so i just unfollowed most atla blogs, bc some of y'all have done some seriously fucked up shit and frankly I'm tired of y'all acting the way that you are and I'm tired of seein’ it.
like.......some of y'all really fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down. i’ll follow some of you from my other shit once i get moving on it.
01. his gaze is focused straight ahead. prince lu ten is stoic and infallible, the perfect image of their nation’s future fire lord, even if his eventual coronation is at least half a century off. but his eyes wander again and again--each time he pulls back after just a few seconds, straightening his back and shoulders.
the boy is bright and sunny and warm; something about him is wholly inviting. he had grown used to being treated with kindness, but at a distance; always kept at arm's length. most people seem desperate to please him either out of fear or out of respect ( or a healthy dose of both ), but he can tell iruka is different. genuine in his kindness, even to the crown prince.
brown eyes flicker over to look once again. the last time, he tells himself for what must have been the third time. a careful glance and...their eyes meet. it takes him off guard and his eyebrows raise before he can stop himself from reacting, but he quickly regains his composure, expression turning neutral again, even as his heart threatens to jump from his chest.
iruka smiles. lu ten does not. his gaze moves away again.
02. lu ten is quiet for a long moment, only the soft sounds of brush strokes across parchment fill the large room. a sly smile brings his lips up and the prince watches the other boy carefully. across the table, iruka is deep in thought, a hand in his hair as he chews on his bottom lip. a light blush heats his own tan cheeks as lu ten brushes his bare foot against iruka's calf.
his eyes drop quickly to the parchment in front of him, pretending to be reading, though he knows his innocent smile would not fool iruka. his gaze doesn't lift from the paper in front of him, but he can see iruka smiling too, more wary than the prince's, but lu ten can tell he is just as happy at the contact as he is in that moment.
he brushes his other foot against iruka's legs and soon their legs are tangled together beneath the table. movements are slow, cautious, as they had learned to be. still, neither looks up from the table.
lu ten's hand moves closer to iruka's, their fingers brush, and he takes in a breath. excitement and an uneasiness creeps over him as their fingers intertwine. he's smiling, biting his own lip and wishing they were closer, wishing they could hold hands and walk through the gardens, wishing----a knock sounds at the door. they both pull away in an instant, sitting up a bit straighter, as a servant enters with tea. they thank her and give her quick bows as she takes her leave.
finally, their eyes meet. they exchange nervous smiles and iruka sighs. lu ten’s hands shake as he reaches for the cups.
03. it had been months since they had last seen each other. there was no longer any reason for them to study together, no reason for them to see each other without stretching truths or drawing attention. iruka, just as much palace staff eventually did, had served his purpose within the walls. a top student, the younger boy had served as a good tutor, and even a decent sparring partner at times, the prince had grown into the young leader his grandfather had expected him to; surely the common boy, as smart as he was, had no more left to offer the crown prince. servants and his bending masters, his own family, would begin to pick up clues from the precious time they had spent close to one another, and would only grow more suspicious if they began seeking one another out when it was deemed unnecessary.
but he had risked it. he had snuck out, and had wanted so badly to do so again, but the planning and prepping for ba sing se had taken up all his time.
their last meeting had been about that. lu ten had felt the need to break the news before rumors began to spread; telling iruka that he had joined the army and would be leaving. words were whispered, hands had not quite touched--they had kissed.
he remembered the feeling like it had just happened; iruka suddenly closing the space in between them after so many years. lu ten had grabbed him by his face, desperate to be close despite the shock of it all, but iruka had pulled back as quickly as he'd gone in, had stepped away, with promises of talking when he returned.
it was early morning, dawn had not yet broken over the horizon and sleep had not come easy to him the last few days. nightmares and regrets plagued him. fear over not coming home at all and fear of what he would come home to, if they won the war. of all of his worries his mind circled back to one thing over and over again : would he and iruka be able to talk about every unspoken feeling then ?
his komodo rhino walks a few paces behind his father's as the platoon marches towards the ships that will take them to the earth kingdom. people began to gather, lining the streets of the capital city to see their princes off. he's listening to his father, boisterous as ever, and still deeply honored to have his son along on this journey, when his eyes wander.
his heart jumps into his throat when their eyes meet. he has to take a breath to steady himself. iruka stands among a few others, eyes sad. waiting until he got back wouldn't give them anything. there was no point--no guarantee that they would be able to do all of the things they wanted to do together. he didn't know what that meant to iruka, or even what it meant to him. it didn't mean they could be together. whatever was between them was impossible, even as lu ten’s cheeks redden at the thought of iruka’s lips on his.
his thoughts race, but he remains composed, regal and stoic, as he always has. there were so many things he wanted to say. three words enter his mind, but he pushes them away ( words he could hardly think, let alone say aloud ) and forces himself to look forward away.
we'll talk when you get back.
04. he’s desperate to teach this kid how to cook something other than ramen. they’ve been in the kitchen, on and off, all day, while iruka went in to prep his classroom for the beginning of a new school year. naruto is impatient (not unlike the way he had been as a teenager) and lu ten has trouble getting him to focus on even the most simple task, like cutting vegetables or measuring rice, for more than a few minutes. ( days like this make him wonder how iruka manages to get anything done in the classroom and how, year after year, he manages to put mostly intelligent and able young people into their village ).
lu ten sighs, as naruto gets off track once more, but he smiles, nodding along as the boy spoke. it had been at his own insistence that one of iruka’s favorite students come live with them. they had certainly never been short on orphans, but something, whether it was iruka’s concern for him or the village’s especially harsh treatment, had made them jump at the opportunity to take the rambunctious young nin in. it had been an oddly fitting placement, and he figured a child was something that had been missing from their lives.
a key in the door gets both of their attention and naruto jumps, squeezing past lu ten who let’s out a quick “ careful ” to the boy who is already rambling on about his day to his beloved iruka-sensei before the man manages to get all the way in. he pauses, placing the knife on the counter, and glances at the two. their eyes meet for a moment and both smile before iruka turns his attention back to naruto. lu ten’s heart swells as he watches iruka ask questions and place a quick kiss into their boy’s head of messy hair, feeling grateful for the normalcy of their new life.
05. lu ten had become a regular fixture in iruka’s classroom. the first few times, the children kept turning to stare at him, trying to figure out why he was there in the first place. no reason that iruka gave them seemed good enough. a few of the braver ones ( or perhaps the ones who simply didn’t care who he was ) liked to sit and question him after class.
he could tell iruka was getting caught up in his own mind, lost in worry for his students and the amount of work he had to get through and, with no missions in his future, lu ten had begun coming to school with him. while it wasn’t always so regular, he had been in everyday this week, and the students had grown use to his presence. he sat quietly in the back, reading over their work and listening to iruka instruct.
it doesn’t take long until he’s stopped grading and is staring at the other man, chin resting in the palm of his hand and a smile on his face. watching iruka teach, where he is truly in his element, and his compassion for the children he looks after bleeds through makes lu ten fall further in love with him.
he’s addressing the class and his eyes wander the room before they finally fall onto lu ten, whose smile only grows when their eyes meet. iruka looks away quickly, hardly missing a beat, but he’s smiling too.
Colonization and Genocide isn't a two way streak, Jesus Christ! There's genocidal colonizers and then there's their victims. How is this so difficult to understand??
poppy on dragcnsun wow, talented & show stopping, why is everything you do so amazing? i have a love for lu ten now, while also still holding him responsible for his actions. you portray him so well and add so much depth -it is incredible. thank you for being around, i truly love & appreciate all you have done!
“I think there are people that help you become the person that you end up being, and you can be grateful for them, even if they were never meant to be in your life forever.”
