#zukosokka

[unquestionably-queer]

zuko and sokka are the smartest dumbasses the world has ever seen. they can come up with military strategy no problem, but leave them to their own devices? oh boy.

Sokka: So, you know how you usually cook, i dont know, meat or something for an extended period of time?

Zuko: Uh, ya?

Sokka: Well what if, just hear me out, instead, you torched it with your magic fire fingers so it got super hot super fast, and it was ready in like a fourth of time?

Zuko:

Sokka:

Zuko: Ya that checks out.

and thats how the firelord and a member of his council burned down part of the palace.

[marriedzukka]

Katara: Sokka, stop flirting with Zuko

Sokka: No 💙

[heavensenthearty]

Midnight conversations (Intimacy)

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Zuko and Katara sleep in each other's arms. That's it. That's the plot. (A direct sequel to Fire, Water and Blood.)

@zutaramonth

Also avaliable in AO3

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Zuko

Sokka, Toph, Aang and I raised a tent for Katara to sleep for the night. It was a poor attempt to comfort her after what happened with Hama; we all agreed she needed privacy.

Katara hasn’t speak ever since the villagers took Hama away. She cried for a while but then she just… stopped, her gaze turned broken and lost. It seemed like the only function she had left was breathing as she sat frozenly quiet on a rock, not even looking at us while we worked on the tent.

We presented it to her in a silent exchange. She approached, rigidly and ghostly, and got inside.

Sokka, Toph and Aang then put their sleeping mattresses and their blankets respectfully away from Katara’s sleeping place, and proceeded to go to sleep. I remained on my spot in front of the tent, feeling like… like…

My lips part slightly, but no words come out. I feel like there’s something I should do, something I should say, but I’m just blank. And even though I’m standing here uselessly, I can’t move away… I can’t leave Katara alone.

So I just sit on the grass in front of the tent’s entrance. (For some reason, I feel it would be more respectful if I sat with my back to the tent.) I don’t do much after that, I just sit there, waiting. For what exactly, I don’t know. I guess I’m just waiting for it to be morning and Katara to get out of her tent. And maybe I’ll do this tomorrow’s night too, if she still doesn’t feel better. And then the night after that. And…

“What are you doing?”

I yelp, and back off to look at Katara holding the entrance of her tent open with an inscrutable expression on her face.

“Nothing,” I say, quickly in the sense of nervously. “Nothing at all.”

Katara’s unreadable eyes turn curious long enough to eye me on the floor.

Her head bows. Then raises again, but her eyes are no longer curious or impenetrable, they are more like… cold. But peaceful.

“Can you come inside?,” she asks in a whisper. It is almost drowned by the breeze of night air. “I don’t really want to be alone tonight.”

I blink. “Sure.”

She gets back inside without waiting for me to come in.

I follow slowly, opening the entrance just enough for the moonbeams to illuminate her tent. Katara is lying on her side on her sleeping mat, with her loose hair splayed around her head; she looks… scared.

I step inside and lay next to her on the narrow mat.

She turns around and squirms closer to me, throwing her arm around my waist, hugging me tightly, and placing her head on my chest above my heart, hearing it beat.

The first thought that comes to my mind is: Hama tried to make my heart to stop beating.

We lay like that for a while. Wide awake. I can tell Katara’s awake too because of how fast her breathing is coming, for the firmness she’s putting on the embrace around my waist.

I hear her murmuring on the pitch blackness of the tent, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not listening to you about Hama,” she explains, her voice somewhat monotone but sentient, “I was an idiot.”

“You weren’t,” I say, “If there’s an idiot around, that’s me. I was suspecting of Hama but I still let you alone with her.” I pause. “I didn’t protect you.”

“I’m the one that didn’t protect you,” she nuzzles at my chest.

“You did,” I remind her, “You saved me. You saved all of us.”

“I didn’t. I turned into Hama.”

I can’t take this. “You didn’t.”

“I did. I am a bloodbender now.”

“You aren’t.”

“What?”

“I mean… you are, but… If you could master it so quickly, it means that it was always inside you from the very beginning, you just decided not to use it. That’s who you are. You’re not a bloodbender.”

She’s quiet for exactly four heartbeats. “I don’t think that’s the way it works.”

“I do. I believe that… you could never be anyone but the person that you are now,” I think about Katara smiling and training and practicing her bending, always so hard-working and so helpful, “That’s one of the things I like about you.”

“One of them?” She raises her head and supports her chin on my chest to look at my face. “You mean there are more?”

“I – um – ”

“Tell me about them,” she says. It’s something like both a demand and a plea.

“I like…,” I trail off looking her in the eye, “that you are honest. And caring.”

I continue to think of Katara smiling. Katara’s eyes when she looks at us – at me – so concernedly, and trustingly. Katara smirking at me when she’s teasing me.

“I like… that you’re kind and thoughtful. And that you are… trustworthy… and driven.”

I think of Katara practicing her bending some more. Katara’s fierce and determinate look on her eyes.

“I like… that you’re brave.” And strong, and intelligent, and ingenious, and authentic.

I look up to the dark ceiling of the tent. “I like… that you’re compassionate… and protective… and attentive… and understanding…”

I feel my body tensing and heating. My back arches a little. “I like that you are independent.”

Katara’s smile. Katara’s laugh. Katara’s eyes. Katara’s hair. Katara’s hands. Katara’s voice.

I feel hot. Burning from the inside out. Like with fever. Like with my fire breathe. Like with lightning redirection. (I wonder if Katara can feel my now sky-rocketed pulse hammering and ringing against my ribcage.) I struggle to keep my voice even. “I like…” – the way you look at me, the sound of my name in your voice, your tact – “that you are you.”

My heavy breathes echoes around us inside the dark tent.

Katara is quiet as I try to lower my pulse.

“Those are a lot of things that you like about me,” she whispers, unbelievably calmly compared to how agitated I feel. Like I can’t even move, and at the same time like I have enough energy to bend a forest fire.

“I like plenty of things about you, too,” she continues, her hand reaches and lands at my scarred cheekbone. “I like that you’re real, in the imperfect way.” Her fingers move and trace the folds in my abraded skin delicately. “And I like that you’re honest, too, and that you’re kind even when you don’t realize it yourself. And that you’re smart, and sensitive, and brave, and strong, and considerate.” Her fingers glide through my cheek and stroke my jaw. “And I like that you’re noble, and honorable. And I like how determined you are, how strongminded you are.”

We stay in silence a while more – I’m not sure how much exactly – Katara’s hand slides down my neck, caressing my skin until settling again on my chest.

“We should probably go to sleep,” she says.

Sleep. Right.

“Yeah,” I breathe out, “we should.”

[unicornioazulx]

#zukosokka #zukkoavatar #zukko #sokka #avatarthelastairbender Hey yo.

[fluffysubtext]

I’m working on an Avatar the Last Airbender fic (Zuko/Sokka) and I might have accidentally made it a/b/o without even meaning to

[unquestionably-queer]

going off my previous post here but i wrote a mini fanfic/headcanon about zukos nightmares? this is really long but if yall like it im willing to actually write it from zuko’s pov and add dialogue. maybe even put it on ao3 maybe? anywho, id love to hear feedback! enjoy!!

it wasnt uncommon for zuko to wake up in such distress that he started frantically firebending. one time iroh saw his nephew quite literally wake up breathing fire. concerning, but very impressive. since joining the gang, he had worked on not doing that (as much as was in his control), as he had accidentaly burnt down a tent or three. but the nightmares themselves didnt subside.

not uncommon, zuko woke up gasping for breath. his head and heart were pounding, sweat dripping down his chest. he headed outside, planning to go to a nearby stream in hopes of finding some relief and peace, only to find sokka was sitting outside and very much awake. they both stared kind of awkwardly at each other before sokka ushered the older boy over. neither asked why the other was awake. they just made mindless chitchat before falling into a surprisingly comfortable silence. sokka got up to leave, but not before offering his company next time zuko needed it. when asked if the offer was genuine, he laughed. to be honest, he had said, he was just being polite, and didnt expect zuko to actually believe him. what a dick move, they both thought.

he woke up in a similar state a few nights later. he tossed and turned, begging for sleep to claim him again before ultimately grunting and accepting his fate. he wandered outside, once again finding sokka awake. zuko greeted him and explained he was going swimming. it was his silent way of offering his company, which sokka took. what started as idle conversation eventually progressed, and they found themselves floating in the stream talking about their youths. at some point they even talked about how they had both lost their moms due to the war (despite katara thinking she was the only one who had ever experienced any sort of emotional pain.) they hadnt even realized the hours that had gone by until the chirping of bugs was replaced by the chirping of birds and the sun put the stars to sleep.

this pattern continued. while sokka never asked what zukos nightmares were about, zuko learned that despite being a sleep enthusiast, sokka lost many hours of precious shut eye to anxious planning. sometimes they went on a walk, sometimes they were sparring, and sometimes they simply watched the stars. it was nice company, just to the two of them. no offense to aang, but sokka and zuko were closer in age and much more similar than they had originally realized. sokka offered his late night company. before zuko could question him, sokka placed a hand on the firebenders shoulder. anything for a friend.

on one occasion, zuko woke up and stumbled outside without thinking about it, only to be greeted with the faint glow of where the fire was, no man in sight. still groggy and disoriented, he rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times before shuffling back to bed, blaming the ache in his chest on the painful memory of his nightmares and not on the absence of a certain someones company. it took a long time before he could fall back asleep.

after becoming firelord, sokka decided to stay in the fire nation. mostly for political planning and engagement until zuko got himself on his own two feet. who else to help than the guy who had spent the past few months travelling the world trying to save it. the avatar, katara had said cooly. which wasnt wrong but sokka was offended that she hadnt just agreed. besides, sokka would assure zuko, its not like he could leave zuko alone. who would be his comedic relief?

since returning to the palace, zuko had gone back to handling his dreams alone, the way he used to. while his bedding was definitely made to withstand the panicked firebending, he figured there were better coping mechanisms. he quietly walked through the halls. the young firelord wasnt paying attention, rather just letting his body go on autopilot and he tried to clear his mind. after a solid 15 minutes of rights and lefts, he found himself a hallway away from sokka’s quarters. after some hesitation, he turned around and went back to his bedroom.

the next time, after much delay and pacing, he knocked on the door. its not like be hadnt’t done this before. it would be just like before. that reasoning didnt stop zuko from immediately turning around and walking away. fortunately. sokka opened the door before he could get too far. zuko awkwardly began to explain his situation, but sokka just interrupted him and told him to wait before shutting the door. zuko stood there mouth still half open from when he was talking before sokka emerged two minutes later, clothed and ready to go. they wandered to the kitchen and talked for what seemed like minutes but must have been hours, as they were politely shooed out by the staff beginning to prepare breakfast. zuko walked sokka back to his quarters before they parted ways. sokka reminded his friend that though things may be different, the option still stood.

many night rendezvous later, zuko showed up particularly shaken. much to sokka’s surprise, it almost looked like behind the curtain of now long dark hair, the mans face was wet. when sokka asked if he was crying while brushing dark hair behind a pale ear, it was confirmed that he was in fact crying. it started as silent tears, and slowly but surely turned into a violent sob. you know, the kind of gross one with hiccups and snot and general incoherence. at this point, they had known each other for years, and they had definitely surpassed the point of friendship (though they were both too dense to realize it themselves) meaning they had seen each other vulnerable. but never had sokka seen zuko cry like this, and definitely not because of a nightmare. now the same height, the watertribesman wrapped his arm around his friends shoulder and guided him to the bed. zuko wasnt big on giving physical affection, but he never pushed sokka away. not when the friendly slap on the shoulder became a tender shoulder massage. nor did when sokka went from tussling the mans dark hair to running his fingers through it to just simply playing with it. sokka sat and cradled zukos head into his own neck. zuko cries lessened into sniffles and then a gentle snore. sokka gently moved zuko, placing his friends head on the pillow and tucking him in.

zuko woke up the following morning, confused as to where he was. as he gained his bearings, he turned to find the source of what sounded like snorimg. he stared at the tanned man for a couple beats, processing what was in front of him. the firelord tensed when the snoring stopped, fearing some sort of negative reaction. zuko breathed out in relief when sokka simply rolled away from him and the snoring began again. zuko quietly slipped out the bed and out the room, but not before smiling fondly to himself in the doorway.

a couple days later, sokka and zuko found themselves caught up in late night shenanigans, a concept that wasnt foreign to them. they were sitting on the foot of sokkas bed when zuko stood up to dismiss himself for the night. sokka stopped him, and when zuko raised his eyebrows in question, sokka spluttered out a not so smooth joke that was just a weak attempt at asking for zuko to spend the night. for protection of course. zuko, who at this point was experiencing severe symptoms of polar bear-puppy love, said yes of course, and ended up spending the night.

when he woke up the next morning, he felt truly rested for the first time in years.