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imagines--galore · 8 months ago

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||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-Four

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: We are so close to the Ember Islands and I am SO EXCITED!!!! Cuz that means a lot of downtime for the Gaang and I cannot wait for all of them to just be teenagers and not be at odds with each other and just pure Gaang fun. With of course lots of romance. :3

"Where's Suki?"

The question, or rather judging by the tone of voice, the demand, was followed by a disgruntled sound as the owner of the voice, Sokka, nearly tripped over the still sleeping Chit Sang. Grumbling under his breath, the Water Tribe boy righted himself before approaching his sister and Toph who were getting breakfast ready for the day.

Or rather Katara was getting breakfast ready while Toph lounged about.

"Relax Sokka." She called out, playing with a couple of rocks by throwing them in the air before catching them. "Your girlfriend woke up early and wanted to go explore, so Orora volunteered to show her around."

The boy frowned, though the effect of it was ruined by the pout that accompanied said frown. "But I was supposed to take her for a tour." He moaned, dropping onto the floor next to Toph with his arms crossed over his chest, pout still present.

"Now don't go hogging your girlfriend Sokka. She has to have her own friends." Hakoda called from where he was just returning after a brief walk. He too had wanted to go explore, but ever since he hurt his leg during the Invasion, and the lack of medical attention he had received afterwards, he didn't trust himself to walk around too much. Plus their escape yesterday and all the running around they'd done had really taken it out of him.

Katara smiled at the sight of her Father. "Morning Dad!" She said as the man hugged her tightly. Sniffing the air, he grinned. "Smells good Katara. Hopefully some breakfast will help improve your brother's mood." He joked, playfully nudging his daughter who giggled. She couldn't help it. Truthfully, her heart was bursting with joy at having her father around once more.

Toph, sensing Sokka's still less then happy mood, decided to play with him a little. "You know Suki sure is lucky. I mean she had her best friend bust her out of jail." Sokka's frowned deepened, if that was even possible. "I busted her out!" He yelled, causing Chit Sang to let out a sleepy sound of annoyance.

"I'm talking about Orora, Feathers for Brains." The Earthbender clarified. "Geez, its like you're annoyed at the both of them reuniting."

Silence followed the blind girl's words. And though she couldn't see the expressions Sokka and Katara shared, Toph did sense something was up.

"What?" She asked, her head swiveling from one heartbeat to the next. Katara frowned. "Toph, Suki and Orora have never met before."

The news rendered the younger girl speechless for a few seconds. "What?" She repeated, though this time word was laced with disbelief as Sokka nodded. "Yeah. We've all met Suki before, but Orora only met her at the Boiling Rock." He added, a little confused as to why Toph would think they'd met before.

"So you're telling me, those two." She pointed in the general direction of a hallway. "Have never met before!" As she spoke, voices began to echo down the corridor. Obviously it was Suki and Orora.

Every seeing eyes turned in the direction of the two approaching girls, who were chatting and laughing as if they had known one another for ages.

"And that concludes our tour for the day." Orora was saying, as she walked beside the Kiyoshi Warrior. "Hope it was enlightening." She added with a flourish, that had Suki laughing to herself

"For sure. I never realized Air Nomads lived in such amazing places. I mean I just thought they traveled around cuz, well, they're Nomads." Anyone could see that freedom agreed with Suki. It hadn't even been a day and already the girl looked happier and more vibrant then she had been in the Prison.

Orora winced, though the playful smile was still on her face. "I know what you mean. I mentioned it to Aang and he kind of sat me down and chewed me out on that." She confessed, prompting the other girl to grin. "Really? Aang? He doesn't seem like the kid to lecture." The Waterbender rolled her eyes.

"Oh trust me. Its a hidden talent of his."

Their chatter continued, both of them completely oblivious to the stares they were getting. Though as they neared the rest of the group, Suki broke the conversation. "Breakfast! About time! I'm starved!" She exclaimed, quickly walking over to where Katara was holding a bowl, ready to pour in the stew she had made. As she passed Sokka, the girl dropped a quick kiss to his cheek along with a greeting.

Though Sokka was a little too stunned to respond.

As Suki chattered with Katara, and Hakoda moved to ask Orora about her arm, which was still in a sling as a precaution, Toph turned to Sokka with a grin.

"It doesn't matter if they've met before or not, cuz Sokka? You've got competition." She cackled, delighted at the turn of events, and the obvious disgruntled expression the boy was sure to be wearing.

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Breakfast that morning was a lively affair.

With so many of them, everyone was chatting and catching up with what had happened since the Invasion. Chit Sang, still a little awkward about his place in the group, would comment every now and then, but he was mostly sitting silently and enjoying his food, which was far better then the slop they served at Prison. Katara had smiled proudly at that.

Until Toph pointed out that she doubted there was any competition since......well.....Chit Sang was comparing the stew to prison food.

The entire circle of twelve, minus Katara, had a good laugh out of it.

However, even Katara couldn't stay mad for long. Not when her Father was back and everyone was safe.

For the time being.

Aang, who had been up early training with Zuko, and getting chewed out for not practicing his forms more diligently by the irritated Firebender, was gobbling down his stew like a man starved. And truthfully, he was. Zuko was a much stricter teacher then he would've thought. Which is why he was sitting next to Orora, hoping to talk to her into getting Zuko to lay off him a little bit.

Not because he couldn't raise the point himself. He could. It was just Orora was better at making Zuko see reason behind stuff he would deem unreasonable.

Not much of an explanation, but Aang was just too tired to think more on it.

"Hey Orora?" He asked, his voice low amidst the chatter from the rest of the group. The girl in question paused from where she had been smiling at Toph and The Duke being awkwardly adorable around one another. The Duke was trying to convince Toph to go for a walk with him, but so far could only mumble out what he wanted to say. It didn't help that Toph was focusing on the boy's heartbeat and thinking there was danger around.

I mean what else could cause someone's heart to go so fast, she reasoned.

"Whats up Aang?" She asked, turning slightly so she could give the younger boy her undivided attention. It took only a moment before Aang burst with what he had wanted to say. Out of all the people, other then Katara, he always found it easy to speak to Orora about, well, anything. She was always there to lend an ear or a shoulder if anyone needed it.

And honestly, with so much weighing down on him at times, and his nature to not burden others with his problems, it was nice to have someone he could trust and who wouldn't think of his worries as a burden.

"So, you think you can ask Zuko to just go a little easy on me? I mean, I know I have a lot of things to learn, but I'm sure I have plenty of time." He added. "Plus with Toph battering me with Earthbending practice almost everyday, I'm starting to get a little sloppy." A look of guilt flashed across his face, which had Orora nodding.

"I'll talk to him." She said, watching how the younger boy brightened instantly, though her next words had him wincing. "But why can't you talk to Zuko about it yourself? I mean you've always been able to address your problems on your own before."

Letting out a nervous laugh, a hand rising to rub the back of his head, Aang glanced in Zuko's direction, who was sitting just across from them, parallel to Orora and speaking to Chit Sang about the living conditions inside the Boiling Rock.

"Well........" He trailed off, a pitiful expression on his face as Orora frowned at him. Suddenly, something clicked. Her eyes widened. "Wait! Does he scare you? As a teacher?"

The boy reached out, clamping a hand over Orora's mouth, muffling whatever words she was about to say. "Not so loud." He hissed, his grey eyes darting about nervously before he slowly removed his hands from her mouth. "And I wouldn't say he scares me." The Airbender admitted, looking a little annoyed. The boy's next words had the older girl suppressing a smile. "He just makes me nervous. Besides if I say something like that to him, he'll just work me even harder, I know it."

Alright, she could agree with him on that front.

Though her insides were bursting with laughter, Orora reached out to pat the boy on the shoulder. "Its alright Aang. I get it! I used to have a teacher who terrified me too." She reassured him. "Then again, I was only six at the time and she was the stuff of nightmares." She continued, a smile pulling at her lips. "You have to admit, its funny how when you were enemies you weren't scared of him, but now that he's your teacher you are." She couldn't help the giggle that burst out of her, prompting Aang to scowl at her.

"So will you talk to him or not?" He asked, his voice sounding every bit annoyed and irritated as he looked.

Pursing her lips, Orora nodded. "I promise." She squeaked out. For her response, the girl received a gust of wind to the face from a slightly embarrassed, yet relieved Airbender.

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"How's your arm?"

The question had Orora glancing up from where she'd been carefully bending the water along the surface of the bowl to clean it. Bending one handed did have it's limitation, but it was just another learning opportunity.

Besides, she could see how Sokka, who had been on wash up duty that night, was eager to hang out with his Dad. So, she'd pushed him away, telling him to go before she changed her mind. The girl was surprised by the quick hug Sokka had given her, before running off.

Zuko stood beside her, holding the pot that the food had been cooked in. Smiling, Orora paused in her bending and used her uninjured hand to push away a few flyaway hairs from her face. "Its alright. It'll take a couple more Healing Sessions before its completely healed." She raised her arm away from where it was resting just against her abdomen. "Katara already gave me a little Healing Session this morning before I went off with Suki, so that helped."

Raising an eyebrow as he set the pot down, Zuko gave her a slightly nervous look. "And how did that go?" He asked, knowing he was the reason for the discord between the two sisters. He didn't like how Katara still didn't trust him, despite playing a big part in getting her father back with Sokka.

What more could he do to prove to her that he had changed?

Orora pursed her lips, before lifting one shoulder in a delicate shrug. "It was alright." She said softly, her mind drifting to the conversation the older girl had shared with the younger waterbender.

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Removing the bandage from around her shoulder, Orora frowned. The bruising was obvious, she just hadn't expected it to be this bad. Poking at the skin, and wincing at the thrall of pain that originated from there, she moved to bend water from the pot in front of her. Holding her arm at a rather awkward angle, she turned her head, trying to see what area was more bruised.

Of course she wouldn't be able to do that without twisting her neck in a more awkward angle then it already was.

"Need some help with that?" Katara's voice cut through her concentration. The other girl stood not a few paces away from her. Pursing her lips, Orora nodded, holding the water out that she was about to use. Katara bended the water from Orora's hands, and almost immediately the water began to glow. Her touch was gentle as she laid her palm against Orora's injured shoulder. The older girl winced slightly before relaxing as the soothing sensation of water enveloped her.

"Thanks, I never would've healed it properly myself." She admitted, dropping her head to once side so that her shoulder was fully exposed to Katara's healing. No sooner had she finished speaking when Katara burst out with the two words Orora didn't even think she would say to her.

"Thank you."

Ice blue eyes blinked in surprise. And though she wanted to do nothing more then to glance back and question Katara face to face, she simply settled with a quite. "What for?"

Behind her, she heard Katara exhale, her hand still moving as she worked on her shoulder. "For helping Sokka get our Dad out. I know you helped a lot." It was strange just how difficult it was to get just these few words out. There was a time when the both of them would talk and chatter non-stop.

Now though?

Since Orora had decided to accept Zuko, a former enemy, as her Soulmate, a fact Katara still couldn't seem to wrap her head around, they'd barely spoke to one another.

This would be the first proper conversation they'd had since their fight.

Or rather this was the first time they were saying more then a few words to one another.

"It was a team effort Katara." Orora said, hoping to get Zuko in her good graces. "Everyone helped out to the best of their abilities." She wasn't about to say anyone's name. Mostly because she didn't want to be too direct.

But also because, she knew Katara was smart enough to pick up on who she was trying to refer to.

And Katara did.

Though her only response was to give a small hum of agreement.

And that was the end of that conversation.

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Zuko waited for her to continue, but Orora returned her attention to the dirty dishes once more. He scowled. "That's it? That's all she said?" He asked, the disbelief in his tone obvious as he stared at Orora. The girl sighed before nodding, setting aside the new clean bowl and picking up the next one.

"More like what she didn't say." Another sigh, followed by the splashing of water as her fingers guided the small stream to wipe away the residue stew. "I'm so tired of her treating me like I did something wrong when I didn't." She declared, a scowl creasing her forehead as she did. The water responded to her bending by splashing out a little. "I mean, after everything that happened, don't I deserve to be happy?" She continued, though she was staring straight ahead, her blue eyes unseeing as she vented.

"And you?" Zuko started in surprise, since he hadn't been expecting to be included in.......whatever tirade Orora was so deep in that she barely noticed when he wrapped an around around her shoulders and pulled her to his side.

"You are just as much a victim in this war as anyone else, and yet Katara treats you like you are the root of it all. I mean sure you did some bad things, but who hasn't?! You've more then made up for it! But does she see it that way? No! Of course not! And now! Just because both of us want to try and repair our bond, she has to go and be angry about it because..........because she doesn't like you!"

"Not liking is pretty tame." Zuko added his piece when Orora paused for breath. "I would say she hates me."

Orora pursed her lip in a thin angry line. "Maybe I should talk to Aang about this? Or even Hakoda? Between the two of them she might see that you have changed." She suggested, turning her head slightly to look up at him. Zuko shook his head. "No. I want Katara to forgive me and let go of her anger in my own way." He said.

"I think if someone else speaks on my behalf it won't end well, and there will always be this mistrust between me and her, and I don't want that." Orora blinked, looking up at her Soulmate with a slightly bewildered expression on her face.

Sensing her stare, and noting her silence, he turned his head in her direction. "What?" He voiced, trying not to notice just how pretty her lips looked as they curved up into a smile.

Though seeing her face light up as it did just then did have his heart doing strange flips inside his chest.

"Nothing." She said. "Its just still a little strange for me seeing your more level-headed side rather then your hot-tempered-quick-to-anger-and-make-rash-decisions side." A teasing glint in her eyes, Orora shrugged.

"I kinda miss it." She admitted, stepping out of his embrace, if only to annoy him on purpose, and turning her attention back to the dirty dishes. Zuko crossed his arms over his chest. "So, you would rather me make stupid decisions based on my anger." As he spoke, he moved to stand in front of her, the only thing separating them the big pot of water from which Orora was using the water to clean. "Rather then make decisions with a clear head."

Standing straight, Orora nodded. "Yeah! Cuz now I don't get to tell you off and make fun of you when your plans explode in your face." She sighed in a mournful way. "I miss gloating."

No sooner had she finished saying that when she found her face being splashed by the soapy water. Laughing, the girl held up her uninjured hand to try and shield herself from Zuko's watery attack.

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Hakoda looked away from where he had been listening to Sokka explain some engineering marvel the Air Nomads had created long ago. His eyes found the source of the laughter and he couldn't help but observe the sight.

A Water Tribe girl and a Fire Nation boy, laughing and smiling together.

It was strange, to say the least.

And yet he couldn't help but feel his heart soften at the innocent game they were playing. It always hurt him to see, how much the war had effected the children and stripped them of their childhoods. Sokka and Katara had experience it first hand. As had Aang. And Toph as well.

And whenever he would catch a glimpse of children just being children, he couldn't help but bask in the innocence of it.

Hakoda smiled, watching the girl his two children had adopted as a sister, empty the entire water pot on the head of the Prince of the Fire Nation. He watched as the water began to steam on the boy's shoulders.

"You needed to cool off!" Orora reasoned, already backing away.

Shaking some of the water from his hair, Zuko leaped over the pot just as the girl took off running.

"You're dead Orora!"

The Water Tribe Chief continued to watch as the two of them raced away, the sounds of Orora's laughter, and Zuko's threats echoing against the bare walls of the Temple.

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He chased her halfway through the Temple until he finally caught her.

She was fast, he had to give her that. But he was faster. And more agile, if he were to admit. Probably because Firebending required a lot of footwork and movement, while Waterbending was focused on the movement of the arms.

Though, Zuko had to admit, Orora was working hard on using her legs and feet to bend as well, which was only one of the many things he admired about her.

He leaped over a fallen pillar, using the momentum to propel himself forward and wrapping his arms around the girl's waist. She struggled, laughing as she tried to get away from him.

"Zuko! Let go!" She cried, hardly able to speak the words with how hard she was laughing. Twisting her body, Orora tried to wrench herself from his hold, but Zuko held on fast. "No chance." He said. "I'm getting my revenge for that."

Before she could even think of what he could possibly mean by that, Orora felt his fingers dig into the side of her stomach. The shriek of laughter she let out was a sound Zuko had never heard her make.

And yet, he found himself wanting to hear that sound again.

"Did you really think you could outrun me?" He spoke loudly over her laughter, grinning as he felt her try to squirm away from him. But he only held her fast.

"Ha...Zu-hehe-Zuko! Haha.....S-hahaha-top!" Finally wrestling her good arm out of his hold, Orora pushed his hands away. Panting, the girl distanced herself from her Soulmate. Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes were rumpled. She was still smiling though, and her eyes were laughing as she took in his still slightly dripping appearance.

"Well I tried didn't I?" The Waterbender responded. "That should count for something?" An elegant motion of her arm, and she had bended the water off him and flicked it away. He shook his head, running a hand through his now dry hair. "It doesn't really." The tone of voice he used had Orora rolling her eyes at him.

She straightened her collar and shirt. "Will you just let me have my moment?" The girl grumbled, though there was no annoyance behind her tone. Rather exasperation. Trust Zuko to want to take away her win. "What moment?" He grinned, knowing fully well that he was annoying her right then. "I caught you!"

The glare he received was enough to make him hold his hands up in a placating manner as he slowly approached her. "Alright fine. You win." He added, earning a smug grin from her before she reached out to ruffle his hair, making it messier then it already was. However the movement had her jostling her still injured arm, making her wince slightly. In an instant, Zuko's entire demeanor changed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked, reaching out to gently cradle the arm that was within it's sling. Orora smiled reassuringly and shook her head. "I'm alright. One more Session, and I'll be as good as new." Not liking the frown of concern on his forehead, the girl quickly leaned up to place a loving peck on his cheek. The frown disappeared, and instead a smile over took his features, prompting her to mirror the smile.

Leaning down, Zuko pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and breathed deeply, almost as if he were trying to memorize the scent of her. "You know, I don't think they'll miss us if we don't go back just yet." She spoke in a low voice, almost as if she were afraid of breaking the moment as she raised her eyes to look at the peaceful expression on his face.

A rare occurrence, one she only saw on his face either when he was asleep, or when he was with her. The last thought had a wave of happiness coursing through her body.

She was the reason that had him feeling so at peace and calm, just as he was her anchor for when things would begin to get turbulent.

Strange how not even two weeks ago she had made peace with the fact that they could never be together.

And now here they both were.

Simply standing there in the presence of the other, and drawing comfort from it. Glancing down, she intertwined their fingers in an embrace that was just as intimate as the look he gave her when he opened his eyes. Zuko didn't move away from where he was resting his forehead against her own.

Rather he began to follow her as she began to walk backwards, until the back of her thighs hit against the cool stone of one of the many benches that lined the walls of the temple, overlooking the yawning abyss beyond. Settling onto the flat surface with her back against the wall, Orora gestured for him to sit beside her. No sooner had he done so, when she leaned against him.

Her head came to rest on his shoulder, while he shifted to tuck her head under his chin. Her soft hair tickled against his skin as Orora took one of his arms and wound it around her waist, effectively trapping herself in his embrace. Zuko wrapped the other arm around her as well, pulling her against his chest, their legs tangled where they hung off the side of the bench.

"With so many people around, its hard to find a moment's peace." He spoke softly, shifting his head so his cheek would rest against the top of her hair. A hum vibrated against him as she nodded in agreement. "You'd think in such a big abandoned temple a person would be able to be alone by themselves, or with someone." She playfully nudged him with her injured arm, making him let out a small laugh.

Orora sighed. "You know, its still so strange hearing you laugh so openly." She confessed, prompting him to glance down at her in surprise. "You were so guarded with your emotions that, now, just to see you express them so freely is.............." She paused, looking for a word.

"An enigma?" Zuko offered with a teasing tone in his voice. One that had Orora rolling her eyes at him. The word came to her, and she smiled, tilting her head back so she could look at him when she said.

"Priceless."

She felt him stiffen against her, and for a moment she did believe that he had gone into shock. But then he shook his head, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips, despite the sadness in his amber gold eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, probably to tell her how wrong she was. So, Orora simply placed a finger over his lips, pushing herself up so that they were both face to face. "You say anything about me getting sentimental, and I'll give Toph ammunition to make your life unlivable."

A viable threat, since Orora had a lot of stories she could tell the Earthbender. Stories that were fodder for the younger girl since she loved nothing more then to come up with ways to tease other people.

Especially Sokka, Katara, and now, Zuko, as the blind girl had told Orora.

He rolled his eyes, though she felt him smile against her finger. Nodding in satisfaction, the girl resumed her previous position, settling against him with a sound of content. The both of them lapsed into silence, with Zuko dozing of slightly.

The sun had begun to set long ago, and was now well on its way to disappearing. Already the sky was beginning to loose the tinge of remaining yellow and turning darker and darker. He'd been up since dawn, making him tired for obvious reasons.

Thinking this was a good chance as any, Orora slowly sat up so she could turn and face him. "I need to talk to you about something." Her legs rested under her as she did, with Zuko looking at her in question. "Its about Aang." She said, earning herself a look of confusion. "I know I haven't seen any of the firebending you've been teaching him, but I know he's working hard. Maybe you're working him a little too hard."

Zuko pursed his lips. "Did he ask you to talk to me about this?" He asked, to which Orora nodded, feeling a little guilty going behind Zuko's back and ambushing him like she was. "Its just, he didn't say anything, but I think he finds you scary, as a teacher at least."

Raising an eyebrow, the boy couldn't help but speak in a slightly disbelieving tone. "This coming from a boy who faced down against an active volcano?" He muttered, recalling the stories he had heard from Sokka a few days ago. "How am I scary? I can't be anymore scarier then you when you're angry about something. Or Katara for that matter. Sokka's told me how scary she can be when she's mad too."

Was it strange that she found his words a little prideful? Having people be scared of her when she was angry. Now that was an accomplishment. "Well whatever the reason, he just asked me if you'd take it easy on him, so will you? I mean come on, he's just a kid. Besides he's learned waterbending and earthbending within a year. He's talented enough to pick up firebending quickly." She watched as he pursed his lips, before shaking his head. "Its different with firebending. He needs to learn the forms while also learning to control his flames, and that's difficult to learn."

Orora shrugged. "Whats the big deal if he goes a little slow?" A flicker of annoyance lit within him. "He can't afford to go slow. The Comet is only a couple months away. How's he gonna face my Father when he hasn't learned more then half of the firebending forms he's supposed to know?"

His reaction had Orora's inner apprehension raising it's head and sniffing the air. Something was wrong. There was something that was making him be this way. Rolling his eyes skywards, Zuko sighed. The fate of the world rested on said boy's shoulders, which was why Zuko was being so hard on him.

His mind flashed to that fateful War Meeting. One that had him changing his mind completely about the Fire Nation. The War Meeting he had told no one about. "Zuko?" Her voice came, soft and questioning. He looked at her, meeting her blue gaze. Exhaling deeply, the boy reached up, pushing away a few escaped strands of hair and cupping her face. "Orora." He paused, hesitating. "There's something I haven't told you."

He told her everything.

And he watched, as her eyes grew wider, and a look of absolute horror overcame her lovely features. She didn't pull away from him throughout the conversation. Instead she'd reached out and took his hand in her own, almost as if she knew he would need to draw on her strength to reveal what he had kept inside for so long. And he was all the more grateful for her caring nature.

"That's...that's horrible." She managed to choke out once she'd stopped staring at him in sheer trepidation. "Does he not see that all that will be left to rule is smoke and ash? Nothing more?" She retrieved her hand from his to make a fist, slamming it against the hard stone of the bench they were occupying. Her blue eyes gleamed with hatred. "How can anyone be so evil for no reason?" She growled, every fiber of her being exuding her disgust at the monster so intent on destroying the world.

Unable to meet her gaze, and ashamed that he came from such a family, Zuko turned away, drawing into himself. "I don't know why I kept quiet about it." He admitted, thinking that perhaps he should clarify his reason for not speaking lest he loose the trust and the place in the group he had acquired after he had worked so hard to gain both. "I guess I was so focused on getting all of you to trust me that telling you something so horrible about what my Father was planning would've set you against me."

His words acted as the trigger that drew Orora out of her ocean of negative feelings. A scowl marred her forehead. "You're not your Father Zuko." She stated, her tone holding a sense of finality as well as determination to it that had Zuko's heart fluttering in his chest. Did she really have that much faith in him? After all that he had done?

Still, he was skeptical by nature, so of course he wasn't about to let himself feel that way for long. "Would the others have believed that?" Orora opened her mouth to negate what he had said, but then stopped. A look of guilt flashed in her eyes and across her face. Which was enough to make Zuko nod. "Exactly." He gave her a sad smile, before slowly standing up. "It doesn't matter now." He said, though the words sounded unconvincing even to his ears. "Now that I've told you, maybe I should tell the others too."

The Prince made to walk away, probably to return to the camp, but then he felt Orora reach out and grasp his wrist. "No!" He glanced back at her, surprised to see her looking concerned. "No! No, Zuko don't." His Soulmate insisted, to which Zuko frowned in confusion.

"Why not? Maybe if I tell Aang he'll work twice as hard." He suggested, already liking his idea. However his suggestion was completely dismissed by Orora who stood up and shook her head. "No, we can't tell Aang. It'll make him even more paranoid then he already was."

He frowned. "Paranoid? What do you mean?" Pursing her lips for a moment, the girl gathered her thoughts before explaining what she meant. She told him how obsessive Aang's behavior had gotten just a few days before the Invasion. How he would train every waking hour, never stopping to rest and barely stopping to eat. Not to mention the nightmares had had, the hallucinations, the sleepless nights.

And just how scared he had been.

"If you tell him, he's going to revert back to that and trust me Zuko it isn't pretty. Not to mention extremely unhealthy." Her heart clenched in her chest for her little brother. "I don't want him to go through that again." She said, her voice breaking when she spoke the next four words. "He's just a kid." Zuko watched as she swallowed the lump in her throat, inhaling deeply to try and get a hold of her emotions. Wanting to lend her the same strength she did him, the boy reached out to take her hand in his and give it a squeeze.

But that wasn't enough.

A sound of surprise escaped Orora when she felt herself being yanked forward. Zuko wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Without even a moment of hesitation, Orora had brought up her own uninjured arm to wound around him as best as she could. Her head resting on his chest she let out a sigh. "We can't seem to catch a break." She said, the irony of it all obvious in her tone.

"I wish I could've stopped him." Zuko admitted, the shame he felt finally boiling over into words as he looked beyond Orora's head and into nothingness. "I wanted so much to say something against his plan. But I stayed silent."

Orora pulled back enough so she could raise her head and look at him. Though he refused to meet her eyes. "Its a good thing you stayed quiet." She said softly, her eyes dropping to his scar. Unwinding her arm from around him, she reached up to press her fingers against the marred skin, just under his eyes. The touch seemed to bring him back from wherever his tormented thoughts had led him. His body visibly relaxed and he finally met her gaze. "The last time you spoke against your Father, you still have the scars to show for it." And she didn't mean just the one that everyone could see.

He sighed. "I felt like such a coward just sitting there and doing nothing." The Prince admitted, looking just as bit as the sixteen year old he was. Orora shook her head at him.

"But you are doing something Zuko." She reminded him. "You left your entire Nation, your people, your home, to come and help us." His hand came up to cover her own as he smiled softly at her, glad that he had someone to pull him back from the dark thoughts that would forever plague him. "You're helping train Aang to defeat the Fire Lord. Those aren't exactly the acts of a coward." He sighed, leaning into her touch as she moved her hand to cup the side of his face.

"I suppose I was letting some of my own frustrations out on Aang by being too hard on him during training." He admitted, feeling a little guilty and deciding to cut the boy some slack during their future training sessions. Orora smiled in agreement. "Just lay off a little bit. Remember he's still a kid." She shrugged. "We all are really. Not our fault we don't have the luxury to act like kids and be selfish about things."

Zuko shrugged. "I don't know, I did have a selfish motive when I decided to leave the Fire Nation." He admitted, smiling at his Motive, who only blinked at him in surprise. "Oh? And what was that?" She asked.

"I mean sure I wanted to stop my Father from carrying out his plan and help Aang." He clarified. "But at the back of my mind, I couldn't help but be happy for what I was doing because....." He trailed off, unable to help the slight blush he felt coming on. Finding Orora's blue eyes a little too penetrating, he cleared his throat and dropped his gaze to the floor. "It meant I was coming back to you." He finally admitted.

A moment of silence.

And then a breathless laugh, followed by the words:

"You're making it really really hard for me to not want to kiss you."

Immediately his gaze snapped up to see her smiling at him. She was closer now, or rather her face was much closer to his then it had been before, their noses just barely brushing. She could feel the exhale of his warm breath, while he allowed the scent of her to take of his senses completely.

"Sorry." He whispered, his eyes never once wavering from her own. Bringing up the hand that wasn't holding hers, Zuko gently ran his fingers down the side of her face. She closed her eyes, savoring the contact as if she had been starved for it. Which, to be honest, she always was.

"But maybe," She spoke softly, her own fingers moving to trace his scar with delicate strokes. "I can do something about it."

Zuko frowned in a slightly dazed manner, unable to think properly with her touch to distract him, her presence to rob him of sense, and her scent clouding his mind.

In a practiced move, the girl had pulled off her sling and allowed her arm to hang at her side. It was a little stiff, but there was no pain. Smiling in satisfaction, she turned her attention back to her Soulmate, who was frowning in confusion.

"What're you-?" He was cut off by Orora placing the thin cloth she had been using as a sling against his mouth. It only came up to cover half his nose. Then again, breathing was the last thing on Zuko's mind.

Since Orora was now kissing him through the thin piece of cloth.

His eyes widened to a comical size, and while he tried to gather his senses about him, Orora enjoyed the strange embrace she had initiated.

She felt the warmth of his lips against her own through the cloth. She felt them move, as if he were attempting to say something. She felt his body against her own, and couldn't help but smile at his utterly unresponsiveness.

For once, Orora had been the one to take him by surprise, and she would enjoy every moment of it.

But then, he did begin to respond. She felt his lips slant, as if trying to get a better angle. Since her hands were aloft, holding up the cloth, his came up to grasp her shoulders, pulling her even closer. Chest to chest, no space between them. He could feel her smile against his lips, and couldn't help but bask in the feeling that came with the knowledge that he was the reason behind that smile.

But then the kiss was over just as suddenly as it had began. Reluctantly, Orora pulled back. She lowered the cloth, revealing his still parted lips as he stared at her in utter surprise. Her tongue ran along her lips, savoring the tingling warmth his lips had left behind. His eyes dropped to catch that little act. "That was..........innovative." He said, his voice low and a little hoarse, his dark gold gaze never once moving away from her mouth. Her heart was beating a mile a minute in her chest, despite the fact that their kiss had barely been a kiss. "We can share a real kiss once you take me out on a proper date." The girl promised, as he slowly took her hand.

He was still looking at her in that way, intense and heated. She could barely look him in the eye. Blushing, but smiling, Orora trained her gaze forward as she began to lead the way back to their campsite.

"Wonder when that will be."

"With our luck, it'll probably be months."

————————–

Whatever semblance of peace they had made during their stay at the Temple was broken the very next morning before they'd even had the chance to wake up.

A loud explosion was what roused Orora from where she had been sleeping next to Zuko. Beside her, Zuko shot up, ready to attack and defend if needed. Everyone was up and staring in horror as several Fire Nation airships filled the space just beyond the fountain. Aang already had his staff out, ready to go on the defensive. With a an air wave, he blocked out the bombs by closing the giant metal shutters that had been installed years before. The entire ground shook as another explosion wrecked the Temple. Followed by another.

Far above, the ceiling began to break away, large chunks of rocks dropping down towards the group. The sound was enough to grab everyone's attention before they ran for cover. "Watch out!" And for Zuko to leap into action and race towards Katara, pushing her out of the way of the falling debris.

They both rolled out of the way, the rocks falling to the ground in a cloud of dust. Orora coughed, her eyes watering as she tried to see where Zuko and Katara had landed.

"What are you doing?" She heard Katara's angry voice as she finally spotted their prone figures on the ground. "Keeping rocks from crushing you." Zuko responded, as calm as could be. "Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now!" With that Katara shoving him off and walked away, pushing past Orora as she approached the pair of them.

"I'll take that as a thank you." Zuko called after her, his hand already out for Orora to take so she could help him up. Haru and Toph quickly created a tunnel using their Earthbending, a safe route for them to escape from.

"Come on!" The girl called as more rocks fell from the ceiling and the metal doors Aang had closed for their protection began to crack. "We can get out through here!"

Even as everyone began to race towards the tunnel, Zuko stopped. Orora, who had been gripping his hand came to a halt as well. "What're you doing? Lets go!" She cried, trying to pull him to safety. Aang, who was struggling to get Appa into the tunnel paused as well. "What're you doing?" He repeated Orora's question, watching as Zuko stood facing the nearly decimated shutters.

The next few words had Orora's heart plummeting in her chest.

"Go ahead! I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit."

He glanced at Orora once, quickly mouthing the words he knew she would chew him out for later. If he came back.

"I'm sorry."

With that he was racing towards the slowly breaking shutters.

"Zuko! No!" Aang called out in alarm. But his shout of worry was nothing compared to Orora's scream of his name. She made as if to run after him, but strong arms held her back. The girl struggled trying her best to get away, still calling out for Zuko, begging him to come back.

"Zuko! Come back! No! Zuko! Please! Zuko we have to get out! Come back! Zuko!"

Vaguely she heard someone say they had to get out as well, but that only had her struggling harder. "No! Not without Zuko!" She screamed, finally wrenching herself away from Sokka, who had been the one holding her back from following after Zuko.

"Zuko!"

————————–

Debris continued to fall, but Zuko was sure-footed and nimble as he dodged each and every piece with a precision that would make his Uncle proud.

He could hear Orora call out for him. Screaming for him to come back. But he couldn't. Not yet. Not when he could do something stop who was attacking them.

And he knew exactly who it was.

He was done running away. He was done being unable to protect his Soulmate. And he was going to protect his new friends however he could.

Running towards the airships, he was barely able to dodge a bomb as it dropped several feet from him and detonated. Thick gray plumes of smoke rose to the skies, and after a brief pause, where he shook his head of the dust and small rocks that had landed on him, Zuko emerged from the smoke cover unharmed.

Firebending a large blast as he leapt in the air, he hit his mark as the airship he was aiming for took the hit. He stood at the edge of the temple, watching as another airship rose up.

Only to reveal Azula standing atop a podium life devise with a less then welcoming grin on her face.

"What're you doing here?" Zuko called, anger rising within him as he watched his sister smile almost maniacally.

"You mean it's not obvious yet?" She called, laughing as if she had said the funniest thing in the world. "I am about to celebrate becoming an only child!"

Without missing a beat, Azula kicked a large blast of blue flame at her brother. Zuko dodged the huge ammunition to the best of his abilities and tried to run back to the temple for some cover. He stumbled over a rock, rolling several feet before coming to a halt. The temple structure on which he was began to crumble under him.

Thinking quickly, the boy ran towards the airship, using the shifting and falling rocks as stepping stones. Concentrating with all his might, Zuko blasted several fireblasts at Azula as he jumped towards the airship atop which she was standing.

He slammed against the airship, but the smooth surface provided him with no footholds.

And he fell into the misty, yawning cavern below.

————————–

Toph, in an effort to keep the rocks from crushing them, and to prevent Orora from going after Zuko had created a cocoon of rocks around the group. Still, dust and smaller rocks rained down around them as Aang, Sokka and Katara struggled to get Appa into the tunnel. Orora was being held back by Suki, who was now holding her friend close, trying to reassure her to the best of her abilities.

"I can't get him to go in there!" Aang called. "Appa hates tunnels!" Shaking her head, Katara looked around at everyone waiting to make their escape. "Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here." She said, only for Aang to cut her off. "We'll have to find a way!" He said, the determination clear in his voice as he looked at Sokka for confirmation.

The boy nodded in agreement. "We need to split up." He announced, quickly running to where everyone was waiting. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." He said, looking at each person who was to take the tunnel.

And that included Chit Sang, Haru, Teo, The Duke, and his Father.

"No!" Katara suddenly shouted, anger burning in her blue eyes as she stepped towards her father. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!"

Hakoda rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. It's not forever." He told her, his voice soft. The young girl hesitated, before hugging the man and running back to Aang. Sokka hugged Hakoda as well, before grabbing Suki's hand as well as Orora's and leading them towards Appa. Toph hung back, turning to The Duke who smiled at her in a reassuring manner.

"I'll see you when I'll see you. Don't worry." He said, reaching out to quickly linking the fingers that had their string tied around. Unable to help herself, Toph pulled The Duke into a brief yet meaningful hug. "Take care out there." She said, before pulling back and stepping away. She stayed there until they ran deep into the tunnel, before quickly making her way towards the front of the rock formation she had created, and pressed a hand against it.

"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there!" She called out before quickly launching herself onto Appa's back.

Suki, who had been making sure Orora was settled in the saddle, gave a nervous look. "Um, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." She pointed out, though her observation had Orora breaking out of her sudden stupor and gripping the edge of the saddle. "But that's where Zuko is." She stated, her eyes glancing at her string which was glowing strongly and pulling her finger insistently, reassuring her that her Soulmate was close.

"We'll get through." Aang said with a determined nod. "Let's go."

With a flick of the reins, Appa was flying through the temple and out into the open air. Toph kept his front shielded with a rock formation. Recognizing Azula's figure standing atop the airship, Orora began to look around, her eyes frantic as she searched for Zuko. "Where is he?" She called out, even as Azula tried to shoot down Appa. The shield integrated as it took the brunt of Azula's attack.

Another airship rose behind Azula, atop which Zuko stood unharmed.

"He's there! Aang! We have to turn back!" Orora called as she stood. The sight of her Soulmate seemed to fill the young girl with a new strength. One that had her standing beside Katara who was deflecting firebender attacks from the several other airships surrounding them. With several icicles nestled between her fingers, Orora threw them in the air, the sharp projectile flying fast and true.

And hitting every target where it would incapacitate them.

Seeing the opening, Aang quickly turned Appa around.

Just in time to see Azula and Zuko be blasted over the sides of the airship after a particularly large fire explosion.

Everything seemed to happen so slowly and yet in the blink of an eye, Zuko was in the saddle, pulled out of the air by both Katara and Orora, and they were making their escape.

While watching Azula still falling to her death.

"She's ... not gonna make it." Said Zuko, a strange tone in his words as he watched his sister. But then she firebended, propelling herself towards the cliff wall and stopped her fall somehow. They were too far away to see how she did that. Sighing in resignation, Zuko turned away. "Of course she did."

No sooner had he turned his attention away from his sister, when he found himself being punched and hit within an inch of his life. "Ow! Ow! Orora! What in Agni! Orora! Stop that!" He called in between the hits, having caught a familiar face looming over him.

"You son of a hog-monkey! You idiot! Of all the stupid things to do! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" She screamed, continuing to hit him wherever her hands or fists would land. "I swear to Tui, La and Agni Zuko! If you ever pull a stunt like that I will kill you myself!"

The rest of the group, as soon as Orora had started to hit Zuko, retreated to their respective corners of the saddle. And tried very hard not to appear as if they were listening intentionally.

Which they were.

Even Katara.

Albeit reluctantly.

Finally, Zuko was able to catch her wrists and pause her attack on him. He raised his head, only to find Orora glaring at him. Though the slight wobble in her lower lip, and the film of unshed tears that shimmered in her blue eyes, had him feeling guilty, for making her worry like that.

He opened his mouth to apologize, to say something, anything that would have her not look at him like that. But she shook her head, before she slowly slumped forward and leaned against him, closing her eyes.

"Don't ever do that again." She whispered, the plea in her voice as obvious as the sky around them. Wrapping his arms around her in a close embrace, Zuko held her to him for the remainder of their flight.

Though he made no promise.

————————–

Appa flew for more then half the day. The sun had nearly disappearance by the time they found a safe place to set up camp.

Throughout the entire ride, Orora had not left Zuko's side, then again he hadn't let go of her either. But now, as they disembarked and Appa slumped to the grassy floor with a tired groan, she grabbed Zuko's hand and led him away from the rest of their group.

"Ooooooo Zuko's in trouble." Sokka called out, taking one of the several tents they always kept in Appa's saddle. Suki frowned at him in disapproval. "Leave them alone Sokka." She scolded him, before moving to help Aang set up the tents.

Katara stood there, watching as Orora and Zuko disappeared into the dark, an angry scowl on her face.

————————–

Once they reached a small grove of trees, providing them with a shield from prying eyes, Orora dropped Zuko's hand and turned to him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Start talking." She said, giving Zuko the chance to explain his reckless behavior. The Prince sighed, already knowing what was coming, but then there was nothing he could do about it.

It had been his fault to run off like he had.

"Look, I had a suspicion who it was, and I just wanted to give you guys time to get away." He began, and knew it was the wrong thing to say, since she narrowed her eyes at him. "I thought I could distract them." He added, starting to get nervous as your gaze turned all the more icy. "I didn't want to have someone be hurt by my Nation."

Every excuse was feeble, and he knew Orora would never take them. She knew him, much better then he knew himself. And these weren't reasons enough.

Sighing in defeat, the boy dropped his head in his hand. "Look." He said, running a hand down his face as he looked up to meet her gaze. "My whole life I've stood by and done nothing to protect the people I care about. I've only ever caused them pain and hurt. And I'm just tired of doing nothing."

She was still silent, watching him. "When Azula attacked, I don't know. I couldn't find it in me to stand by. Not when I knew I could help. Not when I knew I could protect everyone." Reaching out, the boy took her hand from where she'd been gripping her forearm where it had been resting atop of.

"Explain this to me Zuko." She finally spoke. "If you're so busy protecting the people you care about, who will protect you?" She raised an eyebrow at him, stepping forward to poke him in the chest with a finger. "In our group, we protect each other. And that means no running off to sacrifice yourself. We do everything together."

Zuko nodded in agreement. "Alright, I won't do that again." He promised, and once he had given his word, Orora heaved a sigh of relief, the tension in her body leaving as her gaze turned soft. "Sorry if I hit you too hard, but you did deserve it."

The boy smiled. "I kind of did."

A slight rustle in one of the bushes behind them, had both teenagers standing on alert. Only to relax when Katara emerged from the brush, gathering firewood. She paused, catching sight of the both of them standing there, obviously having some intimate conversation. The anger that raged within the girl was obvious in her eyes as well as her scowl. She turned on her feet and walked away just as abruptly as she had appeared.

Watching her leave, Orora couldn't help but sigh. "We both really need to take care of this weird hatred between the both of us and Katara." She said. "I miss my sister." The girl admitted, watching the spot where she had disappeared to.

Zuko glanced at Orora, that all too familiar feeling of guilt settling in his stomach once again.

————————–

They returned to a camp that was already set up, with the fire going and everyone getting ready to sit down for dinner. Orora caught Suki's eye as she passed by, and simply nodded. The other girl smiled, knowing that she was alright. Sitting down next to Toph, Orora reached out to pat the younger girl's hand. "How're you holding up? I know it can't be easy, leaving The Duke." She said in a low voice, hoping to ease Toph's worries. The girl would never admit to them out loud, so coming to her directly, and speaking to her about it, was the best thing.

"I'm alright." The Earthbender admitted. "A little sad though." She wiggled her finger which had her string tied around it. "I miss him already." Her admittance came with a sad smile, that had Orora reaching out and giving the girl a quick hug. "You'll see him again. I'm sure." She said, as Toph nodded with a determined look about her face.

"Oh I know. He still owes me." Orora raised an eyebrow. "You had some sort of bet going on with him?" She asked, not at all surprised at the knowledge. Toph shrugged. "What? Its how we communicate."

How in the world that worked, Orora had no desire to understand.

Everyone began to sit down around the fire for dinner, with Suki and Aang passing the bowls around, along with cups of water.

"Wow, camping." Aang said as he gazed up at the open night sky. "It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

Breaking apart a small piece of the bread he was sharing with Orora, Zuko spoke with a sarcastic lilt in his tone. "If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh.......chase you around a while and try to capture you." He offered with a small smile. The rest of the group laughed, with Orora rolling her eyes at her Soulmate.

Well almost all of them laughed.

"Ha, ha." Katara said to herself, the angry scowl still on her face.

Holding up his cup, Sokka grinned. "To Zuko!" He toasted. "Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero?"

The toast had Orora wincing a little, though there was a smile on her lips as she watched everyone agree with Sokka. Everyone except Katara that is.

Aang nudged Zuko lightly, while Toph gave him a light punch. The boys smiled. "I'm touched." He said softly, before shrugging. "I don't deserve this." A false observation that had Orora opening her mouth to negate Zuko.

But Katara beat her to it. "Yeah, no kidding." The girl hissed, before standing up and walking away.

Sokka, oblivious as ever to the emotions of those around him asked rather tactlessly. "What's with her?" Sighing in slight frustration, Zuko shrugged. "I wish I knew." Glancing at Orora, who gave him a small encouraging nod, he too stood and followed after the girl.

"What's with him?"

————————–

The events of the entire day really took it out of her. And as soon as she dropped on her bedroll, Orora was out like a candle. She woke late the next morning, unaware that Zuko and Katara were already making plans.

Emerging from her tent, the girl spotted Aang feeding Appa, while Sokka sat on the ground beside him, fiddling with what looked like a flower necklace. She opened her mouth to greet her brothers, but was cut off by Katara's arrival, with Zuko trailing after her.

"I need to borrow Appa." The girl stated bluntly. Orora glanced in Zuko's direction, silently asking him about what was going on. But the boy only shook his head at her.

Aang grinned. "Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?" He said jokingly, as he fed Appa some more hay.

"Yes, it is." Again with the cold bluntness. Now Orora was starting to grow concerned for her friend.

Aang too looked surprised as he turned to look at Katara and Zuko. "Oh. What's going on?" He asked, straightening up.

"We're going to find the man who took my mother from me."

Sokka paused where he was fiddling with the necklace, while Orora's entire body stiffened and she blinked in surprise. They shared a look between one another before moving to stand besides Aang.

"Sokka told me the story of what happened." Zuko explained. "I know who did it and I know how to find him."

"Um..." Aang floundered, his gaze darting to Orora and Sokka in turn, before he looked back at Katara. "And what exactly do you think this will accomplish?"

Katara let out a mirthless laugh as she shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't understand." She said, as she began to walk away.

"Wait! Stop!" Aang called out after her, desperate to make her understand that what she was thinking of doing was wrong. "I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?"

Zuko was the one to speak up on Katara's behalf. "She needs this, Aang." He explained. "This is about getting closure and justice."

The Airbender shook his head. "I don't think so." He stated firmly. "I think it's about getting revenge."

Unable to keep her anger in check any longer, Katara finally burst out. "Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!"

"Katara." Aang's voice was full of cocern as he watched her. "You sound like Jet."

The girl shook her head. "It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster."

"Katara, she was my mother too," Sokka finally spoke up, not wanting his sister to make a big mistake. "But I think Aang might be right."

His sister snapped. "Then you didn't love her the way I did!" She yelled at her brother, prompting him to whisper her name, hurt and pain clear on his face.

Orora scowled. "Katara, I know you're hurting. But that's no way to speak to your brother. He's only trying to help." Speaking directly to Katara proved to be a big mistake, since the girl turned her anger on Orora.

"What would you know? You're not even a part of our family."

The older girl took a step back, as if Katara's words had physically hurt her.

Aang, hoping to avoid any more hurtful words, tried to calm the situation. "The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."

Blocking out the rest of the conversation, Orora turned her attention to Sokka, who stood beside her, looking just as hurt as she felt as he looked at his little sister.

They both watched as she walked away, with Zuko following after her. "She's not gonna give up." Orora said, reaching out to give Sokka's shoulder a squeeze of comfort. He covered her hand with his, returning the squeeze, comforting her in return.

"Then we'll be ready to see them off." Aang said, knowing they had only delayed Katara.

She wouldn't stop until she had her revenge.

————————–

Sure enough, once everyone had seemingly turned in for the night, Katara and Zuko emerged from their tents. Dressed in complete black the both of them approached Appa, with Zuko carrying the sack of food and other essentials they might need.

Peaking out from behind a rock, Aang, Sokka and Orora jumped out from their hiding place. "So you were just gonna take Appa anyway?" Aang demanded to know, to which Katara replied with a simple. "Yes."

Sighing, the young Avatar gave a small nod. "It's okay." He said in a sage voice. "Because I forgive you." A brief pause. "That give you any ideas?" He asked, hoping he'd gotten through to Katara somehow.

"Don't try to stop us." Katara simply stated, as Orora bypassed her to stand beside Zuko.

"I wasn't planning to." Said Aang, shaking his head. "This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man." Katara gave him a look of gratitude, before climbing atop Appa's head. "But when you do," Aang continued. "Please don't choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Okay, we'll be sure to do that, guru goody-goody." A well aimed punch to his arm acted as punishment for his quip. Orora glared at him briefly, before glancing at Katara, who sat rigid and firm on top of Appa. "Take care of her, and watch her back." She whispered, knowing a reckless Katara, was a dangerous Katara.

Nodding in confirmation, Zuko looped their pinky fingers together, their strings glowing, before he climbed onto Appa as well.

As Sokka randomly asked Aang if he could borrow Momo, Orora couldn't help but glance in the direction of the moon.

It was a full moon.

"Please keep them safe Yue." She prayed, hoping she would be heard.

————————–

Zuko returned with Appa three days later.

The sight of the empty saddle had Aang and Orora nearly pouncing on Zuko, demanding to know where Katara was. He held up a placating hand. "She's safe." He told Sokka, who looked every bit as the concerned brother he was. "She just needed some time alone, so I left her at a safe location."

He looked around. "Pack up the camp. We're gonna go stay at my family's summer home." Toph frowned. "Won't it be a little obvious if we go there? They might check for us there." She added, to which Zuko shook his head. "Trust me, no one will think of looking for us there." He reassured the girl.

Between the six of them, they had the camp packed up and were ready to leave within an hour. Zuko took the reins, guiding Appa where they needed to go.

"So what happened?" Suki asked, knowing Sokka wanted to ask Zuko the very same question but was too nervous to do so. Mostly because he was afraid of what the answer might be.

"We found the man." Zuko said, prompting them all to stiffen in anticipation. "But she didn't do it. In the end, she was too strong to give in to her anger."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Sokka shared a quick hug with Orora, who felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"So where exactly is your family home?" Toph asked, still curious to know where they were headed.

"We're going to the Ember Islands."

————————–

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gladerwolfstarkimagines · 4 years ago

Text

Imagine seeing Ozai’s angels for the first time and being in awe

You’d joined the Avatar and his friends quite early on and had been with them ever since. They’d initially recruited you for protection as despite not being a bender you were a very skilled bodyguard and so you got roped into protecting the avatar. You usually took your job very seriously but sometimes things (or people) could distract you.

Meeting Number One: Ty lee

You’d all arrived at Omashu to see if King Bumi could be Aang’s earthbender teacher only to find the whole city had fallen to the fire nation. In your attempt to free all the citizens a fire nation baby had been separated from his parents and Aang arranged a trade. Bumi for the baby. You had your weapons within your grasp and were toying with them as you waited to see who you would be dealing with in this trade. You heard someone approaching and turned to see three beautiful women. You weren’t sure what you’d been expecting but this was certainly not it. The three walked up in formation and you just stared "wow". "What?" Sokka asked from beside you and you shrugged "nothing....just do you think all fire nation girls look like that?”. Sokka shrugged “I guess?”. “I really need to visit the fire nation then” you whistled and Sokka shook his head at you. Aang started talking and you eagerly watched hoping to find out more about this interesting trio. You soon found out the one on the right was a princess and the one in the middle was called Mai but the other one didn’t have a name yet. You thought they were all pretty cool and then when you saw them fight...you were speechless. The princess Azula went for Aang leaving you and Katara with Mai and the other girl. Katara called she’d deal with Mai and so you got the nameless pink lady. She sprang into action and you were very impressed at how quick and flexible she was. “Wow you’re amazing” you cried as she vaulted over you. The girl smiled slightly “thanks”. You blocked her attack but didn’t bother retaliating, you just wanted to see what she could do. She didn’t disappoint. Soon the girl gave you no other option but to react. You defended yourself keeping out of her way and soon found the pattern she fought in. Sensing the fight was rounding to a close you decided to find out more about her while you could. “So you got a name?” you asked. “Ty lee” she replied and you nodded “figures, pretty name for a pretty girl”. The girl smirked at you and you both jumped to hear Katara yell. Mai had successfully pinned her and was watching you two. “Ty lee what are you doing! Get her”. “I’m trying but she’s...interesting”. You smiled at the compliment and Mai sighed “fine i’ll do it”. You grinned as now both the girls fixed their attention on you before realising that was actually a bad thing. Mai raised her knives and you contemplated your life choices when suddenly Appa appeared and knocked them away from you. You rushed to free Katara and then hopped onto Appa’s back, leaving the trio of cool women behind you.

You managed to find Aang and escape but the trio had certainly left an impression. “Still want to move to the fire nation?” Sokka asked you and you nodded “without a doubt, they were the most interesting women i’ve ever seen!”. Katara turned at the pure excitement in your voice and raised an eyebrow “You’re not serious?”. In reply you just shrugged “hey don’t blame me! Angry powerful women are my weakness” you cried. Sokka nodded “that is true, remember in that fight against June? She was useless”. You smiled at the memory “she was so cool....” you stared off into space and the others all rolled their eyes. “Well be that as it may, you have to find a way to stay strong and ignore them, can you do that?” Katara asked. You nodded “yep, totally” but you weren’t sure.

Meeting Number Two: Azula

A few weeks later you’d recruited an earth bender to teach Aang and everything was going great...then a giant tank began chasing you. You were very fed up at the metal tank following you until it opened up and three women exited. “It’s Mai, Ty lee and Azula!” you cried and Katara looked at you “you know you could try to sound less excited when you say their names, they are trying to kill us”. You smirked “sorry?”. “Who?” Toph asked. “Mai, Ty lee and Azula” you grinned “okay so i’ll start with Ty lee, basically she’s this insanely beautiful acrobat who...”. “Maybe save this for later y/n” Sokka called and you nodded “yep good idea” and fled with the others.

The girls continued to pursue you and even you were losing your excitement at the idea. So when Aang decided to end it by confronting them you agreed. You accompanied Aang to an abandoned town to wait for them but they were taking a while. So, bored, you wandered onto the outskirts kicking rocks to pass the time.

You felt Azula before you saw her. You turned and locked eyes with the princess of the fire nation. “The princess Azula” you smiled “do I bow or is that too formal?”. “It wouldn’t hurt?” she shrugged before sending fire at your head. You dodged it with a laugh “not a talker huh?”. “Why would I waste my breath on the likes of you? A petty thief with no home or money, I do my research and you’re worthless”. Your smile didn’t even waver “awww you’re just saying that because we didn’t get to spend much time together last time...you’ll love me once you get to know me. Ty lee warmed up to me”. “I’m not like Ty lee” she replied and carried on attacking you. You had to agree, Azula was not like Ty lee, she was a lot rougher. Whilst Ty lee had been aiming to immobilise you Azula was aiming to seriously injure you at best. “Certainly not as friendly as Ty lee” you agreed “but that’s okay”. “Where is the avatar?” Azula called. “I’d rather talk about you” you replied “princess of the fire nation, that must be fun, it suits you”. “I know, now tell me where the avatar is or I will kill you” the princess retorted. “No you won’t, if you killed me then you’d never know where he is” you grinned. Azula groaned in frustration and threw a large wave of fire at you, knocking you over. She rushed after it and pinned you down on the floor “still not worried I’ll kill you?” she asked. You looked from the fire she’d conjured in her palm back to her face and smiled “damn those fire nation genes are good...I thought your brother was hot but you’re even better”. For just a second, Azula faltered and you used that second to break out of her grip. You threw Azula off you and scrambled up into a run. She was close behind you when you ran around the corner straight into a fight between Aang and Zuko. “Y/n where have you been?” Aang called while Zuko stared “Azula?”. “Brother” she replied. “Sorry Azula and I were spending some quality time together” you said loudly “but we’re here now”. Azula’s eye twitched and she attacked.

You and Aang only managed to get out of the encounter with the help of Sokka, Toph and Katara who all showed up to help. Then the tables turned and you had Azula outnumbered. You couldn’t believe the princess of the fire nation had been out-smarted but of course she hadn’t really. She used a distraction and then ran from the scene. You spotted her fleeing down a back street and smiled, the princess of the fire nation was immaculate and you expected nothing less.

Meeting Number Three: Mai

The next time you came into contact with Ozai’s angels was when they infiltrated Ba Sing Sei by dressing up as the Kyoshi warriors. Aang got a vision Katara was in danger and when you approached the earth king to tell him, the fake kyoshi warriors attack but something was familiar about them.

Toph took one of the warriors and you took the other. While you were sparring with your warrior you kept staring at her...something about the girl was very familiar, but you couldn’t place her. "You look really familiar...have we met before?" you asked. "Good eye" the girl grinned before she threw a knife at you. The minute you saw the knife it clicked and you grinned "you’re Mai the hot knife girl!" before realising you’d said that out loud "ow...". Mai raised an eyebrow and carried on attacking you. Mai was just as impressive as Azula and Ty lee but a lot cooler with a drier sense of humour. You admired her choice of weapon the most and found the way she fought with it strangely captivating, so much so you didn’t fight to immobilise her, honestly you didn’t even try as you just wanted to watch her. Toph had won her fight with Ty lee and rushed to help you, mistakenly figuring you were losing. Toph looked for an opening but as both your choices of fight were close combat she couldn’t attack without possibly hitting you. You and Mai dodged around one another but you knew this couldn’t last forever. "I’m sorry but i have to say it, you’re really good with knives" you grinned as you disarmed her. Mai glared "you literally just disarmed me". "Yeah but you’re seriously the closest a person has ever come to stabbing me!". Mai raised an eyebrow "i imagine a lot of people try to stab you?". You laughed in agreement and Toph and Sokka stared. "What are you doing y/n stop flirting and fight her!" Sokka yelled. "Ow right" you smirked getting back into a fighting stance when Azula appeared "this is over”. You dropped your hands as she held a flame to the earth king’s throat and Sokka and Toph followed suit. “Grab them” Azula called. Mai stepped to you as you were closest and grabbed your arms tightly twisting them behind your back. You blushed as she gripped you roughly and looked away. "Seriously y/n?" Sokka asked and Mai noticed rolling her eyes. "Shut up Sokka you’re embarrassing me" you spat when Mai chimed in “actually you’re doing that all on your own”. “Ow come on, you enjoyed that fight too admit it”. Mai paused and you grinned “knew it” and she yanked your arms tighter “quit talking and walk”. “Whatever you say Mai” you grinned and complied.

You couldn’t stop thinking about Mai in your cell and you shook your head in disbelief “they have to be the coolest trio that’s ever existed! Every single one of them is amazing”. Sokka sighed “y/n could you please try to not be in love with our captors?”. “I can’t help it!” you cried “Ty lee was sweet but powerful, Azula was deadly and impressive and Mai was cool and funny, they’re all knockouts”. “Well great how about we try and get their numbers on the way out?” Toph asked metal bending the door down and you grinned “I mean I wouldn’t say no”.

You, Sokka, Toph and the earth king escaped from your cells and looked for Bosco. You found him in the throne room with Mai and Ty lee and paused. Toph took out Ty lee with earth bending and you locked eyes on Mai. No matter your feelings you had to do this so you got into a fighting stance when Mai rolled her eyes. "Just take the bear" she said annoyed and you smirked "thanks Mai!". The earth king ran to Bosco and your group headed for the door but you paused looking at Ty lee trapped in such an uncomfortable position. “Will Ty lee be okay like that?” you asked and Mai nodded “i’ll get her out”. “Y/n” Sokka yelled and you nodded. “Well bye, hope you get out of that soon Ty lee and tell Azula I said goodbye, she gets jealous when I leave her out. Glad I got to finally meet you Mai” you smiled and with a wink you ran away. You heard Mai groan but Ty lee just giggled. “Bye y/n” you heard Ty lee call and the smile was still on your face when you caught up with the others. “Having fun?” Sokka asked and you nodded “I cannot wait until we see them again!”.

You successfully managed to get Katara and Aang out safely and you laid back on Appa contemplating everything. You knew you were on opposite sides but each of the girls was intriguing and redeemable, even Azula who had almost killed Aang was still only a daughter trying to prove herself to her abusive parents. You could sense there were so many layers to each of them and smiled as you leant back on your arms. Hopefully you’d seen them again soon and who knows...maybe when this was all over things could be different.

____

So this is basically my literal reaction to seeing Ozai’s angels for the first time. I remember watching them all fight and just fell helplessly in love with all 3 of them. Then I read the Kyoshi novels and realised I just have a thing for fire nation women (Rangi is amazing I love her so much and I’d write for her if she and Kyoshi weren’t the best couple ever, I can’t break them up even fictionally).

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zuko-always-lies · 4 years ago

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How Well does Iroh Live Up to His Own Wisdom?

In the “Tales of Ba Sing Se,” Iroh tells this to a group of kids:

Iroh: It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and seek to restore honor.

Good advice, I’ll admit. But how well does Iroh live up to it?

Iroh stands out as someone who has had done many bad things in his life and made many mistakes but who almost never apologizes or acknowledges any of them(or indeed apologizes for just about anything). The decades that Iroh spent engaging in imperial warmongering, his failure to oppose Ozai and act to end the war after Lu Ten’s death, the way that Iroh failed to intervene to protect Zuko and Azula from Ozai’s abuse, the way that Iroh letting Zuko into the war meeting led to Zuko being burned and banished, the fact that Iroh aided Zhao’s attack on the Northern Water Tribe, and the way Iroh was complacent in the harm Book 1 Zuko was inflicting on the world and Team Avatar all go unacknowledged by Iroh, and he never apologizes for any of them.

However, today I’m going to be focusing on the 600 Day Siege of Ba Sing Se, one of Iroh’s greatest mistakes and one that he is repeatedly forced to confront in the series. The siege caused heavy military casualties on both sides, and, given it was a siege, likely also caused many civilian deaths, both within Ba Sing Se and along the lines of march of Iroh’s army. What does Iroh say about the operation and his part in it? Much more under the cut.

“Winter Solstice, Part 1: The Spirit World”:

Earthbender captain: A place you're quite familiar with, actually. You once laid siege to it for 600 days, but it would not yield to you.

Iroh: Ah, the great city of Ba Sing Se.

Earthbender captain: It was greater than you were, apparently.

Iroh: I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Se. After 600 days away from home, my men were tired, and I was tired. [Yawns.] And I'm still tired.

“The Desert”:

Zuko: Ba Sing Se? ‌Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital‌? Fung: [Calmly.] The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice two more. Iroh: We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city. [Happily shrugs his shoulders.]

“The Serpent’s Pass”:

Iroh: Who would have thought after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace ... [Turns away for a second before turning back with a floral hat on his head.] as a tourist!

“The Tales of Ba Sing Se”:

Iroh: Happy birthday, my son. [Cut to his face, as he starts to cry.] If only I could have helped you. [He sings, but his voice cracks due to him crying.] Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home.

This is the only sincere apology Iroh gives in the entire series.

Finally, “Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters”:

Iroh: [Aerial view of group.] Sozin's Comet is arriving, and our destinies are upon us. Aang will face the Fire Lord. [Extreme close-up.] When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba Sing Se. [Cut to Zuko and the camera pans across to right showing Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Katara.] Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it back from the Fire Nation, [Extreme close-up.] so the Earth Kingdom can be free again.

...

Iroh: [Close-up.] Goodbye, everyone. Today, destiny is our friend. [Whispers.] I know it.

So Iroh never acknowledges fault for his decision to lay siege to Ba Sing Se, never apologizes to anyone he hurt, never admits that doing what he did was something wrong, and never accepts responsibility for anything other than Lu Ten’s death. The tens or hundreds of thousand of other people who died don’t exist to him.

Is Iroh completely unaware that his past actions were wrong and harmful? Not entirely.

“Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters”:

Zuko: [Close-up of Zuko from over Iroh's shoulder.] And then ... then you would come and take your rightful place on the throne? Iroh: [Close-up.] No. Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart [Frontal view from the side of Iroh as the camera zooms in on Zuko.] and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko.

“The Serpent's Pass”:

Jet: From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall. Iroh: It is a magnificent sight. Jet: So you've been there before? Iroh: Once. When I was a ... different man. Jet: I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se: for a new beginning. A second chance. Iroh: That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances.

Yet Iroh still refuses to meaningful acknowledge his greatest mistake. For all the flak Azula gets for “not showing remorse,” it seems like Iroh is much more guilty of that than she is.

#Iroh #Anti-Iroh #Lu Ten #Azula #Siege of Ba Sing Se #Fire Imperialism #Dragon of the West

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jasmine-iroh · 5 years ago

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Sparring Partners

Pairing: Zuko x f!reader

WC: 2.5K

A/N: howdyyyy I’ll be honest idk what this is besides self satisfactory fluff oops. send in some requests pls, I’m bored as heck!

Never let (Y/N) and Zuko spar.

That was an unspoken rule on Team Avatar after Zuko joined the group. The group had witnessed the aftermath of their practicing one too many times; angry gatherings of flames licking at the bark of uprooted trees scattered around piles of rubble and burnt grass.

Simply put, the pair were a force of nature. That wasn’t the reason they weren’t allowed to fight, though. No, nobody really paid much mind to their destructive tendencies, as long as they weren’t too close to camp.

It was their moods after the fight was done that brought about the rule.

Zuko would slink away to his tent and brood, grumbling at anyone who ventured too close to him. (Y/N) would stay with the group, a grin stuck to her face the whole time. It wasn’t a smile that put anyone at ease, though. It was feral, the snapping teeth and predatory curl of her lips more suited to a big cat than a young girl. Even Katara, who was usually found near (Y/N)’s side, avoided sitting too close.

(Y/N) was never mean to the others, but she had a razor sharp edge to her for hours after the duel that made Aang shift nervously in his seat and Sokka focus more on being the meat guy than the sarcasm guy. Suki would stay on edge until it was finally time to split up into their individual tents. Her fighting instincts would be on alert at the scent of scorched earth coming from (Y/N), a completely different smell from the smoke from the campfire.

Zuko, of course, would be the one to start said campfire. There was a tense, almost shy set to his shoulders as the weight of wild eyes bore down on him from near Toph. Toph, incidentally, never seemed to mind the rumbling of thunder in (Y/N)’s voice after a fight with Zuko, or the way Zuko’s heart beat staggered whenever (Y/N) so much as walked past him.

Toph didn’t care if the pair sparred, as long as it would get them over their timid dance around camp. She thought it was an entertaining break in the monotony of training and hiding, and the feeling of (Y/N) earthbending with such raw emotion was as sappy as any romance story there was. It was truly hilarious to her that nobody else could connect the dots between the unbridled chaos of their fighting and their quiet moments together around a campfire.

It had been a few days since the last incident when Toph finally decided to ask (Y/N) what their deal was during a training session.

“So, what’s up with you and Sifu Hotman?” She asked, a slightly maniacal laugh falling past her lips when she managed to catch (Y/N) off guard and nail her in the side with a boulder. Toph had taken to using Aang’s ridiculous nickname after she realized how quickly she could get under Zuko’s skin with it. Payback for Zuko burning her feet, she had justified.

Coughing and sputtering from the blow, (Y/N) tried to deflect the question with a volley of rocks she’d been keeping suspended in the air long enough for Toph to half lose track of.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Toph huffed indignantly, dodging the attack before shifting her feet and sending the slab of earth below (Y/N) tilting sideways.

“No, I just saw a weakness and used it,” (Y/N) laughed and leapt from her crumbling perch to position herself in the middle of the sparring area, knowing that Aang, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka were somewhere behind her. Toph wasn’t stupid, she knew (Y/N) was trying to get into a position that would make Toph go easier on her with their friends in the line of fire.

Oh (Y/N), you really think you’re clever, don’t you? Toph thought with a smirk as a plan formed in her mind, pressing her knuckles into the dirt and twisting them sharply. She felt (Y/N)’s growl before she heard it, knowing that the other girl hated when Toph locked her feet into the earth. This time, though, she kept her hold on the rock, sitting down and waiting for (Y/N) to answer her original question.

“Toph, c’mon!” (Y/N) whined, trying to free herself as Toph sat a few meters away laughing.

“Just tell me and I’ll let you go!” Toph called back, bending herself a chair from the earth with one hand while the other kept it’s grip on the rocks around (Y/N)’s ankles.

“You’re such a little jerk,” (Y/N) answered instead, looking around for something to help her. She was weak without being able to use her feet as her center, something Toph had been hounding her about forever.

“I thought best friends told each other everything,” Toph mocked as she felt the others stop fighting to watch the scene in front of them.

“Yeah, but you also told me you’d throw me off Appa because I took Momo’s seat last week,” (Y/N) replied, crossing her arms stubbornly. Toph was a stronger bender, but (Y/N) had more patience, knowing Toph could get bored or frustrated pretty quickly. That’s how they’d always been, ever since (Y/N) had been sent to live with her helpless, blind little cousin all those years ago.

“What’s going on?” Aang asked the pair, scootering over on a ball of air with a peeved looking Zuko trailing behind him.

“(Y/N)’s keeping secrets from me and acting like I won’t find out,” Toph accused, watching as Suki and Sokka joined the group. Katara, who had been assigned camp duties for the day, drew closer at the lack of fighting sounds.

“Toph,” (Y/N) warned, a sharp threat in her voice as the sound of a tree being pulled up at the roots echoed around the clearing as (Y/N) clenched her fists.

“Yes?” A challenge in her voice, her fist twisting further into the earth and sinking (Y/N) up to her waist in tightly compressed rocks.

“Enough.” Zuko stepped in between the pair, and Toph couldn’t help but notice the spike in his heart rate when (Y/N) dropped up to her shoulders in rock.

“Zuko, stay out of this. Toph’s just being a pain,” (Y/N) huffed, having a hard time breathing with the merciless press of dirt and rock around her chest.

He didn’t stay out of it of course, his heart beating faster than a bird's wings as he watched (Y/N) struggle in the ground. Toph thought the duo were nauseatingly oblivious.

She let out a frustrated growl and slammed her foot on the ground, sending Zuko sprawling flat out next to (Y/N) and encasing his hands and feet in earth.

“Fine. You can both stay here until one of you tells me, then.” Toph declared before standing and walking away from the pair. The rest of the group looked from Toph back down to their friends buried in the ground, and decided that maybe they didn’t want to end up stuck next to the pair. They walked off, promising to talk to Toph and have her fix this.

“Spirits, she’s such a little bastard,” (Y/N) mumbled, turning her head to look at Zuko. She blinked in shock, not expecting his face to be quite so close to hers. A tricky little bastard, the girl amended in her head.

“What were you two fighting about?” Zuko asked quietly, not having to speak much above a whisper with their proximity. Had his eyes always been so golden?

“She asked about what was going on between us,” (Y/N) answered, closing her eyes and turning her head away from him towards the sky. The sun pressed red kisses against her closed eyelids while the breeze played with her hair, making her feel for a moment that she was laid out next to Zuko in a spring meadow by choice instead of locked into the dirt by Toph.

“What did you tell her?” He kept his voice low, tone conspiratorial. He stared at (Y/N), the sun loving her throat and pressing kisses to her cheekbones. He thought, just for a moment, that Toph had done him a favor by locking him into this view.

A laugh, and then, “I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Why not?” He prodded, wishing (Y/N) would turn her head so he could… could what? He thought to himself, images of him wiggling closer and closing the distance between them flickering in his mind without warning. A warm blush crept up his neck at the thoughts, wishing he wasn’t so affected by their proximity.

“Because sometimes you need to let Toph think she holds all the cards so she’s a little less of a pain in the ass. And so she wouldn’t question what we really do when we spar,” (Y/N) whispered, opening her eyes and turning to face Zuko. She met his amber gaze immediately, a grin pulling at her mouth as she leaned closer to him, feeling the heat radiating off his body.

“Oh, you mean that thing where you torment me with your comments all day around camp and then try to play innocent when we’re alone?” Zuko huffed with a smile as he wormed his way closer.

“Hey, don’t get mad. I just saw a weakness and used it,” (Y/N) giggled as she leaned in towards him. Her gaze flickered briefly from Zuko’s eyes, to his lips, and then back to his eyes in a way that made him feel like the ground was falling out from under him. He leaned up to meet her halfway, falling just short of being able to seal their lips together. A soft groan from (Y/N) pulled a chuckle from Zuko’s throat, before his head flopped back down onto the packed earth.

“Such a little bastard,” he heard (Y/N) mutter a moment before her face contorted and rumbling from around them was heard.

Zuko’s hands and legs were freed from their earthen prison, letting him roll away only a second before (Y/N) rose up from her hole on a pillar of earth. She hopped down gracefully and brushed her clothes off before helping Zuko to his feet, that wild look back in her eyes.

“You couldn’t have done that earlier?” Zuko asked, brushing the dirt out of his hair.

“I can put you back, if you’d like,” (Y/N) hummed, stepping closer to him and giving him that sharp grin that sent his stomach fluttering.

“I’m fine right here, thank you,” he replied, a deep blush staining his cheeks as (Y/N) pulled him close and finally, finally, pressed her lips to his own in a slow kiss. He returned the kiss eagerly, loving the warmth of her hand cupping his jaw with gritty fingers as the other tangled in Zuko’s mop of hair.

The pillar she’d used to free herself moments before was now scraping against his back as (Y/N) traced a lazy trail of kisses along Zuko’s jaw. He let out a sound that was suspiciously close to a whimper and felt a thrill go up his spine at the glint of absolute trouble reflected in (Y/N)’s eyes when she pulled away.

“How long do you think we have until they realize we’re not stuck anymore?” She pondered, pressing delicate kisses up the side of Zuko’s throat and along the edges of his scar.

“Enough time to get a head start and cover our tracks.” His eyes moved deliberately to the forest away from camp, before flicking back to hers with a bashful quirk of his eyebrow. His breaths trembling, he tried to ignore how his nerve endings were alight with the feeling of (Y/N)’s lips on his skin.

“Very tempting, but I don’t feel like listening to Mother Katara yell at us for ‘running off and worrying the group,’” (Y/N) whispered back, pressing a kiss to Zuko’s chin before moving to pull away. His arms snaked around her waist quickly, locking her against him.

(Y/N)’s brows shot up in pleasant surprise at his actions. She had been the one to make moves from the start, more accustomed to touch that wasn’t soured by pain or anger. Zuko figured she’d like to have more physical affection from him, but the long nights spent untangling his emotions in return for a kiss were enough to keep her happy and moving at his pace. Zuko had been without a loving hand to hold for so long that he forgot how simple and sweet an embrace could be, how the pad of a thumb rubbing across bruised knuckles could soothe his aches better than any balm.

Feeling bold between the column of earth and (Y/N), Zuko leaned down to her height and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips, retreating before she could respond. The girl only grinned widely, wrapping her arms around his muscular torso. A puff of air left Zuko’s lungs as he was pulled into her strong arms, before tightening his own arms around her waist and pressing his face into the crook of her neck.

“We have to at least make Toph think nothing’s changed, or we’ll never hear the end of how she’s so right and it's everyone else who is really blind,” (Y/N) told him, pitching her voice in Toph’s bratty little sister voice she used when she won arguments.

“Let her. I’m tired of not being able to be like this whenever we want,” Zuko replied, his warm breath against the side of her neck sending a wave of goosebumps over (Y/N)’s skin. It shocked her in the most pleasant way possible to hear him say that to her, since they’d agreed to keep things quiet until he could figure out his emotions.

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when she makes you wish you were hard of hearing,” (Y/N) laughed, nudging his head back up to face her. Her senses were filled with Zuko, the smell of smoke filling her nose as the heat from his body scorched a pattern into her heart. Their noses brushed once, twice; their lips a breath apart.

Before either could close the distance, Toph marched around their column of rock, almost slamming straight into them. In a breath, she was gone again, back the way she’d come.

“I knew it, I was so right! You losers are so blind!” She shouted to the others.

Her sudden appearance had shocked the pair apart, making (Y/N) quirk an eyebrow and pulling a rare grin from Zuko at the astounding accuracy of (Y/N)’s impression of Toph.

“Just remember, you brought this upon yourself,” (Y/N) laughed, turning to walk back to camp. Zuko’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, reeling her back in towards him so he could seal a lingering kiss against her mouth.

“I know, but that was worth it,” he hummed, walking alongside her back to camp, their fingers tangling together without a second thought.

#zuko x reader #zuko x you #prince zuko #zuko #aang #toph #toph beifong #sokka #katara #suki #beifong!reader #earthbender!reader #atla imagine #atla fanfic #avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar imagine #avatar fic

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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 5 years ago

Note

By the end of avatar it's pretty clear that the gaang have no problem with/are friends with mai (suki playing pai sho with her, katara watching, sokka including her in his picture) so I was wondering how you think mai and the gaang's relationship developed from the coronation to the end scene

“This is Mai,” Zuko said. “My girlfriend.”

The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Right. Mai kind of wanted to die. They were just… staring at her. She hadn’t expected a positive reaction, by any means, but no reaction at all…? Ugh. Little was worse.

“It’s nice to officially meet you!” Aang said, giving her a bright smile. The rest of the group followed with tentative waves and a few nods in her general direction.

The awkwardness might have gone on another five minutes if she and Zuko hadn’t been asked for by an advisor, cutting her introduction short. Well, Zuko had been asked for, and he’d slipped his hand into hers before pulling her along. So she hadn’t been given much say in the matter.

“They’ll come around,” Zuko told her later, when they were lying in bed. “You’ll see.” He chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “They took me in, after all.”

Mai wanted to believe him. “If you say so.”

Sokka was first.

Mai saw him struggling to walk down the steps of the palace, awkwardly attempting to maneuver his crutches but wincing every time his injured leg hit the ground.

“Let me help,” she offered, lifting his arm around her shoulders to help take the weight off his foot. Perhaps she should have waited for him to give confirmation, but in some ways Sokka reminded her of Zuko - rarely willing to accept assistance, even when he needed it. He let her take his crutches, though, and she interpreted that as a sign of silent cooperation.

Sokka gave her a crooked grin when they’d reached the foot of the steps. “Thanks.”

She nodded curtly, returning his crutches to him. “It was no trouble.” She turned to walk away, but stiffened and stopped in her tracks as Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I, uh… This is kind of random, but I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for - for what you did at the Boiling Rock.” Sokka cleared his throat. “For saving us. Me. My dad. Suki. Zuko.”

Mai winced at the memory. The despair, the rage Azula’s eyes. The paralyzing fear that had ripped through her chest when she’d watched her friend - if Azula could ever be called that - drop into her lightning stance. And yet…

She’d do it again. A hundred times.

“I don’t think you should be thanking me for doing the right thing,” Mai said as she slowly turned around. “For doing the bare minimum, really.”

Sokka laughed. “Maybe you’re right. But from what I’ve heard, treason against the Fire Nation isn’t usually considered the bare minimum.” He hesitated, then offered her a grateful smile. “I mean it, though. If you hadn’t saved us…” Something akin to grief flickered in his eyes. An expression that was a little more raw, a little more tired. “I can’t lose anyone else,” he finally said. “So thank you, Mai.”

Mai stared at him in perhaps more shock than was necessary, because Sokka laughed again.

“Can I hug you?” he asked. “It’s kind of an official thing to dub you as part of my friend group.”

Mai hesitated, but nodded, and Sokka shuffled forward to pull her into a brief, tight embrace that Mai was surprised to find herself returning.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a hugger,” she said after releasing him.

Sokka chuckled. “For a long time, I guess I wasn’t.” He winked at her. “But things change, right?”

She supposed they did.

Aang was second.

Mai wondered, perhaps, if he would have been first, had his duties as the Avatar not taken up so much of his time, especially in those first days after the war had formally ended.

“Hi, Mai!” Aang said cheerily, waving at her from atop his bison. “Want to take a ride on Appa with me?”

Mai glanced around her, as if someone else named Mai would appear from behind a pillar to take him up on his offer. When none did, she responded with a hesitant nod.

She wished Zuko was there.

“Do you need help getting up?” Aang asked as she walked towards him, pausing when she reached Appa’s side. “I can provide a boost if you need it.”

Mai raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk unwittingly inching onto her lips. “Could you provide a boost even if I don’t need it?”

Aang returned her smirk with a wide grin. “Your wish is my command, Lady Mai.”

Mai was mortified to admit that a startled yelp escaped her lips as Aang airbended her up and onto Appa’s saddle, but he didn’t comment on it. She supposed he was probably used to that sort of sound being an instinctive reaction.

“Ready?” Aang asked. He didn’t wait for her to respond before gently snapping the bison’s reins. “Yip yip, Appa!”

He reminded her of Ty Lee in that respect - never waiting for an answer unless one was truly required.

Appa roared and took off into the sky. Mai kept her eyes squeezed shut for longer than she’d care to admit.

After the initial anxiety of flying higher than she ever had in her life faded, Mai found herself relaxing into her seat on the saddle, one elbow resting comfortably on the edge. Aang chattered aimlessly about post-war plans, and Mai commented every now and then if his ramblings had to do with Zuko. It was… strange. Everything about Aang caused a tiny smile to rest perpetually on her face.

No wonder her boyfriend was so fond of him.

“Wanna go higher?” Aang offered at one point, an excited twinkle in his eyes.

Mai didn’t respond at first, staring upwards at the endless pink sky. “Can you take me into the clouds?” she finally asked.

Aang laughed. “Let’s find out!”

Katara was third.

“I told you, Zuko can’t see anyone right now!”

Mai paused upon hearing the irritation that drenched Katara’s voice. She’d just turned the corner into the hallway that Zuko’s room was off of, and, trusting her better judgement, chose to hang back.

Katara was staring down a tall man in formal robes - oh. Ew. Mai recognized him as one of Zuko’s more annoying advisors. Her boyfriend hated the man, too.

“Kata-”

“Master Katara.” She glared at the noble, and respect bubbled in Mai’s chest.

“Master Katara.” Mai relished in the discomfort of the man’s tone. “I understand that you wish to allow the Fire Lord as much rest as possible, but he has responsibilities he cannot abandon -”

“Zuko can’t fulfill those responsibilities immediately after a healing session!” Katara snapped. “How would you like if someone bandaged your broken arm and expected you to lift weights afterwards?”

The advisor stared at her in confusion. “But my arm isn’t broken.”

Katara placed her hand atop the flask that rested on her hip. “Not yet.”

Mai bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing as blood drained from the man’s face. He gave Katara a hasty apology and took his leave.

That interaction had certainly raised her spirits.

But no visitors…

Mai’s grip tightened on the ceramic plate in her hands. The cup of tea resting atop it quivered. If Katara said Zuko wasn’t seeing anyone at the time, then she would respect that decision. She was no exception to the rules just because Zuko was her boyfriend.

Besides, Zuko was probably fine. She didn’t need to check on him, she was just letting her worries get the best of her again -

“Mai?”

Mai blinked upon hearing her name called. Blood rushed to her cheeks when she realized it was Katara who had spoken. “Yes?”

Katara gave her a warm smile, gesturing towards the plate in her hands. “Is that for Zuko?”

Mai hesitated, but nodded. “Tea,” she explained briefly. “I… tried to make it like Iroh does.” She took a step backwards. “But I can bring it back later, after more time has passed -”

Katara laughed, waving her hand dismissively. “Mai. Zuko would never forgive me if I didn’t let you in.” She tilted her head. “Besides. You know you’re always welcome.”

Mai’s grip on the plate slackened, and she found herself returning Katara’s smile.

Toph was fourth.

“Mai! Spar with me!”

Mai was startled by the sudden interruption, though years of practice prevented her from showing it. “Why?” She’d never been the earthbender’s go-to partner before.

“Because knives are made of metal,” Toph said, as if it should have been obvious. “I want to see if I can bend projectiles mid-air. Or at least better detect the path they’ll follow so I can earthbend a wall to block them.”

Mai raised an eyebrow. “And why would I agree to let you bend my knives?”

Toph grinned at her. “Who said anything about using yours?”

Mai’s eyes widened as Toph procured a large box from behind her back.

“We’ll practice with these. Don’t ask where I got them.”

Mai accepted the box from Toph, unable to stop the sharp gasp that escaped her lips as she admired the assortment of blades. “Alright,” she finally said, picking out a set of steel kunai. “I’ll spar with you. On one condition.”

“Name it.”

Mai spun one of the knives around her index finger. “Let me keep some of these when we’re done.”

Toph burst out laughing. “Oh, I knew I’d like you.” She smirked at Mai. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Suki was last.

They’d run into each other. Literally. Mai spilled all the papers she’d been holding, and Suki had immediately apologized before offering to help her sort back through them. She’d almost turned the girl down, but…

“I haven’t seen you much,” Mai commented as they were putting the documents into piles based on their contents. “Compared to the rest of Zuko’s friends, I mean.”

Suki shrugged. “I’ve been spending most of my time with Sokka and the Kyoshi warriors. We’re thinking about heading back home soon.”

Mai nodded. She placed a document about the differences between crowning a Fire Lord and a Fire Lady in its appropriate stack. She hesitated, then asked, “Does… Do you know if Ty Lee plans to go with you?”

Suki blew air out her lips. “I’m not sure. Sometimes I think she wants nothing more than to get out of the Fire Nation, but there are other days where… where I don’t think she can imagine leaving you and Zuko behind.”

Mai’s heart seized in her chest. Spirits, she needed to talk to her friend. New responsibilities after the war had kept them apart more days of the week than Mai liked. “I see.”

Suki offered her a sympathetic smile. “Sorry I can’t be more specific. I think I just” - she shook her head - “I don’t know Ty Lee well enough yet to read her and her feelings. The other girls had a chance to connect with her in prison, but I’d already escaped the Boiling Rock and was on the run with Sokka at that point, so I just… don’t have the same level of experience with her yet.”

Mai clenched the scroll in her hand so tightly she was half-concerned she’d tear a hole through it. “Speaking of prisons…” She licked her lips, her mouth having suddenly gone dry. “I… I wanted to apologize,” she continued after a momentary pause. Mai didn’t like how her voice had dropped close to a whisper.

Suki tilted her head in confusion, though there was a keen recognition in her eyes that made Mai wonder if she was merely feigning puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

“I attacked you and your - your kinswomen. When you were protecting Appa.” Mai smoothed the scroll across the table before placing it in its appropriate stack. She didn’t dare meet the warrior’s eyes. “We got you arrested and sent to the Boiling Rock. And - I know an apology doesn’t make up for that, but…” She forced herself to look upwards. There was no bitterness, no resentment in Suki’s gaze. It was kinder than she deserved. “I’m sorry. I don’t deserve or expect your forgiveness, but - I’m sorry.”

Mai had hurt Suki the most among Zuko’s new friends. There was no changing that. And she knew she would never be able to make up for the months in isolation the girl had endured, either, no matter what she did. No matter how much she wanted to. Wished she could.

Mai didn’t blame her for staying silent.

Then Suki sighed, unfurling the paper in her hands. “I had mixed feelings about you. For a long time.” She skimmed something on the scroll before placing it aside. “On the one hand, you put me in prison. On the other…” She gave Mai a tentative smile. “You freed me from it.”

Mai’s heart skipped a beat. “That doesn’t make it fair -”

Suki laughed, cutting her off. “At this point, I don’t think ‘fair’ exists. Not after what all of us have been through.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “But like I said. I had mixed feelings about you.” She gave Mai a soft smile. “I know how Sokka thinks you’re the funniest person to walk the Earth since his father. How Katara lets you visit Zuko after their healing sessions, even though she’s probably not supposed to. And spirits, Mai, the way Zuko looks at you…” She shook her head, winking at her. “You won my friends over a long time ago. It was only a matter of time before you won me over, too.”

An unfamiliar warmth settled in Mai’s chest, and a tentative smile inched onto her lips. “Thank you.”

Suki waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. And with you around, at least I won’t be the only sane person in our group anymore.”

Mai snorted, recalling an earlier incident of Sokka daring Zuko to eat raw tart batter while Toph egged them on. ‘Egged’ in two ways - both very different, but both equally frustrating. “Will that really make much of a difference?”

Suki snickered. “Maybe not for them, but…” She handed Mai a scroll to be placed on a stack too far for her to reach. “I think I’ll appreciate the company.”

Mai accepted the paper, and she smiled at Suki. “I think I will, too.” She placed the smoothed-out scroll in its appropriate pile. “Care to join me for a game of Pai Sho later?”

“Oh, count me in! That sounds like a great cooldown.”

Well… Mai wouldn’t describe Pai Sho in exactly that fashion. But she figured Suki would learn that on her own time, and chose not to comment. “I look forward to it.”

That night, Mai slipped into Zuko’s bedchambers under the cover of darkness, as she’d been inclined to do ever since his return to the Fire Nation. Zuko’s eyes lit up upon seeing her, and he moved to make room for her beside him on his bed. She sat down, and rolled her eyes but didn’t protest as Zuko wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her into his lap.

“Did you have a good day?” he asked, nuzzling his face into the back of her neck. He asked her the same question every night, and every night she told him the same answer - no. Then she’d gripe about whatever little thing had irked her over the course of the day. It was foolish, yet cathartic, and she knew Zuko didn’t mind. He probably found it entertaining.

“You know what?” Mai mused, thinking back to the mixture of glee and exasperation that had crossed Suki’s face numerous times during their earlier Pai Sho game. “I think I did.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Wow. What happened?”

Mai shrugged. Five faces floated through her mind, all people she’d grown to care for over the past few weeks. People who’d grown to care for her in return. “Nothing special. Just… spent a little time with some new friends.”

Zuko chuckled, and she had a feeling he knew exactly the people she was referring to. “I’m glad to hear it.” He pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. “Don’t kill me, but…” She didn’t need to turn around to know he was smirking. “I told you they’d come around.”

Mai groaned. “Oh, shut up.”

“Make me?”

She sighed, turning around so she could properly face her boyfriend. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

(Mai made sure to silence him before he could answer.)

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muffinlance · 5 years ago

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You know that herbalist who lives in the woods near the frozen frog swamp? The one with the cat named Miyuki. Consider the idea of herbalist!zuko

Thirteen-year-old Zuko was dumped in the colonies with a days-old bandage over his face and his name stricken from the royal records.

He doesn't remember much of the Between. Between when his father--

And between when he wakes up, for real this time, feeling bone-heavy and muscle-jittery and actually awake. And there's a cat on his chest. Not a catopus or a cat-snake or a dog-cat. Just a cat.

Oh. So he's dead and this is the spirit world.

Okay.

...Zuko goes back to sleep.

Recovery is slow and fairly ephemeral, and the old old lady that belongs to the cat is not helping to convince him that he's not dead. Not when she talks whether he says anything or not, and sometimes she answers questions he hasn't asked, and sometimes she doesn't answer things he did ask.

Not when she's equally unafraid of both Fire and Earth. Of the soldiers in either color that drag their comrades through her doors, and some of them are polite but some of them threaten and yell. Zuko knows he should be more scared of the ones in green and brown, they're the enemy, they'll hurt him if they know--

"Oh," an Earth soldier says, having found him hiding under the table because he wasn't quiet enough wasn't out of the way enough wasn't good enough, "I didn't know she had a... son?"

"I'm a spirit," Zuko says, with all the seriousness of his latest fever relapse.

"...Definitely her son."

The cat is simpler. Zuko's first (allowed)-out-of-bed task is learning to prepare Miyuki's food. He gets it wrong. She lets him know, with an upturned nose, and no claws at all.

He starts helping more. With other things, like dragging in the bundles of goods that people leave as payment, because the old old woman's back makes bad noises when she leans over too far and she needs to let him do this. Also he's reorganizing her cabinets and she can't stop him, why is the feverfew in five different places.

Mistress Miyuki inspects his new system. She falls asleep in the soup pot on the second shelf, which is an endorsement the old old woman can't dispute.

He starts feeling less like the world is spinning. He hasn't had a fever relapse since autumn, and it's almost the spring again. He had to stay while the snow was so deep, the old old woman couldn't leave for supplies so someone had to (had to go down to the town past Pohuai Stronghold and not panic at all the people, all the red, all the casual displays of fire to keep warm in the cold and he couldn't couldn't couldn't--

"Oh, you're the Herbalist's... apprentice? Goodness, we were starting to get worried about her. Here, you'll need more flour, and some of these, and why don't you have mittens--"

Zuko comes back with way more than he set out for, and thick mittens muzzling his fingers, and no one seemed to think it was strange when he talked or when he didn't or when his voice stopped working half-way through. This would be strange for a prince, but was cheerfully tolerated in the maybe-apprentice-maybe-son of the old old woman.)

But. But winter was done now, and all her other patients left when they got better, so he should go too.

Probably.

He would.

Once he fixed the leaky roof ("Kid," a Fire soldier said, as he lay bandaged up in the sun on the porch because sun was good, even if Zuko had to drag his whole futon out because he wasn't supposed to walk, the old old woman had said so. "Kid, I don't know what you're doing up there, but it is not fixing a roof. Just... wait until my partner comes back, okay? I'll guilt him into helping.")

(His partner didn't know how to fix roofs either. But he did know a lot of swear words that no one had ever dared impart upon royal ears. And he knew firebending katas, and didn't notice Zuko copying him from the shadows at all.)

(He must have switched to the easier ones as a cool-down, that's all.)

But Zuko was definitely leaving. Once Sargeant Maihun stopped being an idiot, this was a place of healing and if he tried earthbending their other patients into the ground again Zuko was going to slam this door on his face and never let him or his people in again.

"Spirit," the Sargeant said, slow and patient like Zuko was stupid, "they're firebenders."

"So am I," Zuko scowled.

Which led to less immediate dying than Zuko probably should have expected in retrospect, but he was leaving soon anyway and he didn't know where he'd go so it wasn't like it mattered--

Miyuki curled up in his lap. Zuko sat between the recovering Fire soldiers on their sunny porch and the not-injured Earth soldiers the old old woman had smilingly bullied away from her new patients. Everyone was glaring at everyone else but Zuko's glare was the best.

"If you wake up Miyuki, I'm kicking you all out."

The cat dozed quite peacefully.

And then somehow it was winter again, and he was sitting in the front of a Pohuai supply cart as its komodo-rhino trudged through the snow.

"Thank you," Zuko said, when they got to town.

"Don't mention it. Remember, Pohuai's closer if the weather gets really bad. We can spare some supplies for you two."

And it was spring again and is was two years since Before and Miyuki spent That Day knocking everything off the counters whenever he started to think too hard, because she was definitely a spirit, possibly one of chaotic good.

Then it was winter again. The snow was late this year. And Zuko had a hard time telling red and green apart, but bright orange was new.

"That's Miyuki's dinner," Zuko scowled. "And you can't just say 'my friends are sick,' what are their symptoms?"

Which is how he ended up chipping through the ice layer on an old laundry tub behind the greenhouse, and fishing out frozen frogs, and following an airbender up the mountain to an abandoned temple.

"What's your name? I'm Aang!"

"...Spirit."

Miyuki let him go with only a final dismissive sniff, as if terminating an adequate but ultimately replaceable servant. Which shouldn't have been prophetic, but was.

#and then they discovered he was a Good Firebender #and everything went to shit #RIP Zuko's quiet life #Miyuki Adopts Zuko #Herbalist Doesn't Accidentally Kill Small Child Suddenly Living With Her #herbalist!Zuko

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beifongsss · 5 years ago

Text

playing with fire pt. 2 [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader

Summary: You’re a Fire Nation citizen who saves Sokka and Katara from some angry villagers. Aang “convinces” you to come along with them, finding your knowledge of the nation useful. Not everything is smooth sailing though as both Water Tribe siblings have their doubts about you.

this will be a series :D this marks the beginning of book 2.

w.c.~5.7k

prologue. one.

.masterlist.

The four of you spent the next few days in the Northern Water Tribe to help the community rebuild and to pay your respects to Princess Yue.

Arnook had held a festival to celebrate Yue’s life, claiming that she would hate to see her tribe in such a sullen mood. Deep down you knew he was right, but that didn’t change the fact that your heart ached whenever you heard her name. A lot of your time was spent walking around alone, helping out whenever you could. You still felt immense guilt over what had occurred even if Arnook had publicly declared you to be an ally of the Northern Water Tribe.

You grunted softly as you helped an old woman clean up her shop, the fallen sign being just a bit too heavy for you due to your injuries.

“Woah! Hey, let me help you.”

The weight lessened as the sign was taken from you. You glanced up to see Sokka, holding the sign with ease.

“You shouldn’t be lifting heavy things. Not when you’re injured,” Sokka stated before turning to the old woman. She smiled at him, directing him where to put the sign and he nodded before doing ass told.

She came up to you next, patting your shoulder softly as a smile spread across her face. “You have a good boy. Don’t let him go.”

You blushed at her words, shaking your head immediately. “He’s not- We’re not...together.”

The woman’s eyes widened but before she could say anything, Sokka returned. She thanked the two of you before turning around and heading back into her shop, leaving you alone. You started to walk away, Sokka rushing to catch up to you before falling into step with you. A silence enveloped the two of you, but it wasn’t awkward. Ever since Yue...

Ever since you had lost the princess, the two of you had begun to spend more time together, much to Katara’s annoyance. It had been an accident, to be honest. Both you and Sokka had trouble sleeping after losing Yue, feeling as if you had failed both her and the Northern Water Tribe. He had joined you on one of the bridges in the city one sleepless night, the two of you enjoying each other’s company as you stared up at the moon.

The two of you eventually began to talk. There was something about standing on the empty bridge in the middle of the night that made baring all your feelings easier. It was during these midnight chats that Sokka revealed why he was so full of guilt.

He told you all about how he felt inadequate in the Southern Water Tribe; the only son of the chief who couldn’t even protect his home when Zuko arrived looking for the Avatar. He told you about how he tried to be the best warrior possible, desperate to protect his home and Katara, his sister and his tribe’s last waterbender. After a few more nights, he revealed that the reason he was so torn up about Yue wasn’t because of the brief fling he had had with her. No, it was because his failure to save the princess had brought back all those feelings of inadequateness. Sure, his heart ached slightly due to the feelings he had held for her but he was old enough to know that what he felt was mere infatuation. He had admitted that her words kept replaying in his head, wondering what was the “change” she had mentioned and telling you that he wasn’t too worried. He was already traveling with the Avatar and being hunted by the Fire Nation. At this point there was no “change” that could scare him. You pretended not to notice that he didn’t talk about the whole “being afraid to love” part of Yue’s goodbye.

In return, you opened up to him about your feelings as well. The main topic was always your guilt; the guilt you felt at being part of the nation that had ruined so many lives, guilt at running from home, guilt from knowing that no matter what you did, you would never be able to make up for the mistakes of your past. You told why meeting Yue was so important to you, telling him about how it was the first time someone from another nation had treated you normally and trusted you. And you had let her down. You hadn’t been able to stop Zhao from killing Tui. You told him a little bit more about you running away from home, telling him that you feared ever going back because you knew that you would be punished severely. You had run away from your responsibilities and that was not something to be taken lightly in your family.

The two of you made your way back to your campground silently, earning yourself a smile from Aang and a glare from Katara when you arrived. You packed up your things, knowing that it was time to leave, and prepped Appa after bowing to Master Pakku as he said his goodbyes. Within a few minutes, you were off to Omashu to find King Bumi so that he could teach Aang earthbending.

The only pit stop you made was at an Earth Kingdom outpost, where General Fong tried to convince Aang to fight the Fire Lord in the Avatar state. The issue had caused a lot of disagreement within your group, with Sokka and Aang agreeing with the General and you and Katara wanting Aang to wait until he had mastered all four elements.

“I told the general I’d help him,” Aang said, entering the room where you were all staying. “By going into the Avatar State.”

“Aang, no!” Katara exclaimed, standing up. “This is not the right way!”

“Why not?” Sokka asked, placing his arms behind his head while he laid on the bed. “Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible!”

“There's a right way to do this,” Katara said sharply, glaring at her brother. “Practice, study, and discipline!”

“Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord!”

“(Y/N), what do you think?” Aang asked, turning to face you with a lost expression. You stared at him wide-eyed, not knowing what to say. Aang noticed and walked up to you. “You’re a part of our group now, and I want to hear your opinion.”

The Water Tribe siblings stopped their bickering as they turned to face you as well. Sokka had a smug smile on his face, coming up and wrapping his arm around your shoulders as you kept your gaze on Aang. Katara stood with her arms crossed, glaring at you as she waited to hear your response.

“Um, well,” you stuttered for a bit before taking a deep breath. “Aang, I agree with Katara.”

Immediately, Sokka’s arm dropped from around you and he stared at you with betrayal. Katara’s jaw dropped before she gave you a tiny smile, glad that someone was taking her side. Aang simply looked at you curiously before motioning for you to continue.

“Aang, there’s a reason the Avatar has to master all four elements,“ you said, avoiding Sokka’s gaze. “You can’t rely on the Avatar State because what if something goes wrong? I want the Fire Lord defeated as much as you do but the correct way to do it is by mastering the rest of the elements. Besides, you yourself said that you don’t know how to control the Avatar State. Don’t do something just because some bossy old general wants you to.”

“People are getting hurt or dying because of this war,” Aang said. “And it’s all my fault. You don’t understand.”

It was silent for a moment before you placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning down to catch his gaze. “Aang, people have been dying long before you were alive and they will continue to die long after you’re gone. This war is not your fault. You have a choice about how to confront the Fire Lord and whether or not you choose to use the Avatar State, just know that I will be there to support you, okay?”

Aang stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding and leaving the room. Katara followed after him, pausing for a few seconds to turn around and look at you. “Thanks.”

You stared after her in shock. Sure, she had said one word but in your eyes that was much better than all the glares you had been receiving from her.

“What was that?” Sokka asked once you were alone, still gaping at you.

“What was what?” you asked, walking to your bed.

“I thought you were going to have my back, not my sister’s,” Sokka proclaimed, following you.

“Sokka,” you sighed, turning to face the boy. “We both know that the Avatar State is a large gamble. What if he can’t access it when he confronts Ozai? He’s the Avatar for a reason. He’ll learn how to master all four elements and he will succeed.”

“You’re just trying to delay us,” Sokka said. “You don’t want to see the Fire Nation fall.”

Your eyes widened before they narrowed dangerously, your glare making the Water Tribe boy shift in discomfort. You stepped forwards, poking a finger into his chest harshly. “I don’t need any of this from you. I thought we were friends Sokka. I’m sorry for thinking about Aang’s well-being. Did you know that he has nightmares about being in the Avatar State?”

This time it was Sokka’s eyes that widened at your words. He knew that Aang hadn’t been sleeping well but he had no idea what his nightmares were about. He winced slightly as he remembered his earlier words, stuttering as he tried to apologize.

“Next time,” you began, effectively shutting the boy up. “Worry less about where my loyalties lie and worry more about your friend.”

You stormed out before he could say another word, leaving him to sigh deeply and throw himself on to his bed as he thought about how to apologize.

Katara had yelled at him when he told her what he had said, not that she’d ever admit to defending someone from the Fire Nation.

A few days had passed since you had left the outpost. Much to yours and Katara’s relief, Aang had declined the general’s suggestion after his tactics to activate the Avatar State had gotten a little too aggressive.

You hadn’t spoken to Sokka since the day of your argument, even though he had tried to corner you multiple times. You weren’t angry with him anymore, just upset over what he had said. Aang and Katara had noticed the distance between the two of you, especially when you began speaking to Momo. The two of you always spent your free time together. As nonbenders, you often had nothing to do while Aang and Katara trained which resulted in a lot of quality time with each other.

Currently, all of you were relaxing in a lake surrounded by tall cliffs. Aang and Katara were practicing their waterbending while Sokka floated on a large leaf, Momo curled up on his stomach. Appa was in the water as well, floating on his back as you sunbathed on his stomach.

You tuned out Sokka’s nagging as you enjoyed the warmth, occasionally getting splashed when Aang and Katara sparred.

“Da, da, da. Don't fall in love with the traveling girl. She'll leave you broke and brokenhearted. Hey, river people!”

You sat up when you heard a new voice, panicking slightly when Appa began to roll over onto his feet.

“Appa, wait!” you cried, trying to scramble off the sky bison. “Don’t t-”

Your words were cut off as Appa disregarded your words, rolling over completely and dropping you into the water. You fell onto Sokka’s legs, causing him to tumble into the water as well. Momo screeched in panic as he managed to get away.

Sokka yanked you out of the water, making sure you were okay before guiding you over to Katara and Aang. He looked at the newcomers suspiciously. “Who are you?”

“I'm Chong and this is my wife, Lily,” the man with the lute-like instrument said. “We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us!”

You slinked away, eager to change into dry clothing while everyone else was distracted. When you got back to the group, Aang patted the space next to him and smiled widely. You sunk into Appa’s soft fur, smiling as Aang excitedly put on the flower crown they had made for him. Lily sat next to you soon after, asking if she could place flowers in your hair. You nodded softly, allowing the woman to decorate your hair as she wished. When she was done, she did the same thing to Katara, weaving flowers into her dark strands as she braided it.

“Hey, Sokka, you should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere!” Aang said happily as Sokka approached.

“Well not everywhere, Little Arrowhead,” Chong said as he stopped playing his lute. “But where we haven't been, we've heard about through stories and songs.”

“They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler!” Aang exclaimed.

“On the way, there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow!” another nomad, Moku, said dreamily.

“Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy,” Sokka said shortly, shooting a glare at his sister as she shot one back. “I guess it's up to me. We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms and definitely no rainbows.”

“Wow, sounds like someone has a case of destination fever. You're worried too much about where you're going,” Chong said easily.

“You got to focus less on the ‘where’ and more on the ‘going’,” Lily added, accidentally tugging Katara’s hair as she gestured with her hands.

“Yeah, Sokka!” Aang said, leaning back on Appa. “Relax for a bit. Look at this flower crown they made me! And look at (Y/N)’s hair! Doesn’t she look pretty?”

You smiled at the Air Nomad softly, being met with a large grin. Sokka, on the other hand, sputtered for a moment as he tried to hide his blush and avoid looking at you.

“O. Ma. Shu!” Sokka finally enunciated, cheeks still blazing and keeping his stern gaze on Aang.

“Sokka’s right,” you finally said, patting Aang’s head and missing the grateful look Sokka shot at you. “We need to find King Bumi, so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe.”

“Sounds like you’re heading to Omashu,” Chong stated, causing Sokka to facepalm in frustration. You held back a giggle at the situation. “There's an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains.’

“Is this real or a legend?” Katara asked skeptically.

“Oh, it's a real legend. And it's as old as earthbending itself.” Chong stated before strumming his lute. “Two lovers, forbidden from one another, the war divides their people and the mountain divides them apart! Built a path to be together! Yeah, I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes ... Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountains, secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! Yeah!”

You all looked at each other uncertainly before Sokka crossed his arms and turned to Chong. “I think we'll just stick with flying. We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine.”

“Yeah, thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground,” Aang added, flashing a smile. “And we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable.”

The four of you bid the nomads goodbye and took off... only to return when you ran into an army of Fire Nation soldiers.

“Secret lovers cave,” Sokka muttered as you rejoined the nomads, annoyance clear on his face. “Let’s go.”

Aang was way too confident for someone who was trapped in an underground labyrinth. After you had reached the tunnels, the Fire Nation had caught up to your group and blown up the entrance, effectively shutting you all in. On the bright side, Chong had remembered the rest of the song.

After taking inventory of all your supplies, Sokka had suggested making a map to keep track of your steps. You had immediately agreed, stating that it was a smart choice. Everyone else had agreed as well, not having any better ideas. After the tenth dead end, however, you began to regret letting Sokka take the lead.

“Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to!” Katara cried exasperatedly. You nodded along with her statement, feeling a bit frustrated.

“This doesn't make sense. We already came through this way,” Sokka said, looking at the map in confusion. You peered over his shoulder to get a better look and he angled the parchment towards you. He looked at you before swallowing and looking away hurriedly. You were closer than he had thought you were.

“He’s right,” you chimed. “According to this, we’ve been through here already.”

“You don’t need a map,” Chong said as he breezed past. “We just need love. The little guy knows it.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map also,” Aang said meekly.

“There's something strange here. There's only one explanation,” Sokka said, turning to face the group. “The tunnels are changing!”

You opened your mouth to tell him off, not getting the chance to do so as the tunnel began to shake.

“The tunnels, they're a-changin',” Chong said frantically as you all began to get closer together. “It must be the curse! I knew we shouldn't have come down here!”

“Right, if only we listened to you,” Sokka said sarcastically. You swatted his arm.

“Everyone be quiet,” Katara yelled suddenly. “Listen.”

Momo settled onto your shoulder, chittering softly as he gripped your hair. You stood next to Sokka, the two of you staring into the dark tunnel. You tensed when you heard a growl coming from the darkness, Momo flying away and landing on Appa who was farther away. Sokka grabbed your wrist and pulled you behind him, raising the torch to get a better look. Everyone panicked when something flew out from the tunnel. You stayed still, Sokka’s hand still on your wrist as everyone else began to run around.

“It’s a giant flying thing with teeth!” Chong yelled, rushing past you.

“No!” Moku replied, ducking onto the ground. “It’s a wolfbat!”

The wolfbat flew around, occasionally diving down towards the group. When it dove towards you, Sokka panicked and swung the torch at the creature. The sudden movement caused cinders from the torch to land on Appa, who began to panic and run around.

“Watch out!” you cried, tackling Katara as a chunk of earth fell where she was standing.

“Hey! What-” her words died down as she saw the chunk of earth, her face losing color as she realized what had happened. “Oh, thanks.”

You nodded in return before running off, pushing Lily out of harm’s way as well. Appa was still running around and he managed to hit the ceiling hard enough to make the tunnel collapse completely.

“(Y/N)! Watch out!” Aang cried. You looked up to see the ceiling begin to fall, panic taking over and rooting you to the spot. Aang watched in horror, unable to airbend you out of the way as the tunnel began to collapse around him as well.

A strangled gasp left your throat as someone threw you to the side before landing on top of you. The tunnel completely collapsed afterwards, leaving the two of you separated from the rest of the group.

“Are you okay?” Sokka asked roughly, scrambling to his feet before helping you up. You nodded wordlessly, rubbing at your shoulder before looking around. Sokka walked over to the torch he had dropped when saving you, picking it up before turning and walking to the pile of rocks. You watched silently as he tried to dig his way out of there, knowing that there was no way the two of you were going to rejoin the group without an earthbender. Or a badgermole you thought to yourself.

“Sokka, stop,” you whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed up under your touch, causing you to immediately retract your hand. You turned around, facing the dark tunnel behind you. Seeing no other option, you began to walk forwards, hoping that the tunnel would lead you somewhere.

“What are you doing?” Sokka asked, grabbing your hand and pulling you back. “We have to get back to the others.”

You pulled your hand away from him, shooting him a lazy glare. “Look, unless Aang magically happens to master earthbending in the next five minutes, we’re trapped. Our best choice right now is to continue walking.”

Sokka grumbled under his breath before walking away, lighting the path with the torch. The two of you walked in tense silence for a few minutes, both of you too awkward to start a conversation.

“(Y/N)-”

“Sokka-”

The two of you spoke at the same time, flushing slightly when you met each other’s eyes before chuckling softly.

“(Y/N) I wanted to apologize for what I said at the outpost,” Sokka said, coming to a stop in front of you. “I know you’re angry but I wanted you to know that you were right. I wasn’t concerned about Aang’s well-being even though I should’ve been. It was wrong of me to not listen to you or Katara because you had a point; Aang still has time to master the remaining three elements and he’ll be able to do it. I just- it just sucks that we’re caught in a war, y’know? I want it to end before I lose anyone else I love. I’m sorry.”

“Sokka, I wasn’t angry at you,” you whispered, not meeting his eyes.

“You weren’t?”

“Ok... I was,” you admitted, glancing at him. “But I got over it pretty quickly. I was just really upset because you questioned my loyalty. I know that the Fire Nation can be evil. They’ve done so many things to the other nations but they’ve also ruined things within their own nation. I’m from the capital city, Sokka. There’s a reason I ran and it’s because things just kept getting worse. Yes, I’m Fire Nation, but that doesn’t mean that I’m the enemy. I accept your apology, you dork. Now, we should probably keep walking before that torch burns out.”

Sokka gave you a sheepish smile before turning around and moving forwards. You stayed close to him hoping that nothing else would crawl out of the tunnels.

“(Y/N), can I ask you something?” Sokka asked, breaking the silence once again. You nodded silently, motioning for him to continue.

“This has been bugging me since the North Pole, but I didn’t want to bring it up so soon after-” Sokka paused for a second, not wanting to mention Yue. “Um, why did Zuko’s uncle recognize you? And why did he tell Zhao he had to listen to you? And most importantly, how do you know Zuko?”

You flinched slightly. You knew he was going to bring that up, it had only been a matter of time. Sighing, you looked at him. “The truth?”

“The truth,” Sokka replied, nodding his head firmly.

“The truth is that I was trained to be a Fire Nation soldier from the day I was old enough to hold a sword,” you said quietly. “My father is a well-known admiral, Ozai’s right-hand man. When I showed an interest in combat, Ozai decided to do us a favor and let me train with the best of the best. I was good with a bow and arrow but I really stood out with sword fighting. When I was old enough, I joined the army.”

“That still doesn’t explain the whole Zhao situation,” Sokka stated softly.

“When I was fifteen, I stumbled upon some battle plans of my dad,” you continued. “They contained a lot of flaws, even if he couldn’t see them. I fixed them for him and when Ozai found out, he had me join a group of high-ranking officers to plan invasions. Zhao was one of them. I don’t know why I was so good at planning invasions, but whenever Zhao and I disagreed, he would go to Ozai. The Fire Lord would always agree with me, which pissed Zhao off to no end.”

Sokka chuckled at your words. “So that’s why? Zhao had to listen to you because you were ‘Fire Lord approved’?”

“I guess so, yeah,” you replied, chuckling along with him.

“What about Zuko?” Sokka asked. “How do you know him?”

“I already told you, Sokka,” you replied. “I trained with the best of the best. That meant training in the palace. Zuko was my sparring partner growing up.”

Sokka’s jaw dropped. “You had to spend time with the angry prince?!”

“He wasn’t so bad growing up,” you said, laughing lightly. “We were pretty good friends up until I left.”

“Why’d you leave?” Sokka asked suddenly. You continued to walk in silence for a few seconds, causing Sokka to think he had made a mistake by asking. The two of you reached a cavern, the path you were on separating into two tunnels. You looked at each other uncertainly before glancing at both tunnels. You squinted at the tunnel on the right, seeing a faint glow coming from it.

“Let’s go this way,” you said, nudging Sokka. He looked at you and then at both tunnels before sighing and nodding. He was just about to apologize for his question when you spoke up.

“I left because of my father,” you admitted quietly. Sokka stayed silent, keeping his eyes forward as he allowed you to speak. “He once took me with him when he was leading an invasion. He said that I had to experience battle if I was ever going to take his place. It- It was awful, Sokka.”

Sokka glanced at you, seeing the downcast expression on your face. You glanced at him for a second before continuing. “It was a small Earth Kingdom town. The soldiers were barely older than I was. They had surrendered, the Fire Nation had won. But they said that their surrender was dishonorable and they slaughtered them anyway. I couldn’t stay there, not when I knew that was what my nation was doing. So I ran. I settled into the town you found me in and stayed there for a few months. And now I’m here. Stuck in a cave with you.”

Sokka smiled slightly. “It could be worse, you could be stuck with Chong and his group.”

You laughed at his words and bumped him with your shoulder. “I guess you’re right. You’re not the worst person to be stuck in a cave with.”

Sokka’s cheeks burned at your words and he distracted himself by looking at the torch, which was running dangerously low. You followed his line of sight, biting the inside of your cheek as the torch began to dwindle down to nothing. A few minutes later, it went out, a curl of smoke rising up into the air.

“Now would be a really good time for you to say you’re a firebender,” Sokka jested, stopping to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. You chuckled weakly, bumping into him by accident.

“Spirits! I’m so sorry,” you whispered, grabbing onto Sokka’s arm. You swallowed harshly before sliding your hand down his arm, reaching his hand and intertwining your fingers with his.

“I-It’s okay,” Sokka said. He was glad it was dark in the tunnel, that way you wouldn’t see his blush. You did, however, feel him stiffen up.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized, slipping your hand out of his. “It’s silly but I’m a little scared of the dark and the torch went out so suddenly and-”

“It’s alright,” Sokka whispered, tugging your hand back to his. “I’m right here okay? I’m not going anywhere.”

You nodded before realizing he couldn’t see you. The two of you kept walking hand in hand, trying to feel your way through the tunnel. You could feel your fear intensifying, gripping Sokka’s hand more tightly as you moved forward.

“Did I ever tell you how we met Aang?” Sokka asked suddenly. He squeezed your hand softly, waiting for you to answer.

“N-No,” you replied.

“Well it happened because I made Katara angry,” Sokka said, laughing breathlessly. He could feel you loosening up and smiled softly, glad that he was managing to distract you. “We were out fishing and we got caught in the current. Our canoe got destroyed and we were stranded on a small iceberg. I made some dumb comment about her causing us to get stranded and Katara got angry, telling me that I was rude and sexist. Her waterbending got out of control and she shattered this huge iceberg that was floating behind her. Inside of it was Aang and Appa.”

You smiled at his voice. He was pretty good at storytelling. He continued to keep you distracted as you walked through the tunnel, telling you stories about his childhood in the South Pole and talking about his mother and father before telling you about all the adventures the Gaang had had before you joined. He was in the middle of telling you about their adventures at the Northern Air Temple when you reached another cavern. The words died in Sokka’s throat as you looked around, the ceiling of the cavern covered in various glowing crystals.

“Wow,” you breathed, looking around in amazement.

“What are these?” Sokka asked.

“These are our way out,” you said in realization. Sokka looked at you confused. “This is how the two lovers found their way through the tunnels! By letting the crystals guide them!”

Sokka’s eyes widened in realization before smiling and wrapping you up in a hug. “We’re finally going to get out of here!”

You laughed as he twirled you around before putting you down.

“The two lovers put their trust in their love and by doing so they were able to find their way through the tunnels by using the crystals as guides,” you said. You looked up at Sokka giving him a teasing look. “I guess Chong was right. Love does lead the way.”

Sokka looked at you as you laughed at your words, thinking about all the time he had spent with you over the past few weeks. Your words rang in his head as he thought about just how well he had gotten to know you. He knew about your past, about your qualms with the way the Fire Nation operated. He knew about your little quirks, especially after all the time spent together while Aang and Katara trained. He thought about how you sat and listened to him, genuinely caring about what he had to say and always knowing what to say in response.

All of a sudden, the fact that the two of you had gotten trapped in the Cave of Two Lovers together was no coincidence.

“Sokka?” you asked quietly, noticing that the boy had suddenly gone quiet. “Sokka, are you okay?”

Sokka nodded, his eyes searching your face for a few seconds before he leaned down. Your eyes fluttered shut as his face neared yours, his arms still wrapped around you from the hug you had shared earlier. You felt yourself melt into his touch, your heart speeding up when you felt his lips brush over yours. You were just about to lean up and fully press your lips to his when the cavern began to rumble.The two of you quickly separated, eyes widening when the cavern walls fell to reveal a large animal.

“Quick! Get behind me!” Sokka yelled, trying to shield you from the flying rock. You peered over his shoulder, eyes widening when you saw the badgermole.You ducked under Sokka’s arm, walking up to the giant creature. Sokka’s eyes widened at your actions. “(Y/N)! What are you doing?”

“This is a badgermole, Sokka,” you explained, walking up to the animal. You paused for a moment, not knowing what to do. You hesitantly extended a hand, giggling when the badgermoles pressed its snout into it. “It’s our ticket out of here.”

Sokka gaped at you as you climbed onto the badgermole, only turning to wave him over. He quickly got on behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist to steady himself. You ignored the heavy blush on your cheeks as you stroked the badgermole’s back.

“Hey, Mister Badgermole?” you asked, ignoring Sokka’s bewildered gaze. “We’re kind of stuck in here. Do you think you could help us get back to our friends?”

“Really?” Sokka asked, giving you an amused look. You shrugged, a bashful look on your face. All of a sudden, the badgermole began to move and you held on tightly. Within a few minutes, you were surrounded by bright light.

“(Y/N)! Sokka! You guys got out.”

You looked down, seeing Aang, Katara, and the nomads. You gave them a cheesy grin, sliding off of the badgermole. “Sure did! Sokka and I got out by letting love lead the way.”

“Really?” Aang asked excitedly.

You and Sokka glanced at each other briefly, both of you looking away with rosy cheeks before you replied. “The badgermole was a huge help too.”

Katara looked at the two of you suspiciously as you approached them. You went over to pet Appa and Momo as Aang went to say goodbye to the nomads. When she was sure you weren’t paying attention, she turned to her brother. “So, what actually happened in there?”

Sokka’s eyes widened and he floundered for a few seconds before opening his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Chong.

“Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you,” the nomad said before pointing at Aang. “I think that kid might be the Avatar!”

You looked over at Sokka just in time to see him facepalm, causing you to giggle quietly. Sokka shot you a halfhearted glare before smiling softly at your laugh.

All he could think about was what had happened in the cavern.

taglist!

atla: @musicalkeys, @mywigglybaby, @bubblebars, @iguessthefloorislava, @dekahg, @boxofteenageideas, @bottledcostcowater, @butterflycore, @coldlilheart, @the-firebender-girl, @ajediherowitchrunner, @lammello, @astroninaaa, @samsmultifandomblogs, @sadskater25, @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak, @eternallyvenus

pwf: @ilovespideyyy, @binaryssunsets, @a----rag, @existing-but-nonexistent, @milk-n-cheese, @itsthatsadbitch, @nin-tendou, @honey-ruel, @reclusive-chicken-nugget, @teenbiology, @davnwillcome

#sokka x reader #atla sokka x reader #sokka #atla sokka #avatar #avatar: tla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar x reader #aang #katara #toph #toph beifong #zuko #prince zuko #sokka imagine #atla #atla x reader #avatar imagine

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reinerispretty · 4 years ago

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beneath the moon. (sokka x f!reader) pt16

hiiiii everyone :) i am back! i’ve finished my finals for the semester and i am so so excited to continue these fics! i’ll admit i was experiencing some major burnout and just overall not having fun anymore but i think having my worst semester ever be over will help a lot hehe!!

pt1

pt15

pt17

“We’re coming back for them,” Sokka reassured her. “We just have to get Appa first, and then we’ll all escape.”

(Y/N) looked back toward the palace. It made her uneasy to leave her friends when they might need her, even if it was only for a moment. She looked at Sokka once more, taking his hand in hers and squeezing. “You guys go ahead, I’m going to find them.”

“(Y/N)!” Sokka whisper-shouted after her, but (Y/N) couldn’t just go with them and hope that her friends would be okay, or that they would know what was going on.

The Southern Water Tribe armor that (Y/N) wore on her back weighed a few pounds, slowing her down as she ran over to Aang and Appa. Sokka reached him first and (Y/N) could hear their two voices but not the words they were saying. Sokka turned to look at her, his face contorted in an expression of anger, fear, and sadness, and her stomach dropped. “What’s going on?” She asked once she finally reached them.

Aang looked panicked. “Katara’s in trouble! We have to leave now!”

“Okay,” (Y/N) said with a breath. As scary as the prospect of Katara being in danger was, her own emotions would have to be put aside. “We’ll say goodbye and then we’ll head out.”

“There’s no time!” Aang insisted, and (Y/N) glared at him. Sokka had literally just reunited with his father, his hero, and the moment was being ripped from him. The least they could do was let him say goodbye. Katara was strong, she’d be alright. Or at least, that was what (Y/N) had to keep telling herself.

“Sokka, tell your dad thank you for his hospitality,” (Y/N) said with a slight smile. “We’ll see him again soon.” Sokka ran back to his father and (Y/N) turned back to Aang. “You,” She said, jabbing her finger at him. “Need to calm down.” She grabbed his hand and lifted herself onto Appa’s back, flopping over awkwardly in the saddle from her armor. “I know you’re in love with Katara, but she’ll be okay until we can get there. She’s one of the best fighters I know.”

Aang’s face paled. “W-what are you talking about? I’m just worried about my friend.”

“Yeah, yeah,” (Y/N) muttered. Her eyes caught Sokka as he jogged back over to them. “I’m just worried about my friend, too.”

Once Sokka was on Appa’s back, they flew off back toward Ba Sing Se, the afternoon sun behind them. Aang confessed that he didn’t know the details of what was happening to Katara, only that he had seen a vision of her being in trouble. “Normally I’d call you ridiculous,” Sokka said as he lay in a starfish position on the saddle. “But Avatar powers always prove me wrong so I’ll just shut up.”

“Did you guys manage to convince the Southern Water Tribe to go to the North, at least?” Aang asked. (Y/N) shrugged.

“I’m not sure how many of them were fully convinced.”

“I don’t know if they’ll go now that we’re not there,” Sokka said. “(Y/N) was the only reason they were even starting to consider it.”

“It would have been a nice accomplishment, but they don’t even teach women anything beyond healing. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to leave the city so exposed.” (Y/N) sighed. “Would have been nice though, so give Hahn another punch in the nose for challenging my claim to the throne.”

“You’re thinking about going back to rule?” Aang asked.

“You never told me that,” Sokka looked at her with furrowed brows.

“The war will be over at some point,” She said quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement down below. She leaned over the side of Appa’s saddle to see the earth moving in a rather unnatural way. “What is that?” She asked Aang.

He swooped Appa down toward the movement and there, at the base of it all, was a familiar tiny girl, surfing across the rock. “Hey!” Sokka called out to Toph. “Need a ride?” Toph flailed at the sound, losing her focus and falling to the ground. Aang, Sokka, and (Y/N) winced at her fall.

“Are you okay?” (Y/N) called out, but before she knew it Toph was barreling toward them. She had used her earthbending to launch herself in the air and the three of them all scrambled to catch her safely. Toph crash landed on (Y/N), sending her rolling onto the other side of Appa’s saddle. She sat up quickly, an angered expression on her face.

“Don’t scare me like that!” She said into the empty air where she thought Sokka would be.

“Sorry,” Sokka said from the opposite side of the saddle. (Y/N) coughed as she sat up, trying to gain back the air that had been knocked out of her. The armor had protected her a bit, but although Toph was small, she was as dense as the rock she bended.

“What happened to meeting with your mom?” Aang asked, and Toph frowned.

“It was a trap,” Toph grumbled. “Two idiots captured me. Unluckily for them, I invented metalbending.”

Sokka laughed, but it slowly faded when he realized that no one else was joining him. “You’re not...you’re not joking?”

“Toph!” (Y/N) exclaimed, grasping her friend by the arms. “That’s so exciting! You invented metalbending--that’s supposed to be impossible!” She engulfed Toph in a hug and squeezed tightly.

“Get off of me!” Toph protested, squirming in (Y/N’s) arms. (Y/N) released her, but the smile on her face never faded. “But yeah,” Toph smirked. “It’s pretty cool of me. What about you, Aang? How’d it go with the guru? Did you master the Avatar State?”

(Y/N) had meant to ask Aang about that as well, but had gotten distracted. All three of them turned to look at him, but he stared off into the distance. “Aang?” Sokka asked, and the young boy tensed, turning back to stare at his friends.

“Yep, everything good with the guru! Avatar State, completely mastered,” He said with a slight laugh. (Y/N) and Sokka exchanged a confused look.

They landed at their house in the city and rushed inside. They were immediately greeted by Momo, who had crawled onto Aang’s shoulders as soon as they entered. Toph flattened her feet against the floor of the house. “There’s no one else here.”

“I knew it!” Aang exclaimed. “Katara is in trouble!”

“Oh no,” Sokka breathed. (Y/N) opened her mouth to reassure her friends, but she closed it quickly when she realized it would be no use. She knew it in her heart that Katara was in trouble and the longer they waited the further away they were from saving her.

“Wait! Someone’s at the door,” Toph said, and a second later a knock sounded against the thick wood. “Actually, I know who it is. It’s an old friend.” Before (Y/N) could inquire just exactly who Toph could have become friends with, she opened the door, revealing General Iroh.

Now normally, upon seeing a member of the Fire Nation, (Y/N) would whip out her water from the pack at her hip and immediately start fighting. But although it had been months since she had last seen him, she remembered his face. He was there the night Yue had died. He had fought against a member of his own nation in order to protect the Moon Spirit. He had fought alongside them against Azula just a few weeks prior, when she had been hunting their group through the Earth Kingdom countryside. It was safe to say that she was rather conflicted over her opinion of General Iroh, but she figured no one who had come to attack them would knock first.

“I need your help,” He said, looking gravely at the four of them. At her side, Aang and Sokka took their fighting stances while Toph simply waved. (Y/N) remained rather relaxed.

“You know him?” Aang questioned Toph.

“Yeah! We met in the woods and I knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and some very good advice.”

“Toph, I think the next time you meet our enemies in the woods, you should share it with us.” (Y/N) stared down at her friend, but it had no effect on her.

“I can’t tell someone’s an enemy by their feet,” Toph scoffed.

“May I come in?” Iroh asked, entering the home once Toph gave him permission. “Princess Azula is in Ba Sing Se.”

“She must have Katara.” Aang’s brows furrowed in anger. (Y/N) had only met Azula a handful of times, but one time was too many with the evil Princess of the Fire Nation.

“She has my nephew as well,” Iroh said.

“Then we’ll work together to save Katara and Zuko,” Aang said very decidedly, resulting in Sokka blinking his eyes in confusion.

“I’m sorry, you lost me at ‘Zuko,’” He said. Iroh placed a hand on Sokka’s shoulder.

“I know you do not like my nephew, but I promise that there is good inside of him.” Sokka shook Iroh’s hand off of him.

“Good inside of him isn’t enough! Come back when the good’s outside of him, too.”

“Katara’s in trouble!” Aang said, perhaps the most serious that (Y/N) had ever seen him. “All of Ba Sing Se’s in trouble. We have to work together.”

Sokka’s blue eyes flickered to meet (Y/N’s), the edge of his eyebrow raising as he silently asked her opinion. She spread out her hands and shrugged. “We’re supposed to help people, Sokka.” He inhaled a deep breath before nodding.

“I brought someone along who might be able to help.” Iroh led them outside, where a Dai Li agent was tied up and gagged on their front steps.

“Oh dear,” (Y/N) said, surprised at the sight. Iroh removed the gag from his mouth. It took very little to get him to talk.

“Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup! They’re going to overthrow the Earth King!”

“Where’s my sister?” Sokka demanded, gathering the Dai Li’s shirt in his fist.

“In the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace!”

Their group traveled to just outside the palace, where Toph confirmed that there was indeed an ancient city beneath the present one. They decided to split up, Aang and Iroh would rescue Zuko and Katara, while Toph, Sokka, and (Y/N) would warn the Earth King about the coup.

The group of three ran up the stairs to the palace when they noticed General How making his way toward them. Sokka pulled both girls behind a pillar and they watched as the General was arrested by Dai Li agents. “The coup is happening right now,” Sokka whispered. “We’ve got to get to the Earth King.”

As silently and as carefully as possible, they ran to the throne room. Earth King Kuei sat pleasantly in his seat, his beloved bear Bosco at his side. They had made it, with only a few moments to spare.

The traditional green and gold colors of the Kyoshi Warriors flashed in front of (Y/N), landing just a few inches from Sokka’s face. “Hey there, cutie,” The warrior said, and both Sokka and (Y/N’s) faces reddened, albeit for different reasons.

“I’m uh,” Sokka stuttered, but Toph used her earthbending to fling the girl out of the way.

“They’re not the real Kyoshi Warriors!”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” said the familiar voice of the Fire Nation girl, Mai. She flung her daggers at (Y/N), but she waterbended a stream of water in front of her and froze it, catching the daggers within it. She melted the ice and the sharp pieces of metal clattered to the floor.

“I don’t really have any training in throwing daggers,” (Y/N) said as she picked them up. “But back home I used to throw spears to catch dinner. It’s kind of the same, right?” She used all of her force to throw a dagger back at Mai, missing her by only a few inches. The girl quickly darted for her, so (Y/N) had to think on her feet. She encased the daggers in a water bubble, freezing it as hard as she could and pelting it at Mai.

“This fight is over,” Azula said, drawing everyone’s attention to the center of the room, where she held a flame dagger against Kuei’s throat. (Y/N) looked to Sokka, who dropped his weapon and sank to the ground. She and Toph followed suit. Ty Lee fiercely jabbed at their backs and sides, effectively chi blocking all of them.

Dai Li agents lifted them to their wobbly legs, taking the friends, King Kuei, and Bosco to the lower levels of the palace, where the prisons were. They were tossed unceremoniously into their cell and had the door shut behind them, allowing for only a sliver of light to enter the room.

(Y/N) had been thrown in last, resulting in her being closest to the exit. Blinking her eyes to help them adjust to the darkness, she stared at the door, which was fashioned from thick metal to keep earthbenders in. “Toph,” (Y/N) called out. It would take a bit for them to regain their ability to use their limbs and bend, but there was still hope. Toph grunted in response, her face smushes against the floor of the cell. “The door is metal.”

Toph grinned into the darkness.

Once each member of their party had gained their mobility, they made sure the outside of the cell was completely free of Dai Lee agents before making their escape. The door loudly crunched beneath Toph’s hands and clattered even more loudly as she tossed it into the hallway. “I hope no one heard that,” King Kuei said.

“Let’s go,” Sokka ordered, and the four of them plus Bosco ran back up to the surface. Night had fallen while they had been imprisoned, allowing them to sneak around the palace grounds with little difficulty.

“We have to find Katara and Aang,” (Y/N) whispered, stopping in her tracks just before they were about to pass through the gates.

“We’re coming back for them,” Sokka reassured her. “We just have to get Appa first, and then we’ll all escape.”

“(Y/N)!” Sokka whisper-shouted after her, but (Y/N) couldn’t just go with them and hope that her friends would be okay, or that they would know what was going on. She first went to the spot where Iroh and Aang had disappeared into the ground. The hole they had created to travel to the catacombs had been covered up by Toph, so as to not draw unwanted attention to them. When (Y/N) didn’t see Aang or Katara there, she made quick laps around the palace, evading the sight of the Dai Lee.

Oddly enough, sneaking around the palace felt comforting to her. It reminded her of being back home and sneaking past her own guards, so that she could practice her waterbending through the night. Yue would be waiting up when she returned, a disappointed yet humored look on her face.

(Y/N) was nearly finished with her second lap around the palace when she spotted them. Encased in a beam of moonlight, Katara had Aang’s arm strung around her shoulders as she attempted to carry him to safety. (Y/N) ran forward, quietly calling out Katara’s name. The girl turned around, her eyes welling with tears. (Y/N) noticed immediately how limp Aang was in her arms. The edges of his clothes were singed and at the very base of his back was a raw and angry burn mark.

(Y/N’s) ears were ringing as she stared at Aang. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way that she could be losing yet another person she loved too soon. But here Aang was, his head slumped forward and all of his weight leaning into Katara’s body. She couldn’t see his body rising or falling with his breaths. Tears fell against her cheeks one by one, the shock settling in her bones.

Numbly, (Y/N) took Aang’s other arm and slung it around her own shoulder. She led Katara to the spot where she had left Sokka, and he, Toph, Kuei, and Bosco were all waiting atop Appa’s back. Sokka hopped down to help them. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” He said quietly, looking from Katara to (Y/N). It only took a few more seconds for his own realization to set in. “Let’s get him on Appa.”

They lifted him onto the air bison and took off, fleeing Ba Sing Se. Katara pulled out the small vial of water from the Spirit World Oasis. Master Pakku had given it to her before they left the North Pole. Carefully, she moved Aang onto his side and applied the water to his back. It glowed bright blue, as it water usually did when it was used for healing, but then the color suddenly faded. From all of her years of healing training, (Y/N) knew that could only mean one thing. A sob collected in her throat and her eyes welled with tears once more, her fingers curling tightly into the fabric of her clothes.

Then, as Katara held onto Aang, his tattoos began glowing the same bright blue as the Spirity World Water. He groaned lowly, just barely enough for anyone to hear, but all of his friends were listening so intently. His eyes opened just enough to look up at Katara. He gave her a small smile before slipping back into unconsciousness, his chest rising and falling with breath. (Y/N) let out a deep sigh of relief, wiping the tears from her face.

Toph remained toward the back of Appa with Katara and Aang, while (Y/N), Sokka, and King Kuei devised a plan about where they should head next. It was mostly just Sokka and (Y/N) coming up with a plan while King Kuei listened intently. “We should head back to Chameleon Bay,” Sokka said. “My dad might still be there.”

“And if he isn’t, we have a good enough view from Appa to see them if they’re anywhere else.”

They flew back to where they had been just a few hours prior and luckily, the men of the Southern Water Tribe remained where they had left them. Hakoda walked out to greet them, his face becoming grave once he saw the condition Aang was in.

“Katara,” He opened his arms to hug his daughter, but she ignored him, instead giving orders to the Water Tribe men about where exactly to place Aang and what she would need. Awkwardly, Hakoda turned to (Y/N) and Sokka. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon after you left.”

“Ba Sing Se has been taken by the Fire Nation,” Sokka said, very seriously for a boy of fifteen.

“Princess Azula has the Dai Li under her control,” (Y/N) said. “If we don’t act carefully, the rest of the Earth Kingdom might fall.”

“Sounds like we need a plan,” Hakoda said. He smiled down at his send. “Care to lead a war meeting?” Sokka met his father’s smile with one of his own. He nodded eagerly. “Meet me in my tent in a few minutes. I’m going to get some tents set up for you and your friends.”

(Y/N) grinned at Sokka, hitting his arm playfully with his fist. “Look at you! Soon you’ll be Commander Sokka or something like that.” He turned to look at her.

“What you did back in Ba Sing Se was risky, (Y/N). You could’ve been hurt.” (Y/N) scrunched her nose.

“I said you’ll be Commander Sokka soon, not right now.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I couldn’t leave them behind. It might not have been the move you would’ve done--”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t have. You can’t jeopardize your own life to try to save people.”

“If I hadn’t tried, there might not have been any lives to save!” (Y/N) snapped. “Katara was weak and Aang...Aang was dead, Sokka. I don’t care what you say. I know I did the right thing.”

Sokka opened his mouth to fire back, but stopped himself. He inhaled a deep breath. “You’re right. But you have to be more careful. Don’t think I didn’t notice your empty water pack.” For good measure, he squeezed the pack at her hip and nothing came out. She had used it all when fighting Mai. (Y/N) hadn’t even noticed that she was out of water.

“Sorry,” (Y/N) muttered, avoiding his gaze. She felt like she was in trouble. Sokka took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

“Come lead the meeting with me?” He was smiling down at her and (Y/N) rolled her eyes, her own smile appearing on her lips. Sometimes, being with Sokka felt so natural that it was so easy to get back to normal.

They remained with the men of the Southern Water Tribe. King Kuei would show off Bosco to anyone who would listen and eventually, the two set off to see the world. When Katara wasn’t healing Aang, she slept on a cot at his side, to make sure that he wouldn’t need anything throughout the night. She had all of her meals delivered to the tent. The only time anyone could talk to her was if they entered with her express permission.

Sokka and (Y/N) spent the majority of their time together. They attended war meeting after war meeting. They took their meals together so they could continue their discussions of how to best attack the Fire Nation during the eclipse. Some nights, they would fall asleep among their work.

Toph spent the majority of the time bouncing between Sokka, (Y/N), and Katara, or resting against Appa’s comfy fur. Toph was perhaps the only person who was getting an actual break from anything, but during the nights where (Y/N) and Sokka would present their plans to the rest of the tribe, she would be listening intently to uncover anything that needed to be adjusted.

After about a week of remaining in the same spot, the tribe loaded onto their ships to find a new area to camp. Only a few days after they had set sail, they encountered a Fire Naiton ship. Part of Sokka and (Y/N’s) plan was that Aang could not be discovered, so they all attacked with full force and commandeered the ship. The men changed into Fire Nation uniforms while Toph, Katara, and (Y/N) used cloaks to cover the clothes that would be a dead giveaway. Having a Fire Nation ship under their control allowed them to pass through the seas without any fear of danger.

Perhaps the nicest thing about staying on the Fire Nation ship was that (Y/N) had her own room and a nice bed to sleep in. It had been ages since she had slept on anything other than a mat on the floor, so as soon as she claimed the room for her own she slept for hours, only being woken to a heavy banging at her door.

Sleepily, she stood, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she opened the door. Sokka was in front of her, a plate of food in his hand. “I thought you had died,” He said, pushing past her to enter her room. “You slept for thirteen hours!”

“‘S that a lot?” (Y/N) asked through a yawn. Her brain was taking longer to wake up than her body. “I don’t think it’s enough.”

“I brought you dinner. I tried to wake you up for it but you wouldn’t answer. You scared me,” Sokka grumbled. (Y/N) couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re so dramatic. I was just sleeping.” She took the plate from Sokka’s hands and began picking at the food. “Thank you, I appreciate you.” She sat on the edge of her bed and Sokka joined her.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” He said, and she yawned.

“If anyone tries talking to you after you’ve woken up, you’re such a monster, but you want to have full on conversations with me four minutes after I’ve woken up.”

“It’s been more like three minutes, I think,” And they both smiled. “Do you remember when you said you were going back to the Northern Water Tribe after the war?”

“I don’t think that’s what I said, but I’ve thought about it.” She rubbed her eye once more. “People are trying to challenge my throne, so I’d like to put a stop to that.”

“So you want to rule the Northern Tribe? I thought you hated it there.”

“I do,” (Y/N) said immediately. “Or, I did. But I don’t know what I’m going to want in the future and we definitely don’t know what’s going to happen once Aang defeats the Fire Lord.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I’m going to become the chief of my tribe tomorrow.”

Sokka nodded, rubbing the palms of his hands against his pants. “Okay, cool. You had me worried for a second.”

“Worried about what?”

“You leaving.” (Y/N) smiled, offering him a grape, and he popped it into his mouth.

“I’m not leaving anytime soon. Someone has to shut down your ideas about convincing animals to fight against the Fire Nation.”

“Appa and Momo do it, I can’t see why other animals won’t!” (Y/N) giggled.

“As much as I’d love to see a platybus bear absolutely wreck Prince Zuko, I don’t think it’s going to happen.” Sokka threw his head back at the mental imagery, his laugh sounding throughout the room. (Y/N) smiled at him as he laughed and realized just how unlucky she was. (Y/N), last remaining princess of the Northern Water Tribe was head-over-heels, wholeheartedly in love with Sokka.

---

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#atla #sokka x reader #aang x reader #zuko x reader #sokka #aang #zuko #katara #toph #iroh #suki #avatar #the last airbender #writing #fanfiction #azula #momo #appa

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tsukihimeyfan · 5 years ago

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Sorting the main cast of AtLA into Hogwarts Houses

I know I’m late to the party because I’ve seen many different people tackle this before, but I feel like it is my civic duty as both a Potterhead and an AtLA stan to put in my two cents, since every single time I’ve seen it talked about people either misinterpret what each House values in their members or pick a House by taking into account only one aspect of their personalities. I want to make it clear that these are my own opinions, which I’m basing on the definitions we’ve gotten of the main traits of each House over the years and the “core values” of each AtLA character, and that I’m in no way am I trying to insult anyone who thinks differently. That being said, here goes nothing!

Let’s start with the easy ones. Namely, the Fire Siblings:

1) Azula is 100%, undoubtedly, definitely, incontrovertibly Slytherin. Just doing a quick rundown of the qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his handpicked students, as stated by the Sorting Hat, Albus Dumbledore and Pottermore: Cunning? Check. Resourcefulness? Check. A disregard for rules? Check. Using any means to achieve her ends? Check. Shrewdness? Check. Ambition? Check. Self-preservation? Check. Pride? Check. An argument could even be made that, as a member of the Fire Nation Royal Family, Azula also kind of meets the “blood purity” criteria. I’m sure most of us agree on this. Even if she does exhibit a lot of loyalty to her father as well as courage and intelligence, there is just no contest. Azula is one of the most Slytherin characters I’ve ever seen outside of the Harry Potter universe.

2) In the same way, Zuko is irrefutably a Hufflepuff. Hear me out! I know that he’s very brave and daring, but when we think of Zuko, what is his most essential trait, what do people tell us again

and again

about Zuko’s character?

He’s a hard worker. And what’s the House of the hard-working?

"You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, And unafraid of toil.”

You guessed it. Hufflepuff. Of course, that’s not the only trait valued by this House that he exhibits. Who is more loyal in the series than the child who got half his face burned off and still did his best to earn the love and respect of the one responsible? Who never faltered in his loyalty even when he was sent away on an impossible mission? Who spouted angry words most of the time yet was willing to let his ticket home go temporarily in favor of ensuring the safety of his Uncle and his crew? That’s right, our boy Zuko. That very loyalty to his father is what unfortunately bound him for the longest time, until he was forced to face what a monster he was and let go of it in favor of more important things, namely his own morals and his loyalty to his Uncle.

He also has an incredibly strong sense of justice, as proven by the above statements, as well as this moment:

and he can be incredibly patient when he needs to be, as seen during The Blue Spirit and the Southern Raiders episodes.

Hufflepuffs are also said to be fair (which he clearly is), dedicated (need I say more?), honest (which Mr. shouts-his-feelings-at-the-top-of-his-lungs and can’t-lie-without-being-obvious-or-glancing-away-and-has-been-found-out-every-time-he-tried of course is) and modest (this one he starts without but by the time he joins the Gaang there isn’t anyone more modest or humble)

As “an idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor” , Zuko is the Hufflepuffiest Hufflepuff to ever Hufflepuff and I will die on this hill

3) Another easy one is our girl Suki, whom I’d say is a Gryffindor through and through, even if she is very loyal to her friends.

The rest of the Gaang under the cut.

The other members of Team Avatar are a bit trickier because they all exhibit a pretty even mix of traits from more than one House, but still if we just concentrate on their defining characteristics we can get to an answer.

4) I’d argue that Sokka belongs in Ravenclaw, even though he is of course quite brave and extremely loyal to his loved ones, not only because he’s a strategist and an inventor, but also because, as best stated by Master Piandao:

Ravenclaws most value wit, learning, intelligence, creativity and wisdom (this last one is a bit iffy but I’m sure he’ll get there when he’s older), as well as priding themselves on being original in their ideas and methods. That’s Sokka to a T.

5) Katara gave me a hard time. She’s unbelievably loyal to her friends and family, she’s compassionate, patient, fair, hard working and dedicated, with a REALLY strong sense of justice, so a case can be made for Hufflepuff easily. However she can also be quite cunning when she wants to (most obviously during The Waterbending Scroll, City of Walls and Secrets, The Painted Lady, and The Runaway), she has a lot of ambition (if you count every variation of “I will make the world a better place by force if I have to”), she disregards the rules when it suits her (again The Waterbending Scroll as well as The Runaway) and she can be proud at times, so we could argue she’s a Slytherin. She’s also undoubtedly very intelligent and even quite wise for her age. It took me a while to decide but then I pondered; at her very core, what are the statements that define her? What words just scream “that’s it, that’s Katara”? They are, of course, these two phrases:

The first sounded incredibly Gryffindor to me, and the second is half Gryffindor half Hufflepuff, so it had to be between those two. As such, I decided to look into Gryffindor first. Katara is, of course, astoundingly courageous, but what else? I had to actually look up definitions for the Gryffindor traits besides courage because they all just kinda meant “brave” to me initially 😅, but what I found was:

*Nerve: “one's steadiness and courage in a demanding situation”. Yep. Who’s the most level-headed, steady and reliable person whenever the Gaang is in any kind of pinch? That’s right. Katara

*Daring: “adventurous or audaciously bold“. Yep. I’d say she ties with Toph for boldest in the Gaang

*Determination: “firmness of purpose”. Yep, absolutely. See the above image from the Painted Lady. ‘Nuff said.

*Chivalry: can mean 2 things, one is “sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight, including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms”. All of that is true of her (her “arms” being her waterbending), but I found it interesting that to be chivalrous can also mean “gracious and honorable toward an enemy, especially a defeated one, and toward the weak or poor”. I’d argue that this fits her even more. Once again, just take a look at The Painted Lady episode.

*Courage and bravery: they can mean the same thing, namely “the ability to do something that frightens you” and of course that fits Katara, but the word courage in particular has another meaning, which is “strength in the face of pain or grief”...

I’d say she’s pretty good at that. I think that settles it, Katara is a Gryffindor.

Turns out that when it came to the water tribe siblings Bato was right all along

6) For Toph I was split between Gryffindor (thinking of her brash, bold nature) and Slytherin for a while, but after looking into Katara and researching all those definitions I think I have to give it to Slytherin. Of course, Toph doesn’t seem to be very ambitious unless you count “being recognized as the greatest earthbender in the world”, but she is quite cunning. She knows exactly how to use her “poor helpless blind girl” persona to get what she wants, as seen both on The Blind Bandit and The Runaway. She’s also an extremely good actress, being able to play the “reserved and obedient little girl” to her parents for years, and being easily able to pick it back up when it suits her.

She’s also stubborn, proud, and 100% willing to use any means, regardless of laws or rules, to get what she wants.

As for self preservation? Remember that her response when asked to teach Aang, which was crucial to save the world but would’ve compromised her secret, was this:

Slytherins can also “hesitate before acting, so as to weigh all possible outcomes before deciding exactly what should be done “ and my first instinct was to say that it didn’t fit Toph at all, but what is Toph if not a person who “waits and listens before striking”? Slytherins tend to favor Neutral Jing it seems.

Almost forgot that as a daughter of the Beifong family she’s sort of nobility and she technically also meets the “blood purity” criteria.

7) Finally, we get to my boy Aang. He was really difficult. He’s loyal, patient, fair, kind, modest (usually) and just but I can’t really call him a hard worker most of the time.

He’s brave, adventurous, determined and chivalrous but he does tend to get discouraged during demanding or stressful situations (his friends always make it better though)

He’s creative, very wise for his age, and quite smart (except when he’s playing around with Sokka in which case they share one brain cell 😂)

He can even be cunning when he needs to be. If he ever went to Hogwarts, he’d definitely be a Hat Staller like Harry. I heard someone say once that they considered Aang a Gryffindor because he liked to show off a lot, but that’s not really a Gryffindor trait (think of Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin, Harry Potter and Minerva McGonagall. I think any one of them would sooner Stupefy themselves than go show off their skills in front of a crowd for no reason other than to brag).

Once again, we must pin down what it is that defines him, what his core is. After much thought, I decided it’s this:

It’s his compassion, which he learned from his people, and his desire to value and protect all life. It’s his loyalty to the ideologies of the Air Nomads of which he is the last remaining bastion. It’s his strong moral code, his sense of right and wrong, his wish to make friends and to believe the best of everyone. That’s his center. That is what makes him Avatar Aang. In light of that, I think we can consider Aang, first and foremost, a Hufflepuff.

In the end, Team Avatar is made up of one Ravenclaw, one Slytherin, one Gryffindor (two after Suki joins), and two Hufflepuffs

Ironic, that the House least valued in the Harry Potter universe is the one that houses arguably the most pivotal characters of Avatar the Last Airbender: Zuko and Aang. Fitting, that even in this they parallel each other.

This is already long enough so I don’t think I’ll do Mai, Ty Lee, or Iroh. Maybe some other time.

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theotherace · 4 years ago

Note

Hey Der! Do you have any headcanons for when the Gaang and their families get together?

I think they see way too little of each other as they grow up, honestly. And when they do, it's often quick or there's little time for personal stuff, because they have countries to run and the peace to keep now. Which is sad but inevitable with a friend group comprised of people from all corners of the world.

That being said, I have the (very original) headcanon that they make the effort to take a vacation together at least once a year, usually on Ember Island, sometimes camping in the Earth Kingdom or visiting the South Pole. A week of just them and their families. More if possible, but that week they start planning as soon as this year's get-together is over.

It's chaos, of course. Pure and utter chaos. Not at first. Not when there's only Iroh, who's a quiet kid, and Sesi, who likes to try and solve puzzles she's too young to solve. They get into trouble when together, too, but that's manageable -- there's only two of them and six of the Gaang. Bumi comes along and things are still ... fine. Even if Aang and Toph are a lot more free-range than Zuko or Suki and Sokka, and because they can always feel him, he's often in places he really shouldn't be. Not out of sight for his parents, but certainly a scare for the rest of them.

But then comes Kesuk and after him the twins and Asha and then Kya, all within about three or four years of each other, and suddenly, there's eight kids and the oldest is entering puberty and the youngest is a fussy, always screaming baby, and they are now officially outnumbered.

Sokka likes to organize elaborate treasure hunts for the kids. The goal is to make allies and catch the Avatar. The older kids have fun with it because they get to play leader and solve riddles, and the really young kids get to hang out with Aang as they wait to be found. Everybody's kept busy, it's great.

There's mock Earth Rumbles; you don't have to be an earthbender to participate, you just need to kick ass. (That is Toph's only rule before the others intervene.)

Aang takes everybody flying who doesn't ride Appa every day, anyway -- and those five, too, because the Dunebabies are not to be left out, this is their bison and their dad, how dare he even suggest they stay behind? He also builds kites with the kids, which always ends in a mess of paint and glue, which makes it all the more fun.

There's also cooking together (certain kids and certain Zukos are permanently banned from the kitchen), and sitting and telling stories until far too late into the night and falling asleep under the stars like they did so many years ago, just with none of the danger. They're not necessarily relaxing, those get-togethers, not after the third or fourth kids anymore, at least, but they still give all of them energy in a way that nothing else quite does. They're not as physically close as they used to be anymore, but they are still close in all the ways that matter, and they still understand each other in ways nobody else really does.

And it's nice to see the kids get along so well, too.

It's great to see Kesuk loosen up and play pranks with Asha and Norbu, and to see Iroh grin and laugh at Sesi's stupid jokes all day, it's awesome that Kya and Tenzin can run around together all day and not get tired of each other, and that none of the kids get too annoyed when Kavi toddles after them.

It's loud and chaotic and sometimes, a kid gets lost for a second (Toph always finds them pretty quickly), and it's usually one of the best weeks of their year.

Thanks for the ask!

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theclockworkmonk · 4 years ago

Text

Title: Intermission

Summary: During the intermission of "The Boy in the Iceberg," Zuko and Toph are fed up with Aang and Katara's drama.

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Read on AO3

Read on FF.net

For Throwback Thursday, thought I'd post the first fanfic I ever wrote, back in August of 2013 (so excuse how...not good it is). The way Katara goes from rejecting Aang to kissing him with zero conversations in between always bothered me, so I wrote this scene that could have been a deleted scene in the episode, and to this day the type of fanfic I'm most drawn to is "missing" scenes that would have improved an aspect of the story. So awkward writing is what sucked me down this rabbit hole.

******

"Ow! What was that for?" Zuko rubbed his arm, suspecting a bruise would probably form.

Toph just smiled innocently. "That's how I show affection," she said as if she had just baked him a cake instead of physically assaulted him.

Zuko was glad Toph hadn't been with Aang, Katara, and Sokka back when he was chasing them on their way to the North Pole. They had given him enough bruises, lacerations, and concussions on their own. If Toph had been there, he'd probably still be eating through a straw.

"So, anyway, do you know where Aang is? I'm starting to worry. I told Sokka that this play wasn't worth the risk."

Toph just frowned, "Why are you asking me? In case you haven't noticed, this whole place is made out of the evil substance known as wood."

"I thought maybe you would know because he told you. Ya know, that's how the rest of us keep track of where people are."

"That sounds like a hassle," Toph said casually with a finger digging in her ear, "Anyway, Twinkle Toes is probably in the same place as Sugar Queen."

Zuko groaned for what seemed like the 12th time tonight. "Good. Maybe with them alone together they'll finally clear the air and allow the rest of us to move on with our lives."

"Hey, at least you just got here. Meathead and I have had to endure this drama for months."

"I honestly don't understand what their thinking is," Zuko sighed with his head in his hands, "At least you have the excuse that Sokka has a girlfriend."

Zuko saw Toph scowl a scowl that would even put Azula to shame. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, and unless you want a more symmetrical face, you don't either."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I was surprised to find out they weren't official yet by the time I got here. Especially after Katara straight up threatened to kill me if I looked at him wrong."

"Wait, what now? You serious?"

"Yeah, it was the first night I spent at the Air Temple."

"Nah, she was bluffing."

"Toph, I grew up with Azula. I got pretty good at spotting lies. Katara meant every word she said. And it got even worse when I would try to train Aang. He would always make up some excuse about how he needed to practice more waterbending, even though he's been working on that almost a year."

Toph grunted in agreement, "You don't need to tell me. Just as I was about to break through his earthbending block, Her Sweetness comes in all 'Oh, don't worry, it's okay, we can practice waterbending. Come on, let's go splash around in our underwear.'"

"Yeah, I've been thinking that if they just got it out in the open then he could concentrate again. That's why I've been getting closer to Katara. I thought maybe if I piss him off enough he would man up and push me out of the way."

Toph smirked in her very self-satisfied way, "I knew it! Though, you might want to tell Snoozles about that plan. He's been worried that you really were interested in her. I guess that explains the seating arrangements this evening?"

Zuko rubbed the back of his head and smiled guiltily. "Yeah, I made double sure to sit next to Katara, and for a second he actually seemed like he was going to grow a backbone. I was thinking 'Come on, this is driving you crazy, isn't it? Call me out, why don't you want me sitting here?' but he hog-chickened out again. And I've been doing this for a while. After I saved Katara from being crushed at the temple, I made sure to stay on top of her just a little longer than necessary, but that just made her mad at me rather than him."

"And your little field trip?"

"Well, no, that really was just me trying to help her. But me decidedly not inviting anyone else, not even Sokka, to come help find Yon Rha had something to do with my meddling."

"And plus, it certainly seems like the play is helping you," Toph laughed.

Now it was Zuko's turn to scowl. "I actually think I got more than I bargained for with that. I'm just certain that if he finally told her he liked her, they could move forward and not be stuck in this limbo."

Toph looked confused, "Oh, she knows that he likes her. Did no one tell you that? He kissed her on the day of the invasion. Twinkle Toes waited until everyone else was gone, but he apparently forgot that they were standing on a giant metal submarine. He's kind of stupid like that."

Zuko just sat back, re-thinking his efforts, that he apparently had been wasting, "Well….huh. I guess I was wrong. Maybe she doesn't like him that way."

Toph sniggered in the way she always did when people failed to hide things from her, "Oh, she likes him, Sparky. You don't enjoy a kiss that much unless you do."

"You can tell?" Zuko asked in an alarmed voice. Toph's semi-mind-reading abilities still creeped him out.

"Oh yeah, her heartbeat went through the roof and she apparently forgot how to breathe until Meathead reminded her that we had a nation to invade."

Now Zuko was downright angry now. "Well then why the hell are they still dragging this out!?" He asked, probably too loudly.

Toph smirked and raised one eyebrow. "I think the better question is why you care so much. I mean, I find the drama annoying, sure, but you're really going above and beyond." She nudged him in the side and winked, "could it be that our own resident Angsty McEmopants is secretly a hopeless romantic?"

Zuko elbowed her back, "I'll have you know that I care as his firebending teacher. Firebending is fueled by raw emotion and passion," he nervously tried to figure out a euphemism, "and I just, um, thought that if he had a particular something that invokes certain….urges, then it would give him a little boost."

Toph grinned again. "So you're hoping that Sugar Queen makes him hot in more ways than one?"

Zuko groaned. "Well, if you must put it that way, yeah. You've been hanging out with Sokka too much." He stood up, "I'm going to go find them to see if they do something stupid."

And, sure enough…

***************

Katara was a split second away from kissing Aang back when her eyes shot open

NO!

She pushed him away, trying to muster up some anger. "I just said I was confused!"

Aang simply looked down. He had the same look on his face as when she pulled him out of the Avatar state at the Southern Air Temple, and he had no choice but to accept that he was the last airbender.

"I'm going back inside." She had intended to calmly walk back into the theater, but she had to run to keep Aang from seeing her eyes watering. She burst through the doors and stopped a few steps in to try to get ahold of herself. That was when she heard the voice behind her.

"Katara, who exactly do you think you're fooling?"

She whirled around and saw Zuko standing behind the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Had he been listening?

"Yes, Katara, I was listening. So I'll ask you again, who do you think you're fooling?"

She turned around with a scowl on her face, determined not to get roped into this conversation. If she couldn't talk about Aang with Aang, how could she with Zuko? "Mind your own business, Zuko."

"Katara, you're a very gentle soul. You're peaceful, compassionate, understanding, slow to violence. To the point of stubbornness, in fact, which is one reason you two deserve each other. Hell, you didn't even kill the man who murdered your mother in cold blood. And yet even now, I don't doubt that you would have one second's hesitation to end me if you thought I might hurt Aang."

"Don't paint me in that light Zuko," She couldn't help but smirk, "I would totally give you one second's hesitation. Probably."

"So why are you putting up this 'confused' act?"

She put her hands on her hips and scowled, "You don't know how I feel, Zuko! Of course I'm overprotective of Aang, he's my best friend, not to mention that whole only-hope-for-the-world thing."

Zuko raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Your friend, huh? That's funny, because it's not Toph you were homicidally protective of, nor your own brother, who would be a lot easier for me to hurt, need I remind you. And don't think that I didn't notice you getting angry when those actors had you saying that you think of Aang as a brother. That wasn't a look of concern about Aang getting his feelings hurt, that was you pissed because they got something wrong about you."

"Well aren't you just the mind-reader?" she asked with enough sarcasm to upstage her brother.

"No, I'm not. I don't have to be. Newsflash Katara, the entire group knows. Sokka, Suki, Toph, even Duke, Haru, and Teo knew about it. Hell, all it takes is watching a single one of your 'waterbending sessions.'" He said the last two words with air-quotes.

Katara looked away nervously and blushed, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, to be fair, I'm not a waterbender, but none of my training sessions involved my teachers pressing up against me from behind to correct my stance."

"So, I was making doubly sure he had the proper form, what's your point?"

"My point Katara, that I had the waterbending scroll in my hand as you were doing it, and he was already doing it right. There was no 'correcting' to be done."

"Alright, FINE!" She almost shouted, "Maybe I have some feelings for Aang, but…he can't afford any distractions or confusions right now."

"Katara, don't think that I'm stupid enough to believe that you're stupid enough to believe that. In what way would knowing that the person he loves loves him back and is there for him be a distraction? What is a distraction, however, is this game you're playing. Why do you think I'm here? I don't care about your love life, but this uncertainty is keeping me from doing my job as his teacher. Even after we trained with the dragons, Aang has been too timid, too hesitant. Firebending requires lowered inhibitions and absolute confidence in oneself. Now I know why he's been like that. Because the one time he was completely open and bold in his emotions about the thing most important to him, you left it hanging there untouched for weeks. And now that you've full-on thrown it back in his face, he might get even worse."

Katara couldn't keep her eyes from watering anymore, "Well then he should get over it! Get over me! What's the point, Zuko? It's not like my love for him will protect him! What, is your dad going to be so moved by our love for each other that he decides not to try to kill him?" She slumped against the wall and sat down, hugging her knees as tears streamed down her face, "He died in my arms once already in Ba Sing Se. I can't lose him all over again."

Zuko came over, sat down and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Before I left to join you, I had a girlfriend back home. Her name's Mai. You've already….become acquainted with her."

"I'm better acquainted with her knives, but whatever."

"When I left, I left a note for her saying that we weren't together anymore. I thought ending our relationship would make her lose her feelings for me, so that if anything happened to me, she wouldn't be hurt. Sokka and I are still alive because I was wrong. Even though we weren't technically together anymore, she still loved me enough to go against Azula and save my life, and I still love her enough for that knowledge that she's rotting in prison eat me alive every single day. Hiding behind words and technicalities about where you stand can't change how you feel. It just adds the weight of things not said if something does go wrong."

He stood up. "I'm going back to the seats. Think about it."

Toph was the only one already back when he got back to the balcony. "Have you seen Suki and Meathead yet?" he asked.

Toph answered with a punch to his gut, "Only I get to call him Meathead. But no. Honestly, Sokka has probably gotten them both thrown out of the theatre for harassing actor-Sokka. Twinkle Toes or Sugar Queen do something stupid?"

"Both did, actually. I think I might have managed to get to through to Katara."

People started shuffling in to retake their seats. "I will say this though, this intermission has definitely been the most dramatic part of the play so far."

#kataang #aang x katara #aang #avatar aang #katara and aang #katara #zuko #toph #the ember island players #avatar: tla #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla fanfic #team avatar #missing scene #one shot

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gaeilgeoirgay · 4 years ago

Text

Whumptober Day Four

“Do You Trust Me?”

Ao3 Link

Hope you enjoy!

misguided notion of glory

Zuko is relaxing beside the turtleduck pond with Izumi and Sokka when everything goes horribly, horribly wrong. It’s a beautiful day, one of the perfect summer mornings that the Fire Nation is renowned for, and both he and Sokka have a rare day off to spend with their daughter. Mai and Ty-Lee are due to join them for lunch and Azula had asked Zuko to train with her, without a trace of malice in her voice. It’s a good day.

Izumi is lying on her front, drawing the turtleducks, her little tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she focuses intently. She’s the mirror image of her father, who’s doing the same thing over a blueprint. It’s one of Sokka’s personal projects, and he gets so little time to work on them nowadays. Zuko is content to watch them, meditating peacefully as he gazes upon his family.

The fire dancing between his hands is full of riotous colours, purple and orange and pink and red. It’s dragon-fire and the very heart of it pulses with life as it beats in time with Zuko’s heart. It’s one of the best meditation sessions he’s had in a while.

That’s why it catches both him and Sokka off-guard when a figure simply hops the low wall of the garden pond and grabs their daughter with a fistful of flames to her throat. He and Sokka are both on their feet within seconds of the assailant’s appearance but Zuko’s own fire dies in his hands as he sees how close the attacker’s flames are to Izumi. Any movement he makes won’t be fast enough to stop them before they burn her.

Sokka has evidently realised the same thing as while his sword is gripped tightly in his hand, it’s not pointed towards Izumi and her captor. The bastard is smirking as he holds fire to a seven-year-olds throat and Zuko is abruptly reminded of a duel fourteen years ago and a man who had smiled as he burned his own son.

“Let go of our daughter. Now.” He growls, threat in his voice, but the man doesn’t move.

(There are tears in Izumi’s eyes but she doesn’t let them fall. There will be time to fall apart later but for now, Izumi keeps herself calm. She knows her fathers will save her.)

“No, I don’t think I will. My name is Yoshi Sentaku and I am Fire Lord Ozai’s faithful subject. You have him imprisoned beneath this palace and I demand his release. Otherwise, I will kill your daughter where she stands.” Sentaku says confidently, assured that Zuko and Sokka will follow his directions.

Zuko… doesn’t know what to do. If he releases his father, the world will be wreathed in flames once more, and thousands will die. If he doesn’t, it’s his daughter that will burn. Questions like this always seemed so easy in the abstract. Let one person die in exchange for millions, but the person is Izumi and he loves her. He loves his people too though. How can he choose one?

He sees the same indecision in Sokka’s eyes. They cannot place a single life above the fate of the world, but Izumi is their daughter. Ozai no longer has his bending but that won’t matter to his followers, as consumed by hatred as they are. They will set the world alight for some misguided notion of glory and It will be Zuko’s fault.

But he can’t let Izumi, their miracle child, die because of her familial sins. The clock is ticking though, and Sentaku is waiting for an answer. It’s not a choice at all, but he never wanted to have to do this.

Zuko takes a deep breath and feels his chi paths come to life, sparks racing through his blood. He catches Sokka’s gaze, electricity in his eyes, and Sokka understands instantly, the brilliant genius he is. Sokka turns to Sentaku, trusting Zuko to watch his back and Zuko silently says a prayer to Agni to ask Them to look after this family for him, because he has been denied too much love to lose it now.

“Ozai was a failed king, who was beaten by a twelve-year old. He’s not fit to lead those turtleducks, let alone a nation. He’s a monster who deserves to be left to rot in the hole we threw him in.” Sokka says, taunting Sentaku until his only focus is on Sokka. It leaves Zuko free to enact his plan.

After many years of experimentation, Zuko has finally learnt the firebending forms that work for him. They’re bright and full of energy, and they complement his sister’s bending which is all power and precision. But he hasn’t forgotten how he got there in the first place and he draws on all his knowledge for this final move.

Bending is structured into forms for the precise reason that chi needs to move if you want to use it. Even earthbenders, planted rock solid in the earth, use movement in their artistry. Fire especially, needs to move, needs to seek out oxygen to fuel it and life to sustain it.

Lightning though. Lightning only needs sparks of negative and positive energy to connect and create a bolt. Benders are still used to moving though so a form was created. But it’s not the only way to make lightning and Zuko is determined to use another.

“Izumi, sweetheart.” He says, meeting her frightened eyes. “Do you trust me?” He asks and she nods, absolute in her conviction. The sky is blue, firebenders rise with the sun and she can always trust her dads to catch her. It makes Zuko ache for the child he was at her age but he pushes the emotion away. He can cry later.

“Then close your eyes please, darling.” Zuko tells her and Sentaku laughs. “I want my leader freed of course, but I didn’t think you would have the guts to condemn your own daughter to death just to keep him locked away.” He cackles and Zuko grins.

“Oh, I’m not. The only person dying today is you.” He says and lightning strikes.

#whumptober 2021 #no.4 #do you trust me?#avatar: tla #atla #threats of burning #lightning wounds #violence against children #zukka #izumi

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plus-size-reader · 5 years ago

Text

Kindness

Zuko x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1415 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Zuko making a fire to keep you warm at night

——————————————————————————————————

You weren’t made for the cold.

It seemed like it should have been obvious but you hadn’t considered it all before now. Before, of course, you were sitting in the middle of the woods, shivering in the cold night air.

Earthbenders didn’t have much experience in the cold as a general rule, but that applied even more for you. You had grown up in Ba Sing Se, where winter hardly existed.

In fact, anything more than the dry heat of summer was too much for you.

“Are you alright?”

You didn’t address the voice at first, knowing exactly who it was. You had been traveling with the prince of the fire nation for multiple days, but that didn’t mean you owed him anything.

Just because Aang needed him didn’t mean you had to be friends.

“I’ll be just fine, thanks” you decided finally, looking up at Zuko over your shoulder. You could feel his weight shifting, from one foot to the other, in the dirt but again, you ignored it.

Whatever he was upset about, it wasn’t your problem.

Now normally, Zuko would have taken your reaction as a clear refusal of company but one thing kept him from doing so…

You were shaking.

“You’re shivering” Zuko pointed out, his voice somehow accusatory, even though he was trying his hardest to be gentle. He was just so rough around the edges, even when he didn’t want to be.

It seemed like a stupid thing to point out to you, considering the fact that you were the one doing the shivering but you nodded anyway.

How could you not be shivering with how cold it was out here? Not that you could expect Zuko to understand that.

He practically had fire running through his veins. It wouldn’t have surprised you if he wouldn’t be able to understand cold even if you tried to explain it.

It wasn’t in his nature.

“It’s cold, of course I’m shivering” you grumbled, holding your arms close to your soft body, trying to lock in as much of the heat you had left in as you could.

The way this was going, you’d probably freeze to death before the sun came up.

Nevertheless, those words got Zuko’s attention.

He had already assumed that you were cold but hearing you say it made all the difference to him. It made what he had only thought a reality, and something had to be done about it.

Luckily for him, Zuko was a firebender and if there was anything he could do for you, it was stop you from being too cold. Maybe that would even make you like him a little better.

So without a single word to you, Zuko sat down beside you on the rock you were perched on, not even bothering to explain himself before doing so.

Before you could question him though about what he thought he was doing, Zuko had lit the few waiting planks ablaze, with nothing more than a flick of his wrist.

It was incredible, though, not for the reason you may have originally assumed.

As soon as the logs caught fire, you felt the warmth they gave off all around you. It was like a warm, toasty blanket and you immediately melted a little into it.

It was the warmth that you had so desperately craved, but you couldn’t fully enjoy it. At least, not yet…You couldn’t enjoy it because Zuko was still sitting at your side, silent and impending.

It made you feel uncomfortable, seeing as there were no words between either of you. There was nothing you could say, not that Zuko was doing any better.

It was no secret that you and the firebender didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot, but he had just helped you greatly when he didn’t have to and you owed him some sort of thanks.

It was kind of him, even if you weren’t quite sure how to respond.

“Thank you Zuko” you settled, your demeanor just as outwardly abrasive as he had been a few moments prior. It would seem that neither of you was all that good at this, no matter how hard you were trying.

It was just so hard to ignore everything that had happened between you. You were just too different.

Weren’t you?

After all, you came from two very different worlds and you had absolutely nothing in common. It was neither of your faults, it was just the way it was.

You couldn’t change it and neither could he.

Zuko only nodded again, not trusting his mouth to form words. His voice was just as unsure as yours had been, though you had to wonder if there was something more. Perhaps you had more in common than you realized.

“Can I ask you something?” This time, his voice was much more sure, and much more casual.

You could practically hear his heart beating against his chest, but you didn’t mention it. Instead, you nodded, letting yourself glance over at him slowly after a few seconds.

It was rare, as you didn’t frequently allow yourself to look him in the face but when you did, you had to admit that you found yourself drawn to his golden eyes and everything he held beneath them.

Something about Zuko had always just pulled you in and you didn’t have much say in the matter.

“Why do you hate me so much?” he wondered, the question catching you off guard. Of all the things that he could have asked, you never would have guessed that would be it.

Why did you hate him? It was quite the question but the answer was far too complicated.

In all honesty, you didn’t hate Zuko. You could never hate someone that you barely knew, not really. More than anything though, you guessed that you were confused by the firebender.

For so long, you believed that he was the bad guy and for so long, you had thought of him only as the enemy.

...But now, you weren’t so sure.

“I don’t hate you Zuko. I guess I just don’t understand you” you shrugged, finally settling on some sort of answer. It wasn’t what he really wanted to hear, but it was better than the alternative. At least you didn’t hate him.

The realization made him smile, only slightly, but a smile nonetheless.

For some reason, the idea of you not hating him made the firebender feel all warm inside and he didn’t know why. He had made the same development with the rest of the gang, but with you, it was different.

Why was that?

“That’s okay, I guess we don’t know much about each other, huh?” he shrugged, doing his best to keep his cool, though it was proving difficult.

All of a sudden Zuko was struggling with even being able to look at you without feeling his skin heat up. It was strange, but not all together unwelcome.

It was just new.

“I guess not” you allowed, turning now to face the firebender head on. The rest of the gang had turned in for the night, so it was just the two of you, but that didn’t bother you right now.

Instead, you found yourself almost wanting to get closer to him than you ever had in the past.

“Maybe we can fix that, then?” he suggested, his lips upturned in a smirk as he studied your face, those golden eyes flicking back and forth between your lips and your own eyes.

It made you nervous, which was odd considering who you were talking to, but you didn’t fight it as much as maybe you should have.

After all, Zuko had shown you great kindness just now, and you could extend the courtesy. What could it hurt? All things considered, Zuko didn’t seem to be that bad of a guy.

Maybe you had more in common than you had originally assumed.

“Maybe we can” you smiled, letting your eyes drift back to the flickering flames of the fire in front of you.

Usually, you looked at fire as a destroying force and nothing more. It was wild, and unpredictable, and it only brought death and ruin. However, when you looked at it now, you saw something else.

You saw the potential it had as a healing force, or a positive influence. It was beautifully wild, instead of bad and it was strange how quickly that had changed.

Had you really been wrong all this time?

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lynnsfics · 5 years ago

Text

No Time For Regret

Pairing: Sokka x Reader

Request: Can you do prompts 18 and 33 with Sokka, from list #1

Prompts: “You’re freezing, Jesus!” and "Sometimes I just want to cuddle, okay? Is that so bad?”

Word Count: Approx. 1.6k

~~~

Sitting on the bank of the river, you sighed wearily. It was your turn to keep an eye out for the Fire Nation Navy and there had been no activity so far. You knew your job was important in keeping the others safe, but it became so tedious after a while.

Absentmindedly, you began playing with some pebbles that were laying on the shore. Using your earthbending, you tossed them up and watched them careen back to the ground. It wasn’t much, but it helped to pass the time. As you sat there, you began to think back on the last few months.

When you started travelling with the group, you never expected to become this close with all of them. Least of all a certain water tribe boy who you couldn’t seem to keep out of your thoughts. You knew you couldn’t say anything about it, all that would do is create needless drama. Besides, even if he felt the same way, starting a relationship during a war wasn’t exactly the best idea. Losing a friend would be hard enough, losing a partner was enough to break someone.

Shaking the thoughts away, you returned to your task. Standing up, you walked along the embankment, looking for the tell-tale signs of smoke. When you were satisfied there was no threat, you turned and walked back towards camp.

The others were still busy with their tasks when you arrived. Sokka was helping Katara prepare dinner while Toph went over training routines with Aang. Walking over to the fire, you warmed your hands. Night was setting quickly and it was growing chilly.

Sokka joined you, smiling as he sat down. “Any news from your watch?”

“Well there were two intruders,” you replied seriously.

He leaned forward, waiting to hear about the threat. “What did you do? Were they Fire Nation?”

“No,” you said shaking your head, “I don’t believe they were with them. And all I did was give them some bread.”

“Why would you give intruders bread,” he exclaimed.

You finally cracked a grin, “They were just turtleducks,” you said with a laugh.

“Oh very funny,” Sokka replied, rolling his eyes.

“I mean, it is kind of funny,” Katara said, joining you next to the fire. She turned towards Aang, who was now reaching the fire with Toph following close behind. “So, how was training?”

“It’s going well,” Aang answered. “I’m still learning, but I’m doing a lot better than before.”

“That’s great,” you replied encouragingly. “I patrolled the river today, no sign of Fire Nation troops.”

“We still need to be on the lookout for land patrol,” Sokka reminded you. “They could always launch a sneak attack against us.”

“Right,” Katara answered sarcastically, “I’m sure the Fire Nation is going to hike through the dense forest to track us down.”

“Well, you’ve seen the lengths Zuko has gone to,” you pointed out, “so I don’t think it’s that unlikely.”

“See, I’m not paranoid. I just want to be cautious,” Sokka said with a smug smirk.

Katara shook her head, “Alright, well let’s hope these determined soldiers don’t interrupt us during dinner.” Using her waterbending, she poured soup into each of your bowls.

Toph took a slurp from her dish. “Are we planning to stay here? Or are we moving on in the morning?”

“I think we could stay one more night,” Aang shrugged. “It would be difficult to travel tomorrow anyways.” He looked up at the clouds gathering overhead. “We could always waterbend the rain, but if there’s lightning it would be too dangerous.”

“Although I hate to stay in one place for too long, Aang has a point.” Sokka glanced around at the group, his gaze lingering on you for a second before looking back at the fire. “Flying during a storm is risky, and nobody is getting hurt on my watch.”

Once dinner was finished you helped set up the tents. The plan had been to sleep under the stars, but the impending storm ruled that option out. As you put the tarp over your tent, you sensed someone walk up behind you.

Turning, you saw Sokka leaning against a tree waiting to talk to you. “What’s up?”

“Well,” he began, “I have this bad feeling. I can’t explain it, but I feel like something bad is about to happen. I know you patrolled the river earlier, but it’s been a while since then. The navy could have shown up since then.”

“Do you want me to go check it out with you? That way we’ll know for sure.”

He looked relieved, “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all. Besides, it isn’t safe to go alone at night. Let’s head out.”

Walking along the muddy shore, you shivered. The night kept growing colder, and standing near the river did nothing to help. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you answered with a shaky smile. “Just a bit cold is all.”

He reached out to touch your exposed arm and immediately recoiled his hand. “You’re freezing, Jesus!” Shrugging off his jacket, he handed it to you. “Here, put this on, it’ll warm you up.”

“No,” you shook your head, “you keep it. You need it more.”

“I grew up in the South Pole,” he said with a smile. “Trust me, I’m used to the cold.”

Finally accepting the jacket, you smiled. “Thank you.” A strong gust of wind almost knocked you over, and you began to lose your footing, sliding towards the river. Sokka reached out, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards him. You fell into his arms and blushed as his arms wrapped around your waist to steady you.

“Sorry,” you blushed, “I’m such a mess.” you said with a laugh.” Making an effort to smooth out your hair, you glanced over at him. “Does my hair look okay? It always gets so unruly.”

“It looks fine. Besides, you always look beautiful.” He paused, having a moment of realization. “I mean, you know, you’re um, very cute and,” he stuttered, trying to gloss over what he just said. “You’re very pretty.”

“Oh,” you replied. You weren’t sure if it was possible to die from blushing too much, but you were sure you were about to find out. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he said, not looking in your direction. Instead he pretended to be very interested in the nearby trees.

Before you had a chance to say anything, Toph ran up behind you. “There’s heavy vibrations coming from the forest,” she explained breathlessly. “It’s the army.”

You ran back towards camp, lungs burning, Katara greeted you, “We already have everything packed up, all we have to do now is leave.”

Aang was saddling up Appa, and you all stood nervously, ready for takeoff. A loud crash came from the forest and you glanced over, seeing a group of Fire Nation soldiers burst through the treeline.

Stomping your foot, you sent a wave of rocks hurling towards the enemy. It gave you just enough time to climb on Appa’s back. With a quick “Yip Yip,” you were off.

As you climbed in altitude rain began to fall. A boom of thunder shook the skies and you stiffened. “Oh no,” you whispered. “This is bad. Very bad.” Something bright caught your eye and you glanced over to see a fireball fly past. “They’re firing at us,” you called to Aang.

“I noticed,” he responded. “Everyone hold on, we’re going to have to do a zig zag to dodge them.” As he turned, a loud cracking sound startled you. Turning to look, a bolt of lightning struck right next to Appa’s head. The sky bison turned abruptly to avoid it, causing you to lose your gripping.

You cried out as you plummeted towards the ground. Someone called your name and you could barely make out Sokka leaning over the edge of the saddle, hand outreached as if to catch you. But it seemed he was too late this time.

It seemed as if time slowed. The ground was growing ever closer. Fifty feet away. You took a deep breath, letting a tear slip out of the corner of your eye. Forty feet. You braced for impact, knowing it wouldn’t matter anyways. Thirty feet. You tried to bend the ground so it would be softer, but to no avail. Instead, you whispered a silent prayer to the spirits. Twenty feet. You whispered a farewell to the others and closed your eyes. But instead of falling, you felt someone grab your wrist.

Your eyes shot open, and you saw Sokka latched onto your wrist. He yanked you up over the saddle and pulled you into a hug. “I thought I lost you,” he whispered. You could tell he was crying, and you curled into him, your own tears falling.

“It’s alright, I’m here. I’m here.” You looked into his eyes, now rimmed red from the tears, and knew it was now or never. Not being in a relationship didn’t stop any of the pain, it just caused more. You leaned in and pressed your lips to his.

He was shocked for only a second before kissing you back. When you finally broke apart he smiled. “I never knew you felt the same way.”

“I have for a while now, but I never wanted to say anything. I always thought that being in a relationship would make fighting this war harder. But when I almost died just now, I realized that regret is what causes the most pain.”

With that, he pulled you closer for another kiss. You wiped the tears from his cheek and smiled. Fear had held you back, but you were done being controlled by it. Life had no time for regret, and as you kissed Sokka you knew, regret was the furthest thing from your mind.

Toph cleared her throat, “Look guys, I know you’re having a moment, but it’s a bit awkward for the rest of us.”

You chuckled and Sokka shook his head, “Sometimes I just want to cuddle, okay? Is that so bad?”

Laughing, Toph answered, “When the rest of us have to be present for it, yes.Yes it is.”

~~~

Requested By: anon

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Do I have a headache? Yes. Is it because I wanted to relive my childhood and stayed up until 3 AM watching Barbie movies? Maybe. Let me know if you want to be added to my taglist and as always, likes and reblogs are appreciated! Love you all! <3

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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 4 years ago

Text

love

Written for Day 7 of @aangweek! Read here on AO3.

~*~

7. love - don’t got nowhere to go / so we’ll go with the flow / yeah, we’re living the life / sippin’ on sunshine

“I can help clean,” Aang offered as Iroh began clearing their group’s cups and plates from the circular wooden table.

Iroh chuckled, shaking his head. “There’s no need -”

“I insist,” Aang interrupted, standing and collecting his own dishes. “It’s the least I can do to thank you for closing the shop early so we could be together without politicians and paparazzi peering over our shoulders.”

“There’s no use arguing with him,” Toph commented before Iroh could protest further. “Once Twinkle Toes decides to help someone, nothing will change his mind. Accept your fate, Iroh.”

Katara laughed along with the rest of their friends, and Aang gave them a guilty grin.

“Hey, I learned from my wife-to-be,” he teased, pressing a kiss to Katara’s forehead. “Never turn my back on people who need me!”

Katara rolled her eyes at his comment, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Aang and Iroh gathered the last of the group’s dishes before disappearing into the kitchen.

Zuko hummed in contentment, draping an arm around Mai’s shoulders. “I wish we could meet up like this more often. Be together without all the chaos.”

Today had involved an annual meeting of important representatives from all four nations, this year hosted by the Earth King. In other words, Katara knew, it was a very rare opportunity for their friend group to reunite in full. Only after the day’s politics had ended, of course.

Sokka snorted. “I agree, but you’ve gotta admit it’s pretty much impossible for this to be a regular event.”

“Ember Island is always open for an impromptu vacation,” Mai reminded them, earning more laughter from the group.

“I might take you up on that soon,” Suki mused, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and shaking her head. “A vacation is sounding more and more attractive with every second.”

Katara allowed herself a breathy sigh. “Spirits, if I could get Aang to take a vacation…” She snorted. “That would be the day.” Her fiancé was notoriously stubborn about working until he dropped. In fact, there was only one other person whose work ethic could compare.

Mai chuckled. “Zuko is exactly the same. Always working himself into the ground.”

Ah, yes. There it was.

Toph snickered. “Sounds like a match made in the Spirit World. Are you guys sure Zuko and Aang shouldn’t be the ones getting married next month?”

Zuko flushed a shade of scarlet as bright as his fire. “I’m sitting right here, you know.”

Katara bit her tongue to hold back a snicker as Toph grinned at him. “Yes, I’m very aware.” Her grin narrowed into a sly smirk. “You’re sitting right here, and yet you deny nothing.”

Sokka burst out laughing, lightly elbowing Zuko in the ribs. “She’s got you there, hotman.”

Mai snorted at the nickname before giving Katara a play-sympathetic look. “Master Katara, how do you cope with the fact that my husband and yours-to-be are in love with each other?”

Katara sighed, leaning back in her chair and pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. “Oh, it was incredibly difficult for me to come to terms with.” She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. “After I learned they’d kissed, I thought I’d never -”

“Oh, Agni,” Zuko groaned, burying his face in his hands at the same time Toph exclaimed, “Sparky and Twinkle Toes have kissed?!”

Katara couldn’t feign her melodrama any longer, letting herself succumb to a fit of intense laughter that made her entire upper body shake.

“Yes, they have,” Mai confirmed with a smirk. “It was hilarious, and I will never let Zuko hear the end of it.”

Zuko stared dead into the distance, his empty expression screaming that he’d rather be anywhere but there. “You’re going to tell them the story, aren’t you.”

The melancholic certainty with which he spoke was enough to make Katara snicker once more as she gave Mai a knowing glance, but before the Fire Lady could respond, Sokka spoke.

“Of course they’re going to tell us the story,” he scoffed. “The Avatar and the Fire Lord kissing? That’s the kind of thing you pass on forever to future generations!”

Suki laughed. “You sound way too invested for someone who has also kissed the Avatar,” she teased, smirking at her boyfriend.

Katara raised an eyebrow in amusement. Now that was news to her. “You did what, Sokka?”

Blood rushed to her brother’s face. “Not on the lips!” he squawked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I am just very comfortable in my feminine side around Aang.” He tapped his cheek. “So yes, we have technically kissed, but not like that.”

“To be fair, I’m pretty sure we’ve all been on the receiving end of Aang’s affection in some way or another,” Suki conceded. “That’s just his way of expressing love.”

A smile flitted onto Katara’s lips at her friend’s words. She knew most of all, perhaps, how Aang inclined towards physical affection. He was especially fond of kissing the tip of her nose.

“Really?” Sokka said, bewildered. “What, does he have a ‘thing’ with each one of us?”

Suki shrugged. “I mean, I guess so?” She smirked at their group. “Aang and I have a special, top-secret handshake. That’s our thing.”

Katara laughed. “I remember when Aang was just beginning to figure out the motions he wanted to include in your handshake.” She held her own hands up in joking surrender. “I was never privy to the final product, of course. Only experimental aspects.”

Sokka pouted. “First of all, I am hurt that I was never told this handshake existed. And second” - wounded, he placed a hand over his heart - “how come I don’t have a handshake with him?”

Suki rolled her eyes. “Babe, you said yourself that your thing with Aang is cheek kisses.”

Sokka appeared unconvinced. “Yeah, but I’m not the only one who gets cheek kisses from him.” He jutted his thumb towards his sister. “Katara gets them all the time!”

“Katara is also going to marry him, Snoozles,” Toph said with a snort. “I don’t think it’s totally off-base to consider she might have a few additional privileges compared to the rest of us.”

“Katara might be the one who snagged the Avatar,” Mai drawled, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips, “but I think it’s safe to assume that everyone in here had a crush on Aang at some point in their life.”

Katara burst out laughing both at Mai’s declaration and the different forms of denial that followed. She’d long since accepted the reality that Aang’s charm meant many people would fall for him. And if anything, it made her feel even luckier that she was the one preparing for a wedding.

Mai appeared to thrive on the chaos she’d incited. The Fire Lady had clearly been spending more - maybe too much - time with Aang. “I don’t know why you’re all so up in arms about this,” she commented, studying her nails. “When I saw him dressed up for Zuko and I’s wedding, I wondered if I was marrying the right man after all.”

Zuko choked at her words, and Mai laughed as she patted him on the back. “Kidding. But I did think Aang was the best-looking man at the reception.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Zuko, who sighed, shoulders slumping. “No, I agree with her.” He flushed, his eyes dropping to the table. “Aang was definitely the most attractive person there.”

Katara remembered that outfit of her fiancé’s fondly. Saffron robes that danced the line between classy and casual, as fitting for an Air Nomad Avatar. And perhaps she recalled the attire begrudgingly, too, as it had attracted both wanted and unwanted attention towards her then-boyfriend at the reception.

“I’ll admit my heart fluttered the first time Aang returned to Kyoshi Island after the war,” Suki mused. “I hadn’t expected him to get so tall.”

Sokka gave his girlfriend an affronted look. “Wait a minute. Wasn’t I there -”

Suki silenced him with a finger over his lips. “Sokka. We both spent that weekend discussing how hot Aang had gotten. Don’t deny it.”

Katara raised an eyebrow at her brother. “You were planning to make some moves on Aang?”

Sokka’s face reddened. “You know what?” he finally said. “Maybe in another life. I’ll leave it at that.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet, Toph,” Mai commented, giving the earthbender a small smirk. “When did you realize you had a crush on ‘Twinkle Toes’?”

Toph crossed her arms over her chest, which Katara noted with amusement did nothing to hide the rosy blush coloring her friend’s cheeks. “Never. Because unlike all of you, I’m blind and therefore cannot be affected by Aang’s so-called ‘good looks.’”

“Aw, but Aang is so much more than his looks,” Katara teased, unable to remain out of the chaos Mai had incited any longer. “What got you, Toph? His voice? His jokes? His incessant kindness towards anyone and anything?”

Toph opened her mouth before slamming it shut. “Fine,” she grumbled. “I’ll tell you. On one condition.” She pointed at Zuko. “I still want to know how Sparky and Aang locked lips.”

Mai snickered at her husband’s misfortune, and Katara herself couldn’t help but laugh as Zuko muttered a variety of curses under his breath.

“An easy deal,” Katara agreed. “Now tell us - what got you?”

Toph exhaled a resigned sigh. “His voice,” she grumbled, and the table burst into another round of laughter and cheers. Really, they were lucky that Iroh or even Aang himself hadn’t returned to investigate all the noise.

“Honestly, no one can blame you there,” Sokka remarked, shaking his head. “Who could have predicted Aang would grow up the way he did?”

Katara raised an eyebrow at her brother, though she doubted the expression was as intimidating as she intended it to be. “Really?”

“Okay, well, except for you -”

“Enough chatter!” Toph interrupted, slamming a fist on the table. A smirk pulled at her lips. “Sparky? Storytime?”

Zuko groaned. “Remember how I said I wished we could all meet up more often?” He shook his head. “I take it back.”

Suki laughed. “Stop whining and get on with the story, Zuko.”

“Or else I’ll tell it for you,” Mai added, slipping her hand into her husband’s. Katara couldn’t deny the story would be funnier if Mai told it, as she’d already heard it a dozen times from her friend.

Zuko sighed. “It’s not even an exciting story.” He rolled his eyes. “I was going over some paperwork with Aang and Mai. At one point, Aang was called away for - for Avatar business, or something.” He huffed. “Aang went to give me a ‘goodbye kiss’” - Zuko pointed to his forehead - “because that’s his ‘thing’ with me, I guess. But I didn’t realize what he was doing, so I looked up to ask him a question, and we -”

“- and you accidentally kissed?” Sokka finished flatly. “Aw, man! That is boring.” He shook his head in disappointment. “Such a letdown.”

“What Zuko conveniently forgets to mention every time he tells this story,” Mai said, amused, “is that he leaned into the kiss.”

Toph burst out laughing as Zuko adamantly protested that no, he had not, no matter what his wife said. “So,” the earthbender said amidst her snickers, “what I’m hearing is that Zuko never really got over his crush on Aang?”

“No, he did not,” Mai mused. “But it’s not like I can hold that against him. Having a crush on Aang is perfectly understandable.”

“If it’s any consolation, Zuko,” Katara said, resting her elbows on the table and placing her chin atop her hands as she gave the firebender a devilish grin, “Aang thinks you’re a pretty good kisser.”

Her comment set their group off for the umpteenth time, and Katara snickered at the rollercoaster of emotions roaring over Zuko’s face. There was nothing better than sparking a little chaos every now and then, was there?

Huh. Aang had rubbed off on her, too. She supposed being engaged to him would do that.

“Uh… I feel like I missed something here?”

Katara bit the inside of her cheek to contain her laughter as Aang dropped into his seat beside her. “Oh, no. You didn’t miss anything.”

Aang stared with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment at their friends, who were yet to collect themselves. “Are you sure? What did you guys talk about without me?”

Katara hummed noncommittally, shrugging. “Nothing special.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Just how much we love you.”

~*~

more of aang being adored by his friends in fanworks 2k21, please and thank you. i hope you enjoyed my collection of ficlets for the week, and as always - thank you for reading!

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