the desire i have to write a fic where suo finds out abt how badly this all hurt sakura...i firmly believe that he did not consider himself important enough for his departure to cause such a stir like he probably thought the others would be a bit upset that he left but eventually get over it but like girl...suo's never forgiving himself for this
like during zuko's Morality Coma in season 2 he has an incredibly vivid dream about two red and blue dragons, and then in season 3 he just fucking. meets the exact same dragons for real? there are slight differences in how they look but otherwise he genuinely just dreamed about ran and shaw months before actually seeing them in person? and it's never elaborated on but huh???
zuko: yeah i had some weird fever dreams. there were like these two dragons circling me, and the blue one sounded like azula and wanted me to die or whatever, and the red one sounded like you and was telling me not to do that—
iroh, the only person in this house who should know what those fucking dragons look like: hey What
zuko for sure keeps having dreams like this for YEARS without connecting the dots that it's weird spirit shenanigans. aang eventually has to point it out to him and even then he thinks it's Uncle Bullshit for several more years
Zuko, freshly scarred: I had a dream that Uncle and I were clinging to a piece of driftwood for weeks before we ended up at a lovely spa and tended to and all my injuries were healed up
Iroh, years later, on week two of driftwood era: maybe I underestimated the sense of humor that the spirits have
#I think there are explanations other than prophetic dreams but this is funnier#like for example him looking in the mirror and seeing air nomad tattoos is probably#just a manifestation of his anxiety around helping aang and what that means about him#but considering Zuko's grandfather is a former avatar and he later joins aang#that is a very funny dream for him to have#I vote Zuko has been having prophetic dreams this whole time but they involve a lot of symbolism#and he Does NOT do symbolism#so he's just like hm. yeah that was weird#and then when life poetically mirrors his prophetic dreams he doesn't even notice#This never comes up during his life time but some historian eventually uncovers his dream journal and finds it pretty blatantly#predicts every major event from his lifetime and beyond#and it ignites massive debate about how this foreknowledge was affecting his decisions as a head of state#hint: it wasn't (@an-android-in-a-tutu)
#listen not to read too much into the one line about love among the dragons#but zuko definitely knows about poetic symbolism but he doesn't believe in prophetic dreams due to thinking it's old man stuff for his uncle (@rogha)
#zuko thinks the curtains are blue and nothing else#prince ‘…which could mean nothing’ zuko (@averagemrfox)
#apollo throws the dodgeball and it just bounces off zuko @noccolibroccoli)
#Zuko being the spirit’s favored Normal Human (along w Sokka)#and him doing absolutely nothing with it#bc it never strikes him as relevant#(as opposed to Sokka who knows about the spirits but actively chooses to ignore them)#(out of spite and non-belief) (@seaglassdinosaur)
#sokka who had Multiple close encounters with spirits. still thinks they’re total bs#🫱🏽🫲🏼#zuko who has prophetic vision and thinks they’re total bs (@aneclecticmoonchild)
#zuko 🤝 sokka#yes I've had encounters with the supernatural no I don't believe in it (@emkini)
#he's that guy#the one who has prophetic visions but also impostor syndrome so he's like 'ugh it's just weird dreams'#'prince zuko have you considered maybe you have a gift--'#'there's only one gifted child in this family and she's a massive pain and also better than me at everything actually' (@aethersea)
#zuko gets into a coma everytime he makes a right decision bc the spirits gotta congratulate him somehow#they’re proud#do good and see the future as an exchange (@newbie-i-guess)
“It was a ball held to celebrate the coming new year. 1541 was also the year Henry took Katherine as his wife, making it the first Christmas Ball they attended together as a married couple.”
“Uh, ok?” Epel twisted into confusion, standing up properly to face Sebek, “I don’t really care about Henry, like at all,”
“Likewise,” Sebek laughed quietly at Epel’s expression.
Can be read as standalone, HNA background knowledge better experience
Words - 1,401 (shorten ver.)
Pairing - Sebek/Epel
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
“Ok, 1, 2, 3–”
Peering into one of the second floor rooms of Ramshackle, Sebek quietly pushed the door further ajar to watch the scene in front of him.
For the past hour, the soft melody of bells and chimes echoed from the room, its waves reaching to Sebek’s ears while he brewed his new cup of caffeine for the night. His tail lifted before falling with a muted thump against the floorboards, the late nights and tired mind letting more of his fae characteristics slip free as he quietly made his way upstairs.
Now leaning against the door frame, Sebek’s eyes tracked the couple’s movement, entranced by the dance.
Only clad in a night shirt and shorts, his cardigan abandoned over a chair rest, Epel’s brows were furrowed in concentration as he counted beneath his breath, tracking each practiced step and hop. Ortho followed behind, his steps slightly off beat from Epel’s, and yet together, the movements melded into something cohesive. Ortho was always just a step behind, always within reach as Epel spun, meeting Ortho’s outstretched arms without fail.
Ortho swept Epel back against his chest before releasing him into another spin, guiding him away once more. Despite the constant switching between the two, the dance never felt chaotic. Instead, the story unfolded through the gentle guidance of one force leading another soul toward its own ending, a final moment of clarity and peace before the inevitable.
Ortho, sensing another presence in the room, looked up, golden eyes whirling before fixating on Sebek by the door.
Sebek gave a small smile, tilting his head toward Ortho.
Taking the moment, Sebek raised a fist against the door and let out a crisp knock, finally alerting Epel to his presence.
Epel stopped in place, looking up as he wiped away a growing bead of sweat, surprise flickering across his face at the sudden noise.
“Sorry,” Sebek pushed himself off the frame and stood properly, “Am I interrupting?”
“Oh, uh– no, no,” Epel shook his head, walking over to grab the towel resting on the table, “Ortho and I were just practicing our routine, nothing big.”
“Epel-kun and I are reviewing some of the harder passes in the dance,” chirped Ortho, “So far, we only had 4 slip ups, an improvement from before!”
“An improvement indeed,” Sebek nodded, “Do pace yourself however. I can hear the music from downstairs and it’s been playing for over an hour now,”
“Yeah, yeah,” Epel huffed, “I’ll take that advice when I see you without a coffee mug in your hand,”
“I don’t have one in my hand right now, do I?”
“Dude.”
Epel pointed outside the room, where a mug filled with freshly brewed coffee sat atop the hallway drawer.
“…”
“Well, it’s not in my hands.”
“Ha ha. You get my point,”
Epel leaned back against the chair, elbows propping him up as he looked toward Sebek.
“Something you need?”
Sebek shook his head, “I was just watching.”
Floating between the two, Ortho looked back and forth curiously.
Epel avoided Sebek’s eyes first.
It was subtle, the way his shoulders straightened ever so slightly beneath Sebek’s attention, fingers curling tighter around the towel in his hands before he quickly busied himself wiping sweat from the back of his neck. Sebek, meanwhile, had not looked away from him once since entering the room.
Not the dance itself.
But Epel.
The realization made Ortho’s optics flicker.
The room suddenly felt a bit warmer and way smaller. And it wasn’t his circuits miscalculating the dimensions.
Sebek’s tail gave a slow sway behind him before settling near his ankles, the sharpness in his posture easing in a way Ortho rarely saw around others. Even his voice had dropped quieter than before, absent of its usual volume.
Ortho’s circuits clicked once in understanding.
“Oh!” he suddenly chimed, raising a finger, “Speaking of that, I just remembered Ace asked me for something!”
Both boys startled slightly, almost as if remembering he was still there.
“I’ll be right back!”
Before either of them could answer, Ortho zipped past Sebek and out into the hallway, leaving the room noticeably quieter than before.
And neither of the remaining occupants seemed quite sure what to do with the silence left behind.
Epel cleared his throat first.
“So,” he muttered, fiddling with the edge of the towel between his fingers, “guess it’s just us now.”
Sebek gave a small hum in acknowledgment, though his attention drifted toward the speaker resting near the wall. An unreadable glint flickered through his eyes as he slowly walked over, crouching slightly to adjust one of the knobs. The soft chiming melody lowered enough to settle into the background, no longer filling every corner of the room.
Without looking back at Epel, Sebek asked,
“Your dance… was there an inspiration behind it?”
Epel hummed, crossing his arms as he leaned farther back, face tilted toward the ceiling.
“A little bit. Howard’s favorite pastime was dancing and well…”
Epel scratched the back of his head.
“Woah, this is actually embarrassing to say out loud.”
“You wanted to convey Katherine’s freedom,” Sebek finished quietly, “Finding peace with Death, where all are welcomed with open arms.”
“Yeah,” Epel tilted his head toward Sebek, eyes widening slightly, “I was gonna just say to let the dance do the talking.”
Sebek huffed, amusement softening his face.
“Yes, I believe that would have been a good answer as well.”
With the melody now filling the room at a gentler volume, more ambiance than performance, Sebek let out another quiet question.
“Do you know about the Christmas Ball held at Hampton Court Palace in 1541?”
“That’s an oddly specific date,” a wry smile pulled at Epel’s lips, “No, I don’t know anything about it.”
“It was a ball held to celebrate the coming new year. 1541 was also the year Henry took Katherine as his wife, making it the first Christmas Ball they attended together as a married couple.”
“Uh, ok?” Epel twisted into confusion, standing up properly to face Sebek, “I don’t really care about Henry, like at all,”
“Likewise,” Sebek laughed quietly at Epel’s expression.
Then, taking a step forward, the music carrying the movement alongside him, Sebek continued,
“Did you know,” Sebek continued, a few strands of hair falling loose to frame his face, “that when Henry finally retired to his chambers for the night, leaving Katherine alone, Anna approached her with a question of a dance on her lips?”
Epel quirked an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
His voice shifted into something more theatrical, more rehearsed, finger drumming against his arm despite the lingering sass in his tone.
“A scandal, is it not?”
“The former queen asking the current queen for a dance? The very woman her previous husband cast aside for?”
“Hm, I find it rather sweet,” Sebek mused, voice lowering into something almost dangerously fond, “Ironically humorous as well. A brief escape from the politics of court with the woman your husband deemed repulsive.”
Epel stepped forward then, matching Sebek’s approach without hesitation.
“Well,” he hummed, “I find her quite beautiful.”
Sebek’s smile faltered for half a second.
Just enough for Epel to notice the faint pink beginning to dust across his cheeks.
“The man’s eyes were clearly faulty with age.”
“Is that so?”
Sebek’s grin widened, the two now standing only an arm’s length apart. Sebek stared down at Epel, who tilted his face upward with the same fond smile resting on his lips.
Taking a half step back, Sebek placed one hand behind his back while extending the other toward Epel in a formal offer.
“My apologies for my forwardness,” Sebek said, the practiced elegance in his posture betrayed only slightly by the warmth gathering at the tips of his ears, “But with that in mind, may I ask for a dance with the lonely queen?”
Epel looked down at the offered hand, his own blush beginning to spread.
Then, placing his hand against Sebek’s, he answered,
“I could never refuse such a request from a fair lady, now could I?”
Sebek lifted Epel’s hand carefully, bowing his head just enough to press a kiss against the back of his palm.
“Indeed,” Sebek murmured, looking up at Epel, “I feared you might.”
“Now that’s just nonsense,” Epel scoffed quickly.
Yet the growing warmth across his face betrayed any confidence behind the words.
And still, his hand remained resting comfortably within Sebek’s grasp.
chapter 218 made me realize that Sakura's anger isn't really anger….
It's hurt.
Because the person who helped teach him that relying on others wasn't a weakness never gave himself the same grace.
Sakura trusted Suo. He believed in him. He probably thought that if something was wrong, Suo would tell him.
Instead, he's finding out that Suo has been carrying all of this alone and maybe the most painful part is that Suo never even seemed to consider sharing the burden.
germansingergirl
romaincrisis
origamiaround
turnnoffyourmind
jbbartram-illu
vaporwave
kianamaiart
