by that “well it’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot of places” Sokka started and he proceeded to launch into an in-depth answer to your question.

Despite your good mood you hadn’t forgotten what Mai and Zuko had done so when Mai went to the bathroom you went too. She jumped when she came out to find you waiting. “So is there something you want to tell me?”. Mai paused “i’m pretty sure you’re aware of Sokka by now...”. “Very funny” you replied “if this is your way of telling me you and Zuko are sick of me tagging along with you? You could have been brave enough to just say it! I always ask if you guys would rather be alone so I find this so insulting and embarrassing. Do i not deserve your respect and honesty?”. “Woah woah y/n calm down, it’s not that at all! Zuko and I love having you around”. “Sure seems like it” you shot back and Mai sighed “can you be quiet long enough to let me explain?”. You crossed your arms angrily but remained silent. Mai nodded “thank you. Like I said this has nothing to do with us being sick of you, it’s more the opposite. Y/n we know we’re not the most fun to hang out, especially when we’re so absorbed in one another and we felt bad. You’ve already done so much for us and so we thought we’d invite someone like-minded to join us so it was less boring”. You frowned “so instead of hiring entertainment you bring me a boy? Don’t pretend this isn’t anything other than a date Mai”. Mai sighed “no you’re right we did invite Sokka and hope the two of you would hit it off but we put a lot of thought into it y/n! You’re only a year older than him, you both love strategy and planning. He’s interested in mechanics and engineering just like you love architecture and mathematics. You’re both hot-headed and incredibly smart. You also share a love of sarcasm and think your embarrassing puns are hilarious. We didn’t just choose the first guy we saw. We put a lot of consideration into it y/n and the two of you are really compatible! Even if not as a couple you should be great friends”. You hated when Mai was reasonable, it also made it so much harder to be angry at her. You sighed “okay fine you put a lot more effort into this than I thought but I don’t appreciate not being told. I am not some desperate lonely girl who needs a man to complete her”. Mai nodded “of course not and Zuko and I don’t think that about you at all!  We didn’t tell you because we knew you would never agree if we were honest so we had to be sneaky but tell me this. Are you having a bad time so far?". You paused "well no but...". "But nothing! If you're enjoying yourself why are you mad? Stop being stubborn and embrace the event". You sighed "i hate when you turn out to be right". Mai smiled linking your arm with hers "i know, now come on, you have a water tribe boy to quiz about battle strategy”.

Sokka seemed to guess why you’d followed Mai and while Zuko and Mai began discussing how ugly the colour scheme of the restaurant was he leant towards you. “So” he asked in a quiet voice “did they blindside you to this too?”. You nodded “yup, you?”. Sokka nodded “yep. Zuko told me he was showing me his favourite restaurant in the city. Then when we got outside he told me you and Mai were also here and that it was a double date. I tried to storm off but he convinced me to come inside and atleast meet you”. You couldn’t resist messing with people and so you kept your face passive and gave Sokka a hard stare. “Was there any particular reason why you were so opposed to being set up with me?”. Sokka jumped, as if just realising he’d told an expert firebender he didn’t want to date her. “No! I mean you’re very beautiful of course and from what Zuko’s told me about you I think you’re amazing I mean you were the only person who could match Azula in fire bending! That’s insanely impressive” Sokka cried and you nodded “keep going”. Sokka nodded “of course any guy or girl would be lucky to date you but I just hated being blindsided like this. I’m not some sad desperate guy who needs a blind date to get a girl. Please don’t be offended, the issue was definitely not you more the premise itself”. You allowed your smile to appear and chuckled “I know i’m messing with you. I totally agree them springing a date on us was bad”. “So bad!” Sokka cried and you nodded “so we’ll definitely have to get them back for it”. Sokka smiled “I like that devious look in your eye...what do you have in mind?”. 

The next morning

You lived in the palace and shared a wing with Mai and Zuko so your plan was very easy to enact. You made sure they were both in the dining room having breakfast before you turned to Sokka “you ready?”. He paused surveying himself in the mirror. He was wearing the same clothes as yesterday just very crumpled (you’d stamped on them to get that professional effect) and has his hair messily down. You wore a night robe and had your hair messily up in a bun. You were going to trick Mai and Zuko into thinking you spent the night together when really Sokka climbed up through your window half an hour ago. Sokka tousled his hair once more and nodded “ready!”. You paused for a second at how nice his hair looked before you pulled yourself together and nodded “let’s do this”. 

You grabbed Sokka’s hand and began chattering loudly between the two of you. You made sure you were in plain view of the couple but made no move towards them. You had to pretend like there was nobody else in the world except Sokka and that wasn't too hard at the moment. Sokka adopted the role of flirty smitten one night stand well. He whispered in your ear and trailed his hand around your waist. You weren’t one to back down so you stepped up your game giving lots of eye contact and twirling a piece of Sokka’s hair in your fingertips. Eventually it was too much for Zuko and Mai. “Ah-hem!” someone *coughed* and you turned as if startled. “Ow....hey” Sokka said blushing and you looked down “morning”. “Good morning” Zuko replied “would you like to join us for breakfast?”. Sokka shook his head “can’t i’m afraid i’ve got plans with Toph but i’ll see you later” he said suggestively, directing the question at you. You nodded and kissed him lightly. It wasn’t planned but it seemed to fit. Sokka was surprised, you could tell by how tense he felt against you but he soon recovered and wrapped his arms around you kissing you back. You eventually separated and Sokka said goodbye shooting his eyes up and down you before he left. You smiled after him before walking lightly over to the table and taking a seat across from a very shocked couple. “What the actual fuck?” Mai asked “you and Sokka...on the first night?”. You smiled “don’t be such a prude Mai it’s just sex”. Zuko spluttered and you struggled not to laugh. “So are you like...dating now?” Mai asked. “Nope” you replied and Zuko frowned “no? y/n you just had your tongue down his throat”. You rolled your eyes “so that means I have to marry him? We’re just having fun. Hooking up casually and stuff, i believe the term is friends with benefit?”. Zuko looked faint at the idea and Mai’s eyes were wider than you’d ever seen them. They looked at one another before glancing back at you. Zuko spoke first “well...if you and Sokka are...if that works for you then we’re happy for you. Right Mai?”. Mai nodded “yeah I mean this is certainly a new form of company we didn’t expect but you seem to be enjoying it so good for you”. You stared at their awkward looks of encouragement and burst. “Sokka and I didn’t sleep together you idiots! It was all a prank!”. Zuko sighed “ow thank god! Katara would have murdered me for sure”. Mai stared at you “wait a prank, why?”. “To get you back for blindsiding up both. We arranged it all last night”. You explained the finer details and Mai and Zuko shook their heads at how gleeful you were for getting them. “And now i’ve got what I came for I will be leaving” you smiled with a bow. “Hold on a second” Mai called “so I get you faked all the flirting and stuff but you kissed him. Planned or not that happened”. You paused unsure what to say and Zuko smiled. “Yeah and a kiss is pretty extreme for a prank, especially for you who hates physical contact unless it’s with someone she cares about or...fancies”. Their smiles were back and you sighed “I kissed Sokka for the prank, no other reason okay?”. “Sure keep telling yourself that” Mai smiled and Zuko nodded. “Ow and you’re welcome for yesterday, we could tell you had a good time no matter how much you tried not to” .”I...just because I didn’t hate it proves nothing”. “Sureee” Mai replied sarcastically and Zuko laughed throwing an arm around her. “Eugh I’m leaving” you groaned and they kept laughing. “Y/n’s first love” Mai called and Zuko chuckled “they grow up so fast don’t they?”. "I'm two months older than you!" you called and slammed your door closed blocking out their laughter.

The force of you slamming your door caused your room to shake and the person standing on your window ledge to fall forwards with a thump. “I’m okay!” Sokka cried and your eyes widened “Sokka? I’m so sorry I had no idea you were...here let me help you up”. You helped Sokka to stand and checked nothing was broken. “So what are you doing here?” you asked half pleased and half nervous. “To hear how it went of course!” Sokka cried “did they fall for it?”. “Hook line and sinker” you laughed “you should’ve seen their faces” and you explained their reactions in detail. Sokka laughed before he looked at you “well i’m not surprised we were brilliant actors...I mean for a second there I thought that kiss was real”. You froze but managed to keep your face calm. “You could have convinced me you actually wanted to kiss me” Sokka joked and you shrugged “well I am an excellent actress”. “Clearly” Sokka nodded “but just in case you did want to do it again how about we go out tonight?”. “You’re asking me out?” you asked “I thought you were mad at being set up”. Sokka nodded “I was and still am that’s why I’m asking you out myself. Zuko and Mai get zero credit”. You nodded “that sounds good....if I said yes where would we go?”. “I was thinking the theatre. I know we’re both so talented we could be up there but I figured we’d leave it to the professionals this once?”. You nodded “that makes sense, we’ve got to take a break sometimes right?” you joked. Sokka smiled “exactly...so what time should I pick you up?”. “I haven’t said yes yet” you retorted and Sokka laughed before coming closer. “You said yes the moment you kissed me. I could tell you liked me by how passionate it was and not to even mention the way you checked me out all morning. I thought your eyes were going to fall out the way you oggled me when you were stamping on my shirt and I was topless”. You laughed taken back “I’ll admit you’re visually pleasing and your personality isn’t awful”. “Best compliment I’ve ever got” Sokka joked “so fire girl what time?”. “I’m not sure if i’ll be able to fit you in but how about we say 7?” you asked nonchalantly. Sokka grinned “7 it is, see you later y/n” and he hopped out your window. You stared at the spot Sokka had just disappeared from and the realisation you had a date sunk in. You thought about Sokka and this morning and a smile soon appeared on your face which made you want to both curse and thank Mai and Zuko. They might be annoying but they really had done their research. 

[mycomfortblanket]

Under the Mistletoe

written for @su-univeralai for winter solstice! Love you dearly darling. Happy Holidays.

"Honest to spirits, it's probably the most childish thing I've ever heard of," Azula waves her hand in the air as if to ward off the idea itself. "I mean really, receiving items from people just because you asked nicely? Jut go buy it if you want it so badly and stop depending on others for happiness," Azula swirls her drink and levels her cool gaze at Sokka who has been recalling the traditions of the Southern Water Tribe.

"You're really missing the point of this," Sokka replies with an eye roll. "Plus, it's more than just getting presents. There's other important stuff!" He looks at the other people sitting at the table for some backup.

"Oh? Name some of this 'other important stuff' then," Azula challenges.

"Well, it's different in every culture. In the Water Tribe, the whole village comes together and we have a feast and tell stories around the fire before the gifts are exchanged at midnight!" Katara chimes in. "The Earth Kingdom, I think, does something similar..." she trails off, looking over at Toph for confirmation.

"Yeah, I guess. We have a big dinner together, but there is usually some kind of festival going on in town, but I wasn't ever allowed to go. The gift-giving thing wasn't really a tradition with us since... you know... I had everything a blind child of wealth could want besides my freedom."

"What about the air nomads, Aang?" Katara asks, her mouth full of sweet bicuits.

Aang blsushes and looks down at the fruit on his plate, pushing it around with his fork. Looking up, he avoids eye contact with everyone and immediately looks back down. "Uh, we had this thing called mistletoe. It's like a- uh... a little berry plant, but it would be hung up around the temples in random spots. The trick was... was to get the person you liked to stand under one with you. If you managed to do that, then you had to..." he blushes again and stuffs a slice of papya into his mouth to buy himself some time.

He can feel everyone's eyes on him as he chews slowly. He risks a glance up and immediately looks down at his hands when he meets Azula's gaze. "Come on, out with it, Airhead," she urges.

Aang swallows his food and clears his throat. "You had to..." his eyes flick up to Azula's and finds that he can't look away. "You had to kiss each other." He can feel his cheeks heat up as he admits this. Everyone else's was so wholesome and had to do with giving while his was... not. She holds his gaze for a moment longer and he swallows hard. Her golden eyes seem to challenge him slightly and the slight raise of her eyebrow just solidifies it.

"Hmph. Actually sounds like something I could participate in," Azula says after a moment of silence, her eyes never leaving his.

"Sounds like a load of shit to me," Toph interjects, ruining the moment. Aang snaps his head over to Toph, forgetting that the rest of the group is in the room.

Katara scoffs at Toph's brash demeanor, "Whatever, Toph. You're just jealous Kanto isn't here to take you under the tinsletoe," she waves her chopsticks at the blind girl. Aang notices the mess up on the name, but decides it's not important enough to correct.

"Hey, Zuko. I can think of better things to do with our mouths under some tinsletoe," Sokka waggles his eyebrows at Zuko and gagging noises can be heard around the table along with choruses of 'get a room' and 'grow up'.

~~~

Back in his designated bedchambers in the Fire Nation, Aang is folding up his robes for the night and laying them on the dresser when he hears the door to his room open. Before he can turn around, he hears, "Could you have been more obvious at dinner, dude?" Sokka's voice carries over to him.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, you kiss under this random bush thing," Sokka looks up at Aang with the biggest polarbear-dog eyes he's ever seen and his voice dropping down into a whining tone, "Please, Azula. Go stand underneath this with me and we an kiss and live happily ever after," Sokka drops down to his knees before Aang, his hands steepled in front of him. "Oh, please! Oh, please! Oh, please!"

Aang scoffs and rolls his eyes, pushing Sokka's head as he walks past him, "That is the furthest thing from what I did." He makes his way over to the couch that sits in front of the fireplace and picks up a stack of letters that he needs to read through and write replies to.

"Whatever, dude. Even Zuko said something to me about it and we all know how emotionally stunted that man is." Sokka plops down onto the couch beside him, propping his feet up on the coffee table and throwing his arm over the back of it.

Aang snorts, "I still question how you were able to get your feelings through to him without him panicking and running off." He opens the letter and starts to skim through it.

Sokka hums at his friend and leans a little closer while waggling his eyebrows, "Looking for some advice, dear Avatar?"

"From you? Never." They sit in silence for a moment, Aang pretending to read through the letters as his mind goes a million miles an hour. After a moment, a thought occurs to Aang, "What does the Fire Nation do for Winter Solstice? We never asked them."

Sokka pushes Aang's head in a playful manner. "Smooth transition. They used to do this thing called a Krampus Parade, where evil spirits would come and try to steal the joy, but dragons would come in and save the day or something? Nothing romantic in that department, though. Although Zuko say there's going to be a party the night of winter solstice, maybe you can come up with something then. But, just so you know, your little tinsletoe idea, it would be a pretty smooth way to kiss her," he says as he stands up and makes his way out of Aang's room.

~~~

The next morning, Jein comes in to set Aang's room up for the day, opening curtains, making the bed, filling the basin with fresh water. Once he is finished, he stands in front of Aang's desk with his hands clasped behind his back, "Is there anything else I can do for you, Avatar, sir?"

"No, Jien, you're always amazing, thank you." Jien bows and is just about to turn around to head out of the room when Aang's head shoots up with a thought, "Wait, I have a question!" Jien turns around with his eyebrow raised. "Do you know if there is any mistletoe that grows nearby?"

Jien gives him pretty accurate directions to a small town directly outside of Caldera that has the mistletoe that grows along a particular street. He manages to find several bushes immediately and packs several branches of the bush into his knapsack to bring back to the palace.

~~~

"I just think your time could be better spent doing something else or trying to woo her in a different way," Toph says as Aang stands on his tiptoes to fasten a branch to the top of the doorway.

Aang snorts and sets back to admire his handiwork of fastening the little branch. "I think you're just jealous." He looks down at the little Earthbender as she pulls another branch from the knapsack and hands it to him.

"Me? Jealous? I think you're forgetting who you're talking to," she mumbles as they make their way to the next targeted doorway. They manage to tag two more doorways before Toph pipes up again, "What exactly is your plan with this tinsletoe shit?"

"Haven't thought that far," Aang grunts as he jumps a little as he attempts to attach the branch to the door frame. "I'm sure an opportunity will come up."

Several days pass and Aang never manages to get Azula under a mistletoe with him. It's like she knows where they're located and manages to avoid him and the tagged doorways and random hallways at the same time.

The day the Winter Solstice arrives, the palace is filled with Nobels, leaders from countries and cities, and random people. Aang stands on the edge of the ballroom holding a cup of gin, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"Who're you looking for?" a voice comes from next to him.

Azula has managed to completely skirt around his searching eye and come to stand right next to him without him even noticing. He smiles down at her, "No one anymore." Her lips tilt up in the suggestion of a smile. Together, they both turn back towards the room and people watch.

Every so often, one of them will point out a particular stuffy looking Noble and make up his or her life story, trying to get the other to crack and laugh loudly.

"Oh, that guy over there," he nudges Azula's shoulder and gestures towards a man who is directly in front of them. "His mistress is actually his wife in disguise. She's planning on using his infidelity to take him for all he has. And once she does, she's going to buy a huge mansion on the coast and sit in her pool drinking mimosas all day."

Azula snorts next to him. "Why would she have a pool if she is living on the coast?" she asks, hiding her smile behind her glass.

"Why are you asking me? Go ask his mistress/wife. She's the one buying it. And-" he's cuts off by recognizing the tune that the band is playing. "Hey, dance with me?" Azula's small laughter immediately dries up.

"What?" she asks, her confusion showing on her face.

Without answering, Aang takes her glass from her and sets it on the nearest table before taking her hand in his. Leading her out to the dance floor, he spins her once before pulling her close, his hand cupping hers while his other rests on the small of her back. He can see the uneasiness on her face as her eyes dart from side to side, taking in the dancing couples next to them.

"Aang, I don't know this song."

"It's okay, just follow my lead," he pulls her a little closer until their chests brush with every movement that they make. The uneasiness on her face begins to fade as she gets the movements down and soon, she has a large smile on her face.

As the song comes to an end, he gives her one final spin before pulling her back in, closer this time, and gives her a slight dip. He can hear the small gasp she lets out when she catches sight of something over his shoulder.

He slowly pulls her back up, but her face is still trained towards the ceiling, towards whatever it is that she's looking at. "Did you plan this?"

"Plan what?" he questions, his voice soft. He leans just a little closer to her, inhaling her scent. "The mistletoe," she whispers. He's close enough that he can hear her over the music and the people talking. "Did you hang it there on purpose?"

"You know the name of it," he says, not phrasing it as a question. He's a little surprised. Everyone else had been getting the name wrong, seemingly not actually listened to him when he told what the traditions of the Air Nomads were.

Azula brings her face back down to his, her eyes searching his. "You planned this?" she questions again.

He gives her a small smile and her eyes flit down to his lips, "I've been trying to get you under one all week," he says. He barely has time to get the words out before she is pulling him down and slotting her lips against his.

[heinzpilsner]

An addition to my "I'm a zutarian megabrain now" post (because this title was so great I was looking for an excuse to type it again apparently)

Okay, so I analized all the interactions between Zuko and Katara in atla scripts after tSR to test my 'imperfect zutara' theory. In particular, I was interested in the moments when Zuko's bad feeling of personal boundaries could show itself in his communication with Katara.

(I'm not exactly an expert on the topic as always, but I tried my best)

So, what have I discovered?

... Not so much, actually.

Their personal interactions after tSR mostly consist of friendly teasing on Katara's side and mutual falling victims to minor (and major) romantic tropes lol. And such a material doesn't exactly highlight their feeling of personal boundaries.

Zuko and Katara basically... don't want anything from each other personally after their reconciliation? Or at least that's what the show wants us to believe.

Still, there are several more substancial friendly/allied interactions between them in the finale.

So, let's finally analyze them:

1) Zuko stops Katara from following Aang ("He needs time to sort it out by himself".)

Basically, it's Zuko's soft claim for authority in parenting, which... Katara just accepts. We can see she isn't really annoyed by the act and decides to listen to him.

Hence, Zuko acts within his boundaries here.

(Interesting thing to note: Katara doesn't blame Zuko for Aang's dissapearance later -even though, while it woulnd't be a right reaction, it would be an expected one. Instead, she makes a request for his leadership: "What should we do, Zuko?"

And Zuko takes the lead as a responsible 16-year-old adult he is.)

2) Zuko is anxious about his uncle, Katara comforts him ("Are you okay?")

Hmm, let's see. Sometimes "just sitting here with a sad look" can be considered a deliberate non-verbal demand for emotional support (and then it feels like pressure for people around - especially friends and family, - to spend their time, energy and psychological resources on this).

It doesn't seem to be the case though - it's an objectively heavy, emotionally intense moment for Zuko, and it looks like Katara's spontaneous decision to approach him and give him the opportunity to 'share' his anxiety with her.

I'm not sure though whether such a detailed answer to the question "Are you okay?" was appropriate or not, to be honest. But considering Zuko's support to Katara during tSR previously, and his own emotional state now... I think it was adequate. Their dialogue is relatively short and on point - Zuko doesn't abuse Katara's compassion.

(He doesn't thank her either, but considering his state, it's understandable).

I suppose we can conclude what Zuko acted here within his boundaries too, after all.

(His previous 'outpourings' in interactions with Sokka and Toph were much more dubious in this regard, actually: Sokka wasn't yet his friend on their way to Boiling Rock, and I bet Toph in the theatre didn't really expected to deal with such a heavy monologue from Zuko.)

3) Zuko asks Katara "how would she like to help him put Azula in her place" (it would be "her pleasure").

Ah, everything is ok with this interaction? A nice contrast with Zuko's wording in tSR, actually. Nothing to really add here.

4) Zuko is anxious about Aang not killing Ozai, Katara comforts him.

Well, this case is similar to the point 2's case, so Zuko's boundaries are still okay, I guess, but...

There is a certain notable difference in the context this time.

I believe Katara is feeling equally anxious at the moment, but she chooses to focus on comforting Zuko instead.

While Zuko... just takes it?

It starts to sound a bit... unbalanced.

Although, if we consider the fact that Zuko took the leadership over the group recently... We can see their relationship working as a kind of exchange: Zuko takes the lead and responsibility, while Katara supports him emotionally and in battle. It's still a balance, but on a different level, I guess.

(And if we add to the equation Zuko supporting Katara during tSR... It doesn't look that bad, actually.)

5) Zuko doesn't ask Katara before accepting Azula's challenge to the Agni Kai.

Oh dear. It's a very difficult situation to analyze - there are way too many nuances here.

First of all, Katara's exact position is not that clear from the start. I mean - can battling Azula really be considered "a pleasure"? Who's doing whom a favor in this cooperation? Is Katara an equal partner or just an optional help in this conflict?

It was never properly discussed onscreen.

Another thing - the conflict is heavily political and connected to Zuko's royal status (and his family), so Zuko and Katara's positions are definitely kinda unequal in this regard (even if Azula is the world's problem in general as well as Katara's personal enemy).

Also, they didn't know about Azula's state of mind before. Hence, the circumstances have changed, which means terms of the partnership could be reconsidered.

Lastly, the moment is pretty dangerous and requires quick thinking.

I guess... it was Zuko's right to make such a decision in these circumstances, after all.

Hence, he acted within his boundaries again or at least somewhere near them.

(Still... There is a question of their communication. Did they really discuss all the possible scenarios previously? I mean, how exactly Zuko planned to become the Fire Lord without fighting the Agni Kai initially? It was an extremely important thing to get right!)

Anyway...

It seems to be all, actually? Yep, only 5 major examples to analyze.

So, my general conclusion is:

I wasn't able to find the big undeniable 'bad boundaries' tendencies in Zuko's and Katara's friendly/allied communication after tSR.

But. The thing is, their personal relationship wasn't really a focus of Zuko's and Katara's attention during the last episodes. They had a world to save, you see. And while Zuko jumping in front of lightning for Katara in slow motion may say a lot about his feelings and priorities, it still doesn't say much about his personal boundaries in the potential romantic relationship.

(I mean, Mai here too was ready to sacrifice herself for Zuko, but she still thought that saying "Don't ever break up with me again" to the guy who just forgot her in prison was a smart thing to do, lol. ... Oh girl, this relationship so has no future.)

So, this conclusion of mine doesn't mean that after transition of Zuko and Katara's relationship into romantic plane and the change of their social positions the balance will not shift. Human relationships is a very complex and dynamic thing, after all. Different circumstances create different expectations for each other, different set of rights and responsibilities, and hence, different conflicts.

Hence, tSR with its large focus on the characters' personal relationship can still be considered a troubling precedent for zutara.

But... there is always hope!

Something like this.

And in the end here's your friendly reminder that I ignore all the notifications.

[oneatlatime]

The Swamp

Random thing I spotted in the opening credits: this Roku (?) silhouette is doing a spinning blade move with airbending, that Azula did with her blue fire while riding the mail system in Return to Omashu. I guess that despite the bending styles being based on different martial arts, borrowing is allowed.

A snippet of blue spirit music plays when that cart carrying the masks passes by. Maybe one second of showtime but the writers and track team put in the effort anyway.

I'm still mad at Zuko for stealing that lady's bird horse, but I'm happy to see that they're looking after it. It even has a blanky.

Those bangs would have done numbers in 2008.

So I'm wishing death on sword guy. Apart from the whole trying to cut off Iroh's feet thing, he can't even do up his shirt right. Zero redeeming features.

I wish I knew how to make gifs to show this, but the way that the diffused lightsource is reflecting off the water peaking through the vegetation of the swamp is incredibly realistic.

Is the sharpening stone the one that usually sits in the indent on the other side of the blade? It would be pretty cool to have a knife with a built in sharpener like that.

Sokka's got a point. How do you "land" on a swamp? Appa will need to break out his sea bison skills.

TIL swamps don't take no for an answer.

HOW are they still ALIVE?!?!

AcTuAlLy Aang it's "where ARE Appa and Momo?"

As someone who has literally had leeches on my elbow, this is not funny.

Also this episode's beat up Sokka quota has already been filled by a tornado, a swamp, and a vampire slug. And we're only 4 minutes in. I feel like this is going to be a rough episode for him.

Look I get that there is no solid land in this swamp, but they could at least move out of the fetid leech-infested water onto a tree root.

Shibari Appa. I ahd to google that.

Momo is a good friend.

Could you imagine what Apppa smells like after landing in the swamp water?

Poor Momo's like "dude. I JUST freed you."

Not everyone can airbend Aang. Some of us would have no option but to cut our way out of the swamp, niceness be damned.

You ever just go FWOMP?

I'm loving these little Appa & Momo scenes.

Did this episode air on Halloween originally? It's really leaning in to the spooky.

And now Appa gets to be a good friend. I love the ear twitch. Have I talked about how cute Appa's ears are?

King of the jungle Appa.

New fear unlocked. Never swimming in seaweed again.

Also kudos to them for sleeping sitting up. I can't do that.

It's neat how all three of their fighting styles are equally effective at freeing them from the vines. No bending superiority here!

How did Cletus and Brandine figure that Appa has six legs from this trail?

No comment. Just thought you'd all appreciate a picture of bowl cut Appa using an alligator as a toothbrush.

Pretty. Swamp wisteria.

This swamp is a dick.

This jumpscare got me. Also, swamp is now a double dick.

And Aang sees some rando. I was expecting Gyatso. Maybe being the avatar makes you immune to swamp dickishness?

If Cletus saw a lemoo at a travelling show once, does that mean that Momo is not the last of his species? Because I've been worrying about that.

This is a pretty cool use of waterbending. Although I don't think 'outboard motor with high manoeuvrability' is a recognised martial arts move.

All the background art in this episode is subtle but very detailed. Another episode I'll be watching on a better quality screen than my little laptop, which makes everything into a green-grey blur.

Sokka was looking for his friends. Katara was looking for her friends. Aang was chasing tail.

Tea party Sokka rocking a midi skirt and thigh high leather boots.

Have to give it to Sokka; they have all been huffing a lot of swamp gas recently. Hallucinating people you think of often after huffing god knows what is a more believable explanation than sentient, dickish swamp. Or it would be, if this wasn't a world where things like the avatar exist.

Looks like I was right about this being a beat up Sokka episode. The number of times swampy has thrown him to the ground, I'm surprised he's still getting up. Also, I think Sokka's voice actor was paid by the scream this episode.

Anyone remember the Absorbaloth?

Are these guys narrating NYOOM noises?

I have to commend the manoeuvrability of these boats.

Not to self: do not piss off a waterbender. They are human deli slicers.

"He's the Avatar. Stuff like that happens to us, a lot." Season 1 in a nutshell.

I applaud this guy's efficiency for styling his hair into a hat.

You guys are really going to go with this guy to a secondary location like 15 seconds after he stopped trying to kill you? Every so often I forget that the Gaang are teens or younger, then something comes along that really reminds me.

Nitpick! Are his socks made out of mud?

This guy has grey eyes like Aang does 50% of the time. I swear Aang has brown eyes in at least half the episodes so far.

More delicious reflections. I wish I could gif this too.

I love the lesson here. The swamp guy's speech about interconnectedness is good, made twice as good by the delivery. Excellent choice of voice actor. Also the bit about the people we've lost still being there hits hard.

A power this useful had better come up again.

Can someone who knows music better than I do tell me if Cletus is on beat? I think not.

New reaction shot!

Why does Sokka repeat "Hugh" so skeptically? What's the joke here?

"He don't eat no bugs. That's people food." This is the kind of stuff I love the most in this show. These seemingly inconsequential, throwaway worldbuilding comments that instantly double the depth of the universe of the show. Every time I get a glimpse of normal people living non-war-torn normal lives I love it.

Scenes like this. PEAK avatar.

That swamp just bitchslapped a bird.

I'd forgotten that Zuko and Iroh were in this episode.

Zuko is well on his way to being forgiven for stealing the horse bird.

Have to wonder why he had a spare set of black clothes lying around though.

Final Thoughts

This episode may well be my new favourite. I like if for the same reasons that I liked Bato of the Water Tribe: it shows us what comparatively normal life is like. Here's a random group of people that might not even know about the war. Looking at them gives us a glimpse of what Aang's pre-war world must have been like, and what the post-war world everyone is fighting to create could be like. It's both nostalgia and hope in one place.

I love that Sokka is still stubbornly anti-supernatural even after travelling for months with the human incarnation of a spirit, being kidnapped by a giant monster panda, and having his crush turn into the moon. Not to mention mega fishman Aang. Although, in a world where the existence of spirits is a scientifically observable fact, isn't believing in the supernatural actually the logical viewpoint?

Apart from that awesome deli slicer waterbending move, Katara did surprisingly little this episode. I think Momo and Appa had more to do.

Spekaing of, I loved having a little side adventure with Momo and Appa. There's enough personality in the animation and voicing of those two characters that they can easily carry dialogue-free scenes. Avatar should do a dialogue free episode with just Appa and Momo going on an adventure. I love their interspecies friendship.

The whole 'we're all connected' thing could have rung hollow if the writers hadn't taken the time to painfully personalise that message for two thirds of the Gaang. In today's arguably too-connected world (thanks internet) the lesson seems obvious, but in a pre-industrial world that's a century into a global war, I bet the connectedness of things is unknown, forgotten, or actively suppressed.

The incredibly short bookends with Zuko and Iroh were (I'm guessing) to establish that Zuko has taken a vigilante turn and that Iroh is inhumanly patient. Neither of those is a surprise. Honestly, if I found myself in that situation, I would react more like Zuko than Iroh. Guess that means I'm a work in progress.

The Storm last season showed that while Aang had a lot to learn, Zuko had a lot to unlearn. Instead of just unlearning incorrect things, it looks like the show is taking it a step farther and progressively stripping Zuko of everything. Zuko isn't one to sit idly by though, so he's fighting back by clinging to harmful things like his pride and learning things he arguably shouldn't, like how to commit theft of bird horses. Although I have no moral objection to stealing that jerk's swords.

This episode didn't have a beat up Sokka quota; it had a beat up everyone quota, physically and sometimes mentally too. Kind of surprised there weren't even bruises. And poor Sokka. The first cut is the deepest.

I'll definitely be rewatching this one.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Could you, instead of Bodyguard Sokkla AU, write Azula being famous, as she should, and Sokka being a huge overly smitten fanboy who gets to meet her irl by accident through Zuko? Zuko would obviously hide that he's related to someone famous to not attract attention on himself cause he can be somewhat socially awkward sometimes but what happens when his sister calls him one day while he's playing video games with his friends and without thinking too much he answers the phone and puts her on speaker so that his hand will be free to hold the controller and Sokka recognizes her voice?

This prompt has been sitting in my askbox for ages. Idk if you’re even still here xD but here it is. A quick little thing while I work on fandom events.

Katara thinks that it is embarrassing that he has so many posters of the girl. That one of them is even autographed. That he has a closet full of concert T-shirts and fanmade ones alike. That he has every single CD that Azula has ever appeared on. 

She doesn’t quite understand idol culture and frankly he finds himself rather embarrassed by it too. 

He would never let Jet or Zuko see all of this. Toph has already given him a hard time for being, as she so delicately put it, a total fanboy dweeb. But he certainly isn’t the worst out there. He can pridefully say that he doesn’t own a body pillow.

But he talks about her all the time. He’d like to meet her more than anything. He wonders if she is just as pretty in person. Prettier perhaps? She has such a nice smile and her voice is…

It’s divine. He has never heard anything like it; gentle and powerful all at once. 

It is a volcanic eruption and a quiet sunset breeze all at once. 

Sokka sighs, he almost puts one of the CD’s in the radio but he ultimately decides that doing so might ruin tonight’s livestream; pop music doesn’t exactly scream ‘epic fantasy-action background music’. Unless of course he and his gaming group are bold enough. He can’t imagine that they would be so brave. Not when Toph takes this whole livestreaming thing so seriously. 

Sokka puts on his headset and joins Zuko in the server. “Hey, Sokka.” The boy greets.

“How’s it going, buddy?”

Zuko exhales deeply. “I’m expecting a phone call tonight so we decided to postpone the livestream. Also, Toph can’t make it tonight, she’s got a headcold or something. So it’ll just be you, Jet, and I tonight.” 

“I think that we could use a stress free night of just gaming for the sake of gaming.” Just like in the old days, before they decided to start gaming for some extra cash. Not that Toph needs any. 

“What game are we playing tonight, boys?” Jet’s face appears on the screen. 

“Well Toph wanted to play ‘Night of Claw and Fire’. But I thought that we could play that one with the race cars that we used to love.” Zuko replies.

“Are we going to play the one with the shitty graphics? Or the new one.”

“Shitty graphics.” Sokka and Zuko say at once. Nothing like some classic, old school, boxy graphics. It has been so long since he has had a chance to glitch his character into oblivion. 

.oOo.

He knows that the game is all in good fun but Sokka can’t help but be at least a little frustrated at his losing streak. He hasn’t even been able to beat any of the NPC racers. They have been lapping him for the better part of the night while Zuko and Jet cackle. 

He wishes that Toph were here. 

Toph usually protects him from getting tag teamed. 

He puffs out another sigh and tightens his grip on his controller. He stares at its sleek, metallic navy blue finish. “Come on” he mumbles to the thing, “just give me one win.” 

He revs his virtual engine. 

3…

2…

1…

Zuko’s phone rings and the game pauses just as Sokka’s character blasts off. “Oh come on, bro!” Sokka shouts. 

Zuko rolls his eyes and unpauses the game. Sokka’s race car slams directly into the barricade and Jet cackles as Zuko hits the speaker button. “Hello?” 

“Hello, Zuzu.” 

Jet too slams his virtual car into the barricade and snorts. “Zuzu?” 

Zuko’s face flushes. “I shouldn’t have put you on speaker.”

“You have me on speaker?”

“I’m in the middle of gaming!” He declares. “I’m in first place by the way.” 

“There’s a first time for everything.” The girl chuckles. 

And that is when Sokka’s heart skips. He knows that laugh. He has always found it to be so charming. “Zuko…” he swallows. “Is that…?”

“My sister? Yeah.” Zuko fills in.

“Azula is your sister!? And you didn’t tell me?”

“My sister isn’t…”

“Yes I am.” Azula cuts in. “I’m exactly who you think I am.”

And Zuko is blushing again. Sokka can’t begin to fathom why. Not until he grumbles a, “I’ve been trying to be lowkey about this. I don’t want attention.” 

“I do.” Azula declares. 

“Why do you do this to me? And what are you actually calling for?”

“Well, mother said to tell you that she found some of your old baby pictures. Like the one where you…” 

“Azula!” He shouts, his face now a vivid scarlet.”

“The one where you decided to use your underwear as a hat.”

“Dude, you used your underpants as a hat?” Jet chuckles. 

“No! She’s just trying to make me sound like a dweeb.”

“It’s working.” Jet cackles. 

To Zuko’s credit he is still in first place. “Alright, Azula, we’ll talk later tonight.” His finger hovers over the end call button.

“No!” She and Sokka say at once. 

“I want to talk to your sister!” Sokka requests. “You know how much I love her…music!” Oh, he’s such an idiot–just bursting out declarations of love. “I love her music.” He repeats. 

“It’s alright, you can confess your love.” Azula drawls. “Most people do.”

Zuko groans. “She likes attention. Stop giving her attention.” 

But it is much too late for that. He has already plunged right into a very stuttering, “c-can we hang o-out sometime. I mean if you want to. I wouldn’t force you to do that because I’m…I’m not one of those weirdos but I thought that it could be nice maybe…”

“I suppose that we can.” Azula pauses. He can hear in her voice that her face has lit up. “Oh! I can show you Zuzu’s baby photos! There’s this one where he’s trying to eat his own foot.”

“Alright that’s it! Conversation over!” Zuko strikes ‘end call’. 

And with the strike of a button his hopes and dreams deflate. But hours later, with the sounds of video game victory music echoing in his ears, he gets a text. It better not be Zuko because he is ready to give the boy an earful…over text.

He looks at the screen. ‘Tomorrow. 5:00. Jasmine Dragon.’ The phone dings again and a picture of a very chubby baby Zuko stares up at him, peeking out from under a pair of underwear.

Sokka grins. ‘How did you get my number?’ He texts back.

‘That’s for me to know and you to wonder about.’ She adds a little wink. 

‘Okay, tomorrow at 5.’ He clutches his phone to his chest. He is actually going to meet his idol in person. He just hopes that she will like him as much as he likes her. Maybe he should take some of the posters down so that he doesn’t seem creepy…

He takes a deep breath. They’re just meeting at the Jasmine Dragon. And, realistically, Zuko will probably be tagging along. He will cross that bridge when he comes to it. Until then he will relish in that he is actually going to meet his idol face to face!

[juniperhillpatient]

The Headband Re-Watch

This is a funny episode. I don’t think I have anything too groundbreaking to say about it, & I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but I always have fun with it. I know it’s a rip off of Footloose but I’ve never seen the real Footloose lol. I do kind of like that Aang rebels against the Fire Nation culture through something as universally human & expressive as dance - it’s a nice antithesis to the repression the Fire Nation seems to encourage. This is also the first & only time we get a look at regular Fire Nation culture & the indoctrination they grow up with. It’s an interesting glimpse at the everyday life of Fire Nation civilians.

Aang humiliating Hide is hilarious. +500 iconic behavior points. I also think this episode presents interesting evidence for those of us who like to write modern high school AUs. Aang’s role is clearly a bit of a class clown & also very much a popular kid. He instantly gets the entire class to like him enough to want to come to his illegal dance party AND to cover for him when they get caught. This kid has a very high charisma score. I’ll also admit that this is kind of a cute Kataang episode. I still don’t personally ship it but I can’t say anything against it in this episode. The party scene is funny & cute. The best thing about Kataang in this episode is that Katara is shown reciprocating Aang’s feelings. It’s obvious she has a bit of a crush here.

Katara & Sokka disguised as Aang’s parents will never fail to crack me up.

[id: Sokka with a fake mustache & Katara fake pregnant while Aang sits between them looking sheepish. end id]

Sapphire & Waang Fire my beloveds. They’re so funny & dramatic. I always cast the Fire Siblings as theatre kids & I stand by that ‘cause there’s a lot of evidence for that too. But have you considered? The Water Siblings are also theatre kids. +500 iconic behavior points each for Sokka & Katara for their hilarious disguises.

Zuzu is a hot mess (affectionate) in this episode. I feel like for a while I was trying to pretend I wasn’t a blatant Zuko apologist but I totally am & I think maybe I should just embrace it. This is probably the episode where Zuko is the most asshole he’s been yet but I still feel bad for him. It’s just…. Is he a complete jerk for melting down while visiting Iroh in prison - a prison Iroh is in because of him? Yes. But also…. I mean, the thing is, you guys, he’s a teenager trying to undo a lifetime of freaking indoctrination. Iroh didn’t tell him to join the Avatar until it was literally showdown time. Iroh had already started to question the Fire Nation & consider the importance of balance, but he & Zuko didn’t talk about any of this! From Zuko’s perspective, siding with Azula is the exact thing that always would’ve been expected of him. I just feel bad for him. I still feel awful for Iroh too though, rotting behind bars because of his nephew who he views as a son… ouch. And honestly, I feel like the thing that hurts the most about this for Iroh isn’t even that he’s suffering personally it’s that he hates seeing Zuko choose his father & the Fire Nation after everything they went through.

[id: Iroh facing the viewer, frowning. Zuko is in the background behind bars. end id]

Huge fan of shots that put a character outside of bars behind the bars so it’s unclear who’s imprisoned.

I love cinnamon topography.

Also, I love Mai & Zuko’s little picnic.

[id: Zuko & Mai smiling on a picnic. End id]

After watching Wednesday, Mai calling the color orange disgusting as they watch the sunset reminds me of something Wednesday would say. They’re just so cute.

I like how Azula gets Mai to go away by telling her Ty Lee’s braid is tangled. Hey, ladies gotta have their priorities! Also, once again Zuko’s inability to lie pops up. Azula is literally being such a considerate little sister by warning Zuko about visiting Iroh. I don’t see how anyone could view this any other way. She’s looking out for her big brother & I think that’s really cute.

I have nothing else to say about this episode. Tune in next time for more rambling recaps!

[angellknives]

Keep Your Best Interest

Mechanic AU. Sokka works as a mechanic to support his sister through high-school, while their father works to support a sick, but loving and involved, Gran-Gran. He studies law part time, in the hopes of becoming an environmental lawyer like his father, who’s firm was run out of business by Tycoon and Greedy Asshole Ozai. Unknown to Sokka, Zuko, the estranged son, is lucky enough to break down outside their small town.

There’s something muggy and foul about American heat. This far out in the country, the sky is cloudless and the sun sits smug amongst blue, beating down on his sticky skin.

Zuko gives his smoking engine one last glare, tugging irritably at the white dress shirt that clings to his sweaty skin. Truthfully, he knows nothing about cars, and popping the hood for a long, thoughtful look was more perfunctory than anything.

His phone flashes a dreary little SOS symbol, a mockery of his situation.

Zuko scoffs, glaring at the stretch of slim road that ripples with heat, and the surrounding empty fields. The yellowing grass is only broken by an occasional tree.

“Fuck,” Zuko says, exhaling deeply, but his temper climbs up his dry throat with vigour, taunting and cruel. He’s fucking lost, in the middle of nowhere, with a phone that can’t make a single fucking call.

“FUCK.”

With one swift turn, Zuko discards his phone, and begins to swiftly kick at the wheels of his uncle’s beloved Datsun. He mutters under his breath, cursing the stupid thing and the stupid favour he agreed for his uncle, because really it’s the least he can do for the man after he raised Zuko with his own money and patience. A hard feat, when thirteen year old Zuko was convinced he was hated by the world and irredeemably evil.

But now he’s stuck, and it’s all because his uncle couldn’t keep a normal car.

“Wow,” a voice interrupts lazily, “what’d she do to you?”

Zuko whirls around, breathing heavily, and comes face to face with the most beautiful man he’s ever had the privilege of laying eyes on. Brown skin, brown eyes, and broad shoulders that Zuko zeros in on like a shark in bloodied waters. He’s suddenly aware of his own ragged state, his unbuttoned dress shirt, his hair in disarray, and the very real possibility that he’s flashing wild eyes that Azula likes to call ‘kreuger eyes.’

The stranger only looks on in amusement, one thick eyebrow raised.

“I broke down,” Zuko says lamely, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He hadn’t even heard the rumble of another vehicle. This beautiful man is going to think he’s some sort of serial killer with a body in the trunk, or an itinerant with less than stellar intentions.

He whistles, circling Zuko and appraising the car with interested eyes.

“A vintage Datsun, nice. Is she a 120y?”

Zuko has no idea what that means, so he just nods.

“I’m Sokka, by the way,” Sokka says, extending a hand without taking his eyes off the Datsun.

“Zuko.”

Sokka’s hand is calloused and firm. Zuko can’t help but linger against warm skin, before Sokka pulls away distractedly.

“You’ve really done a number on this,” Sokka murmurs, peering into the smoking mess, studying it with fascination.

“Come on,” he says, looking up with a grin and shoving his hands deep into his pockets, “I can give you a lift to the mechanic and you can organise a tow.”

Zuko flicks his gaze over to Sokka’s own vehicle, a faded, dirt encrusted motorcycle.

“I can’t get on that deathtrap,” Zuko snaps. The heat is suddenly back again, consuming him without the brief distraction of a handsome man. It pricks irritably at his neck and chest, and he pulls at the fabric, exposing his skin to the dry air.

Sokka follows the movement for a brief second. He laughs, and swings one leg over the bike.

“I have a spare helmet, and I’m a good driver,” he eyes the mess of uncle’s car, “unlike someone.”

“That’s not my fault,” Zuko hisses, glowering.

“Sure,” Sokka shrugs, patting the seat behind him, “I promise I don’t mind a bit of squeezing.”

“How do I know you’re not a murderer,” Zuko demands.

Sokka laughs, and the sound is pure joy, a windchime amongst gentle breeze. He cranes his neck around and gestures to the emptiness around him. There’s no streetlights, or houses, or anything to catch an attempted assault.

It’s an annoyingly good point, which Sokka basks in smugly as he leans one arm on the handlebars, waiting.

“Fine,” Zuko concedes grumpily, patting his pockets for his wallet and scooping his phone off the ground, “but if I die, you have to tell my uncle.”

“Whatever makes you feel better,” Sokka snorts, and shuffles as Zuko awkwardly climbs on, hands idling in the air before Sokka grabs one, guiding it to his waist.

“You actually have to hold on in order not to die,” Sokka says softly.

He hands him a helmet, and it does well to hide the blush rising from his neck.

“Right,” Zuko murmurs, throat dry, and it’s not because of the heat.

[milf-harrington]

AU 12 trope 2 prompt 2

Babysitter!au, enemies to lovers, “fuck. fuck fuck fuck fuck this shit. Fuck.”

i don't think this is quite enemies to lovers but i tried

Izumi always got a little too excited whenever Zuko wouldn’t be home, because it meant he’d have to call her babysitter. And Izumi loved her babysitter.

Zuko didn’t.

(And it absolutely wasn’t because he was jealous that his daughter seemed to like this guy better than him, Mai, it wasn’t.

...Okay maybe a little, but come on, could you blame him? Whenever he had to part from his daughter she practically threw a party.)

But, he had a last minute work function that was apparently mandatory, and Sokka was basically his only choice whenever he had to be away because all of his friends worked with him.

And, as much as Zuko disliked Sokka, he still tried to be polite and always made sure the house was at least tidy when he was coming over. Unfortunately, when Zuko said the function was last minute he really meant last minute, as in i-was-going-to-watch-spiderman-with-my-kid-until-my-boss-called-to-tell-me-that-i-have-to-be-there-in-an-hour last minute. Izumi had even been upset when she’d heard, only managing a smile when he told her Sokka would watch spiderman with her instead.

So, Zuko was still trying to wash the dishes, get dressed, and put something on for dinner all at the same time when there was a knock at the door and he jumped in surprise, dropping the plate he’d been scrubbing back in the sink and splashing soapy water all over the shirt he’d just put on. And the bench. And the floor. Which of course he slipped on and barely managed to catch himself on the counter, where he promptly slammed his hip bone into it

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck this shit. Fuck.” He cursed, pressing a still-wet hand to his hip and feeling warm water soak through the material of his jeans, his hair coming out of the bun he’d carefully tied it into and falling around his face. The ends were damp, small foamy bubbles hanging on and smearing against his cheek uncomfortably. He could hear the faint hiss of bubbles popping in his ear.

Agni Zuko hated his life.

Distantly he heard Izumi letting Sokka in, the 11 year old traitorously admitting that “dad’s kinda stressed right now” but he didn’t really register it as he stubbornly swallowed back his tears of frustration and pain, finding himself wishing (not for the first time) that he wasn’t an angry crier.

He dropped his head onto the counter, wincing when his hair instantly soaked up any surrounding water and heaved a deep sigh, suddenly exhausted.

“Hey- woah, Zuko, you okay?”

Zuko didn’t even bother looking up, his hand still pressed to his hip despite the pain having faded to a dull throb. “I hate everything.” He mumbled, not sure whether to smile or scowl at the answering laugh.

“Do you need a hand?”

In an absolutely mortifying turn of events, the simple question had Zuko bursting into tears.

Agni, when was the last time someone genuinely offered to help him? Azula only ever seemed to come over to snark at him and judge his organization system, and Mai and Ty Lee had been busy planning their wedding so he didn’t blame them for not visiting.

“Hey, hey it’s okay.” Sokka’s voice was suddenly closer, warm and gentle, softening a bit when he asked Izumi to grab a towel for him, and maybe a fancy shirt.

But Sokka- Sokka was always helping.

Sure, Zuko kind of paid him to. But he paid him to make sure his daughter didn’t die or get kidnapped- not for washing the dishes when Zuko forgot to, or for helping Izumi change the sheets on her bed when she spilled water on them, or even for helping her put together a school project.

It had infuriated Zuko at first, feeling like Sokka thought he wasn’t capable of doing it himself, like it was some kind of passive aggressive way of saying “you’re a bad dad”. But after stumbling home one night, exhausted and cranky and hungry, and finding a plate of food that Sokka had made for him sitting on the bench, still warm like he’d made it in time for Zuko to get home, he’d had to admit that maybe Sokka wasn’t awful.

And now he was there, gently pulling Zuko into his chest and wiping the counter down with his other hand, and then asking Izumi something when she passed him a shirt.

“Hey Zuko? You grab this and go put it on okay?”

Zuko, feeling mortified and stressed, just took the shirt and left, peeling the wet one off once he was in the safety of his bedroom. Beneath the rustling of fabric and whispered curse, he could hear the clinking of dishes, water sloshing and dripping followed by the bright laugh of his daughter.

By the time he made it back out, shirt tucked into his almost-dry pants and hair a lot neater, the dishes were washed and put away, and Izumi was sitting at the bench, kicking her legs and chattering away about her science class while Sokka grated cheese - likely for the pasta Zuko had left on the stove.

Once they saw he was okay, and Zuko had awkwardly explained he’d just been overwhelmed, the two of them had practically shoved him out the door with promises to leave him some pasta for when he got home.

Several hours of boring small talk (and snide comments shared between him, Mai and Toph), Zuko finally crept back through the front door, tired and hungry because none of the food served at the function had looked edible. Other than the tv, the only light was in the kitchen, greeting him with a warm glow as he gently placed his keys down on the bench.

Sokka was curled up on the couch still when Zuko got there, saying something about pasta in the microwave and laughing when Zuko cringed at how loud the buttons sounded in the post-midnight quiet.

They sat next to each other in companionable silence, spiderman: into the spiderverse still in the process of wrapping up when Sokka shuffled a little closer.

"How was the work thing?"

Zuko looked up in surprise, fork paused part way to his mouth. "Uh- boring, mostly. Other than when my friend Toph tripped this jerk out of the door and pulled the blind card to get out of trouble."

Sokka snorted, shooting Zuko an amused look before turning back to the screen, the colours reflecting in his eyes and over his skin. Zuko was struck with the sudden realisation that Sokka was actually kind of beautiful.

Carefully, he turned his gaze back to his pasta, swallowing down the sudden unexpected yearning that filled him. It was almost jarring to go from hating someone, to kind of tolerating them because they were kind, to realising that they were beautiful and smiled nice and were willing to hug you just because you were crying over spilled dish water.

"Hey, uh, Zuko?"

Zuko looked up, raising an eyebrow at Sokka who was for some reason avoiding eye contact. Which, actually, was fair because Zuko fucking hated eye contact anyway.

"If this is totally out of line you can tell me to piss off but, uh, I was wondering if you'd maybe want to get lunch with me? Whenever you're free next. You can bring Izumi, obviously." Sokka glanced at him for a second before looking away again, clearly nervous. Zuko's heart tripped, and he realised he was just sitting there without answering.

"I-" yknow what? Fuck it. "Yeah, sure. I'd like that."

[lonewolfel]

Azula always “lies”

image from @nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice​

As a more recent fan of ATLA I have fallen in love with Zuko’s character. One thing that has interested me spacifically is the mantra “Azula always lies”. Azula is shown to be a manipulative character, but the instances where he says it Azula doesn’t seem like she is lying. 

While I have issues with Azulon ordering Zuko’s death I want to talk about Azula telling Zuko that Ozai was going to kill him. 

Right after she says those lines and she is dragged out of the room by Ursa, Zuko says the famous lines “Azula always lies”. Yet she wasn’t. It is clear from how Ozai treats Zuko to the very reaction of Ursa that it was a very real possibility. 

That is a common thread with Azula and Zuko’s interactions. When Azula is lying Zuko thinks she is telling the truth and when she is telling the truth he think she is lying. This all comes down to a part of characterization in story telling.

The lie your character believes.

All the main characters have one. Aang’s is “that he can run away and deny his responsibilities”, Katara’s is “that the Fire Nation is evil”, Sokka’s is “women can’t fight and that he isn’t special or needed”, Toph’s is “being by herself is better than having people that care about her”, and Zuko’s is “that is father loves him and the Fire Nation is the greatest nation” (these are just their veague beliefs). 

Now I am going to take quotes from Azula and bold the lies and italicize the truths that she says. 

ATLA: Book 2 Water - The Avatar State

Azula:  Hmmm ... must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point. [Breaks the shell she was holding with her fingertips, leaving Iroh angry.] I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him; treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust. [Pauses briefly.] Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home. [Silence.] Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news.

Iroh:  I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment.

Azula:  [Furiously.] Don't interrupt, Uncle! [To Zuko.] I still haven't heard my thank you. [Annoyed.] I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way.

Zuko:  [Surprised.] Father regrets? He ... wants me back?

ATLA: Book 2 Water - Zuko Alone

Azula:  [Sing-songy.] Dad's going to kill you! [Seriously.] Really, he is.

Zuko:  Ha-ha, Azula. Nice try.

ATLA: Book 2 Water - Crossroads of Destiny

Azula:  Why don't you let him decide, Uncle? [To Zuko.] I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day, [Makes a fist.] this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want.

ATLA: Book 3 Fire - The Awakening

Azula:  [Getting out of bed.] Call it a generous gesture. I wanted to thank you for your help and I was happy to share the glory.

Zuko: You're lying.

(I’m unable to tell if it is a lie or not. I think it is a mixture of both.)

ATLA: Book 3 Fire - The Beach

Azula: [Frontal view.] Well, yes, I guess you're right. I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care. [Gazes into the fire. Close-up view of the fire pit.] My own mother [Close-up.] thought I was a monster. [Close-up of Zuko and Mai. Close-up of Ty Lee. Side-view of campsite. After a momentary pause.] She was right, of course, but it still hurt.

ATLA: Book 3 Fire - Nightmares and Daydreams 

Azula:  What do you mean? Of course you're welcome there!

Zuko: Oh, yeah?! I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it!

All the moments that he call her out for lying she seems to be telling the truth. In those moments she is contradicting his world view. She tells him that Ozai doesn’t love him. That he is welcomed to a war meeting even after what happened last time. 

When Azula tells the truth she forces Zuko to see the truth. The truth that he has spent so long denying. It is why he is so easily manipulated by her and Ozai. They know that if they tell Zuko what he wants to hear that he will follow them no matter what. That he won’t question the lies that fit the world view, but will the truths that he denies. 

It is the reason that Iroh had such a hard time getting through to Zuko. Iroh had tried to get Zuko to question his world view. 

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine the Ember Island Players creating a romance between you and Zuko which hits a little too close to home

You sat beside Katara and noticed how Zuko sat on the other side of her. Aang faltered, obviously wanting to sit there and you smirked as Zuko obliviously missed Aang’s look. Zuko had been with the group a few weeks now but his social skills still weren’t very good and you found it made for some very interesting interactions. His attempt at telling jokes alone made you smile every time you saw him for a full week afterwards and you found Zuko did a lot of things that amused you but apparently not so much the others. “I was going to sit there” Aang whined and Zuko shrugged “so? Just sit next to me”. Aang pouted and you laughed to yourself “here” you said standing up “take my seat Aang” and you moved so he could sit beside Katara. Katara was oblivious and you sat on the other side of Zuko chuckling at Aang’s blush. “What was that all about?” Zuko asked and you smiled “ow nothing you just almost ruined Aang’s evening”. Zuko frowned and went to ask what you meant when the lights dimmed so you knocked his arm shaking your head “i’ll tell you later now shhh”. Zuko folded his arm huffily but stopped talking. The play was wonderfully awful. As you hadn’t joined the gang straight away you knew you had time to just enjoy the first few acts and make fun of the way they portrayed all your friends. Plus what could they do to your character? You didn’t have any old flames like Katara or Sokka and you didn’t have an emotional backstory like Zuko or Aang. So you relaxed arms spread over the back of the bench and waited for *yourself* to make an appearance.

The second your actress walked on stage you knew it wouldn’t be good. They had your character all wrong! Your actress flirted with everyone and acted like a lovesick idiot. You didn’t think it could get much worse and then your character met Zuko’s.

“I’ll save you from the pirates” Zuko’s character purred to yours and you spluttered. “That...that wasn’t even me! That was Katara!” you whispered angrily. You looked to Zuko for confirmation who nodded “yeah I didn’t say that to you...and I certainly didn’t tie you up while staring at you like that”. “And I did not flirt with you like that either”. You both glared as your characters bonded and they actually invented Zuko letting you go voluntarily. As Zuko’s character stared off into the distance and said your name you heard Sokka and Suki wheezing from laughter while you simmered with anger and embarrassment. “I didn’t do that!” Zuko cried and you saw he was blushing vividly. That made you blush too and crossed your arms tightly “they better not stick with this theme”.

Of course they did. By the time act 3 had ended you and Zuko were living a star crossed lovers lifestyle in Ba Sing Sei. They again got you mixed up with Katara and said Azula kidnapped you to lure Zuko to the Earth King’s palace. The act ended with Zuko charging in to save you, offering his own life in exchange for yours, but Azula outmanoeuvred him and arrested him too. As the lights went up for intermission you and Zuko paused before exploding.

“That never even happened!”.

“I knew he was in Ba Sing Sei but we never went on a date”.

“Yeah that was a different girl”.

“And you did not fight with Jet over me”.

“I didn’t even know you knew Jet!” Zuko agreed and you both paused for air.

The gang all looked at each other before bursting into laughter. “What is so funny?” you cried and Sokka smiled. “We all know none of that stuff happened, we were there too remember?”. “Yeah so...can’t we rant?” you asked. “Well yeah but why get so mad about it? Are you trying to convince us or yourselves that the idea the two you flirted is so impossible?”. You and Zuko exploded again at the thought and Sokka and the others burst into laughter again. “All i’m saying is this is a lot of emotion to come from nowhere” Sokka smiled “now i’m going backstage so yell at each other or something” and he disappeared with Suki. Katara and Toph left for snacks and Aang went to the toilet leaving the two of you alone. “But i mean it is ridiculous” you muttered and Zuko nodded “utterly ridiculous”. “Sure we ended up together a few times” you shrugged “but that was completely by chance, it wasn’t like you were hyper-aware of me or vice versa”. “Yeah not at all” Zuko agreed but he wasn’t looking you in the eye for some reason. You stared at him confused and noticed his neck looked slightly red as if he was blushing. “Wait did you?” you asked suddenly “notice me more?”. Zuko looked up and he was indeed blushing deeply “what I....of course not! I never...I mean I did learn your name before anyone else’s but that’s because we spent that time together when I helped the pirates kidnap you and you wouldn’t shut up the whole night”. “Then why are you blushing so much?” you asked and Zuko shrugged “I don’t know I...it’s just them insinuating I like you. I’ve had it a lot”. “You have?” you asked amazed and Zuko nodded “when my uncle heard you’d seen me in Ba Sing Sei and that we’d reached a deal not to tell on one another he had this annoying smirk like i’d done it for any other reason besides the fact it was mutually beneficial. Then when I went back home Azula made it seem like me and you had a thing and Mai got jealous and started asking about you and I had to explain all our interactions and it was very awkward...she wanted me to reassure her by putting you down and making the idea seem impossible but I must have failed because she didn’t believe me. So I guess that’s why it makes me feel weird, everyone keeps telling me I act differently with you and I suppose I do but I have no idea if that’s because everyone keeps saying it or if I always have”. You nodded your head but were unsure what to say. “Well which one do you think it is?” you asked eventually and Zuko paused “what?”. “If you had to guess, would you say you act differently around me because of what people say about us or have you just always acted that way”. Zuko thought, staring at the ground and basically anywhere but at you, “i’m not sure but I guess maybe the second? They must have got it from somewhere I suppose”. “The second?” you asked surprised and Zuko’s blush returned vividly “I’m only guessing, I honestly don’t know”. You nodded your head and went to speak when the others returned which stopped you right in your tracks.  

The second half of the play began of course with you and Zuko reuniting in the prison under Ba Sing Sei. You and Zuko did end up there together but you definitely did less staring at one another. You rolled your eyes as your characters began to passionately speak to one another stepping closer and closer. They finally reached one another and you laughed when your character began yelling at Zuko’s. “Ha maybe they got some things right!” you whispered to Zuko who nodded “you did yell at me a lot”. You smirked and went to apologise when Zuko’s character kissed yours. You and Zuko abruptly shot away from each other. “That is not even close to what happened!” you cried at the others who were all laughing. Zuko nodded “this is just slander! They didn’t even bother to try to get our characters right and anyone with half a brain would realise that!”. Someone shushed Zuko and he glared “shush yourself” he cried before storming from the room. He didn’t return for the rest of the play and honestly you thought that was probably wise. It got worse and worse. They still kept in Zuko’s betrayal of Iroh but changed it making you at the centre of Zuko’s struggle. He chose the crown and they made you react dramatically (even getting a love ballad moment). They then skipped forwards to Zuko at the palace, who got his own song when he realised he’d made the wrong choice. Your characters reunited not long after and promptly confessed their love for one another. Then you were both murdered by Ozai very much in line with the tragic forbidden lovers style.

“I mean I’m just glad she’s dead” you shrugged on your way out “anything to end that romance”. The others smirked when Aang paused “do you think Zuko went back home to the villa?” looking around for the angry fire prince. “No he knows we don’t know this place well, he’s probably just sat outside somewhere” you replied looking around but you couldn’t see him brooding anywhere either. When you walked out the front door and still didn’t spot him Aang frowned “okay everyone split up and look for him, meet back here in five minutes”.

You returned five minutes later to see Katara, Suki, Sokka and Toph all hadn’t found him either. “I wonder where he is” Katara frowned and you shrugged “he’ll be fine, that boy has nine lives”. “He didn’t in that play” Toph commented and you nodded. “True but that play was a mess and there’s one thing I still can’t get over. Zuko said his family and friends thought he liked me that’s where his side of this rumour started but in the play they acted like I encouraged him! Where on earth did they get that idea?”. The group all went quiet and you paused “what?”. “Well...I mean you kinda do encourage him” Sokka frowned and your jaw dropped “I DO NOT! When have I ever...”. “When we got kidnapped by the pirates you teased Zuko constantly and refused to be quiet until he spoke to you” Katara pointed out. “Yes but that was to annoy him not flirt with him!”. “Okay how about when June asked if you were his girlfriend and you replied he wishes instead of no?”. “I was joking” you shrugged and Toph smirked “or how about when I was sneaking out to see Zuko at the Western Air Temple and found you already on your way to see him? What were you popping in to see Zuko for huh y/n? Nice date by the campfire?”. “I was doing the same thing as you! I was going to see if he would tell the truth and given that I knew him best I thought I....”. The gang all erupted and you paused “what?”. “You know him best?” Sokka asked smirking and you nodded “that doesn’t mean anything it’s a fact”. “Ow is it?” Sokka asked and you nodded “It is! Fine if I don’t know him best what was his fake name in Ba Sing Sei?”. Everyone went quiet and you nodded “or how about how long ago he was banished from the fire nation? Better yet just tell me his parent’s names!” you cried. When nobody replied you smirked folding your arms victoriously “told you I know him best”. “Yeah you’ve definitely proved how much you know about Zuko” Suki smirked looking past you. You frowned before you heard someone behind you. You turned to see Aang had found Zuko and by the look on his face he’d heard everything. You blushed and looked down “Zuko we were...”. “Having a competition to see who knows me best?” Zuko asked mildly amused and you paused “well sort of...Sokka started it”. “No I didn’t” Sokka retorted “you declared you knew Zuko the best and when I asked if you were sure you started spouting your favourite facts about him”. “They’re not my favourite facts about him” you snapped and Sokka’s smirk just grew “whatever y/n” and he turned leading the way home. The others all followed and purposefully made it so you and Zuko were at the back. “Why were you talking about me anyway?” Zuko asked and you paused “ow nothing I was just er...trying to work out why the Ember Island Players thought I had a thing for you but the gang was not helpful”. “They couldn’t think of a reason?” Zuko asked innocently and you frowned “no they could actually think of lots of reasons, it appears similar to your family they were also under the impression I held a flame for you as it were”. “Ow really?” Zuko asked. He kept his voice flat but you could swear he was smirking slightly. “Stop enjoying this” you whined pushing him “it’s not funny, it’s embarrassing”. “Liking me is embarrassing?” Zuko asked and you paused “no I didn’t mean that, I just meant having all your friends claim you like someone when you can’t see it”. “You really can’t see where they’re coming from?” Zuko asked and you shook your head “nope not at all”. Zuko looked away and you frowned “I saw that, what did that look mean?”. “Nothing...” Zuko trailed off but you sighed grabbing him by the arm to make him look at you “I’m sick of everyone saying things about me for once just say it to my face!”. Zuko sighed “fine, I just think i’ve been honest with you but you’re not being honest with yourself”. “Not being honest?”. Zuko nodded “Yes, I admitted I could see where my family were coming from and how the rumours started but you’re acting as if they plucked them out of thin air!”. “Well maybe they did! I don’t see how any of our interactions could be interpreted as romantic”. Zuko didn’t look convinced. “You don’t think there’s some truth to what the Ember Island Players said? That maybe there is something here?” Zuko asked gesturing to the small gap between you. “No of course not! Do you?”. “No” Zuko yelled back and you nodded “fine! You are the most infuriating...” you started when Zuko grabbed you kissing you. You initially tensed at the sensation but soon melted into it. Zuko seemed to be trying to prove a point by kissing you passionately and not wanting him to win you kissed him back matching his intensity. Finally Zuko pulled away for air and stared at you “still not want to admit there’s something here?”. You stared at Zuko torn between admitting he was right and your pride. You were annoyed, frustrated, excited and exhilarated all at once. You were breathing rapidly, your cheeks bright red as were Zuko’s and neither of you made to move away. “I...” you started eventually “that was a good kiss”. Zuko nodded, his frustration melting away “it was, I enjoyed it...I’ve been wondering what it would feel like to kiss you for a while now”. “You have?” you asked and Zuko nodded “as annoying as it is to admit my family and friends were right, I like you and I have for a while”. You smiled despite yourself at how adorable Zuko looked all bashful and embarrassed. “I tried ignoring it for a while but then when I joined the group your friends all saw it straight away. Then tonight...the play was bad but I was frustrated that everyone seemed to see it apart from you the person I actually wanted to see it...you”. You looked down wondering how to reply “I’m sorry I bet that was really frustrating”. Zuko nodded “It was and I figured this was just one-sided but that...did you feel it too?”. Zuko looked so unsure and unlike himself it was endearing and gave you confidence. “Yes” you said shakily “after that kiss I can tell you it is definitely not one-sided. I like you too Zuko and probably have since the start”. “Probably?” Zuko asked and you sighed “I’m not good with my emotions, I can be oblivious to them so I can’t with certainty tell you it’s been going on as long as the play made it out to be but I know I like you. Right now in this moment...I hope that’s enough, I know it’s a shit confession and you probably wanted something more solid but I...”. Zuko began laughing and you paused “what’s so funny?”. “Something more solid? Y/n I’m on the run from the Firelord who is my father, my sister is hunting me to kill me and I could very likely be imprisoned for the rest of my life if Aang fails and that’s if i’m lucky...I’m not even sure if I have a future so trust me all I need is the present. To know in this moment right here you like me back” Zuko blushed but he stepped closer and took your hands “that’s more than enough for me”. “It is?” you asked and Zuko nodded “yes and if by some chance it becomes more long-term I’ll be very happy but for now I just want to enjoy this time with you”. You smiled and leant in to kiss Zuko again when someone coughed. “Hey what are you two doing?” Sokka called. Apparently the others had finally realised the two of you were no longer with the group and walked back to find the two of you as you currently were. Luckily it was dark so you moved away from Zuko but still held his hand. “Yeah we thought you’d gotten lost are you okay?” Katara called. Zuko sighed and you smirked at his expression. “We’re fine” you smiled “we were just talking and Zuko’s going to show me this beach he went to a lot as a kid”. Zuko’s eyes shot up to yours and he smiled. “You are?” Aang asked and Zuko nodded “yep, it’s not far from here so we won’t be long. You guys head back to the villa and we’ll meet you there” and with that Zuko tugged you away from the others. You smiled at Zuko and he smiled back at you “quick thinking, I didn’t think we’d get out of there so easily”. “You can thank me later” you replied when you heard Sokka gasp “wait are they holding hands? Y/n are you holding hands?”. “Run!” Zuko cried and you laughed but did as he said. You kept running even after Sokka’s voice trailed off and only stopped when you reached a sandy beach. You both collapsed on the ground and you turned to look at Zuko “did you know this was here or did you get lucky?”. “Totally the former” he smiled and you shook your head “you’re lucky I like you”. “I really am” Zuko agreed and he stared at your face tenderly. His fingers brushed your cheek and you smiled “what are you waiting for?”. “I have no idea” Zuko admitted and he leant in to reclaim the lost kiss from earlier. This time you weren’t interrupted.

[atlabeth]

transferred part twelve - atla smau

masterlist | part eleven | part thirteen

this takes place about 2 weeks after the last chapter

summary: trying to run from your past is hard, but falling for your brother’s roommate is even harder. little do you know that he’s falling for you as well. 

wc: 3.6k 

a/n: i’ve been writing bits and pieces of this since the start of this series so. enjoy. that’s all im gonna say lmao 

warning(s): cursing, mentions of familial death, mentions of abuse, some angst but also some fluff. this is kind of a heavy chapter because both zuko and y/n talk about their past, but there is fluff at the end. 

~~~~~~~~

You pushed your hair out of your face and tried to blink the sleep out of your eyes, catching a glimpse of the time on the corner of your laptop. 

3:23 AM. 

You should’ve been asleep a long time ago, but all of your professors had decided to schedule tests in the same week so it was one of many, many late nights you had had lately. You thought that they would cool down because midterms were coming up, but BSSU professors kept proving you wrong. Late nights like these were becoming a regular occasion, and right now you just needed a break. 

The tea dates with Zuko were the only things keeping you sane. But could you even call them dates? 

It was the two of you, together, sitting and talking over tea for hours, and they were happening multiple times a week. In fact, you and him had gotten tea together exactly 9 times in the past two weeks — and that wasn’t even counting all the talking during your shared shifts. 

Katara, Suki, and Toph told you that they were dates, you wanted them to be dates, but there was a part of you that was so incredibly scared that you were wrong — that moving past that bridge would ruin the friendship that you cherished so much with Zuko — that you kept things solely platonic. No matter how much you wanted to kiss him every time he gave you that smile. 

But thinking about the complicated relationship you had found yourself entangled in with Zuko wasn’t a break, no matter how many times you had pondered over it before falling asleep in the wee hours of the night. 

You closed your laptop and grabbed your jacket that had been carelessly tossed on a stool at the kitchen island, making sure to sneak out of the apartment as quietly as you could. You opted to work in the living room, choosing to camp out on the sofa whenever you had to stay up as late as this, just so you wouldn’t wake up Sokka. Your brother had no idea how much you did for him. 

The cool breeze hitting your face and the shining stars in the sky were a welcome change of scenery from the lifelessness that was your apartment at night and your computer screen that you were sure was going to cause you eye issues later in life with how bright it was. 

You took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling the crisp night air, and started to walk. You were sure you looked like a mess. You were wearing some flannel pajama pants, a BSSU tank top, tennis shoes, and Zuko’s jacket.  He had never asked for it back after that night at the party, and when you had showed up to one of your hangouts wearing it, he told you that you could keep it — “it looks better on you anyways” — so you did. 

There was something calming about the atmosphere. You knew that a lot of women were anxious about going out at night, especially alone, but that was why you had taken self defense classes. Being friends with Suki was a self defense class in its own, and it was very much appreciated. You allowed yourself to get lost in your thoughts, trying to give yourself the break that you deserved, when the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. 

“You know, it’s not safe to be out alone at this hour.” 

You let out a scream at the unexpected voice and whirled around, your fists already up to defend yourself. When you saw who it was, you laughed, completely shocked, and hit your hands against your legs, trying to calm your rapidly beating heart. 

“Holy shit, Zuko, you can’t just sneak up on someone like that!” you wheezed. You had no doubt that he only had good intentions, but for a second you thought someone was going to try and kill you. You had to admit, the scare was worth it to see the mix of horror and embarrassment on Zuko’s face.

“I’m so sorry!” His hands were held up placatingly in front of him and he let out a nervous laugh as well, but it did nothing to cover up the wide eyes he stared at you with. “I am so sorry, I didn’t even think about that. I- I was just up studying too, and I heard you leaving so I thought you could use some company- I swear, I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything!” 

You shook your head but couldn’t stop the smile on your lips, gesturing for him to come closer while you caught your breath. “It’s fine. Come on, walk with me.”

He fell into step beside you and the two of you walked in silence for a while, the only disruptions being the occasional car that drove by. It was eerily quiet, but with Zuko, it was nice. 

“So-”

“So-” 

Both of you laughed when you each interrupted the other, and when you motioned for Zuko to go first he shook his head. You paused for a moment, the question on the tip of your tongue, before you decided to take the plunge. 

“I’ve been wondering since I got here; how did you end up as friends with—” You gestured around with your hands. “—this whole crew? It’s kind of a weird combination of people, so I guess I just wanna know how you became a part of it.” 

Zuko sighed and ran a hand through his hair, causing your eyes to widen a little bit as a stammered apology came out. “You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to-” He gave you a tight smile and shook his head. 

“No, it’s fine. You should know about my life if— if we’re going to keep living together.” He knew the moment he met you, the moment he agreed to let you live with all of them, that he would have to explain his past to you. Hell, your siblings might have already told you some of it — he could only hope you’d still want to be his friend after he was done. 

“”I.. I wasn’t the best person in the past. I was a horrible person actually, and I consider myself extremely lucky that I was given so many chances to change. I hurt people. Bullied people. Got into fights just because I could. I was just- horrible is the only way to describe it. But your siblings, Toph, Aang? They were all people that decided to give me one of those chances, and they’re a huge reason that I am who I am today.” Zuko spoke slowly, and you could tell that this was something he didn’t open up to many people about. You smiled softly at him and nodded, letting him know that he could go on. 

“I don’t know how much you know about my father, but he’s the CEO of our family company. He’s been this huge presence in the business world for as long as I can remember, and he’s responsible for all the wealth and fame that our family has today. And when I was younger, I idolized him. I thought he was the greatest man in the world, that he could do no wrong, and I just followed him blindly. He was the most important person in my life, but.. I was nothing to him.” 

“He didn’t care about his friends, or- or his family, he only cared about power. My mother left when I was young, we haven’t heard a word from her since, and- and I don’t even know if he cared. My father would do whatever it took to become as powerful as he could, and that meant—” Zuko’s voice was getting louder and he cleared his throat, trying to keep his cool. There was a certain hollowness behind his eyes, and it tore you to pieces. “That meant hurting anyone that went against him. Including his children.”  

“I have a sister, Azula. She’s a prodigy in every sense of the word, and my father used it, used her. She was clearly his favorite, and it drove me insane. I mean, I did everything for his approval, but he only cared about Azula. We had a good relationship when we were younger, but my father molded her into the kind of person he wanted her to be, and— and I was jealous of her. He used that against us, purposefully staked the fire of our competition, one that I thought I could somehow win. But we had both already lost the second we started fighting against each other.” 

“It took me a long time to realize that.. that he was abusing us. I mean, he gave me this scar all because I spoke out of turn, and— and I still thought that I could earn his favor, that he deserved to earn my favor! He threw me out of the house when I was thirteen, and I went to live with my uncle. It took an even longer time, but with his help, and the support of your siblings and their friends, I was able to break the cycle. I was horrible to them at first, all of them, and I hated my father for what he did, but it was probably the thing that saved me.”  “And Azula.. leaving her will always be my biggest regret. My biggest mistake. I should’ve forced her to come with me when I was kicked out, I should’ve done something sooner, because maybe she wouldn’t have turned out the way she did.” He swallowed hard, his voice strained. “I came back for her once I was stable, and I helped her get out. I helped her get a therapist. It’s been a long process, but she’s getting better every day. But not a day goes by where I don’t think about what I could’ve done to help her more.”

You instinctively reached out for Zuko’s hand, and to your surprise, he took it without question. You gave his hand a small squeeze and led him over to a nearby bench — without realizing it, the two of you had entered a public park that was near the complex. When you sat down together, you moved so that one of your legs was crossed in front of you and the other was hanging down so you could face him. 

“Zuko.. I am so, so sorry. I don’t think any amount of apologies will be able to get how I feel across, but.. you didn’t deserve to go through that. No one deserves to go through that.” You took both of his hands, thankful for the warmth they provided. “Listen to me. Are you listening to me?” 

He gave a pained smile and nodded. “Yes, Y/N. I’m listening to you.” 

“You are not who you were in middle school. You are not who you were in high school. Okay? Your father is a horrible man, and you wouldn’t have done any of those things if it wasn’t for him. What you did when you were younger wasn’t okay, but the fact that you have so much remorse for it today proves that you’re a good person. Zuko, you are a good person, one of the best men that I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve only known you for a few months.” 

You were subconsciously rubbing calming circles into the back of his hands —  hands that were still holding yours — while you talked, but it was all Zuko could think about.  “I know you feel guilty about leaving your sister, but you did what you had to do to get out. You came back for her, and you’ve helped her get better. She’s grateful for it, Zuko, I know that much.” 

“Everyone else has forgiven you,” you murmured, staring deep into the fire he held in his eyes. “You deserve to forgive yourself.”

The silence that passed while you gazed into each other’s eyes felt like it lasted an eternity, when really it was only about a minute. Zuko was the first to break it, clearing his throat and looking everywhere but at you as his words tumbled out. “I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to dump all of this on you at once.”

“It’s okay, Zuko, really. I understand; sometimes you just need to talk to somebody. You don’t know how much it means to me that you trusted me with all of that. And.. if we’re still baring our souls to each other, then I guess I have some things that you should know as well.” 

You bit the inside of your cheek; were you really about to tell Zuko about what happened? Most people knew that your mother was dead — killed in a drunk driving accident when you were ten — but you had never told anyone, not even your father or your siblings, about the full effect it had on you. But his eyes told you more than he ever could, and in that moment you knew it would be okay. You could trust him with something you had never trusted anyone else with.

“I’m sure you know that my mother died when I was young.” He nodded and you swallowed, trying to get rid of the sudden dryness in your throat. “It was.. hard. Really hard, on all of us. It was just so unexpected that we didn’t know what to do. We didn’t really have any money to spare, so my dad had to keep working, and I had to take care of Sokka and Katara. I was only eleven, but I basically had to take over the ‘mom’ role. Our grandmother came down to take care of us so we wouldn’t just be a bunch of kids living on our own, but even with her and Katara’s help, it was still hard. Sokka and Katara had to grow up much faster than they should’ve, even though I tried to shield them as much as I could.” 

“It was.. a lot. I won’t lie to you, it was a lot. Maybe too much.” A mirthless laugh hung in the air and you had to blink back the tears threatening to spring. “My mother was.. amazing. She was the only one who truly got me, you know? She was just this— this beautiful spirit in the world, and she brought light wherever she went. And when she died, it left this.. huge, gaping hole in my heart, one that I’m still trying to fill. I- I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fill it. I thought as I got older it would be easier, but i-it’s not. The three of us joke around by calling Katara mom because of how she is, and they sometimes do it to me, and I know that’s all they are, jokes, but some part of it still hurts.” 

You were rambling now, spilling your soul to Zuko, going into the most mundane details that you had never told anyone. You had taken away the dam that had been holding back the waters of your emotions for so long, and now Zuko was going to drown in them. But you couldn’t stop.

“It’s the reason why I didn’t drive for so long. I didn’t want to, I was terrified of it because of what happened to my mother, but someone needed to be able to take Sokka and Katara around. And- and as I got older, and I started going to parties and people started drinking, I never did. I couldn’t, I was always the designated driver, because I couldn’t leave that in someone else’s hands. I had to be in control, because if I let someone go, then it was like I was killing my mother all over again, and it’s the reason why I always have to be the one driving—” 

You paused to take a deep breath, and as you looked down at your hands, you realized they were shaking. Not just your hands, but your entire body. What the hell were you doing? You let out a tearful laugh, covering your mouth with one hand and shaking your head. “God, I am so sorry, I— I don’t know what got into me.”

Zuko’s eyes never left yours, his own glassy, and he shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize. Like you said, it helps to tell someone. A-and— I know how you feel, what it’s like feeling like you have to give up the world for your siblings. But you have to take care of yourself too. You’re not just what you can give to other people. You are your own person.”

He was thankful that you trusted him enough to tell you something like this about yourself, something that your own blood didn’t even know, but it also made him realize that you had always trusted him. 

Your point about driving. You liked to be in control so that if something did go wrong, there wouldn’t be any thoughts of what you could’ve done. If something happened, it was because of you and only you. And on your first day of classes, and many trips since, you had let him drive. It was something so small, so insignificant to anyone, but to you it was a sign of trust. 

You trusted him. 

“You’re shivering.” Your voice snapped Zuko back to reality and he shrugged, the smallest smile playing on his lips. 

“I wouldn’t be if someone had given me my jacket back,” he joked. You elbowed him in the chest and stood up, holding out your hand for him to take to help him up as well. Zuko took it and you ignored the butterflies that erupted, setting a steady pace as the two of you walked. 

“We should get back to the apartment. It’s late, and you need to sleep,” you chided. 

“You have bags the size of baseballs under your eyes. I think you need sleep just as much as I do.” 

“I’m special,” you shot back with a grin.

Yeah, you are, Zuko thought. 

The walk back to the apartment was shrouded in comfortable silence and intertwined hands, something that neither of you made any move to change.

~~~~~~~~

Soon enough you had gotten back to your rooms — such a small apartment meant that they were right next to each other — and as you turned on your heel to face him, a shy smile played on your lips. “Thank you. For, uh- coming after me. For listening to me.” 

“Of course,” he nodded. The two of you stood in silence for a while, and then Zuko reached out his hand. Your breath caught in your throat as he brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and the close proximity combined with the surprisingly intimate act caused your cheeks to heat up once more. It was like you were caught in a trance.

Your gaze flickered from his eyes to his lips for just a moment, and you could’ve sworn that he did the same. The air between the two of you was crackling with unseen electricity, and before you could question yourself you were leaning forward. 

You felt him lean in as well as your eyes fluttered shut, and his lips ghosted over yours. Your eyes snapped open and you stared at him, your lips slightly parted in disbelief — he just kissed you. Zuko just kissed you. It was like time had stopped — and then it all came crashing down. His lips came back to yours with an intense fervor, cupping your face in his hands to get as close to you as possible.

It was bliss in the purest sense. You reciprocated immediately, tangling a hand in his dark hair, letting out a soft gasp as your back hit the wall. Despite how many times you had imagined this moment, nothing could compare to the real thing. It was passionate but gentle all the same, and the warmth that spread through your whole body was familiar — it was Zuko. 

Your mind was a jumbled mess. It was split a million different ways; one part suddenly very worried about how your hair looked, one hoping that Sokka and Aang couldn’t hear you, another that didn’t care, but most of them were just screaming about how oh my god you were kissing Zuko.

You knew your whole face was flushed when you finally pulled away, and the warmth of his lips lingered as the two of you stared at each other, breathing slightly labored. You tentatively reached out your hand and softly, carefully traced your finger over a part of his scar. He flinched at the contact instinctively, but you felt him relax and even lean into your touch. It meant more than you could ever say, especially knowing what you knew now. 

“You’re so beautiful,” you murmured, your touch impossibly soft against the cracked skin of his scar. “And you’re stronger than anyone knows. Than you know.” 

You kissed him again, shorter and sweeter than the first but just as tender, trying to memorize the feeling of his lips against yours as he returned it. You smiled at him and pushed your door open behind you, equal parts nervous and exhilarated about what just happened. “Goodnight, Zuko,” you whispered, shining eyes never leaving his until you closed the door.  

As soon as you were in your room you turned around and leaned against the door, smiling to yourself like an idiot. Your hand ghosted over your cheek, the spot where his hands had been, and you sighed dreamily. You had no idea how you were going to be able to finish studying. 

This was definitely more than a small crush. 

~~~~~~~~~~

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also i am so sorry i suck at writing kiss scenes dont roast me please

[watchmakermori]

a list of dumb atla headcanons

the gaang have a lazy and silly game of pressing stuff against toph's feet and getting her to guess what it is. sokka started it, forgetting that toph can only 'see' earth, but the game stuck

suki swears a lot more than anyone expects her to. more than sokka does, because he's been brought up to believe that you shouldn't swear in front of women. he was also taught that women themselves don't swear, so she often plays it up just to make him squirm

while mai never has any desire to reconnect with azula, ty lee thinks about her a lot and sometimes visits her. azula wouldn't be pleased to see her at first, but ty lee has an unfailing niceness that means she weathers coldness well. over time, she'd be one of a few people who helped azula get to a better place

toph is the chief of getting stones out of people's shoes on long walks. she uses this as more evidence for why shoes suck

zuko is queer but doesn't realise it for quite a long time because it never even seemed like an option to him. aang probably mentions something completely offhand about a gay monk he knew way back when and zuko is like 'wait. that's a thing?', which sparks a long and weird process of him re-analysing his past relationships with dudes. jet comes up a lot.

aang mentions hei bai so often that the gaang has in-jokes about it. long into adulthood, they ask him to 'say hey to hei bai' whenever he has to voyage into the spirit world

once zuko's hair grows long enough, the gaang bullies him into letting katara braid it and give him 'hair loopies'. he yields to shut them up. sokka never laughs harder in his life

iroh teaches all of the kids pai sho on their many visits to his teashop. to have any chance of winning, they sometimes all team up to play against him. it still isn't a fair game, mostly because katara and zuko can't stop arguing over what the right move is

sokka occasionally just sits and watches the moon when he can't sleep. sometimes he gets the sense that yuey is watching back, especially on a full moon, but he always dismisses the thought

[indecisiveartform]

Zukka smoking neighbours AU-Befriending my smoker neighbour, so my apartment doesn’t smell like cigarettes anymore: 

 Sokka and Zuko live in apartments right next to each other.

 Zuko is a smoker, bad habit he picked up when he was younger and still does in stressful times.

The stressful times being moving to the city and being alone for the first time, on top of Zuko’s usual issues.

He used to live in a neighbouring city/the suburbs with Iroh while working at the jasmine dragon and studying

It takes like 1h to go back by car, and like 2h15 min by public transport, but Zuko doesn’t have a car or 4h30 to spare to spare to visit his uncle every week like he’d want.

Filled with the stress from a new job, the start of his master’s degree, as well as his newfound loneliness, his smoking habits come back full force.

 Sokka suddenly has to deal with his apartment smelling like cigarette smoke due to his new neighbour, that he has no idea what he looks like.

After a couple week of this, Sokka decides to leave a note at his new neighbours door where he wrote: “ Hi, welcome to the building, I hope you are enjoying it this far. I know that the building allows smoking inside, but I was wondering if you could please try smoking on your balcony instead. The cigarette smell passes through to my apartment and isn’t very enjoyable. Thank you, it would really mean a lot to me.”

Zuko receives the unsigned note and not wanting to bother anyone, starts smoking on his balcony.

Sokka sees that his neighbour appeased his request when he notices a new ashtray  filled with cigarettes buds on the next door balcony. 

Sokka is glad his neighbour isn’t an asshole and started smoking outside but unfortunately the smells still gets into his apartment. 

Sokka decides that there isn’t much more that he can do and accepts the fact that from now on he’ll just always have scented candles burning in his apartment while at home.

That is until he’s on a date and he realizes that his nice shirt took to the scent, making him reek of cigarette smoke.

After driving home from his unsuccessful date, their profile specifically asked for non-smokers, he checks the rest of his clothes finding that they all smell like smoke and decides that he’s going to go downstairs to the laundry room to wash his clothes at 11:30 on a Saturday night and try to think of a solution to his problem.

Zuko was feeling particularly lonely tonight, his uncle was hosting a little get together at the jasmine dragon for Azula, celebrating her new job, all  his friends and family (the ones that mattered) were there. He couldn’t make it because he had an assignment deadline to meet and when he was done the celebration would be over in the 2h15 that it would take for him to get there. So he was stuck alone at home.

In an attempt to relax he took a bath resisting the urge to smoke, out of respect for his neighbours, instead settling for a glass of red wine. He got out and went to get ready to watch a movie in bed. In the process of doing so he spills wine all over his only sheets. 

Zuko, not expecting anyone else in the laundry room at 11:40, stays in his pyjamas, only to find a very attractive guy wearing a dress shirt and slacks, doing his laundry.

Zuko just stand there holding up his wine stained sheets staring at the man. Only when the man looks up, makes eye contact, smiles and starts talking is he snapped out of his trance.

Sokka smiles at the man in pyjamas, see the stained sheets and comments

“ Fun night? ” 

“ What? Oh ! Um... not really”

...

“ I wasn’t really expecting anyone else doing laundry at this hour. ”

“ Me neither ”

“ Hence the pyjamas ”

“ Hence the pyjamas... I was right about to go to bed and spilled wine on my only sheets”

“ That’s rough buddy. No backup sheets ?” he says in a playful manner

“ Hey, I’ve only been here like a month.”

“ Okay, okay. What floor are you on ?”

“ Um... I live in 19D”

Sokka realizes that the man washing his sheets is his smoking neighbour, neighbour that smokes. Suddenly the obviously clear solution to his problems, that any normal person would think of,  become evident.

He needs to befriend his neighbour and help/get him to stop smoking completely. 

“ Bro, we’re neighbours ! I live in 20D. I’m Sokka by the way.”

“Oh, um, I’m Zuko”   

After around 2h of talking in the laundry room, They both head back to their own apartment.

Zuko sits in bed and think that today wasn’t so bad.

This AU just randomly came in my head for no reason at all, especially not because my room reeked of smoke because of my neighbours. Except my neighbours is an old lady. Anyways this is my first time writting/posting something like this and I don’t know If anyone is interested in this AU but,

I hope you enjoy !  

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Skin & Scale (Part 28)

Lead number one takes them into the heart of the city where the upper class watch their theatrical performances.

Azula can't say that she hates it, she rather enjoys having an excuse to do her hair and makeup up nice and pretty. Mai helps her fashion her hair up into two twin buns with golden combs and jeweled hair sticks that boast floral cascades.

Earth Kingdom formal robes are quite comfy as well, she rather missed wearing silk instead of wool and whatever materials the Sun Warriors cut their attire from. Greens and creamy yellows aren't her best colors but TyLee says that she looks nice. Soft and cute to be exact, but nice all the same.

She always had thought that Earth Kingdom attire made her look more childlike and it isn't something that particularly pleases her. She thinks that it might be the style of headdress, or the way that the robes sit on her frame. The sleeves are so long, it makes her look smaller than she already is.

She dabs on a few more spots of blush. Decidedly, this only accentuates the innocent look. She lifts a rag to rub it away and start over…

"We should get going, the show will be starting soon and we'll need good spots if we're going to try to pick mother out." Zuko says. 

Azuka quirks a brow. "Since when are you on time to events?"

"Maybe I found your lecture about council meeting attendance to be inspiring and life changing."

"Well of course." She holds her chin up. "I am a very inspiring…"

"And terrifying…"

She elects to ignore Sokka’s addition, "person."

"Inspiring and terrifying just about sums it up." Zuko agrees.

"What do you think!?" Iroh emerges from the adjoining room wearing a large grin and a ridiculous lion-turtle mask, fixed askew on his head.

She thinks that it is over the top and unnecessary, secondhand embarrassment inducing. But at the smiles and chuckles sounding around the room, she opts to keep this to herself. Perhaps if uncle knew just how much restraint she has, all of the comments she elects not to make, he would see her as such an unkind person.

"I should get a mask." Toph mumbles. "I could sneak on stage and mess with the script. It would be an unforgettable show."

“Don’t do that.” Katara grumbles. 

“Oh come on, lighten up! We can become the Earth Kingdom’s best actresses!”

“I think that, that is a wonderful idea.” Iroh beams. He pulls the mask over his face.

“See, he gets it!” Toph spins around and snatches herself a cape. “If you don’t want to join me then Iroh can and you’ll regret it when he’s the second best actress in the Earth Kingdom and you aren’t.” 

Azula folds her arms across her chest. “I thought that Zuko said that we were in a hurry. So why are we messing around with silly costumes?”

Iroh’s goofy grin droops into that familiar half frown that she is used to him fixing her with. It is as though she had called Zuzu an embarrassing failure rather than simply making a call–albeit an agitated one–to keep them all on task. Someone has to afterall. Agni forbid Iroh act like a grown man. Evidently she is tired of his silly antics, that false sense of gentleness. Or, rather, the gentleness he can spare everyone but her. 

And then he has the audacity to pretend like he is trying to help. At least she herself and Ozai are honest and upfront about their resentments. 

“Yes, I would rather like to get on with this.” Shaw says with a yawn. The woman is dressed quite prettily herself. She has chosen a dark green gown with little dragonflies dancing up on the fabric. While father stands at her side with his hand on her shoulder. 

This also takes some getting used to–a mother and father who are actually affectionate with each other. A mother and father who stand in agreement instead of a shouting match. 

“I did say that.” Zuko speaks up, if only to keep the relative peace. 

Mother and father sense her distaste and by extension she can feel their respect for Iroh waning. They bite their tongues if only because of a kinder past. It is hard to imagine that they had taught him what he knows and she doesn’t doubt that it leaves him discontent to have friends turn on him so readily. 

She supposes that she can offer him a little shred of sympathy there. 

Katara also nods in agreement. “I think that we’re all set.” 

.oOo.

 Azula finds herself a seat. At first she can't place the source of the flutters blossoming in her tummy. Why her throat is tightening. 

She fixes her eyes  upon the show pamphlet. 'Underground: Life of a Badgermole.'  She can't tell if she is attending a children's show or a show with pooer writing and forced metaphors. Either which way she can't imagine that it will hold a candle to Fire Nation theater. 

But, regardless, it certainly reminds her of trips to Ember Island. Shimmering, golden days when it had seemed like their family could be a functional one. Or, at the very least, a distant but tolerable one.

The seat next to her dips but where she expects to see either mother or father she sees Sokka instead. “You look like you’re thinking too hard about something.” He observes. 

“I’m thinking about how mother or father should be sitting here.” 

Father promptly lifts Sokka from the chair and sits him in the next one over.

“Oh come on! That’s not fair!” He protests loudly enough to draw looks from the more uppity, pretentious theater attendees. She can’t tell if his wince is from the shame of having been handed several harsh ‘sshhh’s’ or from having been so easily ejected by father.

She is inclined to say that it is the latter. “Hey!” He declares just as loudly and the glowers intensify. “I was sitting there first.” 

Mother slips into the other empty seat to the left of her. “He is making quite a scene.” She mutters. 

“Indeed.” Azula agrees. “He’s got such a talent with that, that it’s almost admirable. Although he hasn’t topped Zuzu yet.”

He is practically bouncing up and down from one foot through the other. “You can’t just steal a man’s chair! Don’t dragons have an honor code.”

Ran cracks a smile. “We have a duty to our family. Do not impede. Your kind have already done that enough.”

“Why do you want to sit by me so badly anyhow?” Azula shrugs. 

“Because Toph talks through the whole play, Katara and Zuko always complain about the acting, and Aang always accidentally nudges my seat. I can’t say for sure, but I feel like TyLee would talk even more than Toph!”

“She does yap through the whole show, yes.” Azula confirms. “What about Mai?”

“She’s too unenthusiastic. I want to be able to have an intellectual discussion about art and I think that I’ll find it here…” he points to father. “In this spot.” 

“I am a dragon of culture.” Ran nods. 

“I’m talking about Azula!” He pauses and sputters a quick, “although you’re also probably a great guy to have in depth discussions with, because she probably gets her…her…” he trails off and points to his own head. “Thinking brain stuff from you.”

“Thinking brain stuff?” Azula quirks a brow. “Are yous sure that you can handle a classy, sophisticated discussion?”

“Yes!” He insists. “And we could have a great one if I could sit in the spot that my butt touched first.” 

Azula looks back at the pamphlet. “I’m not sure how intellectual we can get with a play about burrowing badgermoles.” 

“We can find out.” He gives her a lopsided smile. “If I could have my seat back.” He locks eyes with father. Azula has to admit that she is rather impressed; father’s glare is scathing and unwavering. Although Sokka’s is awkward and tense, he holds it.

“Do you want to sit with the loud human?”

Azula hums, “I suppose that I can.” 

Ran gives Sokka a pat on the shoulder and gestures to the now vacant spot.

“Where are you going to sit, father?”

Shaw stands, lets Ran take his new seat, and makes herself comfortable in his lap. “Right here.” He replies. 

She finds herself swallowing another lump in her throat. So long ago, she remembers falling asleep, leaning against Ozai during act four or five of Love Amongst The Dragons. Zuko had dozed off during act three and was well into a fit of snores that truly only Ursa could love. She might have given him a good kick had she not been in Ozai’s lap by that point. 

She had really felt like he truly loved her. 

And maybe he had at once point. Maybe he had cherished her truly when her cheeks were still puffy and round and her hands were still tiny and easy to hold, when her mouth was missing a few teeth. And maybe for a moment, Ursa saw her as a child, a born human child just like Zuko. Because she remembers feeling Ursa’s hand on her back, rubbing in small circles. She remembers the tickle of Ozai’s beard on he forehead and the smell of his robes–ceder incense and ash–as she nuzzled into him. 

She remembers waking up in her room the next day asking when they’d get to see another play. 

“You didn’t even like the one we just went to.” Ozai had laughed. She remembers that laugh. And Ursa had too. They used to laugh a lot together. 

And he had been right, she hated the play. But she loved the atmosphere. How, for just a moment, she was Ursa’s precious baby and Zuko was Ozai’s favorable son.

That was the real act, there in the crowd and not on the stage.

“Are you alright?” Sokka asks. 

“I’m fine.” Azula mumbles. “Why do you ask?” She realizes that she had been gritting her teeth, bunching the fabric of her robes in her fists.

“You’re crying.” 

“I am not.” 

But mother wipes a single tear from her cheek. 

“I’m fine.” Sometimes it just hits hard, the life that she could have had. The comforts and joys. The warmth and the love. All of that cast away for something cold and cruel. Mother and father know that she isn’t alright, it still bleeds through their bond. 

It is both comforting and mortifying all at once. She can’t hide anything from them yet. She hasn’t mastered the ability. But father retracts himself from her mind and mother follows. They usually do when they start to detect her discomfort. 

Though while they retreat mentally, mother cups her hand over Azula’s.

“Your family used to see plays together.” Sokka comments. “Zuko mentioned that on Ember Island. He was pretty somber about it too, especially when Katara found that baby picture of Ozai…”

Azula cracks a smile. “He always hated when Ursa pulled that out.”

“It brings everyone else joy.” Sokka chuckles. His sheepish grin fades with her own. “It’s bittersweet isn’t it?”

Azula nods. “I’ll be fine.” She insists again. 

And she will be, because this time when the curtains close the acting will be done. The loving family that she had in the theater seat will be there when they get back to the Jasmine Dragon and remain endlessly after. 

“It has just been a while since I’ve seen a play with family.”

Sokka nods, “well I’ll keep my mouth shut then and let you enjoy family time.” 

Azula rolls her eyes. “You can talk, Sokka. Just don’t say dumb things.” 

The curtains open and, at least for a time, she can forget about the things that trouble her. She thinks that it would do her well to actually turn her mind off for a change and decompress. Evidently she finds that Earth Kingdom theater is just as dull as what the Ember Island Players offer. 

Sokka is shaking her awake and the curtains have closed.

[hyperfixationisamust]

The ATLA kids sitting. but Gay.

I don't know what I wrote but I love it enjoy :)

Aang

crossed legs, hands in lap

definitely a balance ball chair lover

spinny chairs too

rocks from side to side for no apparent reason

raced Sokka and Toph to see who could reach the door in chairs that didn't have wheels on them

everyone's ears were still ringing an hour later

has leapt onto everyone sitting down and no one has pushed him out of their lap (yet)

Katara

can sit nicely when needed

but she probably has the worst posture in private

like, she's just hunched over whatever she's working on with her back arched into a C

it's a little worrying to be honest

her legs are probably sprawled in front of her or beneath her

Sokka

goes through several sitting positions in one sitting

sometimes will fall out of his seat

if a chair doesn't lean back, he will complain

will also complain if it doesn't have enough cushion

built his own chair based on what he likes; it was destroyed not because it was poorly built, but because he would never get out of it and Katara got tired of having to push him around

Toph

feet up, hands behind her head. she's just chillin

or just ignores chairs completely and lays on the floor

"friendship ended with chair, now floor is my new best friend" -Toph at some point, probably

throws chairs when she doesn't like the fabric

it makes shopping for furniture very hard. they've been banned from several stores.

Suki

also can sit nicely when needed

her feet are normally not on the floor though

they're either on the chair, dangling off the armrest, on a desk, or in someone's lap

if her feet are on the floor, it means that someone's on her

they've fought over who gets to sit in her lap, so Suki came up with a schedule (yes, sometimes people "forget" when their time starts/ends)

Zuko

probably has one leg up and the other dangling

yes, it does go numb

no, he will not move

sat with his legs numb for half an hour and when he got up, he immediately fell to the floor like a baby foal taking its first steps

sometimes just leans back and stares at the ceiling. thinking.

when Sokka's near he tends to curl up and rest his arms on his knees to hids his face, you know

Azula

one leg over the other like the girlboss she is

even if her feet aren't on the floor, they're still crossed

forearms on the armrests, chin up, eyebrow arched

queen shit. i love her.

does not matter where she is, she will sit like she's on a throne

Mai

slouches like she might melt into the chair

her arms are most likely crossed or she's playing with a knife

will not get up except for very few reasons

some reasons include: the world is ending, aliens are attacking, Ty Lee is in trouble, her knife sense is tingling, Azula demands it

Ty Lee

sits on the armrest, on the backrest, upside down

like Sokka but more flexible

one day Zuko finds her twisted like a pretzel just vibing

he almost passes out when she waves her foot at him

definitely has tried stacking chairs and then standing on said stack of chairs

on a totally unrelated note, she has broken a couple bones before

Yue

legs are curled up beside her

always posture checks everyone

when she's feeling adventurous, she'll maybe let a leg dangle

doesn't move around a lot, but if she's in a spinny chair, you will not see her still while she's sitting in it