The room was warm. Heavy with everything unsaid, everything you both felt.
You were curled up on top of him, thighs bracketing his hips, chests touching, lips brushing slow and unhurried. You could taste the salt on his tongue, the heat building in the space between you. And you could feel it, too, the way Luffy’s hands ghosted over your waist like he was holding back.
Like he wanted to do more, but was waiting on you.
You pulled back just enough to see him, eyes blown wide, cheeks pink, lips already kissed to the softest red.
“Luffy…” you breathed.
He looked up at you like you’d just spoken the most important word in the world. His hands were steady on your hips now. Anchoring you. Letting you move if you wanted to.
“…do you want to?” you asked, quieter now, breath a little shaky.
His gaze softened even more , impossibly gentle and he sat up slowly to bring your faces closer. “Yeah,” he said, brushing his nose against yours. “Only if you want to, too.”
You kissed him before answering, slow and sweet. Your body pressing tighter against his, letting him feel how ready you were, how warm and eager your thighs squeezed around him.
“I do,” you whispered.
And something shifted.
Luffy let out a slow breath, arms winding around you as he rolled his hips up just a little , letting the tension bloom between your bodies.
“You wanna be on top again?” he murmured, voice low and warm. “Wanna ride me, baby?”
Your face burned at the sound of it. But you nodded.
“I’ll help you through it,” he promised, guiding your hips with strong, careful hands. “Just like before.”
And he did.
He laid back again, letting you take your place, every inch of movement building something deeper between you. He whispered little things while you sank down on him, his mouth brushing your chest, your shoulder, your throat, groaning quiet and slow like he couldn’t take it.
“Fuuuck… yeah, baby, just like that…”
You couldn’t stop the way your hips moved fast, eager, too eager, the way your hands clutched his chest, trying to find somewhere to ground yourself. The pressure, the stretch, the heat was so much but it was all so good.
“Luffy-!”
He caught your waist with both hands, steadying you, slowing you.
“Hey,” he whispered, smiling up at you, breath ragged, “easy, baby… slower, yeah?”
You tried. You really did. But the moment you heard the next thing out of his mouth, your hips bucked again.
“Wanna feel every part of you,” he rasped. “Wanna watch you take me real slow.”
Your thighs trembled. His words sent heat rushing through you, and you leaned down to kiss him messy and desperate.
But still, his hands stayed at your hips. Helping you move. Slowing the rhythm. Letting you rise and fall onto him in long, deep strokes that had you both gasping.
“Y’feel so good, baby… shit, you’re perfect-”
“Luffy-!”
Your nails dug into his chest. He moaned quietly trying to be good, to stay quiet for the crew but you knew. You felt how close he was, how close you were.
His thumb slid between your legs, coaxing another cry from your lips.
“Keep goin’, baby,” he whispered. “That’s it… ride me just like that…”
And when you started to speed up again trying to chase that edge he held you tight.
“No, no, slower, baby,” he breathed, voice low and strained. “Wanna stay inside you longer…”
You moaned, helpless in his grip, trembling as he helped you roll your hips in that sweet, slow pace. Your foreheads pressed together, sweat mingling, bodies pressed like one. His name fell from your lips again and again.
“Luffy- Luffy-”
“I got you, baby,” he whispered. “You’re doin’ so good. You’re makin’ me feel so good…”
And when you both finally came together, crying each other’s names, you collapsed into his arms, shaking and full and loved.
summary: When an overwhelming palace party pushes Aang past his limits, seeing someone make his partner uncomfortable causes him to snap, forcing him to confront his emotions and lean on the person he loves most.
Music echoed through the massive palace halls while nobles and diplomats filled every corner laughing and talking over one another.
Servants carried trays through the crowd.
People danced.
Others drank and shouted over the music.
It was chaotic.
Honestly?
Most of the Gaang loved it. Sokka was already stealing expensive food. Toph was threatening rich people for fun. Katara was enjoying finally getting dressed up. Even Zuko seemed less miserable than usual.
But Aang-
Aang looked overwhelmed the second you walked in.
You noticed immediately. Of course you did. His shoulders were tense and his eyes kept darting around the room.
Too much noise.
Too many strangers brushing past him every few seconds.
You moved closer to him instinctively. “You okay?”
Aang gave you a quick smile. “Yeah.”
You gave him a look. “Aang.”
He sighed softly. “I’ve just never really been to… this.”
You smiled gently. “A fancy party?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned slightly closer to you. “There’s so many people.”
You rubbed his arm softly. “We can leave whenever you want.”
Immediately he shook his head.
“No.”
You blinked.
“Aang-”
“You were excited for this.”
His voice softened. “I want you to have fun.”
Your chest warmed instantly. Even overwhelmed, he was still more worried about you enjoying yourself. You smiled softly.
“I can stay with you.”
But Aang shook his head again. “No, go have fun.”
You hesitated.
“You sure?”
He smiled. “I’ll be okay.”
You leaned up, brushing a quick kiss against his cheek before pulling away. “Come find me if you need me.”
Aang’s face immediately pinked a little. Even after being together for a while, tiny affection like that still got to him.
“I will.”
For a while, things were okay. You stayed mostly with Katara.
Talking.
Laughing.
Dancing a little.
Checking on Aang whenever you spotted him through the crowd. At first he seemed alright. Then the party kept getting louder.
More crowded.
More chaotic.
People constantly brushing against him. Trying to talk to him because he was the Avatar.
Aang tried.
But slowly he could feel himself getting more overwhelmed. His breathing got tighter. His patience thinner. All he really wanted now was you. So eventually he started looking through the crowd for you.
That’s when he saw it.
Some guy standing way too close to you and Katara. Leaning into your space. You and Katara both clearly uncomfortable.
Trying to politely move away.
But the guy kept following. Still talking. Still trying to flirt.
Then-
Aang saw the guy reach for your waist. Something inside him snapped instantly. One second he was across the room. The next-
He was shoving through the crowd so fast people stumbled out of his way. You barely had time to register him approaching before...
Aang punched the guy square in the face.
Hard.
The entire room seemed to freeze. The guy staggered backward in shock.
“Aang?!”
You stared at him. Aang was breathing hard.
Eyes sharp.
Furious.
More furious than you had ever seen him.
“Don’t touch my fucking girlfriend.”
The words came out instantly.
Cold.
Protective.
Possessive.
The guy recovered quickly and swung back. Then suddenly they were fighting. Actually fighting. People screaming and backing away. Tables knocked over.
Aang dodging punches with terrifying speed before throwing another hit straight into the guy’s jaw.
“Aang stop-!”
But he wasn’t listening.
Not really.
The fear when he saw someone grabbing at you, it all exploded out of him at once. The guy lunged again. Aang shoved him back hard enough to send him crashing into a table.
Then suddenly-
Sokka and Zuko were there.
“WOAH- HEY!”
Sokka grabbed Aang around the shoulders. Zuko pulled the other guy back before this turned into an actual disaster.
“Aang!”
Aang was still tense.
Still breathing hard.
His fists clenched. Eyes locked on the guy like he wanted to hit him again. Eventually Zuko got everyone outside to avoid causing a bigger scene. The cold night air helped immediately.
At least a little.
The noise from the party became distant now. You stood with Katara nearby while Sokka and Zuko talked quietly with Aang.
You’d never seen him like that before.
Not even in battles.
Because this hadn’t felt like combat. It felt emotional. Almost out of control.
And honestly?
It scared you a little. Not because you thought he’d hurt you.
Never that.
But because Aang was usually so calm. So controlled. And tonight he’d completely lost it.
After a few minutes, Sokka and Zuko finally backed away. Aang stood there quietly now.
The anger gone.
Only guilt left behind.
You slowly walked over to him. “Aang?”
His eyes immediately lifted to yours. The second he looked at you, his expression cracked.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology came out immediately. “I don’t know what happened.”
You stayed quiet.
Aang rubbed a shaky hand over his face. “I was already overwhelmed and then I saw him touching you and- ”
He stopped himself.
Frustrated.
Ashamed.
“I just snapped.”
Your chest softened immediately. Because suddenly you could see it clearly now. He hadn’t just been angry. He’d been drowning all night trying to handle everything around him. And then someone touched you when you were uncomfortable. That was simply the thing that pushed him over the edge.
Aang looked down. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
You stepped closer carefully.
“Aang…”
“I scared you.”
His voice got quieter. The guilt in it hurt to hear. “I never wanted to do that.”
You looked at him for a long moment.
Then gently-
“You didn’t scare me.”
His eyes flicked back up.
“You worried me.”
Aang swallowed hard. “I just…”
His jaw tightened. “I hated the way he was touching you.”
Your heart skipped slightly. Because even now guilty and overwhelmed. There was still protectiveness in his voice. You reached for his hand carefully. Immediately his fingers wrapped tightly around yours. Like grounding himself.
“You should’ve come to get me sooner,” you said softly.
Aang blinked. “What?”
“You were overwhelmed.”
His face fell slightly.“You were having fun.”
“I would’ve left with you.”
Aang stared at you silently. Like that possibility genuinely hadn’t occurred to him. Your thumb brushed lightly over his knuckles. “You don’t have to force yourself through things alone just because you think it’ll make me happy.”
Something emotional flickered across his face at that.
“I didn’t wanna ruin your night.”
“You’re more important than a party.”
The words hit him hard. You could see it instantly. His shoulders finally loosened slightly. Some of the tension leaving him. Then softer-
“I’m sorry I lost control.”
You stepped closer until your arms wrapped gently around him. Aang immediately melted into it. Like the second you touched him, his body finally realized it was safe to relax. His arms wrapped tightly around your waist.
Face burying slightly into your shoulder.
“I’ve got you,” you whispered softly.
Aang let out a shaky breath. And standing there outside the noisy palace, holding onto you tightly under the night sky
Aang realized maybe what overwhelmed him most tonight wasn’t the crowd.
ENOUGH with the sokka angst I have had ENOUGH OF THIS What is wrong with you people I genuinely want to enjoy my day and you have me bawling my eyes out bruv
Jejenehhehsh imagine sokka with a confident girlfriend/wife (even better if shes physically strong too) hehehhehehe I’m kicking my feet 👅 At first I think he’d be a little grumpy about it, but then he’d be totally into it. He’d be like “yeah that my girl right there, suckers” 😼 Extra points if she helps him out in his workshop. But that (by all means) does NOT mean that he’d be less (over)protective of her.
I don’t have a specific scenario for this, preferably something funny/fluffy, I’m giving you creative freedom other than that (you don’t have to respond to this if you don’t feel like writing about ts 😓 also sorry if this doesn’t make any sense I wrote it half asleep)
Completely Gone for You
╰┈➤ pairing: Sokka x female! reader
a/n: i love this requestt🤪
summary: Sokka prides himself on being the confident one in every situation, but his endlessly affectionate and self-assured partner has a talent for leaving him completely flustered while reminding him just how deeply in love he is.
The guy with a joke for everything. So when he first started dating you and realized you had absolutely no problem making him flustered in return? He struggled badly.
“You know,” you said casually one afternoon while leaning over his shoulder in the workshop, “you look really attractive when you’re focused.”
Sokka immediately hit his head on the shelf above him. “OW- ”
You burst out laughing. He turned toward you with betrayal written all over his face while rubbing the top of his head dramatically. “You can’t just say things like that!”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m working!”
“You were tightening a screw.”
“I was engineering.”
You grinned shamelessly. “And looking good doing it.”
Sokka stared at you for a second. Then pointed accusingly. “You’re doing this on purpose.”
“Maybe.”
At first, he genuinely didn’t know how to handle you. You complimented him constantly. Touched him first without hesitation. Dragged him into kisses whenever you wanted. And worst of all-
You acted completely confident about it too. Meanwhile Sokka would short-circuit every single time. “You’re cute when you’re flustered,” you informed him one evening. “I’m not flustered.”
“You walked into a chair.”
But over time?
Something shifted. Because eventually Sokka stopped being embarrassed about how obsessed he was with you.
And started leaning into it completely.
---
“Yeah,” Sokka said proudly one day while watching you earthbend a massive boulder out of the road during a mission, “that’s my girl.”
You looked over immediately, laughing softly at the ridiculous amount of pride in his voice. Toph groaned nearby. “Oh spirits, he’s doing it again.”
Katara smiled knowingly. “He literally can’t help himself.”
Sokka ignored them completely, to busy staring at you with heart eyes. Honestly?
It got worse after you started helping in his workshop regularly. Because suddenly not only were you pretty and confident and affectionate You also willingly listened to him ramble about inventions for hours.
Which, according to Sokka, basically made you perfect.
“You handed me the wrong wrench.”
You looked up from where you sat cross-legged on the floor sorting metal pieces. “No I didn’t.”
Sokka stared at the tool in his hand.
Then blinked.
“…Okay no, this is right.”
You smirked immediately. “Thought so.”
“You’re smug today.”
“You love it.”
You were right. Sokka shook his head while trying to hide a smile before going back to work. The workshop was warm and cluttered like always, sunlight spilling through the windows while half-finished inventions covered nearly every available surface.
You’d started spending most afternoons here with him.
Sometimes helping.
Sometimes just keeping him company.
Sokka loved all of it. Loved the sound of your voice filling the room, the way you’d casually wander over and fix his posture when he hunched too long over blueprints.
Loved how naturally you fit into his space.
Even if...
“You should not be standing that close to that.”
You looked up slowly. “Sokka.”
“That metal is sharp.”
“I’m an earthbender, not a helpless woodland creature.”
“I know that.”
“Then relax.”
He absolutely did not relax. Because no matter how confident or capable you were, Sokka was still Sokka. Meaning overprotective instincts kicked in constantly, especially around his inventions.
“Careful.”
“Sokka.”
“That thing’s unstable.”
“You say that about everything in here.”
“Because everything in here is unstable.”
Fair point. You laughed quietly as he immediately walked over anyway, hands settling automatically on your waist before moving you slightly away from the workbench. “There,” he said proudly.
You blinked. “You moved me like two inches.”
“Safer already.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re precious to me.”
The words came out so casually that your chest tightened before you could stop it. Sokka noticed immediately. His grin softened into something warmer. “There it is,” he murmured.
“What?”
“That look.”
You crossed your arms suspiciously. “What look?”
“The one where you remember I’m charming.”
You snorted softly. “Debatable.”
But you stepped closer anyway. Sokka’s hands immediately returned to your waist like they belonged there. “You know,” you said softly, “I think you secretly like that I’m confident.”
“Secretly?” he repeated dramatically. “I openly like it.”
You laughed.
“No seriously,” he continued, tugging you gently closer between his arms. “At first it scared me a little.”
“Scared you?”
“You came into my life acting like you owned the place.”
“I do own the place.”
“My workshop?”
“Your heart.”
Sokka froze completely. You burst out laughing immediately while his face turned red. “You did that on purpose!”
“Oh absolutely.”
“You’re evil.”
“You love me.”
“Unfortunately.”
Still blushing, Sokka groaned dramatically before burying his face briefly against your shoulder. And despite his complaining-
You felt him smiling. “You’re impossible,” he muttered.
“Mhm.”
“But also…” he lifted his head again, expression softer now, “kinda amazing.”
Your teasing expression melted instantly. Sokka looked at you for another second before kissing you gently. Warm hands still firm at your waist. Slow enough that you smiled against his mouth halfway through. “You know what I like best though?” he murmured softly after pulling back slightly.
“What?”
“That you help me with this stuff.”
You glanced around the workshop. “Your dangerous scrap pile?”
“My genius inventions.”
“Right. Sorry.”
Sokka grinned. “Most people get bored when I talk about engineering.”
“I like listening to you.”
His entire expression softened at that. Like those four words genuinely mattered to him.
They did. Because Sokka always worried deep down that people didn’t take him seriously enough. But with you, he never felt small.
You made him feel brilliant.
“You’re staring again,” you teased quietly. “You’re pretty,” he replied instantly.
“You say that every day.”
“I think it every second.”
Your face warmed immediately. Sokka grinned triumphantly again before suddenly pulling you tighter against him. “What now?” you laughed.
“You’re standing too close to the tools again.”
“Oh my gosh.”
“I’m serious.”
“Sokka, I can literally throw rocks with my mind.”
“And I can still worry about you.”
You rolled your eyes affectionately, wrapping your arms around his neck.
“Protective.”
“Very.”
“Clingy.”
“Also true.”
You smiled softly.
And Sokka kissed you again like he couldn’t help himself.
a/n: saw someone else do this and i loved itt so I thought I would do smth similarrr
summary: A completely normal morning turns into absolute chaos when the Gaang notices bruises on your hips, forcing you and Aang into a painfully embarrassing explanation while the rest of the group reacts in the most dramatic ways possible.
wc: 1.9k
contains: established relationship, romantic fluff, comedy, embarrassment, protective Aang, accidental public exposure, light suggestive themes, Gaang shenanigans loll
The morning had started completely normal.
Well-
Normal for the Gaang.
Which meant Sokka was loudly raiding the kitchen for food while Toph complained about him chewing too loud, Katara was trying to organize everyone, and Appa was snoring somewhere outside loud enough to shake the windows.
You were barely awake yourself.
Still tired.
Still sore.
And completely unaware of the bruises visible along your hips where your shirt had ridden up slightly. Honestly, you hadn’t even thought about them.
Not after last night.
Not after Aang had practically refused to stop making love to you for hours, kissing all over your skin while holding you tightly against him like he could never get enough. A blush threatened your face just thinking about it.
You walked into the kitchen quietly, rubbing sleep from your eyes. “Morning,” you mumbled.
Katara smiled softly.
“Morning.”
Sokka looked up from his food immediately.
Then paused. His expression changed instantly. “…Uh.”
You blinked sleepily. “What?”
The kitchen suddenly went weirdly quiet. Even Toph tilted her head slightly. Katara’s eyes widened subtly. Sokka slowly pointed toward your waist. “…Should we be concerned?”
Your stomach dropped immediately.
“What?”
You looked down. And immediately saw them. Dark bruises wrapped around your hips. Finger-shaped. Very obvious finger-shaped.
Oh no.
Your face went hot instantly. “Oh my gosh.”
Katara stood immediately. “Did someone hurt you?”
“No!”
Too fast. Which somehow made it worse. Sokka looked horrified now. “Wait seriously, are those handprints?!”
You immediately tugged your shirt downward in embarrassment. “It’s not what it looks like!”
Toph snorted loudly from the table. “Oh, I can sense exactly what it looks like.”
“TOPH.”
“What? I’m blind, not stupid.”
Katara still looked worried though.
Genuinely worried. And honestly? You understood why. The bruises looked bad. Especially because Aang was incredibly strong now, even outside bending.
Years of training and fighting had changed him physically.
He was taller.
Broad-shouldered.
Muscular in ways he definitely hadn’t been as a teenager.
And sometimes-
Especially when emotional or passionate, he genuinely didn’t realize his own strength. Still, before you could explain properly The kitchen door slid open.
And Aang walked in. Immediately smiling the second he saw you. “There you are.”
His voice was still soft and sleepy. His head tattoos slightly glowing from just finishing morning meditation. He looked comfortable and relaxed. Completely unaware he’d just walked into a disaster. Then he noticed the silence.
And everyone staring at him.
His smile slowly faded.
“…Why is everyone looking at me like that?”
Nobody answered immediately. Sokka looked between you and Aang awkwardly. Katara looked deeply conflicted. Toph looked entertained. And you wanted to disappear into the floor.
Aang frowned slightly. “What happened?”
Then Katara spoke carefully.
“Aang…”
The second he heard her tone, concern crossed his face instantly.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Katara glanced at you briefly before looking back at him. “She has bruises.”
Aang blinked.
“…Okay?”
Sokka nearly choked.
“OKAY?!”
Aang looked even more confused now but then looked at your face. Then your waist where you were still unsuccessfully trying to cover the marks.
He immediately walked toward you, panic and embarrassment all over his face. “Baby, I didn’t hurt you, right?”
The fact he asked so genuinely somehow made your face even hotter.
“No!”
“You’d tell me if I did?”
“Yes, Aang.”
He visibly relaxed slightly.
Then immediately looked horrified again. “…Did I really leave those?”
You covered your face instantly. “Oh my gosh.”
Sokka looked traumatized.
“I’m never eating in this kitchen again.”
Toph was still cackling. Katara pinched the bridge of her nose. “A warning would’ve been nice.”
“We didn’t know they were there!” you defended weakly. Aang still looked guilty somehow. His eyes stayed fixed on the bruises. “…I grabbed you that hard?”
Your face somehow got hotter.
“You were emotional.”
Toph made a choking noise laughing.
“Oh this is GOLD.”
Aang immediately rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to bruise you…”
You softened instantly seeing how upset he suddenly looked. Because despite the embarrassment, Aang genuinely hated the idea of hurting you.
Even accidentally.
You reached for his hand gently.
“Aang.”
His eyes immediately lifted to yours.
“I’m okay.”
“…Promise?”
“Yes.”
He still looked uncertain. “I should’ve been more careful.”
Your chest softened painfully. “Aang, they don’t even hurt.”
Katara finally sighed. “Okay, now that we’ve established nobody is being abused- ”
“THANK YOU,” you muttered.
“- can we please never discuss this again?”
Toph immediately grinned. “Oh no, I’m discussing this for months.”
Aang groaned quietly before stepping closer to you again. Still embarrassed. Still pink-faced. But his hand automatically settled gently on your waist anyway. This time very obviously careful. You looked up at him teasingly. “Scared to touch me now?”
“Yes.”
You laughed softly.
“Aang.”
“I’m serious.”
His thumb brushed lightly against your hip where the bruises sat hidden again beneath your shirt. “I don’t like seeing marks on you from me.”
Your expression softened instantly.
“You know I liked them.”
Aang’s face immediately went red again.
“Baby.”
Toph gagged dramatically.
“Ew.”
Sokka pointed accusingly while backing toward the door.
“See?! This is why I’m leaving!”
Katara was fully covering her face now. “I miss when we were children.”
“We literally fought in a war,” Toph said.
“Somehow this feels worse.”
You started laughing helplessly while Aang buried his face briefly against your shoulder in embarrassment.
“I can’t believe this happened.”
“You walked into it.”
“I hate all of you.”
“No you don’t,” you murmured softly. Aang sighed dramatically before lifting his head again. Then quietly enough just for you- “…Still sorry though.”
Your heart melted instantly, because even now, after years together. After knowing you trusted him completely He still cared so deeply about your comfort and safety. You kissed his cheek softly.
“I know.”
And immediately
Some of the tension left his shoulders again.
Even while Sokka continued loudly announcing from another room that he’d been emotionally scarred for life.
Hellooo, could I please request an aang x reader fic where aang and the reader are in the middle of a political meeting and they are on opposite ends of the table and all they can think about are the flashbacks of what they did the night before (they were being vey freaky) and they both look so red and flustered
One Look
╰┈➤ pairing: Aang x gn! reader
a/n: tyyyy for the requesttt!! (had to take break again, also just did like a whole rebrand on my acc lolll)
summary: A routine council meeting turns into a disaster when Aang and his partner can't stop thinking about the night before, making their flustered behavior painfully obvious to everyone around them.
wc: 1.8k.
contains: Established relationship, gender-neutral reader, romantic fluff, humor, suggestive themes, implied intimacy, lovestruck Aang, teasing from the Gaang, protective and affectionate relationship dynamics,
The council chamber was unbearably warm. At least, that’s what you kept telling yourself.
Because surely the reason your face felt like it was on fire had nothing to do with the fact that Aang was sitting directly across from you looking equally red.
Definitely not. The massive Republic City council table stretched between both of you while politicians argued about shipping routes and trade agreements. You had not heard a single word in the past ten minutes.
Neither had Aang. Which was becoming increasingly obvious.
“…And that concludes my proposal regarding harbor expansion.”
Silence.
One of the council members blinked. Aang stared blankly for half a second before immediately straightening. “Right. Yes. Harbor.”
You looked down instantly to hide your expression.
Spirits.
He was so bad at pretending to focus. Katara, sitting two seats away from him, narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Because usually Aang was locked into every meeting. Today?
The Avatar looked seconds away from spontaneously combusting. And honestly? You probably looked the same. Which was entirely his fault.
Because last night...
Your face heated immediately at the memory. Aang’s eyes flickered toward you at the exact same moment. Big mistake.
The second your eyes met, the memory hit both of you again instantly. His hands on your waist. The way he fucked you senselessly into the matress. Your voicing cracking as you kept moaning his name to go faster.
The way he looked at you like he completely lost his mind for you-
You immediately looked away again.
Oh gosh.
Across the table, Aang coughed awkwardly into his hand. Sokka noticed instantly. “You okay there, Aang?”
“Fine,” Aang answered way too fast. You pressed your lips together trying not to laugh. Aang shot you a look. Which only made things worse. Because now you remembered him making that exact expression the night before when...
Nope.
Absolutely not thinking about that during a council meeting. One of the older councilmen continued talking. “The Avatar’s opinion would be appreciated.”
Aang blinked.
“…About?”
Toph snorted loudly from near the wall. “Aang is totally out of it.”
You kicked her lightly under the table as she passed. She grinned. “I can hear both your heartbeats, by the way.”
Your soul almost left your body. Aang looked horrified. Toph leaned closer to Katara smugly. “They’re freaking out.”
Katara’s eyes narrowed immediately. “…Why are they freaking out?”
“No reason,” you and Aang both said instantly. Too instantly. Sokka looked between both of you suspiciously now. “Oh no.”
You wanted to disappear.
Aang rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, refusing to look directly at anyone now. Unfortunately for him, you knew exactly why his ears were turning bright red.
Because last night you may or may not have teased him relentlessly about how sensitive he got whenever you kissed near his tattoos. The memory hit you again suddenly.
Aang’s hands tightening around you. His arrows glowing faintly. The quiet sound he made when-
You accidentally inhaled sharply. Aang looked up immediately. And judging by the way his face somehow got even redder, he definitely knew exactly what you were remembering.
Katara slowly lowered her tea. “…What happened last night?”
“NOTHING,” Aang squeaked.
The entire room went silent. You covered your face immediately. Toph burst into laughter. Sokka pointed dramatically across the table. “I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WEIRD.”
Aang looked ready to airbend himself through the nearest window.
Meanwhile the council members looked deeply uncomfortable. One poor old man cleared his throat awkwardly. “…Should we continue this meeting later?”
“Yes,” you said immediately.
“No,” Aang said at the same time.
Then both of you looked at each other again.
Huge mistake.
Because now you remembered waking up tangled together that morning, Aang half asleep and clinging to you while mumbling something embarrassingly sweet into your shoulder. His face softened slightly looking at you now despite the embarrassment.
And suddenly the tension changed.
Less chaotic.
More warm.
You smiled before you could stop yourself. Aang immediately smiled back. Hopelessly fond. Sokka gagged dramatically. “Oh they’re disgusting.”
Katara finally sighed, realization dawning on her face.
“…Oh.”
Toph grinned wickedly.
“Oh she figured it out.”
Your face burned all over again. Aang rubbed both hands over his face. “We’re never living this down.”
“Absolutely not,” Sokka answered immediately.
And honestly?
Judging by the look Aang kept giving you from across the table afterward, neither of you were going to survive the rest of this meeting without completely losing it again.
I'm in love with your stories ❤️ What do you think about an isekai reader in Atla who falls in love with Aang while trying to avoid him as much as possible, but they keep running into each other and it's very difficult not to find him charming? Or if that's not your thing, something about a reader x Aang where they complement each other very well despite having opposite personalities?
Sunshine and Thunderstorm
╰┈➤ pairing: Aang x gn! reader
a/n: tyy sm for the requesttt! <3 (had to take break again, also just did like a whole rebrand on my acc loll)
summary: While the Gaang constantly teases that you and Aang are complete opposites, everyone eventually realizes that your differences are exactly what make your relationship so strong, and bringing out the best in each other.
Everyone always thought it was strange that you and Aang worked so well together.
Because on paper?
You shouldn’t have. Aang was light, gentle and patient. The kind of person who smiled at strangers and stopped to help lost animals on the street.
You-
Well.
You were definitely not that. You were sharper around the edges. More realistic. Quick to snap when irritated. The type to cross your arms during meetings while Aang tried to peacefully negotiate with people.
Honestly, most people assumed you argued constantly. And to be fair, you did.
Just not in the way they thought.
“Aang.”
“What?”
“That man is literally trying to scam you.”
The old vendor immediately gasped dramatically. “I would never scam the Avatar!”
You stared at him flatly. “You just doubled the price!"
Aang looked sheepish instantly. “…Did you?”
The vendor slowly lowered the price. You snorted and continued walking while Aang hurried after you.
“You can’t glare at every shopkeeper.”
“I can if they deserve it.”
Aang laughed softly beside you.
And there it was. That balance. Because where Aang saw the good in everybody-
You saw the warning signs.
Where you got angry-
Aang stayed calm.
Where he overthought everything-
You grounded him.
You balanced each other without even trying. Katara noticed it first. Probably because she spent the most time watching both of you together. One evening the Gaang sat around a campfire after a long day traveling. Sokka was loudly losing a Pai Sho game to Toph.
Again.
“It’s not cheating if you’re just bad at the game,” Toph said smugly.
“It literally is cheating!”
You snorted quietly from your spot near the fire while sharpening a small dagger absentmindedly. Across from you, Aang sat cross-legged meditating.
Or trying to.
Every few seconds one eye cracked open to look at you. You noticed by the fourth time.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re staring.”
“I’m meditating.”
Aang grinned. Katara watched the interaction with amusement. “You know,” she said casually, “you two are weirdly perfect together.”
You immediately looked over.
“We are not weird.”
Toph laughed loudly.
“You guys are SUPER weird.”
Sokka pointed dramatically. “You’re like sunshine and a thunderstorm dating each other.”
You blinked.
“…That was weirdly poetic for you.”
“Thank you.”
Aang smiled softly beside the fire. “I think we work well together.”
Your eyes flickered toward him. He said it so simply, like it was obvious.
And maybe it was.
Because despite how different you both were-
Being with Aang felt easy, almost natrual.
Even when you argued. Especially when you argued.
Like last week-
The Gaang had stopped in a crowded Earth Kingdom town where a dispute broke out between local merchants. Aang immediately tried solving it peacefully.
Of course.
Meanwhile you stood nearby already annoyed. “This meeting has been going in circles for an hour.”
Aang kept his calm smile. “We’re making progress.”
“You’ve said that three times.”
One merchant started yelling again. You pinched the bridge of your nose. Aang touched your wrist gently under the table.n“Give me a little longer,” he murmured quietly.
And because it was him... you did.
Thirty minutes later the argument finally settled peacefully. Outside afterward, you crossed your arms. “That could’ve been solved way faster.”
“Probably.”
“You still dragged it out.”
Aang smiled. “But nobody got hurt.”
You sighed dramatically.
“You’re exhausting.”
“And you love me.”
Unfortunately true. Another thing people noticed?
Aang softened you. Not completely. You still had a temper, still rolled your eyes constantly. Still threatened Sokka at least once a week.
But around Aang... you became gentler without realizing it. The best example was probably Appa. Before dating Aang, you tolerated Appa.
After dating Aang?
You were literally hand-feeding the giant sky bison apples while baby-talking him. Sokka saw it once and nearly fainted.
“WHO ARE YOU?”
You immediately pointed at him. “Say one word and I’ll push you off Appa.”
Meanwhile-
You toughened Aang up too.
Not in a bad way. But you taught him how to stand firm sometimes. How to stop apologizing for existing, how to say no. One night after a council meeting in Republic City, Aang came home frustrated.
“They wanted me to mediate another harbor dispute.”
“And?”
“I already have three other things tomorrow.”
You looked up from your book.
“So say no.”
Aang blinked.
“…I can do that?”
You stared at him.
“You are literally the Avatar.”
The next meeting?
Aang finally set boundaries. And afterward he came home looking almost shocked with himself.
“They said okay.”
“No way.”
He laughed while collapsing dramatically beside you on the couch. “They just said okay.”
You kissed his cheek proudly.
“See? Growth.”
He smiled into your shoulder afterward.
“You make me braver.”
Your heart nearly exploded honestly. Because Aang said things like that so sincerely. Another reason you worked so well together, you understood each other’s weaknesses instinctively. When Aang got overwhelmed, you noticed before anyone else.
Like during festivals.
The crowds.
The expectations.
Everyone wanting something from him.
You’d quietly grab his hand and pull him away before he could burn himself out trying to please everybody. And when you got angry, really angry, Aang never got angry back, he just stayed calm until the storm passed. One time you snapped at a rude councilman so hard the entire room went silent.
Afterward you expected Aang to lecture you. Instead he handed you tea. “He was rude,” he admitted carefully.
You blinked. “That’s all you’re gonna say?”
“You already know you scared everybody.”
“…Fair.”
Then there were the quiet moments too. The ones nobody else really saw. Like mornings. Aang waking before sunrise to meditate while you groggily pulled him back into bed because he was warm.
Or nights where he’d ramble excitedly about rebuilding Air Nomad culture while you listened even when half asleep.
You grounded him.
He softened you.
You protected him emotionally.
He protected your heart without even realizing it.
One rainy night, Katara finally said what everyone had clearly been thinking for years. The Gaang sat crowded together inside a small inn while rain hammered outside. You were arguing with a man downstairs earlier because he overcharged your rooms.
Aang had calmly talked the price back down afterward.
Now both of you sat beside each other sharing tea.
Katara smiled softly watching you both. “You know why you work?”
You looked over suspiciously.
“Why does everyone keep analyzing our relationship?”
I really love how you write Sokka and Zuko as the readers brother relationship! It’s so funny to me.
May you right another one! Something along the lines of Sokka and the reader sneaking around until Zuko finds out.
I love your writing!
Caught in the Palace Halls
╰┈➤ pairing: Sokka x female! reader
a/n: had to take a little break but im backk!! tyy for the request!! <33
summary: After weeks of secretly dating Sokka behind Zuko’s back, one careless late-night makeout session in the palace corridors finally gets the two of you caught, forcing Sokka to survive the world’s most terrifying brother interrogation.
Sneaking around with Sokka had started as an accident. At least, that’s what you told yourselves.
One late-night conversation turned into lingering touches. Lingering touches turned into stolen kisses. And suddenly-
You were hiding behind hallways every other day while Sokka whispered dramatic declarations of love like he was starring in his own romance play.
The problem?
You were also Zuko’s younger sister. Which meant secrecy wasn’t optional. Because Zuko was already overprotective before you started dating one of his closest friends.
If he found out?
Sokka was convinced he’d be dead within the hour.
“He’s not gonna kill you,” you whispered one evening while Sokka pulled you into a secluded corner near the palace courtyard. Sokka looked at you flatly. “Your brother once threatened a guy for looking at you too long.”
“That guy was creepy.”
“He looked at you for maybe three seconds!”
“He knew what he was doing.”
Sokka stared in disbelief. “You’re taking his side?”
You laughed softly as his hands settled automatically on your waist.
“He literally narrows his eyes every time I breathe near you.”
“…Okay, maybe a little true.”
Sokka groaned dramatically, dropping his forehead against your shoulder. “This relationship is dangerous.”
“You’re still here.”
“Because you’re pretty.”
You smiled helplessly.
Sokka always said things like that so casually. Like he didn’t even realize how badly they affected you anymore. He tilted his head up just enough to kiss you softly.
Quick.
Warm.
Then again immediately because Sokka never stopped at one. “You know,” you murmured against his lips, “you’re really bad at sneaking around.”
“I’m amazing at sneaking around.”
“Sokka, yesterday you literally walked into my room through the main hallway.”
“It was nighttime.”
“That doesn’t make it stealthy.”
He gasped softly. “Wow. Criticism from my own girlfriend.”
You laughed quietly while he kissed you again, hands tightening slightly at your waist like he physically needed you closer every second.
Honestly?
The sneaking around had become half the fun for him. Not because he enjoyed hiding your relationship, he actually hated that part. But because every stolen moment felt exciting.
Late-night meetings on balconies.
Quick kisses in empty hallways.
Sokka pulling you into unused rooms just because he “missed you” after being apart for an hour. It was ridiculous. And unfortunately very effective.
Until-
One night you got careless. Very careless.
“You hear that?” you whispered suddenly against Sokka’s shoulder.
“Hm?”
“Footsteps.”
Sokka barely reacted, too busy kissing along your jaw lazily. “Probably nothing.”
“Sokka.”
“What?”
“Stop distracting me.”
“That’s literally impossible.”
You shoved him lightly despite laughing. You were tucked away in one of the quieter palace corridors, hidden between large pillars near the gardens. It was late enough that most people were asleep.
Which normally meant safe.
Normally.
Sokka leaned down again immediately. “Okay but counterpoint- ”
Then froze.
Heavy footsteps echoed closer. Your stomach dropped instantly.
“Sokka.”
His eyes widened.
“Oh no.”
Because you recognized those footsteps. So did he.
“Move move move- ”
Too late.
“...What exactly is happening here?”
The voice froze both of you solid.
Slowly, you turned.
Zuko stood at the end of the corridor. Arms crossed. Which was somehow infinitely worse than angry. Sokka immediately removed his hands from your waist like he’d been burned. “Hey, Zuko!” he said far too loudly.
Oh, he was panicking.
You knew that voice.
Zuko’s eyes narrowed instantly. “…Why are you both out here?”
Silence.
Sokka smiled nervously. “Night air?”
“Together?”
“As friends?”
You closed your eyes briefly.
This was a disaster.
Zuko stared at Sokka for a long moment. Then his gaze shifted to you. Then back to Sokka.
Then-
Very slowly-
His eyes dropped to the fact that Sokka’s hand was still halfway around your waist. Sokka noticed too. And made the fatal mistake of jerking his hand away awkwardly. Which only made everything look guiltier.
The silence became unbearable.
Then Zuko spoke again. “…How long?”
Your stomach flipped. “Sokka,” you whispered quietly.
“I’m thinking,” he whispered back.
“Don’t think too hard.”
“I’m trying not to die.”
Zuko’s eye twitched visibly. “You’re dating.”
Sokka straightened slightly like a man preparing for execution. “…Maybe?”
“Sokka.”
“Okay yes!”
You slapped a hand over your face immediately. Zuko looked genuinely stunned for half a second. “You- ” he pointed sharply at Sokka. “You were sneaking around behind my back?”
“That sounds really bad when you say it like that.”
“Because it is bad!”
“We didn’t mean to hide it forever,” you cut in quickly. Zuko looked at you immediately. “You knew?”
“Well obviously I knew, Zuko.”
“That’s not the point!”
Sokka took one cautious step back.
“You,” Zuko snapped, turning back toward him, “are my friend.”
“I still am!”
“And you’re dating my sister!”
“…Also true.”
Zuko looked moments away from combustion. You stepped between them immediately because Sokka apparently valued survival very little.
“Zuko.”
“He was sneaking into the palace?”
“Not sneaking.”
“Sokka.”
“…Entering quietly?”
Zuko looked ready to strangle him. Honestly?
Fair.
“I trusted you,” Zuko said sharply. Sokka’s expression shifted immediately. Because underneath all the panic and joking-
That one hurt.
“We didn’t hide it to hurt you,” he said more quietly. Zuko crossed his arms tighter. “Then why hide it at all?”
Silence.
Because the answer was obvious. You stepped closer carefully. “Because we knew you’d react like this.”
“I’m reacting normally!”
“You look one second away from firebending him through a wall.”
“I’m considering it!”
Sokka made a small alarmed noise behind you. You sighed softly. “Zuko,” you said gently this time. “I love him.”
That shut everything down instantly.
Sokka froze. Zuko froze harder.
And you realized what you’d just admitted out loud in front of both of them. Your face heated immediately. Sokka looked like his soul temporarily left his body.
“You- ”
“Don’t make it weird,” you muttered quickly. “I’m not making it weird,” Sokka whispered, looking completely stunned. “You just said you love me.”
Zuko looked horrified. “Can we focus?”
“No actually,” Sokka said faintly, still staring at you. “I’d like to stay on that part.”
You buried your face in your hands. This was awful. When you looked back up, Zuko was staring at both of you with the exhausted expression of a man realizing he’d already lost this battle.
“You’re serious about this,” he said quietly.
Sokka answered immediately. “Yes.”
No jokes.
No hesitation.
Zukos expression shifted slightly. Still unhappy and protective A long silence followed.
Then finally-
“If you hurt her,” Zuko said calmly, “I will bury you.”
Sokka nodded instantly. “Understood.”
“I’m serious.”
“Very understood.”
You rolled your eyes. “You’re both ridiculous.”
Zuko ignored that completely, still glaring at Sokka. Then after another second
“…No more sneaking around.”
You blinked. “Wait seriously?”
“You’re still not allowed to make out in palace hallways,” Zuko snapped immediately.
Sokka looked genuinely relieved just to still be alive.
could i please request an aang fic, where him and the reader had a fun day at the beach and then when the sun is starting to go down they just sit on the beach and aang "blow dries" reader's hair with his air bending? just a very soft and cutesie fic <3
Golder Hour
╰┈➤ pairing: Aang x gn! reader
a/n: not my photo!!
summary: After a rare peaceful beach day with the Gaang, you and Aang slip away together at sunset, where soft waves, quiet affection, and Aang airbending your hair dry turn an ordinary evening into one of your favorite memories together.
Which honestly surprised everyone. Usually his “great ideas” involved danger, property damage, or both.
But this time?
It was actually perfect.
Warm sun.
Clear water.
Soft sand stretching for miles.
Even Toph admitted it was nice after spending twenty minutes aggressively pretending she wasn’t enjoying herself.
And somehow the entire day had felt easy.
No missions.
No fighting.
No Avatar duties pulling Aang away every five minutes. Just the Gaang relaxing together like old times. You’d spent most of the afternoon in the water with Aang anyway.
Which wasn’t surprising.
The second he got near open air and water, he practically turned into an overexcited kid again. At one point he’d airbended a huge wave toward you while laughing so hard he nearly wiped out himself afterward.
“You cheated!” you yelled through laughter.
Aang grinned brightly from where he hovered just above the water.
“I’m literally the Avatar. Everything I do is cheating.”
“You’re impossible.”
“And yet you love me.”
Unfortunately for you
He was right.
Very right.
Later, Sokka and Toph started arguing over some ridiculous beach game while Katara desperately tried to stop them from burying each other in sand.
Zuko had disappeared hours ago after declaring all of you “too loud.”
Meanwhile you and Aang wandered farther down the shoreline together. The sun had started sinking lower now, painting the ocean gold and orange while the waves rolled gently onto the sand.
Everything felt slower.
Softer.
Peaceful in the kind of way that settled deep into your chest. You walked beside Aang barefoot while the water brushed against your ankles every few steps.
His hand stayed loosely tangled with yours the entire time.
Absentminded.
Comfortable.
Like touching you was second nature now.
Probably because it was.
“You had fun today?” Aang asked softly. You looked over at him. The sunset caught against his tattoos beautifully, making the blue glow faintly warm against his skin.
“Yeah,” you admitted. “I really did.”
Aang smiled immediately.
Goodness.
That smile.
It still got you every single time.
“I missed this.”
You tilted your head slightly.
“The beach?”
“Just… this.”
He squeezed your hand gently.
“No responsibilities for one day.”
Your chest softened immediately. Because lately he’d been carrying so much.
Avatar duties.
Politics.
Training young airbenders.
Helping rebuild cultures and communities. Sometimes it felt like the entire world rested on his shoulders again.
But here?
Right now?
He just looked like Aang.
Not the Avatar.
Not the symbol of peace. Just the person you loved. You stopped walking once the water reached your calves.
Aang looked at you curiously. “What?”
You smiled softly.
“Nothing.”
“You’re staring.”
“I’m appreciating.”
Aang laughed quietly.
Then without warning he tugged you gently closer until your bodies bumped together lightly in the shallow water.
“You’re cheesy.”
“You love it.”
“…Yeah.”
The honesty made you laugh softly. Aang immediately smiled wider hearing it. Then after a moment he glanced at your hair.
Still damp from swimming earlier. “You’re gonna be freezing once the wind picks up.”
You looked down at your soaked hair dramatically.
“Tragic.”
“Hm.”
Aang’s eyes sparkled slightly then. Which usually meant trouble.
Before you could ask
Warm air suddenly swirled gently around your head. You blinked. Then immediately burst out laughing.
“Aang.”
“What?”
“You’re airbending my hair.”
“I’m helping.”
The warm breeze carefully moved through your damp hair again, softer this time. Almost impossibly gentle. Like invisible fingers combing through the strands carefully.
You stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you seriously blow drying my hair right now?”
Aang looked way too pleased with himself. “Maybe.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re welcome.”
You laughed harder while sitting down on the sand finally.
The ocean stretched endlessly in front of you while the sky deepened into soft pinks and golds overhead. Aang sat beside you immediately.
Still airbending carefully around your hair. The warm breeze brushed against your face softly while he focused with adorable concentration.
“You’re taking this very seriously,” you teased.
“Of course I am.”
“You look like you’re doing advanced Avatar training.”
Aang gasped dramatically.
“This is advanced.”
You snorted softly.
Then leaned closer until your shoulder rested against his. The second you did, his free hand automatically found yours again.
Comfortable.
Instinctive.
His thumb brushed lightly across your knuckles while the warm air continued drying your hair.
For a while neither of you talked. You just listened to the waves. The distant sounds of the others farther down the beach. The soft whistle of Aang’s bending around you.
Peace settled warmly into your chest.
Then quietly
“You know,” Aang murmured, “I think this might be one of my favorite days we’ve had in a while.”
You looked over at him softly.
“Really?”
“Mhm.”
He smiled faintly at the ocean ahead.
“You were relaxed today.”
Your heart squeezed slightly. Because he noticed things like that.
Little things.
Things nobody else paid attention to.
“I think you were too,” you admitted. Aang hummed quietly. “Probably because you were with me.”
Heat rose instantly to your face.
“You flirt like an old married person.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means you’re weirdly smooth sometimes.”
Aang grinned proudly.
“I’ve had practice.”
You rolled your eyes affectionately. The breeze around your hair slowed slightly as Aang checked his work dramatically.
“Hm.”
“What?”
“Almost done.”
You laughed quietly again.
Then after another moment
You leaned your head gently onto his shoulder. Aang instantly softened beside you. The air around you warmed slightly again unconsciously.
“You’re cozy,” he murmured.
“You’re warm.”
“Airbender benefits.”
“Very useful.”
“Mhm.”
The sun dipped lower now until the sky glowed deep orange across the horizon. Everything felt golden. And for a moment
The world felt impossibly quiet.
Not empty quiet.
Safe quiet. The kind that only came during moments where nothing hurt and nobody needed saving.
Aang finally let the breeze die down completely before reaching up to gently run his fingers through your now dry hair proudly.
“There.”
You looked up at him.
“You’re very talented.”
“I know.”
“So humble too.”
“It’s one of my best qualities.”
You laughed softly before leaning up to kiss him gently.
Slow.
Sweet.
Tasting faintly like saltwater and sunshine.
Aang melted immediately. One hand moved softly to your waist while he kissed you back with that same easy tenderness he always carried around you. When you finally pulled back, he rested his forehead lightly against yours.
Hii! Could you please do a one shot with Sokka, very angsty. Hurt/no comfort. I want to cry here. More or less an scenario where they’re married, have two kids(little) and the girl is just really sick and not getting any better and Katara just says that it’s really bad and he’s kind of in denial that she’s going to die, but at the same time he knows what he has to do since he’s a father and has to “prepare his children” for the worst, because he knows how hard it is to lose a mother at such young age.
I don’t know if I’m being way too detailed or something.😭😭 Hope you see this!! Have a nice night or day idk💕💕
Before The Grief Arrives
╰┈➤ pairing: Sokka x female! reader
a/n: WHEWWWW i can'ttt with this im so sad
summary: As your illness worsens and the reality of losing you begins creeping into the household, Sokka struggles to hold his family together while quietly unraveling under the anticipatory grief of imagining a future without you in it.
wc: 4.2k
contains: major illness, anticipatory grief, emotional hurt/comfort, parenthood,exhausted Sokka, fear of loss, denial, heavy angst, family themes, sickbed scenes, emotional breakdowns, mentions of death, grief before death, no comfort
Sokka hadn’t slept properly in weeks.
Not really.
He’d doze off sitting beside your bed sometimes, waking up instantly the second you coughed too hard or shifted beneath the blankets.
Other nights, he stayed awake completely. Watching your chest rise and fall in the darkness. Counting breaths without meaning to.
Like if he stopped paying attention for even a second-
Something horrible would happen.
The worst part was how quiet the house had become.
Not physically.
The kids were still loud. Still running through hallways and laughing too hard and asking a million questions at the worst possible times.
But your laughter was missing now.
Your voice.
The warmth you carried into every room without even trying.
And Sokka felt the absence of it constantly. Especially on the days you couldn’t leave the bed at all.
---
“Daddy, the baby’s crying again!”
Sokka nearly dropped the bowl in his hands.
“I know!” he called back immediately, exhaustion bleeding into his voice despite his effort to hide it.
The soup on the stove was already starting to burn. Your 5 year old son, needed help with his schoolwork.
The laundry hadn’t been done in days.
And your youngest baby girl had apparently decided sleep was optional now that the household had descended into chaos. Sokka hurried into the next room, scooping the infant up before she could fully spiral into screaming.
“Okay, okay,” he murmured tiredly, bouncing her against his chest. “I got you.”
She immediately grabbed fistfuls of his tunic, little face scrunched up unhappily.
“I want mama.”
The words hit like a knife every single time.
Sokka swallowed hard.
“I know, sweet pea.”
“Mama sing?.”
His chest tightened painfully. Normally, you would’ve already been there.
Picking her up.
Kissing her forehead.
Singing softly while swaying around the room until she calmed down.
Now?
Now you barely had the strength to sit upright some days. And Sokka was trying so hard to fill spaces that didn’t belong to him. “I can sing,” he offered weakly.
His daughter looked deeply offended by the suggestion. Despite everything, a tired laugh escaped him. “Wow,” he muttered. “Tough crowd.”
But his voice cracked slightly halfway through the joke.
Because he was so, so tired. Not physically. Or not only physically.
He was tired in that horrible deep way grief exhausted people before the grief even fully arrived.
Later that evening, Katara came by again. Sokka already knew the look on her face before she even spoke.
That careful gentleness.
That hesitation.
It made his stomach twist violently. “She’s weaker,” Katara said quietly once the children were distracted in the other room.
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Automatic.
Katara’s expression crumpled slightly.
“Sokka- ”
“No,” he repeated harsher this time. “You said the medicine was helping.”
“It was,” she said softly. “But now- ”
“She just needs more time.”
Katara went silent. And somehow that silence said everything. Sokka stared at the wall instead of her because if he looked directly at his sister, he might completely fall apart.
“She’s not dying,” he whispered.
Katara’s eyes filled immediately.
And that-
That terrified him more than anything. Because Katara always fought back.
Always argued.
Always reassured people.
But now she just looked heartbroken. “Sokka…” she whispered helplessly.
He stood abruptly.
“No.”
It was the only thing he could say anymore.
No.
No, this wasn’t happening.
No, you couldn’t leave him.
No, his children couldn’t lose their mother.
No.
No.
No.
---
That night, your son crawled quietly into Sokka’s lap while he sat beside your bed. You were asleep again.
Too pale against the blankets.
Too still.
Sokka hated how still you’d become lately.
“Daddy?”
He looked down immediately, softening despite the exhaustion pulling at every part of him. “Hey, buddy.”
Your son leaned sleepily against him. “Mama still sick?”
Sokka’s throat tightened. “Yeah.”
“She gonna get better?”
The question hollowed him out instantly. Because he didn’t know how to answer anymore. Every day he woke up telling himself you would recover. Every day he watched you struggle harder just to breathe comfortably.
And somewhere deep down, beneath all the denial and panic and desperate hope
He knew.
He knew the truth.
He just couldn’t survive saying it out loud. Not fully. Not yet. Your son looked up at him again, waiting patiently.
Trusting him completely.
Spirits.
Sokka felt sick.
Because he remembered this feeling.
Sitting beside his dad after their mother died. Watching adults exchange sad looks instead of honest answers. Being old enough to know something was wrong but too young to fully understand why nobody would explain it properly.
He remembered the confusion.
The fear.
The awful realization afterward that everyone else had known before he did.
And now
Now he had to somehow protect his own children from that same pain while knowing he couldn’t actually save them from it. Sokka wrapped an arm around his son carefully. “…Mama’s very sick,” he said quietly.
His son frowned slightly. “But Auntie heals people.”
“I know.”
“Then why isn’t mama better yet?”
Sokka stared at the floor.
Because sometimes people still died. Because healing wasn’t magic. Because life could be cruel and unfair and terrifying no matter how badly you loved someone.
But how could he explain any of that to a child?
“…Sometimes,” he said slowly, voice rough, “sometimes people stay sick for a long time.”
His son was quiet for a moment.
Then softly
“Like grandma?”
Sokka’s entire body went still.
Their grandmother had died the year before.
Old age.
Peaceful.
Natural.
Nothing like this.
But his son didn’t know the difference. Sokka felt tears sting his eyes instantly. “…Yeah,” he whispered painfully.
The little boy curled closer against him.
“Are you sad?”
The question almost made him break completely.
Because yes.
Gosh, yes.
He was drowning in it. He was sad and terrified and exhausted and angry at the world for even making this possible. But he was also a father.
And fathers were supposed to hold things together. Even when they were falling apart internally.
“A little,” he admitted weakly.
His son nodded like he understood.
Then after a second
“I’m scared.”
That did it. Sokka shut his eyes hard, pulling the little boy tighter against his chest immediately. Because there it was.
The thing he’d been trying so desperately to avoid.
The fear had reached the kids now too. And there was nothing he could do to stop it anymore.
“I know,” he whispered shakily.
His son’s tiny hands clutched at his shirt.
Sokka buried his face briefly against the top of his head because suddenly breathing felt difficult. He didn’t know how to do this. Didn’t know how to prepare children for losing their mother when he still couldn’t even imagine surviving it himself.
You were everything warm in his life.
Everything steady.
You made every place feel like home.
And now he was supposed to picture birthdays without you?
Mornings without you?
Your daughter growing up without remembering your voice clearly?
The thought nearly made him physically ill.
“Daddy?”
Sokka looked down quickly again.
His son hesitated before asking quietly, “If mama dies… will you still be here?”
The question shattered something inside him.
Immediately, Sokka pulled him closer. “So long as I’m alive,” he whispered fiercely, voice breaking completely now, “I’ll always be here. Okay? Always.”
His son nodded sleepily against him. But Sokka couldn’t stop crying silently after that. Because he remembered being that small.
Remembered how terrifying the world felt after losing a mother.
And now his children might have to learn that same grief far too early too.
Later, after finally getting both children asleep in your room beside you, Sokka sat alone on the kitchen floor.
Not the chair.
The floor.
Too exhausted to make it any further. The house was dark and quiet except for your weak coughing from down the hall.
Sokka pressed both hands over his face shakily. He hadn’t eaten properly in days. Hadn’t shaved.
Could barely remember the last full conversation he’d had with anyone that wasn’t about medicine or food or trying to keep the children calm.
And worst of all
He was starting to resent himself for every moment he wasn’t beside you. Because every second felt important now.
Precious.
Temporary.
What if you woke up asking for him and he wasn’t there?
What if you needed him?
What if-
A broken sound escaped his throat before he could stop it.
hey i saw your requests were open, and i loved your last sokka piece so i thought i’d send one in for him!
it’s a bit self indulgent but i was thinking new parents sokka and earthbender reader. reader is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to motherhood, as well as the unfamiliar and cooler climate of the south pole. sokka is earnestly trying his best but is just as sleep deprived as his wife, just fluffy, some hurt/comfort etc.
thank you so much for reading! if you don’t vibe w it don’t worry, i appreciate you taking the time to write all this for free i know it’s thankless work sometimes.
A Little Less Cold
╰┈➤ pairing: Sokka x female! reader
a/n: bro can someone clip Sokka in the new movie im running out of photos lolll
summary: Overwhelmed by motherhood and struggling to adjust to life in the freezing South Pole, you finally break down in the middle of the night only for Sokka to remind you that neither of you has it figured out, and that you’re not carrying it alone.
wc: 2.8k
contains: new parents, postpartum exhaustion, emotional hurt/comfort, soft Sokka, crying baby, sleepless nights, homesickness, South Pole setting, established relationship, marriage/parent vibes, reassurance, gentle romance, insecurity, supportive partner, emotional intimacy
The South Pole was beautiful.
That was the problem.
Everyone talked about it like that was supposed to make everything easier.
The endless snow glowing under moonlight. The soft blue shimmer of the ice.
The quiet. Always the quiet.
But nobody warned you how cold it felt when you weren’t born there.
Not really. As an earthbender raised in warmer stone cities and mountain villages, the South Pole still felt foreign even months after arriving. The cold sank into your bones in ways you couldn’t bend away.
And lately
Everything felt harder.
Especially now.
Especially with a newborn crying in your arms at what had to be the fourth time that night.
Or fifth.
Honestly, you’d lost count.
Your daughter’s tiny cries filled the room while you paced slowly across the floor, exhausted beyond words as you bounced her gently against your chest.
“It’s okay,” you whispered tiredly. “It’s okay, sweet girl…”
She disagreed completely.
The crying only got louder.
You nearly cried with her.
The room was dim except for the small lantern flickering near the bed, casting soft shadows over the blankets and scattered baby clothes neither you nor Sokka had the energy to clean properly anymore.
Your hair was messy.
Your back hurt.
You hadn’t slept for more than maybe an hour at a time in days.
And worst of all
You felt guilty for struggling this much.
You loved your daughter more than anything.
More than life itself.
But motherhood wasn’t coming naturally the way you thought it would.
Some days you felt clumsy.
Overwhelmed.
Too emotional.
Too tired.
And being so far from everything familiar only made it worse.
Another sharp cry snapped you from your thoughts.
“Shh, shh…” you murmured weakly, bouncing her again. “Please…”
The bed shifted behind you.
Then came Sokka’s sleepy voice.
“Baby…?”
You turned slightly.
Sokka sat up slowly, hair sticking up in every direction, eyes barely open beneath heavy exhaustion. His furs hung crookedly off one shoulder and there were dark circles under his eyes that matched yours almost perfectly.
He looked terrible.
You’d never loved him more.
“She won’t settle,” you whispered apologetically.
Sokka immediately pushed himself upright further despite clearly being half dead. “Okay,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Okay, lemme try.”
“You need sleep.”
“So do you.”
Fair point.
You carefully handed your daughter over, and Sokka took her with surprising gentleness for someone so exhausted.
“There’s my girl,” he murmured softly, instantly swaying side to side with her against his chest. “Crying again? Yeah, me too honestly.”
Despite yourself, a weak laugh escaped you.
Sokka smiled sleepily at the sound.
“There it is,” he said quietly. “Missed that today.”
Your chest tightened.
You hadn’t realized how quiet you’d been.
Sokka bounced the baby gently while walking slow circles across the room now, murmuring nonsense under his breath in that warm sleepy voice that somehow calmed both you and the baby at the same time.
Eventually the crying softened into little hiccuping noises.
You sank slowly onto the edge of the bed, suddenly too tired to stand anymore.
Sokka noticed immediately.
His expression softened.
“Tough night?” he asked quietly.
You stared down at your hands. “…I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Sokka frowned instantly. “What?”
“I just…” your throat tightened. “I feel bad at this.”
His face completely fell.
“Hey,” he said immediately, crossing back over toward you. “No. No, you’re not.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“I’m not just saying it.”
You looked away, eyes burning suddenly.
“I can’t get her to stop crying half the time,” you whispered shakily. “I’m exhausted all the time, I miss home, I can barely handle this stupid weather- ”
“Baby- ”
“And everyone else makes this look easy.”
Sokka’s expression softened painfully.
Because he knew.
He’d noticed the homesickness.
The way you lingered near warm stone walls whenever possible. The way your hands were always cold no matter how many blankets you used.
The way you sometimes stared out across all the endless snow looking lonely in a place that had always been home for him.
He just hadn’t realized how deeply it was getting to you.
Sokka carefully shifted the baby against one arm before kneeling in front of you.
“You wanna know something?” he asked softly.
You sniffed slightly. “What?”
“I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing either.”
You blinked at him.
“Sokka- ”
“No, seriously,” he said tiredly. “I’m just guessing constantly.” He glanced down at the now sleepy baby in his arms. “I changed her earlier and somehow put the diaper on backwards.”
A tiny laugh escaped you before you could stop it.
“I’m serious! Katara laughed at me for ten minutes.”
You smiled weakly.
Sokka reached for your hand immediately.
“You’re a good mom,” he said softly.
Your eyes dropped. “How do you know?”
“Because she’s loved.”
Your throat tightened painfully.
Sokka squeezed your hand gently.
“She’s warm, safe, fed, cuddled basically every second of the day- ”
“She cries all the time.”
“She’s a baby,” he said simply. “That’s like… their whole thing.”
You laughed quietly through the tears threatening your eyes.
Then his expression softened even more.
“And you love her so much it scares you,” he continued quietly. “I see it every day.”
That broke something in you a little.
Because he said it so honestly.
Like there wasn’t even a question.
Tears finally slipped free and you quickly looked away embarrassed.
Immediately, Sokka shifted closer.
“Oh, hey,” he murmured softly. “C’mere.”
Carefully balancing the baby, he pulled you toward him until your forehead rested against his shoulder.
And the second he touched you—
You cracked.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
Just exhausted little tears against his shoulder while he held both you and your daughter at the same time.
“I’m trying,” you whispered shakily.
“I know,” he said immediately.
“I miss home sometimes.”
“I know.”
“And I hate the cold.”
“That one I definitely know.”
A watery laugh escaped you.
Sokka pressed a kiss gently into your hair.
“You know what I think?” he murmured.
“What?”
“I think you moved to literally the coldest place in the world for me.” His arms tightened slightly around you both. “And then had our terrifyingly loud child.”
You snorted softly.
“So honestly? I think you’re doing amazing.”
Your chest ached.
You pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes still damp.
“You look exhausted,” you murmured.
“I am exhausted.”
“You fell asleep sitting up yesterday.”
“I can do anything through love and sleep deprivation.”
You laughed again, more genuinely this time. The baby finally settled fully between you both, tiny sleepy breaths replacing her cries. For a moment, the room went quiet.
Soft. Warm despite the cold outside.
Sokka glanced down at your daughter, then back at you.
“You know…” he said quietly, “I think she likes you best.”
You blinked. “What?”
“She always calms down when you hold her.”
“That is absolutely not true.”
“It is true.”
“She literally just stopped crying for you.”
“Yeah, but I’m funny.” He smiled softly. “You’re home.”
Your breath caught. Sokka said things like that sometimes.
Quiet things.
Things that slid straight into your heart before you could prepare for them.
You leaned closer instinctively, and he immediately rested his forehead against yours.
“You don’t have to be perfect at this,” he whispered.
“I know.”
“No, really.” His thumb brushed gently across your cheek. “We’re figuring it out together.”
Together.
That helped.
More than anything else. Because maybe motherhood felt overwhelming.
Maybe the South Pole still didn’t fully feel like yours yet. Maybe some nights were harder than others.
But Sokka was here.
Holding you together when you started unraveling. Loving you through all the messy exhausted parts.
summary: After weeks away carrying the weight of the world as the Avatar, Aang finally returns home emotionally exhausted and quietly falls apart the moment you start taking care of him again.
Being the Avatar meant people constantly needed Aang.
Villages.
Leaders.
Spiritual problems.
Conflicts.
Meetings.
It never really stopped. Usually, he handled it well.
But this time?
This time he’d been gone for weeks. And you could tell it was wearing on him. Even through the letters he sent. They started warm and excited at first, little stories about places he visited, people he helped, Appa stealing food from markets.
But the longer he was gone, the shorter they got.
More tired and desperate.
More “I miss you.”
More “I can’t wait to come home.”
And by the last one?
You could practically feel how drained he was through the paper.
So when Appa finally landed back at the temple. You were already running before he fully touched the ground.
“Aang!”
His head snapped up immediately. And the second he saw you, something in him completely softened. Not a little. Completely.
He practically jumped off Appa.
You barely had time to steady yourself before his arms wrapped around you tightly, pulling you fully against him like he needed to physically reassure himself you were real.
“Oh,” he breathed.
The sound alone made your chest ache. You wrapped your arms around him immediately, holding him just as close. And Aang melted.
Actually melted.
His entire body relaxed against yours so fast it almost startled you. His face buried against your neck, his grip tightening slightly as he exhaled shakily. “I missed you,” he mumbled quietly.
“I missed you too,” you whispered.
He didn’t let go. Not even a little. You smiled softly, rubbing your hand up and down his back gently. And somehow
That almost seemed to affect him more.
His breath caught slightly. His arms tightened again. “You okay?” you asked softly.
He nodded immediately.
Then after a second
“…No.”
Your heart squeezed.
You pulled back just enough to look at him properly. He looked exhausted. Not physically, necessarily. Emotionally. Like he’d been carrying everyone else’s problems for too long without anyone taking care of him.
The second your hand touched his cheek, his eyes closed instinctively. Like he’d been craving softness. Craving you.
“You’ve been overworking yourself,” you murmured.
Aang gave a weak little laugh. “That obvious?”
“Very.”
You brushed your thumb gently under his eye before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. And Aang nearly sagged into you. Like even that tiny affection was enough to undo him. “You’re really touch-starved right now, huh?” you whispered softly.
His ears turned pink instantly.
“…Maybe.”
You smiled.
“C’mere.”
You guided him inside carefully, your hand never leaving his.
And Aang followed immediately. Close enough that your shoulders kept brushing the whole walk there.
---
Once you got him settled in your room, you finally noticed the scrapes properly. His arms. His shoulders. And worst of all-
Part of his arrow tattoo near his shoulder had been scraped up badly.
Your brows pulled together immediately. “Aang.”
“What?”
“You’re hurt.”
“It’s not bad.”
You gave him a look.
“It’s bleeding.”
“…Okay, maybe a little bad.”
You sighed softly before motioning toward the bed.
“Sit.”
He obeyed instantly. Mostly because he looked too tired to argue. You grabbed the small healing supplies from nearby before sitting beside him. The second you moved close again, Aang’s shoulders visibly relaxed. Like your presence alone settled him.
“Lift your arm,” you said gently.
He did.
And you carefully started cleaning one of the scrapes near his tattoo. Aang hissed softly. “Sorry,” you murmured immediately.
“It’s okay.”
Your touch gentled even more after that, careful fingers brushing against his skin as you cleaned the injury. And after a moment
You noticed him staring.
“What?” you asked softly.
“…Nothing.”
“Aang.”
His expression softened a little.
“I just missed this.”
Your chest tightened.
“Being patched up?”
“No,” he murmured quietly.
His eyes stayed on you.
“Being taken care of.”
That hit you right in the heart.
You slowed your movements slightly, your fingers brushing carefully along the edge of his tattoo. “You take care of everyone else all the time,” you said softly.
“Someone has to.”
“And someone has to take care of you too.”
Aang looked down for a second at that.
Quiet.
Emotional.
You could practically see how tired he was now that he’d finally stopped moving. Finally stopped forcing himself to keep going. Your fingers moved carefully along another scrape, smoothing healing ointment gently over the irritated skin. Aang’s breath caught softly.
Your eyes flicked up immediately.
“Did that hurt?”
“No,” he said quickly.
Then quieter-
“It felt nice.”
The honesty in his voice made your expression soften immediately. You brushed your thumb gently along the blue lines of his tattoo.
“You’re so touch-starved,” you murmured.
He laughed weakly, embarrassed.
“Probably.”
You leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss near the uninjured part of his shoulder. Aang visibly melted again. Actually melted. His eyes closed immediately, his head tipping slightly toward you instinctively.
And suddenly you realized-
He’d spent weeks without this.
Without soft touches.
Without comfort. Without someone loving him gently instead of needing things from him.
Your chest ached.
“You should’ve come home sooner,” you whispered.
“I couldn’t.”
“I know.”
That was the hard part. You finished wrapping the scrape carefully before setting everything aside. The second your hands were free again, Aang moved.
Fast.
His arms wrapped around your waist immediately as he pulled you into his lap like he physically couldn’t help himself anymore.
“Aang- ” you laughed softly. He buried his face against your stomach first, arms locked around you tightly. Then after a second, he looked up at you. And the look in his eyes nearly ruined you.
Soft.
Exhausted.
Needy in the most emotional way possible. “Can you just stay like this for a while?” he asked quietly.
Your heart completely melted.
“Of course.”
You climbed fully into his lap then, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as he held you close instantly. And Aang relaxed harder than you’d ever felt before. Like every piece of tension he’d been carrying finally started slipping away.
His face tucked against your neck, breathing slow and warm now.
Safe.
Home. You ran your fingers gently through the short hair near his scalp, scratching lightly.
A tiny sound left him before he could stop it.
You smiled softly.
“That good?”
“…Don’t tease me,” he muttered weakly.
You laughed quietly.
But your hands never stopped touching him.
And honestly?
Aang probably would’ve stayed there holding you forever if you let him.
Hiiiiii,my request is that reader is a non bender and feel bad about that so she distanced her self from her husband Aang, she doesn’t talk to him for some hours and then goes missing . Aang worried doesn’t eat or sleep until he finds her a week later and they cry and make up,reader apologizing for leaving . Thank you!!!!
You Are My Home
╰┈➤ pairing: Aang x female! reader
a/n: this is such a good request! I was getting very emotinallll lolll
summary: After insecurity over being a nonbender drives you to leave, Aang spends a devastating week searching for you before finally finding you in a distant coastal village and breaking down in relief when he realizes you’re alive.
wc: 3.7k
contains: hurt/comfort, emotional insecurity, nonbender reader, established relationship, marriage, separation angst, desperate reunion, crying, clingy/protective Aang, emotional dependency, comfort hugs, fear of abandonment, soft romance, heavy emotional themes, reassurance
The first few days, Aang thought you just needed space.
That was all.
Everyone had bad days.
And lately, you’d seemed quieter than usual.
More withdrawn. You smiled less. Spoke less.
Sometimes he’d catch you staring off somewhere distant while the others laughed around you. Every time he asked what was wrong, though, you always answered the same way.
“I’m fine.”
But Aang knew you better than that.
He noticed the little things. The way you stopped joining training sessions with the others. The way your smile faded whenever conversations turned toward bending or Avatar duties. The way you pulled away slightly whenever people praised him in public.
“The Avatar and his powerful friends.”
“Master benders.”
“The strongest people in the world.”
And you-
You’d just stand there quietly beside him.
Human. Ordinary. Nonbender.
Aang tried so hard to make sure you never felt lesser. Because to him? You weren’t. Not even a little. You were his peace.
His safest place.
The person he trusted most in the world. But lately something had shifted. And he could feel it slipping through his fingers no matter how carefully he reached for you.
That morning had started quietly. Too quietly. Aang woke up reaching for you automatically. But your side of the bed was cold already. He frowned slightly.
Usually you stayed tangled up with him for at least another hour. He sat up slowly.
“Baby?”
No answer.
The apartment was still. Aang found you standing outside on the balcony staring out over Republic City. The wind moved softly through your hair. You didn’t turn when he approached.
Immediately his chest tightened.
Because lately you’d been looking at him less and less. Aang stepped beside you quietly. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Straight to it. No pretending. You stared ahead silently.
“I’m not avoiding you.”
“Yes you are.”
His voice stayed soft. Gentle.
You swallowed hard.
“I just need some space.”
“For what?”
Your chest tightened painfully. Because how could you even explain this without sounding ridiculous? You finally looked at him and gosh. The concern in his face nearly broke you immediately.
“I’m tired of feeling useless.”
Aang blinked.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You’re not useless.”
You laughed bitterly under your breath.
“Aang.”
His face fell instantly hearing that tone from you. “You’re the Avatar,” you whispered. “Your friends are some of the strongest benders in the world. Everywhere we go people admire you and them and then there’s just…” Your voice cracked slightly. “Me.”
Aang stared at you like you’d said something impossible. “Just you?”
You looked away again quickly. “I can’t bend. I can’t fight beside you properly anymore. I can’t help the way everyone else can.”
“Baby- ”
“And I know you’d never say it but sometimes I wonder if you regret marrying someone ordinary.”
The second the words left your mouth-
Aang looked genuinely shattered. Like you’d physically hurt him.
“What?”
You instantly regretted saying it. But the thoughts had been building for months. Years maybe. Watching him soar through the skies while you stayed grounded.
“I know it sounds stupid- ”
“No,” Aang interrupted immediately.
His voice shook slightly now. “No, don’t do that.”
You finally looked at him again.
And tears already filled his eyes.
“I have never regretted loving you.”
Your chest ached. “Aang…”
“You think bending is why I love people?”
“No but- ”
“I love you.”
The emotion in his voice cracked hard.
“You think I come home exhausted every night searching for you first because you’re a bender?”
Tears burned behind your eyes immediately.
“Aang- ”
“You’re my wife.”
His voice softened then.
Quieter.
More hurt.
“And somehow you really think I’d ever look at you and see ‘less.’”
You couldn’t look at him anymore. Because part of you knew he meant every word. But another part, the insecure part
Still whispered ugly things into your mind constantly.
You stepped back slightly.
“I just need time.”
Aang’s face fell immediately.
“…Time?”
You nodded weakly.
“I can’t do this right now.”
“Do what?” His voice cracked again.
“Talk to me.”
That hurt him. You saw it happen in real time. But he still nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Quiet.
Broken.
“Okay.”
---
You were gone by sunset.
No note. No warning. Nothing.
At first Aang thought maybe you went walking. Then night came. And you still weren’t back. By midnight, panic had already started clawing at his chest.
By morning-
The entire city was searching. Katara found him standing in your shared bedroom staring blankly at the untouched side of the bed.
But Aang barely seemed to hear her. “She wouldn’t answer anyone.” His voice sounded distant.
“She wouldn’t even look at me.”
Days passed.
No sign of you. And Aang completely unraveled. He stopped sleeping properly first. Then eating. No matter how much Katara or Sokka begged him. Every waking second became dedicated to finding you.
He searched villages personally. Meditated desperately trying to feel for you spiritually. Flew across entire regions on Appa without rest. Anyone who might’ve seen you got questioned immediately.
And every single night
He came back emptier.
More exhausted.
More terrified. By the fifth day, Toph quietly told Katara she’d never sensed Aang this emotionally unstable before.
Because underneath the exhaustion
There was fear.
The possibility of losing you was destroying him. “Aang,” Katara said softly one night while finding him awake again before sunrise, “you need to sleep.”
“I can’t.”
“You haven’t eaten.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“She’s alive,” Katara insisted gently.
Aang finally looked up then. And the pain in his eyes nearly shattered her. “What if she thinks I’m better off without her?”
Katara immediately moved beside him.
“She does not think that.”
“She left.”
His voice broke completely.
“She left me.”
---
It was one week later when Aang finally found you.
A tiny coastal village far from Republic City. You’d been staying in a small room above a tea shop helping the elderly owner clean and cook in exchange for somewhere to sleep.
You looked thinner.
Tired.
Miserable.
Because leaving hadn’t fixed anything. It just made you miss him so badly it physically hurt. That afternoon you stepped outside carrying a basket of linens.
And froze.
Appa stood at the edge of the village.
And Aang-
Aang was staring at you like he’d finally found air after drowning. For one horrible second neither of you moved.
Then suddenly-
Aang ran.
Fast enough the wind kicked up around him.
Your basket hit the ground forgotten. And before you could even speak- He crashed into you.
Arms wrapping around you so tightly it stole your breath.
“Oh my gosh,” he choked out.
His entire body shook.
“You’re alive.”
Your own tears spilled instantly hearing the raw panic in his voice.
“Aang- ”
“You left.”
His voice cracked apart completely.
“You left and I couldn’t find you and I thought- ”
Emotion overwhelmed him so hard he couldn’t finish. You clung to him immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
Aang buried his face against your neck.
Actually crying now.
Real tears. And suddenly you realized just how badly this week had destroyed him. He looked exhausted.
Thinner.
Like he hadn’t rested once.
You pulled back just enough to see his face.
“Aang…”
His eyes were red. Sunken. “You scared me,” he whispered. The guilt hit so hard it nearly knocked the air from your lungs.
“I’m sorry,” you cried. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why would you do this?”
His voice wasn’t angry.
That somehow hurt worse. It was heartbroken. You shook your head desperately.
“I just thought maybe you deserved someone stronger- ”
Aang physically recoiled like the words hurt him.
“Stop.”
Tears spilled harder down your cheeks.
“I didn’t want to hold you back anymore.”
“You never held me back.”
His hands cupped your face desperately.
“You are my home.”
The sincerity in his voice shattered whatever walls you had left. You sobbed openly then. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Aang immediately pulled you back against him. Holding you impossibly tight. “You did,” he admitted quietly.
summary: A private late-night moment between you and Aang turns into chaotic embarrassment when Sokka barges in at the worst possible time, leaving Aang flustered but still instinctively protective of you.
wc: 1.1k
contains: Soft romance, established relationship intimacy, cuddling, playful kissing, light sexual tension (no explicit content), embarrassment humor, Sokka comedic chaos, protective behavior, blanket “cover-up” moment, affectionate teasing, Gaang dynamics.
The temple was finally quiet.
For once.
No missions.
No meetings.
No training.
Just you and Aang alone in your room late at night while the rest of the Gaang settled down for sleep somewhere else in the temple. The windows were cracked slightly open, cool mountain air drifting through the room while candlelight flickered softly against the walls.
You were curled against Aang’s side underneath the blankets, practically melted into him at this point. Not that he minded.
Aang loved being close to you.
Actually, loved was probably an understatement.
At the moment, he was laying back against the pillows shirtless, one arm around your waist while the other lazily traced shapes against your skin absentmindedly.
You were half laying on top of him, wearing one of his loose wraps that kept slipping off your shoulder every few minutes and nothing else underneath-
Aang was definitely struggling to focus because of it. You noticed every single time his eyes drifted.
“You’re staring again,” you teased softly.
His ears turned pink immediately.
“I can’t help it.”
You laughed quietly before leaning up and kissing him again. That ended any chance of coherent thought immediately.
Aang kissed you back fast, one hand sliding up your back as he pulled you closer against him instinctively.
Warm.
Soft.
Comfortable.
The kind of kissing that had no real goal other than enjoying each other. At least at first. Because after a while, it deepened naturally.
Aang’s kisses got slower, heavier, his hand tightening slightly at your hips every time you shifted against him.
And honestly?
You weren’t helping.
Especially not when your fingers slid over his body gently. A quiet sound escaped him immediately. You smiled against his lips. “That got your attention.”
“You always have my attention,” he murmured.
You kissed him again before he could keep talking because comments like that made your heart melt every single time. Aang responded instantly. He slowly moved his hand to the hem of the wrap. Slowly removing it. One hand moving up your ass, carefully while he kissed you deeper now, completely relaxed beneath you.
The blanket that was around you both had slipped lower somewhere along the way, exposing more of your naked body, but neither of you cared.
At least-
Until the door suddenly swung open.
“Aang, I need to ask you someth- ”
Silence.
Horrible.
Awful silence.
You froze instantly.
Aang’s eyes widened in absolute horror. Sokka stood in the doorway staring directly at the two of you.
At Aang shirtless.
At you half laying on top of him.
At the very obvious makeout session he had just interrupted.
“…OH COME ON!” Sokka yelled immediately.
Aang reacted on pure instinct. He grabbed the blanket so fast it was honestly impressive, yanking it up around you protectively until you were completely covered.
“SO KNOCK!” Aang shouted back immediately.
“I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE DOING THIS!”
“Well maybe you should’ve!”
You buried your burning face into Aang’s shoulder instantly while Sokka pointed accusingly.
“WHY ARE YOU BOTH ALWAYS LIKE THIS WHEN I WALK IN?!”
“GET OUT!”
“I LIVE HERE TOO!”
“NOT IN THIS ROOM YOU DON’T!”
You could physically feel Aang’s embarrassment radiating off him.
His face was bright red.
Ears glowing. One arm wrapped tightly around you while he kept the blanket firmly pulled up around your body protectively.
Which honestly made your heart flutter a little despite the embarrassment. Sokka looked personally victimized.
“I can never unsee this.”
“THEN LEAVE!” Aang snapped.
“You guys are unbelievable!”
“You opened the door without knocking!”
“Because I didn’t think I was interrupting this!”
Aang groaned loudly, dropping his forehead dramatically onto your shoulder for a second. “You’re the worst.”
“You’re making out in the middle of the night!”
“It’s OUR room!”
Sokka pointed dramatically.
“I have trauma now.”
“You’ll survive!”
At this point you were laughing too hard into Aang’s shoulder to even help.
Which made Aang look at you in betrayal. “This isn’t funny.”
“It kind of is,” you admitted through laughter.
Aang groaned again while Sokka kept rambling dramatically.
“I’m serious, from now on there should be a warning sign on this door.”
“GET OUT!”
Finally, mercifully, Katara appeared behind Sokka.
“What are you yelling abou- ”
She stopped instantly after seeing the scene. Aang looked ready to evaporate on the spot. Katara sighed immediately. “Sokka, seriously?”
“I’M the problem?!” he cried.
“Yes! Knock before entering people’s rooms!”
“I DIDN’T THINK THEY’D BE HALF NAKED!”
Aang immediately pulled the blanket higher around you protectively again.
“Stop looking at her!”
“I’m trying NOT to!”
Katara physically grabbed Sokka by the arm. “Okay. We’re leaving now.”
“I can still see him shirtless!”
“Sokka.”
“I’m traumatized!”
The door finally shut behind them.
Silence.
Then
Aang dropped his face into his hands.
“Oh my god.”
You immediately started laughing again. Aang looked at you, still completely red. “This is your fault too.”
“How?”
“You distract me!”
“That is not a real excuse.”
“It is to me.”
You smiled softly despite yourself. Even flustered out of his mind, he still had one arm securely around you underneath the blankets. Still holding you close. Still protecting you first before even processing his own embarrassment.
Your expression softened immediately. “You covered me up,” you murmured quietly.
Aang blinked.
Then his face softened too.
“Of course I did.”
The sincerity in his voice made your chest warm. Even during absolute chaos
He thought about you first.
You leaned up, kissing his cheek softly this time. Aang immediately melted again despite everything.
“You’re cute,” you whispered.
“I’m humiliated.”
“You’re still cute.”
He huffed softly, trying not to smile.
Then after a second
“…Do you think Sokka’s gone?”
You listened for a moment.
“…Probably.”
Aang narrowed his eyes suspiciously toward the door.
“I don’t trust him.”
That only made you laugh harder while he pulled you closer again, still stubbornly keeping the blanket wrapped around you both.
summary: After a peaceful moment of closeness, Natsu wakes from a nightmare that makes him fear losing control and hurting you, but you gently ground him and reassure him that he’s not alone and you’re not going anywhere.
wc: 1.3k
contains: Soft romance, established relationship intimacy, sleep cuddling, nightmare-induced panic, emotional reassurance, hurt/comfort, fear of loss, grounding touch, emotional vulnerability, safe-space comfort.
The apartment had gone quiet again.
Not the heavy, tense kind of quiet from before just soft, peaceful stillness. The kind that settles in after everything has finally been said, after emotions burn out and leave warmth behind instead of damage.
You hadn’t moved much from where you were on the couch.
Neither had Natsu.
At some point, sitting side by side had turned into something closer. Your legs were tucked up slightly, your body angled into his, his arm draped around you like it had always belonged there. Your fingers were still loosely intertwined, resting against his stomach.
Absentminded.
Natural.
You shifted just a little, pressing closer, your head settling more comfortably against his chest. You could hear his heartbeat steady, strong, familiar.
It made your eyes feel heavier.
“Tired?” he murmured, his voice low, almost sleepy himself.
“…A little,” you admitted.
“Then sleep.”
You huffed softly. “You say that like it’s easy.”
He adjusted slightly beneath you, pulling you in closer, his other arm wrapping more securely around your back.
“Better?” he asked.
You didn’t even try to hide the small smile that tugged at your lips.
“…Yeah.”
Your hand shifted, sliding lightly against his chest, fingers curling into his shirt. His hand moved too slow, warm, rubbing small, steady circles against your arm.
It was quiet.
Safe.
And gradually you fell asleep.
Natsu didn’t notice the exact moment you drifted off. Just that your weight relaxed more fully against him, your breathing evening out, your grip on his shirt loosening slightly.
He glanced down at you.
“…Tch. Finally,” he muttered quietly, though there was no real annoyance in it.
Just relief. His hand moved up, gently brushing a stray strand of hair away from your face. You didn’t stir. Good.
He leaned his head back against the couch, eyes half-lidded, still keeping you tucked close. He wasn’t planning on sleeping.
Just… resting his eyes.
Just for a bit.
---
It didn’t stay peaceful. Not for him.
Fire.
Too much fire.
It wasn’t like his normal flames, controlled, powerful, his.
This was different. Wild. Unstable. Burning too hot, too fast.
He couldn’t stop it.
“- Natsu, wait- !”
Your voice.
Somewhere close. Too close. “Get back!” he tried to shout, but the flames surged again, roaring around him, swallowing everything in sight. “I can’t control it- !”
The fire lashed out.
Toward you.
“No- !”
But it was too late.
The flames reached you.
And you didn’t move in time. Your figure disappeared in the blaze.
“NO- !”
---
Natsu jolted awake.
Breath ripping out of him, sharp and uneven. His body was tense, rigid, heat practically radiating off him as he tried to ground himself back in reality. Dark room. Couch. Not fire.
Not-
His chest heaved.
“…No… no, no…”
Sweat clung to his skin, his hands trembling slightly as he looked down and froze.
You were still there.
Curled against him.
Safe.
Unharmed.
But his sudden movement had shifted you slightly, enough that you stirred. Your brows furrowed faintly, eyes fluttering open.
“…Natsu?”
Your voice was soft. Sleepy. But the second you registered him
Really saw him
You were awake.
Fully.
He was shaking. Breathing too fast.
“…Hey- hey,” you said immediately, pushing yourself up, your hands coming to his arms. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer right away. Couldn’t.
His eyes were locked on you like he was still trying to convince himself you were real. “…You’re okay,” he said, almost under his breath.
You frowned slightly, your hand moving to his face without thinking.
“I’m okay,” you repeated gently. “Natsu, what happened?”
His breathing was still uneven. “Bad dream,” he muttered.
You shifted closer instantly. “I’m right here,” you said softly.
Your hand slid from his cheek to the back of his neck, pulling him slightly toward you, not forceful, just grounding.
He let himself lean into it. Just a little.
“…I hurt you,” he said quietly.
Your expression softened immediately. “…In the dream?”
He nodded once.
“I couldn’t stop it,” he added, voice rough. “The fire, it just- ”
He cut himself off, jaw tightening.
You didn’t let him spiral. You moved. Closing the space between you completely, your arms wrapping around him without hesitation, pulling him into you the same way he had done for you yesterday.
Firm.
Certain.
Safe.
“Natsu,” you murmured, your hand rubbing slow circles against his back. “Look at me.”
He hesitated, but then he did.
Your eyes met his.
Clear. Steady. Completely okay. “You didn’t hurt me,” you said gently.
“…I know,” he muttered. “It just felt real.”
“I’m here.”
Your thumb brushed lightly under his eye, grounding, gentle. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His shoulders slowly started to loosen.
Not fully. But enough.
“…I hate that,” he said. “The thought of- ”
“I know.”
You didn’t need him to finish. You understood. More than he probably realized. Your arms tightened slightly around him. “You’d never hurt me,” you said quietly.
His eyes flickered. “…What if I couldn’t stop it?”
“Then I’d stop you,” you replied simply.
That caught him off guard. You gave him a small, soft smile.
“You’re not alone in that, remember?”
Silence.
Then
A quiet huff of breath left him.
Not quite a laugh. But close.
“…Yeah,” he said.
Your hand moved up, brushing lightly through his hair this time, slower now. Calming. “You’re okay,” you murmured again.
His breathing finally started to even out.
Gradually. His arms, which had been tense at his sides, lifted wrapping around you again, pulling you closer like he needed to make sure you were really there.
You didn’t resist.
Just settled back into him.
“…Stay,” he said quietly.
You nodded against his shoulder.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
This time, when the silence returned It stayed peaceful.
And eventually h is breathing matched yours again.
summary: When one of Sokka’s inventions explodes in the middle of his workshop, his first instinct is to shield you completely, proving once again that he’ll always put your safety before everything else, even his favorite creations.
By now, spending time in Sokka’s workshop had become routine. Comfortable. The kind of routine neither of you really talked about, but both secretly loved.
You’d show up sometime in the afternoon, usually carrying food or tea because Sokka got so focused he forgot basic human needs, and he’d immediately make room for you beside whatever disaster-project he was currently obsessed with.
Today was no different.
“Well,” you said carefully, staring at the strange collection of gears and wires spread across the table, “that certainly looks… complicated.”
Sokka grinned without looking up. “That’s because it is.”
“Good explanation.”
“I know.”
You rolled your eyes fondly, settling onto the stool beside him while he continued adjusting something impossibly tiny with intense concentration.
The workshop was warm today.
Sunlight filtered through the windows, catching dust in the air while tools and scraps cluttered nearly every surface. Somewhere in the corner, one of Sokka’s older failed inventions made an occasional concerning clicking sound.
You pointed toward it. “That thing’s still alive?”
“It’s not alive.”
“It sounds alive.”
“It’s thinking.”
“That is significantly worse.”
Sokka laughed quietly under his breath. Gosh, you loved that sound.
“You know,” he said after a moment, “most people don’t willingly spend hours sitting in a workshop watching someone work.”
“Most people don’t have you in the workshop.”
That got his attention immediately.
His hands paused over the device as he looked over at you, smiling in that soft, helpless way he always did whenever you said something affectionate unexpectedly.
“…You do that on purpose,” he murmured.
“Do what?”
“Make me completely forget what I’m doing.”
You smiled innocently. “Seems like a you problem.”
“Definitely a you problem.”
Still smiling, he reached over blindly until his hand found your knee, squeezing lightly before returning to work.
Casual touch.
Constant touch.
Sokka had gotten clingy over time, though he’d deny the word dramatically if anyone else used it.
But with you?
His hands were always finding you somehow.
Your wrist.
Your waist.
Your knee.
Like reassurance. You didn’t mind. Not even a little.
A while later, you ended up helping him organize metal pieces while he explained another one of his ideas with growing excitement.
“And then,” he said, gesturing animatedly with a screwdriver in hand, “if I angle the release mechanism correctly, it should create enough pressure to- ”
A sharp snap interrupted him.
You both froze.
“…Was that supposed to happen?” you asked slowly.
Sokka stared at the invention.
“…No.”
And then everything happened at once.
A loud crack echoed through the workshop as part of the machine sparked violently, metal jerking sideways with an awful screech.
“Sokka- ”
“Move!”
You barely had time to react before he grabbed you. Hard. One arm wrapped around your waist while the other came up protectively around your shoulders, yanking you straight against his chest as he twisted sharply, turning his body between you and the exploding machine.
Something shattered.
Metal clanged violently against the wall.
You heard another sharp pop-
Then Sokka shoved you both downward behind the workbench just as sparks burst across the room.
For a second, all you could hear was ringing. Your heart slammed against your ribs.
Sokka’s arms were locked around you tightly, his body curved protectively over yours while debris clattered nearby.
Then silence.
Heavy breathing.
The faint hiss of smoke. You blinked slowly.
“…Sokka?”
“I’m okay,” he answered immediately. You realized then that he was still shielding you completely, one hand cradling the back of your head tightly against his chest.
Like his first instinct hadn’t even been to protect himself.
Only you.
“Sokka,” you said again, softer this time. He pulled back just enough to look at you quickly, eyes scanning your face, your arms, your shoulders.
“You hurt?” he asked instantly.
“No,” you breathed. “I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
His shoulders sagged in visible relief. Only then did he finally glance toward the disaster across the room.
You let out a disbelieving laugh, adrenaline still making your hands shaky. “You think?”
That finally seemed to snap him fully out of it. His attention whipped back to you again immediately, hands moving over your arms carefully like he was double-checking for injuries he might’ve missed.
“You’re really okay?” he asked again, quieter now. The concern in his voice made your chest ache a little. “I’m okay,” you repeated gently.
His jaw tightened slightly.
“You could’ve gotten hurt.”
“But I didn’t.”
“Because I moved you.”
The words came out sharper than he meant them to. Not angry at you. Angry at himself. You noticed instantly. “Sokka,” you said softly, reaching up to touch his face. “Hey.”
His eyes flicked back to yours.
“You protected me,” you murmured.
His expression shifted slightly at that. Like he still wasn’t satisfied.
“I should’ve checked the pressure twice,” he muttered. “I knew something felt off and I still- ”
“You didn’t know it would explode.”
“I should’ve.”
You smiled faintly despite everything. “You sound like Zuko right now.”
That earned the tiniest huff of laughter from him. Barely.
But enough.
Your hand slid from his cheek to the back of his neck gently. “I’m okay.”
Sokka looked at you for a long moment.
Then suddenly he pulled you against him again. Your breath caught softly as his face buried briefly against your shoulder. “You scared me,” he admitted quietly.
The vulnerability in his voice hit harder than the explosion had.
Your arms wrapped around him immediately. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” he said quickly, pulling back enough to look at you again. “No, not your fault.”
His hands stayed firm at your waist, almost like he needed to physically reassure himself you were still there. “You always do that,” you murmured softly.
“What?”
“Protect me first.” Your fingers brushed lightly through his hair. “You don’t even think about yourself.”
Sokka shrugged slightly, like it was obvious. “Of course I don’t.”
Your chest tightened painfully at how sincere he sounded.
“Sokka…”
“If something happened to you because of me- ” he stopped, jaw clenching briefly. “I couldn’t handle that.”
You looked at him quietly for a second. Then leaned forward and kissed him.
Slow.
Gentle.
The kind of kiss meant to calm more than anything else. Sokka melted into it immediately, one hand sliding up your back while the other stayed securely at your waist like he still wasn’t ready to let go.
When you pulled back, his forehead rested lightly against yours.
“…I really liked that invention too,” he mumbled suddenly.
You laughed softly in surprise.
“There’s the Sokka I know.”
“I contain multitudes.”
You smiled warmly, brushing your nose lightly against his. “Well,” you murmured, glancing toward the smoking remains of the machine, “on the bright side…”
“What bright side?”
“You saved me very heroically.”
That finally made him smile properly.
“Yeah?”
“Mhm.”
Sokka’s arms tightened around you again, softer this time.
“…Worth ruining the invention then,” he said quietly.
summary: As the fear of losing your firebending again begins to overwhelm you, Aang gently holds you through the panic, reminding you that healing isn’t something you have to survive alone.
The frustration had been building all day. You could feel it in every movement, tight, sharp, wrong. “Again,” Zuko said from across the training space, arms crossed, watching closely.
You inhaled, setting your stance. You knew this form.
Your body remembered it. But when you pushed forward-
The flame sputtered. Flickered unevenly. Then died.
Silence.
Your jaw clenched. “Your breath is off,” Zuko said.
“I’m breathing the same,” you shot back, already irritated.
“No, you’re forcing it.”
You huffed, running a hand through your hair. “Because if I don’t, nothing happens.”
“That’s the problem,” he replied. “Fire isn’t forced, it flows from- ”
“I know where it comes from,” you snapped. Zuko paused. You saw it, just a flicker of something in his eyes. Not anger. Not really.
Concern.
“Then show me,” he said, quieter now.
That only made it worse. You reset again.
Inhale.
Hold.
Push.
A weak burst. Barely anything. It vanished almost instantly. Your chest tightened. “Again,” Zuko said.
“No.”
“Again.”
“I said no,” you snapped, stepping back.
Silence dropped between you.
Zuko exhaled slowly. “You’re getting in your own way.”
You let out a sharp laugh, but there was nothing amused about it. “Yeah? Because that’s definitely the only issue here.”
“You’re expecting it to fail.”
“Because it does!” you burst out. “Every time I think I’ve got it, it slips, or it weakens, or it just disappears again!”
Zuko didn’t interrupt. Didn’t argue. That somehow made it worse.
“I lost it,” you continued, your voice shaking now. “Do you get that? I felt it get taken from me. And now every time it flickers, it feels like it could just be gone again and there’s nothing I can do about it!”
Your breathing picked up. Your hands trembled.
“And everyone keeps saying ‘just try again’ like that’s supposed to fix it,” you added, your voice breaking now. “Like I’m not already trying, like I’m not already terrified every single time I use it- ”
Your next breath hitched.
Hard.
And suddenly, you couldn’t stop.
The frustration cracked open into something heavier. Raw. Painful.
“I can’t do this,” you whispered, shaking your head. “I can’t keep doing this- ”
Zuko stepped forward slightly. “Hey-”
But you were already backing away, overwhelmed, your chest tight, your thoughts spiraling too fast
And then
Arms wrapped around you.
Warm.
Familiar.
Steady.
Aang.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured softly, pulling you against him.
You didn’t fight it. You couldn’t. Everything in you gave out at once as you clutched onto him, your face pressing into his chest as the tears finally came.
“I can’t- ” your voice broke. “Aang, I can’t- ”
“Hey, hey…” he soothed, one hand cradling the back of your head, the other holding you close. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Your grip tightened, your shoulders shaking as everything you’d been holding in poured out. “It’s not coming back the same,” you cried. “What if it never does? What if I’m just stuck like this?”
“You’re not,” he said gently.
“But it feels like it,” you whispered.
Aang didn’t argue.
Didn’t try to force you out of it.
He just held you.
Firm.
Grounding.
Letting you cry.
“You don’t have to be okay right now,” he murmured softly. “You don’t have to push through it.”
Your hands fisted in his shirt. “I’m so tired,” you admitted quietly.
“I know.”
His cheek rested lightly against your hair.
“I’m right here.”
Behind him, Zuko stepped back silently. Giving you space.
---
Later that night, everything was quieter. Calmer. But not gone.
The weight still lingered. Aang sat across from you, the room dim, peaceful in a way that felt intentional.
“Just breathe with me,” he said softly. You nodded faintly. Meditation. Something he trusted. Something he believed could help. You wanted to believe it too. You closed your eyes.
Inhale.
Slow.
Deep.
Exhale.
Aang’s voice guided you gently. “Focus on your breath. Don’t force anything. Just… be present.”
You tried.
You really did. For a few moments, it worked. Your breathing slowed. Your body eased slightly. But then-
That thought crept in.
What if it’s slipping again?
Your chest tightened. Your breathing faltered.
What if it disappears again and you don’t even notice until it’s gone?
Your hands curled slightly in your lap. Your heart started racing.
“I can’t feel it,” you whispered suddenly, panic rising. “Aang, I can’t feel it- ”
Your eyes snapped open.
Your breath came fast, uneven.
“It’s happening again”
“No, it’s not.”
His voice cut through, firm, but calm. Grounded. Aang shifted closer immediately, his hands gently taking yours.
“Look at me,” he said softly.
You did.
Barely holding it together. “It’s still there,” he said, steady and certain. “You’re just scared.”
“I can’t lose it again,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “I can’t go through that again”
“You’re not going to.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m right here with you,” he said.
His thumb brushed over your knuckles gently. “Breathe with me,” he added.
You tried.
Inhale.
Your breath stuttered.
“Slow,” he guided. “Follow me.”
He exaggerated his breathing slightly, giving you something steady to match.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Your breathing started to sync with his. Gradually. The panic didn’t disappear instantly. But it loosened.
Just a little.
“Good,” he murmured. “You’re okay.”
Your shoulders dropped slightly.
Your grip on his hands eased. “It’s still there,” he repeated softly. “Your fire didn’t leave you.”
Your eyes filled again but this time, the tears weren’t frantic.
Just quiet.
Overwhelmed.
You leaned forward without thinking, and Aang shifted immediately, letting you rest against him. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you close. “You don’t have to fight it alone,” he whispered.
Your face pressed into his shoulder, your breathing finally steadying.
“I’m scared,” you admitted quietly.
“I know.”
His hand moved gently along your back. “But you’re not alone,” he added. “Not in this. Not ever.”
You closed your eyes, leaning into him fully this time.And for the first time since earlier, the fear didn’t feel quite so overwhelming.
