this is how i cope

how do you start wanting to live early 20s, they/them

[sapphorror]

me, out of my mind: if Alastor is Charlie's pseudo-father figure in competition with Lucifer, logically it follows that Vox should be her pseudo-mother figure in competition with Lilith. in this essay I will

[hutteer]

upbringing process

[quail0108loveup]

This mediabelle contains radiobelle.

[ap0theism]

The MediaBelle dynamic is insanely underrated. Hear me out.

Last night as I was falling asleep I was musing about why on earth the Mediabelle (Vox-Charlie-Alastor) dynamic is less popular than I’d expect it to be, before immediately remembering that a) poly ships are far less popular in general and b) I think Charlastor and Radiostatic shippers have been engaging in some kind of ritualistic holy war for years now while the Staticbelle shippers look on in fear, or something like that. All this to say, as someone who ranges from neutral to Very favorable on all three of these depending on the day, I have some points to make that I implore everyone to consider even if only from a strictly non-romantic, narrative viewpoint.

Consider Alastor’s perspective first. Early on in his time in Hell (relatively speaking) he meets a young Revolutionary Thinker who is very enthusiastic and thinks he can change Hell with his visions. He’s naive, overeager, vaguely problematic, but he’s also got a passion (and an impressive if concerning history back on Earth) so he at the very least tolerates him, gets close to him, becomes a bit of a mentor figure, feels affectionate towards him until he takes things too far and triggers Al’s hyperindependence and fear of being used. No big deal, right? He toooootally isn’t gonna keep intentionally haunting poor Vox for 70 years…

70 years later, though, who’s there for him to meet but Charlotte Morningstar, a young Revolutionary Thinker who is very enthusiastic and thinks she can change Hell with her visions. She’s very naive, overeager, and not necessarily nearly as maliciously problematic as Vox was but certainly is incredibly privileged and good at unintentionally minimizing the sinner experience. Her passion is much less aligned with Alastor’s desires of fear and power, but he’s inclined (and contractually encouraged, seemingly) to tolerate her, get close to her, become a bit of a mentor figure— wait a second, we’ve seen this before! And when he nearly dies for her ridiculous cause, he realizes this has gone too far, and risking getting close with the naive princess is not worth all of the mediocre musical numbers.

So what does he do? He goes BACK to Vox!!! He gives himself a fucking vacation at the small cost of the rest of his dignity, allowing himself to be subject to anything under the sole condition that Vox doesn’t touch Charlie!

From Vox’s perspective, this is ridiculous! The Radio Demon, who has been tormenting him for-fucking-ever, comes back from being dead as far as anyone knows to fucking Sponsoring someone who is literally a flowerier, more naive version of Vox! He’s parading around for her cause, the guy who broke Vox’s esteem near irreparably for his own independence, and for what! When Vox tries to look into this, he eludes him incessantly before suddenly showing up at the guy’s front door for some kind of manic underpowered brawl that results in him giving himself over to Vox as long as he doesn’t interfere with this new pet project! But he remains a little devil on Vox’s shoulder that the man can’t get himself to shake, and before anyone knows it he’s about to blow up the entire Pentagram in a fit of sheer incomprehensible rage at being unable to crack the man who he fell for and then had his life ruined by.

And Charlie? She barely knows any of this shit! This guy (who she has yet to realize is just an eviler, better-public-speaker male version of herself) starts shitting on her hotel for seemingly no reason, then kidnaps her mentor figure (who has been ridiculously vague about this whole thing) and then goes nuts apparently because of some deal said mentor had with him over her! What!

Now Alastor’s in a very vulnerable position, because he had essentially Vox 2.0, Woman Edition in the palm of his hand to bend to his will and mold into something both him and his benefactor seem to want (shoutout Rosie we love Rosie) but now just witnessed exactly what can happen if he pushes that passion too far in the wrong way. He refuses on principle to be vulnerable with others and he just nearly let that slip (for the second time in 70 years) and was ridiculously weakened because of it. He’s about to Snap, one way or another.

And see this is a situation that has grown on me significantly since I first realized it as a possibility: Vox coming to the hotel for redemption, even if initially under duress or some ulterior motive. Because all of the other pieces are in place for a very interesting dynamic, all that’s needed is for Vox and Charlie to realize they are literally the same person different fonts. Congrats Alastor, you have a fucking Type of obnoxious mentee with NPD to reluctantly gain ridiculous levels of affection for. It’s iconic, it’s poetic, it’s everything to me. And now Charlie’s in the middle of a Homoerotic Old Man Feud as well, which if anyone can help fix it, it’s her.

I love them.

[mercilessscorpion2]

Vox thought he could record~ Xx

Art by pomhz on bluesky. Not mine! Full post here👇

☀️💦 #アラチャ #charlastor #ヴォクチャ #voxlie

[sapphorror]

mediabelle is fun because it is a completely different ship depending on whose perspective you approach it from. like for most people looking in from the outside it's the princess of hell and her two incredibly awful sugar daddies who hate each other (both of whom she is also older, richer, and technically more powerful than), which, okay, sure. but for charlie it is the world's greatest opportunity to prove her non-existent mastery of couple's counseling by fixing a relationship so dysfunctional it almost got everyone killed. for vox it is an elaborate entrapment scheme wherein trying to hook up with/murder his evil ex somehow leads to him being the latest pet charity case for that ex's new qpr. and for alastor it's the slow dawning horror of the realization that oh. oooohhh fuck. he's made a terrible mistake. there's two of them now.

[hutteer]

everyone hates her father)

[azspot]

“Because the truth is, tech doesn’t have an image problem. It doesn’t have a message problem. It has an intention problem. What’s wrong with the axe murderer who broke into my house is not that he hasn’t successfully persuaded me to buy into his narrative. What’s wrong is that he’s trying to kill me with an axe. Similarly, when you launch a product that’s designed to put millions of people out of work, block access to sources of verifiable truth, replace human creativity with slop, and lower the barriers to every sort of atrocity, the problem isn’t that you haven’t told the public a good story about those things. The problem is that you are trying to do them.”

— The 40 Most Rage-Inducing Problems in Tech

[santhipoma]

[glasshomewrecker]

Everyone should be aware of nitter.net

for any address to twitter you can replace the “x.com” with “nitter.net” and you will be able to browse as if you have an account. Lifesaver.

Similarly, imginn.com works for most Instagram addresses. I still haven’t found one for Facebook.

[fwops]

aang, in all his avatar glory, is not above tongue-fucking his cum right back into your quivering, convulsing pussy. his wide, stupefied eyes glow white as he licks and scoops and sucks with relentless obsession, lithe tongue sweeping across your folds with striking precision only an avatar could possess. powerful arms pin your thighs against the mattress while roughened hands palm over your lower stomach, cradling the skin above your uterus with something almost reverent in their touch.

“it has to take. . .” he’s mumbling to himself, practically incoherent, but you can still hear the raw desperation threaded through his guttural chanting. “has to, has to, has to—!”

“a-aang, mmph! what’s wrong? did something happen on your trip—?” you whimper through the haze of overstimulation, hands scrambling against his coiled shoulders as you search for something to ground yourself with. he’s been at it for hours, ever since he returned from his home air temple. had stormed into your shared bedroom with the doors rattling against the walls behind him, barely a greeting leaving his mouth before he was climbing over you, frantic hands shoving the hefty layers of his robes and beads from his body like they’ve suddenly become unbearable.

in mere seconds he had you striped and flat on your back.

then on all fours.

and then on your side and everything else in between.

the room is in absolute shambles— feathers spilling from torn pillows and swirling through the air in frantic, whirling currents. the bed barely remains intact beneath you, headboard split apart and canopy hanging in splintered ruin, all of it unable to withstand the force of him as the elements hum beneath his tortured skin.

“aang, honey, are you— hah!— okay? talk to me, baby. please.”

what new revelation could he have possibly had for him to suddenly fold you into a million different positions?

and you tried to run, to tap out after the nth round, but did you really think you could escape the hold of an avatar in his avatar state? a handsome, beefy, six-foot-something, one-hundred-something kilogram man so utterly desperate to revive an entire bloodline, yet far too in love to want to do it with anyone else but you?

aang’s voice comes out rough, wrecked with pathetic want. “need to get you pregnant,” he finally admits, lips never leaving your twitching clit. “need it right fucking now.”

his sharp, unfamiliar words send a shiver down your spine.

he begrudgingly sits up, one hand keeping you spread for him while the other drags down his chiseled abs, ghosting over the twin downward arrows that curl just above his v–line. he fists his burly cock in slow, measured strokes as he readies another thick load, bright eyes trailing from your flushed face to your heaving breasts, tongue-in-cheek.

your heart jumps. you know that look. “aang, i know how much reviving air bending means to you, the duty you have to your people—” you start in an attempt to soothe.

because when he gets like this you tend to wobble for weeks.

he cuts you off with a dry, humorless chuckle. “you think that’s what this is about?” he tilts his head, eyes narrowing.

you could only gulp in response.

then, he’s rising above you, broad, muscular shoulders boxing you in as he settles between your thighs. the heavy heat of his dick presses against your sensitive, aching entrance, his incandescent gaze dragging over your face like he’s trying to memorize every expression, every shaky inhale.

as if he was mapping out your features to store in the forefront of his mind. to painfully revisit over and over again.

the realization that had struck him back at the temple as he looked at every mural, every worn painting and towering statue of the air nomads. they all looked like his people. familiar faces, familiar smiles, familiar powers.

but none of them resembled you.

none carried the curve of your lashes or the little furrow in your brow when you worried. none had your laugh, the unique slope of your nose, your warmth, your favor for sour over sweet, your gentleness for children and particular bugs. none exuded your enchanting presence, whether you could bend or not. and suddenly, the grief that sat in his chest for years changed shape entirely. because what would be the point of preserving the world he lost if, in doing so, he lost every trace of the person he loved most within it?

“this—this isn’t about me reviving airbenders or a duty to save my dying culture. this isn’t about avatar sonam or tagah or monk gyatso or anything that has to do with bending. this is about you and me and me wanting to start a family with you,” he states with that heavy, solid avatar voice of his. firm and sure, thumb brushing along your jaw, “this is about me making sure that a part of you will always exist in a world where the avatar exists. that your lips, your eyes, your soul. . . live on for eternity. so that every time i look into this world through the eyes of the new avatar, i can still see you. see you in our grandchildren, in our great-great grandchildren, in the people that will come to exist because we loved each other. . . to know that you’ll always be in my life someway, somehow.”

“aang. . .”

“i realize now that there will come a day when airbending returns, whether in our lifetime or long after we’re gone.” he presses his forehead against yours, tone softer despite the ache in his words. “i know that i’ll get to see that vision through the eyes of the avatars who will come after me. and if i keep chasing impossible answers, impossible resolves— if i keep throwing myself at a future i can’t force into existence— i’ll lose you in the process. i’ll waste the little time we’re given together. with our friends. with our children. the thought of losing you to time. . .”

it killed him.

“what would become of you if i go down this path?”

and you feel it. the shift in him. the sincerity behind every broken word, every trembling breath. the sheer despair that claws through him at the thought of you leaving nothing behind of yourself, of the love the two of you share. the regret he’d forever live with if he only prioritized the revival of air-bending or the kids that would inherit it. and the fact that he still hasn’t left the avatar state only makes it worse, every emotion stripped raw and vulnerable beneath glowing eyes and tattoos and shaking hands.

“so i vow now that i will never neglect your life or your culture for the sake of mine. whether we have airbending children or not. . . that is up to the universe.”

his hands cup your cheeks gently as he leans in, drawing you into a slow, sloppy kiss. you could only gasp softly when his tongue slips past your lips, kissing you like he’s trying to seal his fate with yours.

he slowly pulls away, thick fingers easing you open as he makes room for himself. “i can live without other airbenders. i can make due with the acolyte family we’ve founded. what i cannot live without is you. what i cannot imagine not ingrained in this world beyond my lifetime is you.”

aang smiles for the first time tonight, like the image in his mind was far more beautiful than anything he could’ve ever imagined. he sinks inside, massive and overwhelming, drawing a raspy breath from your lungs at the sheer stretch of him. still, you pull him closer, wanting nothing more than to feel the slow, heavy drag of him inside you.

“aang!”

“sh, deep breaths, baby. yes, like that. be good. so fuckin’ tight and warm. fuck, there we go. was made for this.” and he settles there for a minute, buried at the hilt. “my sweet, perfect, silly girl.”

his body hums as you shake beneath him.

“so for now,” he whispers, breath warm against your lips as he begins moving slowly, in and out, “all i want is a child with you. one that embodies everything that you are. one that will carry on your memory, your curiosity, your strength, your traits.” gone was the glow of the avatar state, the white fading slowly from his eyes until they were simply his again, fixed on yours with a tenderness so deep it was almost unbearable. “so i’m begging you. . . give me a baby that looks just like you.”

you cry out helplessly as he buries his face into your throat, holding you impossibly close. every stroke is long and deliberate, driven far less by hunger and more by an emotion too large for words. the slick of your arousal coats his balls as you helplessly grind against him, cunt fluttering around the girthiness of his base. you could feel all the veins that line him, tracing your walls as he fucked you like he needed you to breathe.

you blink back the tears threatening to spill. “b-but i do want our baby to be like you. i do want to help you—”

he shakes his head fervently, fingers tightening around you like he’s afraid you still don’t understand. “no. no,” he rasps, “i don’t want this to be some duty you carry for me. i want this because it’s us. because it’s the life we chose together. the children we both want and choose to have. no obligations. no sacrifices.”

you feel the dampness at the corner of his eyes as he clings to you, hands roaming your body in a worship-like trance, as though he was reassuring himself that you were real and here and present and his. to have and to hold and to sink himself into when the world is in chaos.

“please,” he croaks hoarsely into your neck, voice cracking around the word, and the raw vulnerability in it makes your chest ache more than anything else ever could. “say you’ll give me a baby, sweetheart. say you’ll give me this one thing. even if they come without air-bending.”

a broken sound leaves your throat as you cling to his shoulders, nodding desperately against him, back arching into his warmth. “yes,” you breathe out shakily, fingers curling around his nape. “yes, yes, yes. of course, i will.”

the words—your defining proclamation—undo him entirely. he groans into the curve of your neck, holding you so tightly it almost hurts, every breath hot, cold, then hot again against your skin. you run a hand down his spine, flattening your palm against the scar on his back.

his hand glides down the length of your stomach until it finds your sensitive clit. his thumb traces slow, firm circles over the small, aching bundle of nerves, each deliberate stroke sending another wave of pleasure through you. your vision flashes white as your body trembles, every muscle tightening before you shudder beneath his touch.

“sh, good, good, perfect. keep grinding back on me like that, yes.”

he follows as he cums in thick, long spurts, coating your insides pearly white as you cream on his cock, legs caging him in. his tattoos begin to faintly glow once more as he shivers, hips still pumping his seed into you, forehead pressed beneath your jaw, as though he can’t bear even an inch of distance between you.

when he finally pulls back, his eyes have returned to their natural state, shining with something far softer than desire.

devotion, perhaps. a need to always keep you safe. to give you—and your children—a world that offers everything and takes nothing in return.

“i love you,” he murmurs softly, brushing the damp strands of your hair from your face. he rests his forehead against yours again, eyes slipping closed as his heart, for once, is at ease. “thank you.”

your lips tremble into a tired smile, fingers curling weakly around his head. “you never have to thank me for loving you.”

though your words alone could never truly capture the depth of everything you’ve given him.

[fig-ink]

Childhood Promises

Summary: As children, you and Zuko were inseparable. Neither of you liked the idea of getting married someday, so, you made an agreement. The thing is, you never thought you'd actually have to follow through on it.

Pairing: Zuko x (Fem)!reader

Content/warnings: Childhood best friends to lovers. Fluff and smut.

Wordcount 8.4k

Author's Note: I have been really tired and uncreative lately, so I'm struggling with my chaptered stories. However, I'm finally getting rest for my burnout, and this came to me. Hopefully I'll be able to get "unstuck" with the other fics, but in the meantime, have this one shot. Not proofread.

You had been Zuko’s best friend since the two of you were children; completely inseparable and always up to something. Being the Fire Lord’s son, the prince knew from an early age he would have to marry someday, but the idea was anything but appealing to such a young boy. As a noble lady, you yourself would have to marry too, but every time anyone mentioned those obligations to either of you, you would end up hiding away somewhere, complaining about it and making sick noises, pretending to gag at the mere thought. Around the time you were both twelve, your feelings on the matter were still the same, but that destiny seemed to solidify as you grew up.

“But I don’t want to get married.” Zuko complained, once again, sitting with you against an old willow you had always hidden under.

“Neither do I. But you’ll probably get more say on the matter than I will, in the end.” You were playing with fire, flickering flames between your fingers as you spoke. Becoming a wife was an obligation you couldn’t escape; that much had become clear.

“Don’t say that. I’m sure you’ll get to choose. I heard our mothers talking a few weeks ago, and they both said they wanted us to have that right, since they didn’t.” The young prince tried to cheer you up.

“If our fathers allow that.” You rolled your eyes. “Besides, what if I never find anyone I want to marry?” The thought had occurred to you before. Most boys annoyed you. They either treated you like some porcelain doll, mocked you, or ignored you. Zuko was the only one who treated you like you were equal, which was one of the many reasons he was your closest friend.

“I might never find anyone I want to marry either. How about we make a deal?” The flames in your hands went out, and you turned to face him; your brow quirked.

“What kind of deal?” You questioned.

“If we never find anyone we want to marry, we’ll just marry each other.” He said it like it was as easy as planning a day trip to the market. You, on the other hand, had your brows now pinched together. “Come on, it would be like an eternal sleepover. Except you wouldn’t have to share a bed with Azula” He laughed. “I don’t find you annoying – most of the time – You don’t find me annoying-“

“Most of the time.” You interrupted with a chuckle. The way he squinted at you as if he were offended wasn’t enough to hide his amused smile.

“Right. So, we could just live our lives however we wanted, and no one would nag us about marriage ever again.”  It was a surprisingly sound plan; one with a promise of freedom. “What do you say? Deal?” He extended his fingertips, making little flickers of fire.

“Deal.” You extended your own hand, and the little flames that shot from your fingertips joined his in a bright dance.

Despite accepting the deal, you never expected it to happen. You had seen the way Zuko looked at Mai, and you hoped he would eventually find happiness with her; just like you hoped it would happen for you someday.

The prince’s banishment was hard on you. It was like a piece of you was missing. Despite getting along with Mai, Ty Lee, and somehow even Azula sometimes, it wasn’t the same. About a year after he was gone, your father died, and the freedom it brought both you and your mother, who was much younger than him, made it hard to not feel somewhat relieved. She allowed you to be trained by the best masters and pursue whatever passions you found - whether they were considered appropriate for a lady or not – and that was your refuge from the loneliness Zuko’s absence had brought.

When the war finally ended, you were over the moon to be reunited with your best friend, and happy to discover he and Mai had finally got together. It was as if he had never left. You learned about the time he had spent in banishment, and met the Avatar and his friends, who were surprised to learn that the Zuko they met was completely different from the one you grew up with. The grief he had gone through was unimaginable, and it wasn’t a surprise that it had hardened him somewhat, though those walls were now crumbling again. Everything seemed perfectly fine. The world was healing, you were free, Zuko was back, and he was the Fire Lord and in love.

Sadly, that didn’t last too long. After finding out Zuko was meeting with his father, Mai broke up with him. You knew Zuko was only doing it because he wanted to find his mother, which he eventually did, and because of the struggles he was having as the new Fire Lord. It wasn’t like he could ask anyone else, and if anything, Ozai could be a guide on what not to do. After trying to talk Mai into understanding his position - the pressure he was under - you finally gave up. Zuko was heartbroken, but he had an entire nation to rule.

As time passed, that pressure to get married that you hadn’t felt since you were young teenagers slowly crept back into your lives. Your mother encouraged you to go out and meet someone, or tried to introduce you to her friends’ sons, all in the hopes you would find someone you liked; but it never worked. As for the Fire Lord, the council asked him about it, gave him lists of potential brides, even tried to organize balls to get him to pick someone, but he simply wouldn’t have it. After a few years, though, they had had enough. The Fire Lord needed a wife, and eventually, an heir. Zuko hated it, but he knew they were right. However, the thought of marrying someone he didn’t know and having to spend his life with her was terrifying.

It was a mild, late spring night. You were complaining about your mother’s horrible attempts at matchmaking, and he was venting to you about the council’s nagging for him to finally pick a bride, when a bright flame lit up within his mind.

“Hey – do you remember our deal?”

“Which one?” Your brow raised.

“The one about our eternal sleepover?” He leaned forward in his seat; eyes fixed on you across the small table. You nearly choked on your sake, and an unfamiliar warmth rose from your chest to your ears.

“Oh – t-that one. Yes. What about it?” Trying to sound casual, you placed your cup on the table.

“Well, the council won’t leave me alone, your mother won’t leave you alone, neither of us has found anyone we like. Why don’t we just – ahem – make good on that deal?” It seemed brilliant when he mentioned it, but as the implications of a marriage became clear in his mind, he felt himself get more and more nervous.

“Zuko, we’re not kids anymore. You know it wouldn’t be just an eternal sleepover. What about-” your voice lowered to a whisper, as if what you were about to say could get you in trouble “kids? Aren’t you supposed to have heirs?”

Zuko’s face was almost the color of his robes. “Uh – I – yes. Well… I only want one. I don’t want any more sibling rivalries over the throne. But-But – I understand what you mean.” He paused for a much-needed breath. “We could just live as friends; we wouldn’t have to worry about it straight away. We could warm up to it – maybe have a few much needed drinks – NOT – not that the thought of doing that with you is bad, it’s just-“ It had been years since you’d seen him act so flustered and awkward, which took the tension from the conversation away, and made you focus on trying not to laugh. “I mean – you know what I mean. We’d have to deal with it eventually, but once it’s done we wouldn’t have to worry about it ever again.” His hands settled onto his thighs, tightened into fists.

“Spirits, when you put it like that… how can a girl resist?” You said it in a silky-smooth voice that was drenched in mockery. It would have been strange for anyone else, but to him it was reassuring; a sign that your friendship was still intact and you wouldn’t up and leave at his suggestion.

“And – since we’re best friends – I think we’d be great parents together.” The Fire Lord nearly choked on his words, but those words replaced your unseriousness with something else; something you didn’t quite understand. “I know we promised, but we were kids. I won’t hold you to it if you don’t want to.” His eyes were fixed on you again, and suddenly, saying no didn’t seem that obvious – or appealing.

There was a long moment of silence as you thought about what this would mean for your life. It seemed unlikely you’d find someone you’d want to marry, and you were used to court life. You had never given children much thought, but the idea of having them with Zuko seemed better than doing it with anyone else. You’d live with your best friend forever, and he would give you all the freedom he could. As Fire Lady, there would be duties, but you would consider it an honor to help your nation correct the mistakes of the past and pave the way for a better future. It was a destiny – the end of your aimless wandering – if you chose it. And the more you thought about it, the clearer it became you wanted nothing more.

“I do.” You said it quietly, as if you were scared he’d change his mind now that you had accepted, but you faced him nonetheless.

“You – you do?” His brows rose in hopeful surprise, and his fists loosened.

“Yeah.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” The response was more confident this time. Zuko almost jumped on top of you, pulling you into a tight hug.

“Thank you. You won’t regret this, I promise. I’ll be the best, most distant husband and closest friend you’ll ever have.”

His expression made you laugh as you hugged him back. “You’re already my closest friend.”

Announcing your engagement caused more uproar and joy in both your home and the palace than you would ever imagine. Your mother was over the moon that you had finally chosen someone, especially someone so close to you whom she already knew. And the fact that he was the Fire Lord only made her more excited. The council was extremely pleased with Zuko’s choice; a firebender from one of the nation’s best families. His mother and uncle were happy too. They knew how close you were, and they knew you would make each other happy. For all the time you had spent together – they said – it was silly that they never thought you would end up marrying. In the months leading up to the wedding, everyone pointed out how clear it was now that you were a perfect match, how obvious it should have been that you would fall in love with each other, and all you and Zuko could to was hold in your laughter until you were by yourselves, so you could cackle together like children who had played a prank on the whole world.

It was like being a kid again. Instead of being nervous, you were excited for your ‘eternal sleepover’ and to keep pranking everyone with your best friend. That caper, however, backfired on your very wedding day, the moment your lips touched Zuko’s, at the end of the ceremony.

As you faced each other in front of the fire sage, you were happy, but felt a little nervous about having to kiss him – for the first time – in front of everyone. His nervousness began before he even thought about the fact he had to kiss you. The moment he saw you, he felt flustered like he never had. You were beautiful, always had been, that was obvious. But it was like he was truly aware of it for the first time. It was as if something had happened, and for the first time in his life he was affected by the way you looked. He knew he was supposed to kiss you, but that wasn’t what made him nervous; it was that he wanted to. Zuko was handsome, and adulthood had made him even more so, but you had never thought much of it either, until that very moment, when the fire sage made you say your vows. You noticed how nervous he was as you were both about to light the candle that symbolized your unity, so you held your hand over his, steadying it, and whispered so only he could hear.

“It’s ok. It’s just me.” It was paradoxical how the sound of your voice in that moment was both the source of his comfort and the thing that made him even more on edge.

After the vows were said, the candle was lit, and your union was blessed by the sage, Zuko’s heart was like that of a hummingbird’s, and yours was pounding like the footsteps of a Komodo rhino. He leaned in slowly, giving you the time to adjust so it didn’t look like you were kissing for the first time, and when his lips touched yours, it felt like lightning was trying to jump out of your body. They were soft and warm, and the ease with which they moved against yours made it feel like you had been doing it for years. One of his hands cradled your cheek, and yours instinctively moved to his jaw. The crowd was cheering, but neither of you could hear it. It was as if the world around you had disappeared. No kiss had ever felt like that before. When his free hand grabbed your waist, and your other settled on his chest, it was like you came back to the physical world, and you both became aware of the crowd and your own movements. He broke the kiss then, but his forehead leaned against yours, which you gladly welcomed. You were in sync, both in thought and action. Could you imagine if you pulled away from each other in shock just after kissing? The gossip would be never ending.

The celebrations went smoothly, consisting mostly of eating, drinking, chatting and dancing. It was a party, and if you and Zuko could do anything together, it was having fun. When the time came to go to your chambers, you were both lightheaded from all the capering, and though the sake had loosened you up, your minds were still clear.

“Damn., and I thought my bed was nice.” You said as you finally let yourself fall into your friend’s – your husband’s – your bed. “I think I can get used to this Fire Lady life.” There was an easy smile on your face as you swiped your hand up and down the silk sheets.

“You’re only saying that because you’ve been standing in those uncomfortable shoes all day.” Zuko smiled back at you, sitting next to you and leaning in to pinch your nose.

“The shoes definitely raise the bed’s comfortability factor.” You conceded with a chuckle. “Ugh, can’t wait to get them off.” Before you could even move, his hand rested on your shin.

“Let me.” He carefully removed your shoes and set them beside the bed. Zuko had always had a sweet side, and he never hid it from you, but this was entirely new. That, or you were hoping it was something else. “I managed to avoid the whole ‘getting ready for the royal bedding’ ritual, but that means we’ll have to put on our sleeping clothes ourselves.”

 “Ugh, so I married the Fire Lord and still have to live another day as a commoner?” You said, rolling your eyes and sitting up.

Zuko chuckled. “You were never a commoner.” He got up and grabbed your hand to help you off the bed. The smirk on your face made the irony in your words obvious. “Come on, Fire Lady, your night clothes are in the bathroom, so you can change in privacy.” You felt heat rush to your cheeks. He had said it playfully, but it was true. You were Fire Lady, his wife, and outside that chamber he would call you that for the rest of your lives.

Since wedding planning was so overwhelming, you delegated some of its tasks to other people. Whoever had chosen the clothes for your wedding night – you didn’t remember – had good taste, and thought you were in for a ride. You had never seen such fine silk. Not as in luxurious, though it certainly was that, but as in thin. The night gown was long, and it tied in the middle, though it didn’t leave much to the imagination. Thankfully, it had a matching robe, made of the same fabric, which provided a marginal amount of extra coverage.

You walked out into the chamber slowly, and Zuko had his back turned to you as he finished tying up his sleeping robe. His long hair was now loose, falling down his back and shoulders like a curtain of darkness. The Fire Lord’s crown was placed on the bedside table. “Uhm – I’m sorry, I – I didn’t choose my clothes for tonight.” The awkwardness in your tone made him turn around, and his eyes widened at the sight of your nightgown and robe. They were sheer, like a veil over your body, making the details of your figure look like a dreamy haze.

“Oh.” His reaction was indecipherable, which wasn’t something that usually happened, at least not to you, and the fact you didn’t know what it meant made your chest tighten just a little. He, on the other hand, was focused on steadying his temperature. If his body got any warmer, he would start steaming. “I’m sorry – I mean –” He slowly closed one of his hands, and the flames in the room’s braziers became lower, creating a soft, ambient light. “Is that better?” What an idiot. You thought of yourself. He probably saw I felt nervous about my clothes and wanted to make sure I’m comfortable.

“Yeah, thanks.” You moved towards the bed and laid back in it, its softness forcing a sigh of relief from your chest. “Spirits, this really is a great bed.” The Fire Lord lay down on his side and turned to you with a smile.

“It’s yours.” He said, propped up on his elbow.

“Isn’t it…ours?” You hesitated to ask. “I thought that’s why you called it an eternal sleepover.”

He tittered. “Yes, technically it is. But if you want, I can sleep in another room after tonight. We’ll only have sleepovers from time to time, to keep up appearances.” Although he was being so gentle and considerate, the way he looked at you seemed like a plea. At least you hoped it was, because you’d be all too happy to oblige.

“I – I don’t mind if you don’t.” There it was again. That same low whisper with which you accepted his proposal. After so many years of knowing you, and that specific night, he knew it wasn’t a concession, but a hesitant step towards the possibility of rejection.

“I don’t mind either.” A sweet smile bloomed on his cheeks. Zuko had never sounded so confident in his life. He wasn’t just sure; he was assuring you.

Your cheeks felt warm. Looking into his soft amber eyes, you felt a sudden urge to kiss him again, like you had at the ceremony, and that urge surprised you, but it also reminded you of something. “Uhm, are we supposed to – uh –” You gulped.

“Yes?” His brows pinched together.

“Do we have to consummate the marriage?” The question brought him to a boiling point, and he choked on the flame that escaped his mouth as he tried to bring down his temperature somehow. You both sat up, and you worriedly patted his back. “Are you ok?”

“Ahg – yeah. Yeah, just wasn’t expecting that question.” He tapped his chest with his fist. This time, you were the confident one.

“You weren’t expecting me to want to know if I had to consummate my marriage to the Fire Lord? The guy everyone wants to make sure consummates his marriage? Probably the only person in this whole nation who still has a bedding ritual?” The condescending expression on your face as you asked him those very obvious questions was unavoidable.

“Ok, you’re right. But I did manage to keep them out of the bedroom.” He offered.

“Do you think anyone is listening in?” You looked around the room.

“I hope not. I asked my mother and uncle to help avoid that. I would have asked my friends, but Toph and Sokka would probably run from Aang and Katara to try to listen in themselves.” You giggled, and he couldn’t help but chuckle too. “I told you. We don’t have to do anything right away. We can warm up to it, if you want to. And someday, eventually, we’ll… fulfill that duty.”

“Wow, Zuko, you make it sound so sexy.” Your voice was like velvet as you spoke, running a finger down his chest. He knew you were joking, but he couldn’t help the way his body responded. Another giggle slipped from you, and he took a deep breath of relief.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how else to talk about it.” He huffed a small laugh.

“Well, calling it a duty makes it sound way less fun than it should be, even if that’s what it is.” You laid back down, placing your head on your hand for support. “You talk about warming up to it if I want, but do you want to warm up to it?”

How does it always end up like this? He wondered. It was rare that you were shy with him, and you were probably the person he was less nervous and awkward around. But anytime it was a harder conversation, no matter how nervous you got, he’d always end up the most flustered. “I –” He didn’t know how to answer.

“Ok, let me rephrase. Do you feel like you need to warm up to it, or would you prefer waiting for the time to come and worrying about it then?” Zuko laid down close to you, mirroring you; his elbow propping him up.

“I – I think if we just… leave it all until that day when we decide to…” He hesitated again.

“Fulfill our duty.” You repeated his expression with an amused smile.

“Yes. I’m scared if we do that it might go horribly wrong.” He scanned your face for any trace of frustration or offense, but your expression was calm and open, ready for the explanation you already knew he wanted to give you. “It’s just – We kissed today, and that went well.” The memory of it made your stomach swirl. “But if we never, uhm, touch or do anything else ever again, I’m scared we’ll be too nervous, or it’ll be bad or, spirits forbid it, I hurt you somehow. I don’t want that to be what breaks us – our friendship. Not just because we might have to-” he gulped “do it more than once. But I really don’t want to ruin what we have. You’re my favorite person. But – if you want to wait, we wait.” That softness – that sweetness and consideration for others that got his face burnt and himself banned – it was your favorite thing about him.

“You’re my favorite person too.” You reached for his shoulder and gave him a comforting caress. “For the record, you won’t ruin anything. But I agree. If we just leave it until that day comes, I think it’ll just make it more nerve wracking.” There was a long silence between you, and eventually he moved closer.

“So, what do we do?” His pupils had tripled in size. Probably from fear, you thought.

“I’m not sure... do you know how much you want to do?”

“No. Do you?” The air between you grew warmer by the second.

“No.” You confessed. “I trust you, though. Do you trust me?”

“Of course.” His answer was accompanied by a caress of your cheek, as if the fact you needed to ask made him worry.

“How about we just kiss again? We can do it for a bit and then stop, or - go further.” You paused. “If-if you want. If we want. If we’re ok with it.” The flush of his cheeks was impossible to conceal. You weren’t sure what it meant, but it made you want to kiss him even more. “Is that ok?”

“Yes.” His reply came perhaps a bit faster than he wanted to. “But only if you want to. We don’t have to do everything tonight. There’s still plenty of time.”

You could tell he was nervous; scared of doing something wrong or pushing you too far. “I know.” You placed your hand over his on your cheek and slowly moved your thumb against it. “Besides, I’m definitely not ready for a kid yet.” Zuko huffed out a laugh and leaned against you. He was perpetually amazed at your ability to break the tension in any conversation you had.

“Yeah, me neither.” He agreed. “Does that mean we’ll only do it when we’re ready for one?” You couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, so you just stared at him confused, which made him laugh again.

“Idiot.” You lightly slapped him on the shoulder as you sat up. “For your information, I take precautions. I’m not giving you an heir until I want to. No matter how much you try.” There was a smug look on your face; your arms crossed. The Fire Lord sat up and mirrored you with a very poorly faked offended expression.

“Oh, and were you planning on keeping that from me?” His brow quirked. “I see. So, this was your plan all along. Get me in bed and have me as many times as you wanted under the guise of ‘making an heir’.” Your jaw dropped, letting a small sound of shock slip from you. You immediately took your pillow and hit him with it.

“How dare you!” Both you and he were trying to stifle your laughter as you kept hitting him with the pillow. “We didn’t discuss the details of our wedding night. Was I supposed to just pray nothing would happen if we did have a bedding ritual?” Finally, he grabbed the pillow from your hands and his chuckling subsided somewhat.

“Ok! Ok. You’re right. You were smart to do it.” Zuko conceded.

“I’m always smart.” You quipped.

“That’s true.” His eyes were back on yours, and something shifted. The air was getting thicker again. For a long moment, neither of you spoke. “You looked beautiful today.” The warmth in your cheeks was such, you were scared you’d be the one spitting flames soon. You wanted to reply; say thank you, tell him he looked beautiful too, but the words got stuck in your throat. “You still do.” For the first time that night, maybe ever, his eyes dared to openly gaze at your body, even if for only a moment. He could see the way your breath hitched; how your chest rose and fell after, and he thought maybe he had been too forward.

“So did you.” You managed. Suddenly, you became aware of how close you were. Your eyes shifted to his hair and you thoughtlessly reached for a few strands of it as he leaned over you. It was still so smooth; maybe even more so. He watched you silently, allowing your fingers to rake through his hair and brush against his chest. Silence rarely felt comfortable around others, who usually took his lack of speech as a bad sign. But with you, it felt natural. It was only broken when there was something to be said.

“Should we kiss, then?” He asked, after a while, with his typical straightforwardness. You didn’t tease him about it this time. Instead, you spoke as plainly as he did.

“Yes.” Zuko slowly leaned towards you, like he had at the end of the ceremony. This time, however, there was no fear, only anticipation. He still tasted like the fire plum liqueur the two of you had shared in the final toast before leaving to your chambers: warm and sweet. The kiss was gentle, careful, afraid of asking too much. Your lips moved slowly against one another’s, their movements balanced, like Tui and La. When you felt his hand reach for your cheek, just as it had before, you were grateful to have something to ground you from the dizzy, floaty feeling that took over you. He wasn’t faring much better. His other hand found support on the mattress to help him from falling onto you.

Time had stopped again, and neither of you knew for how long you were kissing, because this time there was no reason to stop. The hand on your cheek eventually moved down, settling over your jaw and neck, and you didn’t notice when your own hand reached for his chest, much less when it moved up, grazing his collarbone – slightly exposed by his robes – and landed at the place where his neck and shoulder met; your thumb brushing over his Adam’s apple. Kissing him felt so intuitive that you didn’t even think about your movements or what you were doing. You wanted to stay like this forever, wanted to be able to feel his lips on yours for the rest of your life. Your hand moved naturally to the nape of his neck, where it found the roots of his silky hair, gripping them softly as your tongue brushed against his lip. Zuko had been trying to be careful, not get too excited or go further than you might want. The way you deepened the kiss and allowed your nails to graze his scalp made a small noise of both surprise and pleasure escape from his throat.

Before he could get carried away, he broke the kiss to look at you. He was so flushed, his pupils were bigger than you had ever seen them, and only then did you notice how much his breath had quickened. “I’m sorry, I just – I feel really hot.”

“Do you want to stop?” You brushed his hair away from his face; your brows pinched with worry.

“No.” His eyes flashed to your lips as he answered, before pulling you closer and kissing you again, surprising you. This time, the kiss deepened quickly, and when you felt his tongue brush against yours, you let out a breathy sigh that made him pull you into his lap.

Being that close, you could feel it, he really was burning up. Slowing down the kiss, but never breaking it, you untied his thick silk robe, allowing it to slide from his broad shoulders, down his thick arms, revealing his toned, smooth chest. Only then did your lips part, and you looked down at him. It wasn’t the first time you had seen Zuko shirtless. You had been to the beach on Ember Island with him, trained under the scorching midday sun, but it was the first time it made heat pool between your thighs. That heat became even more intense when you noticed he was hard.

“Better?” You asked, looking back up at his face, not acknowledging what you were sure was an instinctive reaction.

“Yeah.” He breathed, caressing your cheek.

“I’m hot too.” The way you said it – looking at him in a way you never had before – he hoped it meant this was more than duty to you, because by now he certainly knew it was much more to him. Unlike his, your robe didn’t have a tie, so you simply shrugged it off. His eyes ran up your torso as you did, noting your perked nipples, and kept going, until they reached your face.

You were frozen looking at him, unable to make another move. Stuck between your need to keep going and your confusion at your own feelings.

 “I trust you.” It was an open invitation; one that gave him the space to decide what he wanted to do, if anything. Both of you were terrified at the realization that you wanted to give yourselves to the other. Not only because it was so sudden and unexpected, but also because you thought you were alone in that feeling. The closeness you were both experiencing was born of trust and friendship, and the recognition that you wanted more felt like a betrayal of those very concepts.

His hand reached for your neck, pulling you towards him so he could kiss your cheek. “Thank you.” He mumbled against your skin, before beginning a trail of timid kisses. Upon reaching your jaw, his restraint waned, and they became braver, hungrier. You did your best to contain the sounds bubbling at your throat as you felt his kisses settle at your neck and his fingers grip your waist, but when you felt him sucking at your pulse point, you couldn’t help but roll your hips and sigh into his ear. You almost got to feel him under you, but before you could, one of his hands squeezed your thigh and, in a swift movement, you were beneath him. 

It was like he had lost himself. His fingers tangled with yours – lips never leaving you – travelling lower and lower until he reached the junction of your neck and shoulder. You drank him in, incredulous that he was giving you so much. The quiet sighs that slipped from you turned into soft moans, and your free hand gripped his back, pulling him even closer. His brain was filled with you, to the point he couldn’t think. Each nip at your skin gave him more of a taste he could never tire of; each little moan was like a preview of what he knew would become his favorite sound. The tips of your fingers, digging into his back, were like a call to bring him as close as possible. He kissed you again, lost in the whirlwind of you. A groan escaped him just as he ground himself against your core, and the whine you let out was what finally woke him from his daze.

 “Please.” Zuko was panting; lips glistening and golden irises practically gone under the black of his pupils. “Tell me when to stop.”  He was even hotter now. The sweat that formed instantly evaporated from his skin. “Tell me how far I can go, because I can’t draw that line myself.” His brows stitched together as he looked at you with eyes full of worry; worry he’d ruin everything between you.

“Me neither.” Your hands held his face as you gazed back at him. There was nothing but sincerity, trust, and adoration in your eyes. Still, he hesitated. “Zuko,” you brushed your thumb over his lower lip. “I don’t want you to stop.” His breath hitched. “Please, I-I want you.” His hand cradled your face at your admission, and he kissed you again.

If there was still any doubt you wanted to go further, it dissipated when you reached for his hand, making his fingers graze down your sternum until they reached the small knot that kept your nightgown secure. His eyes flashed to yours for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe your silent request, and when he saw the way your lips parted with expectation, he finally pulled a string, undoing the knot. He used his hands to brush the fabric off you, grazing your breasts as he did. You gasped at his touch; your skin filling with goosebumps.

“Spirits…” It was an absent-minded murmur of amazement. His thumb brushed your nipple again, and he relished in the way your back arched, pushing you against him. As his hand roamed, touching places it never had before, he couldn’t take his eyes off you, or his mind off the idea that you wanted him, too. Sweeping his hair off his face, you laid a sweet kiss to his temple, and the way it made his heart pound against his ribs stopped his breathing for a second. You wanted him, but maybe only for that night. Maybe it was the heat of the moment, built upon by the roles you had played that day. If it were so, he’d make sure to make it as good for you as he could.

His lips began tracing a path down your neck again, but this time, they didn’t stop when they reached your collarbone.

“Zuko.” You couldn’t help but moan his name at the cold feeling of his mouth leaving your nipple to nip at the flesh right below it. He hummed against your skin as he kept going, leaving a trail of licks and kisses.

His hand trailed down your stomach, your underwear catching on it as he moved to squeeze your thigh and kiss the top of it. You opened your legs instinctively with a soft sigh, and he settled between them like he belonged there. This time, he kissed the inside of your thigh, before looking at you again as his hand grazed your center. A chill ran down your spine, making your squeeze your eyes shut with a whine. There was already a wet patch on your underwear, and Zuko laid a kiss right over it, never taking his eyes off your face. 

“Th-that’s not how you make heirs.” You joked through gritted teeth; gripping the silk sheets and trying not to catch fire.

The Fire Lord tittered, and you could feel the exhale through his nose against your core. “I know.” A smirk painted his lips. “But I thought that wasn’t what we were doing tonight.” At that point, you weren’t sure the burning feeling in your cheeks came from embarrassment or your almost incontrollable need for him to touch you. You knew he wasn’t trying to be smug – he simply met your jokes with honesty and amusement, as usual – but that only made it worse.

“I-it isn’t.” You struggled to speak through his continuous caress of your skin.

“Can I keep going, then?” There was still some playfulness to his tone, but the way his thumb rubbed circles on your hip was a constant reminder of how much he cared for you, and how he would only do what you wanted him to.

“Yeah.” You breathed.

Zuko reached for your underwear, hooking his thumbs beneath the band on each side of your hips. When he pulled them towards his chest, you felt them simply slide off. Your breath quickened at the realization – he had burnt through where he had been holding them.

Once they were discarded, his mouth focused on the inside of your thighs again, and you could feel the delicious sting of his sharp canines between kisses. He pulled one of your thighs over his shoulder so he could bring you closer, and the sight of you had him pushing his hips against the mattress and biting his lower lip.

“Fuck.” You were so wet already; lips glistening with barely a touch from him. His thumb brushed up and down, spreading your slick even more, making you moan softly at the gentleness of his touch. He kissed you all over, getting a hint of your taste. “Taste so good.” His breath fanned against you as he murmured. It felt so good you couldn’t even let yourself feel flustered at his words. You felt yourself going insane with the tortuous pace he had set, taking his time and appreciating every bit of you with soft kisses. Finally, he licked your lips, and the tip of his tongue grazed your clit. This time, your moan sounded more like a desperate whine, and he knew you needed more. “My beautiful wife.” You thought he was trying to ease the tension of the moment with playfulness, but the way he whispered it made your heart flutter, and your hips bucked to meet him as, at last, he gave you what you needed. It came so naturally, he didn’t even register what he had said, and he let himself melt into you as his lips and tongue worked, gently suckling on that small bundle of nerves. One of his hands reached up your side, to your ribs, just under your breast, while the other slowly worked your entrance, making you rut your hips in search of more.

Your hand had reached for his hair, and your quiet moans became more intense. The strain in his pants was getting painful, and he ground his hips against the mattress in tandem with your rhythm, trying to find relief.

You were so beautiful like that – breathless, fiery hot, wet, moaning, attached to his mouth – he wanted to give you everything. His fingers finally slid into you, and the ease with which he found your sweet spot was surprising. The moment he curled them, you keened, and all your restraint, if there was any of it left, burnt away.

“Zuko – ah – please – don’t stop.” You couldn’t even keep your eyes open anymore. He moaned, unable to respond in any other way, and the way the sound vibrated against you only made you come closer. It wasn’t a fast pace, but it was so precise, so determined, every feeling was enhanced a thousand-fold. There was something stirring in him at seeing you like this, and breathing in your scent, tasting a part of you that could only be accessed if you wished it, only made it clearer. Zuko didn’t just want you, and certainly not for one night only. Finally, your orgasm coursed through you like lightning. Your muscles contracted in pleasure in such a way you couldn’t even make a sound. He helped you ride it out, stopping only when he felt you relax completely, but his realization had brought his own high down.

You were his favorite person, the only one who, aside from his uncle, seemed to see right through him even if he himself didn’t. Being away from you had been one of the many great pains in his life. Your presence was calming, your touch comforting, and your voice a source of support, laughter, and happiness. How had it taken getting this close for him to realize just how much he needed you – how much he loved you? Seeing you like that, kissing you, touching you – it was like he had woken up to the most obvious of truths. You were his destiny, and he had been blindingly walking towards you all this time. But was he yours? Did you feel the same? Or had he brought you into something that would bring you nothing but misery as soon as you realized he wanted more than the friendship he had promised? His breath was shaky when he came up to look at you.

“I didn’t know.” Worry covered your features when you noticed how glassy his eyes were. “I didn’t know I’d feel this way. I’m sorry.” He scrunched his eyes closed, trying to stop the tears from coming, and his forehead fell against your stomach. Even with the knowledge that he needed to step away, he couldn’t let go of you, digging his fingers deeper into your flesh.

“Feel what way? Zuko, what’s wrong?” His hair cascaded down his face, covering your torso. You did your best to gather all of it in the same direction, so you could see him when he looked at you again. He didn’t answer, so you waited a moment longer, running your fingers through his scalp, hoping he wasn’t regretting everything.

“I didn’t know I’d feel… the way a lover is supposed to, not a best friend.” His voice vibrated through you, just as the warmth of his breath seeped into your skin. “I’m so sorry.” He repeated with a small sob.

“Neither did I.” Your eyes were fixed on the ceiling as you spoke, breathlessly. You already knew you loved Zuko more than anyone, but you never thought it would feel like this. Maybe that was why you had never found anyone you liked enough to date for too long. One way or another, they would always disappoint you or misunderstand you in ways you knew he never would. “When we kissed – earlier today – I had never felt that way before.” He slowly lifted his head to look at you again. “I didn’t want you to stop, and it was scary and confusing, because it made me realize that –” you felt his weight leave you as he raised himself to look at you properly. “You already had me in every other way. Forever. And if I also wanted you to have me like this, then maybe you were more than a best friend to me.” He was hovering above you now; his eyes flashing between yours and your mouth in a mix of desire and disbelief. “And if you didn’t feel the same,” Zuko moved in closer, brushing the tip of his nose against yours. “I’d have to live with that forever.” Those last words were an almost whisper that was drowned out by his kiss. His hand caressed your face with a sweetness that bordered on reverence, before his lips slowly left yours again.

“Yours.” He murmured. “I’m all yours. In every way.” The fire in his golden eyes as he spoke must have been the same as the one in yours as you heard him. There was nothing holding either of you back now. Lips melded together with such intensity, the room’s braziers burst into big, bright flames that licked at the walls. The room was boiling at this point, but neither of you noticed, too distracted by the feeling of skin on skin. You touched him unabashedly, letting your hands wander, memorizing each new detail – his strong chest, the scar right at the middle of it, the trail of soft hair and the lines at his hips that led to where he ached for you. He couldn’t contain the noises that slipped from him, especially not the surprised moan he let out when you gripped him through his pants. His cheeks were a bright scarlet, his chest heaving, and the way he looked at you when you stopped to reach the tie in his pants made you think he was going to cry at the loss of your touch. Almost immediately, his lips were back on yours as he helped you remove the rest of his clothing. As soon as he did, he slotted himself between your legs again, and you could feel him pressed against your thigh, hot and hard. His kisses came down to your neck, making you more and more desperate to feel him. An adjustment of your hips, and you were finally able to grind yourself against him, making the two of you moan.

“Fuck –” he hissed against the crook of your neck as his arm slid under you, encircling you completely “you’re still so wet.” The feeling of his tip nudging against you was dizzying. You reached for the nape of his neck, tugging at the roots of his hair as you covered him in your slick. “You look so beautiful.” Zuko said, before planting another kiss to the column of your throat.

“Need you, Zuko – ah – please.” You struggled between sighs.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” He cooed. “Just tell me if it hurts.” Having seen and felt him, his statement didn’t surprise you, but still, you didn’t expect to feel so full. He was slow and gentle, never taking his eyes off you so he could check for any discomfort. When he finally bottomed out, his head rested at the crook of your neck again as he tried to stay still. “Hng – spirits – you’re so warm, my love.” The mix of the pet name and the way he twitched inside you made you gasp, bringing your hips up further, trying to pull him even deeper.

“Please move. Please – it feels so good.” His thrusts were shallow at first, but the sounds you made at the feeling of him entering you again and again chipped away at his restraint. Soon, they were deep and steady, hitting that perfect spot he had already found before.

“That’s it.” Zuko was panting, his skin was on fire. “You’re taking me so well.” A louder moan escaped you, and his ability to hold off grew weaker.

“Just like that, don’t stop.” You pleaded, feeling the tension in your stomach build up again.

“I’m sorry – ah – it feels too good, I-I don’t think I’ll last much longer.” It had been entirely too much. All the feelings, the kissing, seeing you completely for the very first time, touching you, feeling you. He had tried to remain steady in his self-control, but as soon as he felt how warm and wet you felt, gripping him so tight, he knew he was lost.

“Please, Zuko, I’m so close.” Your eyebrows were pinched together at the mix of heat and pleasure. His hand reached down between your bodies to find your clit, and as soon as he began rubbing it in small circles, he felt your grip on him tighten. A loud groan left him as he tried to hold on for you, and if your eyes hadn’t been shut, you would have seen the steam radiating from your bodies.

“Fuck, you’re perfect.” He couldn’t even think anymore. His lips let out anything that came to mind in between the moans he couldn’t hold off either. “Thank you. Thank you for being my wife – ah – thank you for being so good to me – fuck –” Your moans and the sound of skin on skin filled the room as you felt yourself reach your peak again and his thrusts became erratic. “I love you. I love you – I-” The words made you burst like an overflowing dam, shooting a thousand sparks through your body. As soon as he felt it, Zuko let out a loud whimper, spilling hot inside you. He rode out both your orgasms and stayed inside you a little longer after his hips stopped moving, peppering you with kisses.

“Thank you.” You whispered sweetly, pulling a few strands of hair behind his ear.

“For what?”

The question made you titter. “For being my husband, for being so good to me.” He quickly caught on, and if his cheeks weren’t already a deep red, he would have blushed more. “I love you.” You kissed the tip of his nose as he huffed out a chuckle. “I love you.”

[fictionsimp]

Best Zuko fic I’ve ever read! Need 12 more parts to this story😩

[restinslices]

Marrying Zuko As An Airbender pt1(?)

"Wow Slices, I never expected you post something like this!" Girl I didn't even plan on doing this. I randomly got this idea while lecturing my dog.

Also I have not seen the new movie because I heard it's booboo and I lowkey hate the art style on Katara and Sokka sooooo this is mainly how I see Zuko acting as an adult with no proof 😭

From your knowledge, your family was the only one to escape the genocide of the air nomads

Some would say it's cowardly to take your loved ones and flee

Some would say it was the right choice and others should've done the same

Doesn't matter because it doesn't change anything

Your family managed to survive for 100 years by constantly moving around. Generation after generation found themselves in new lands using new names

You met the gaang in Ba Sing Se

Naturally, you and Aang became very close. Honestly it would've made a lot of sense for you and him to form a romantic bond and have air nomad children, but that's not what fate had in mind for you

You and Zuko start off as enemies. You grew up hearing stories about what your people went through, and considering you spent your entire life pretending to be an earth bender because your family knew you'd be killed immediately if the truth got out, it makes sense you held deep resentment towards the Fire Nation

I can see you taking great pleasure in, how do I put this? Folding his clothes with him in it-

You and Katara take the longest time forgiving him

And if yall start arguing about Zutara vs Kataang in the damn comments imma turn this bitch around. RELEASE THIS FANDOM FROM THIS DEBATE

How can people who ship Sokka with Zuko, Suki, Yue or Toph coexist but yall can't? You know whaaaattt...

You might be the very last person to forgive him actually

You tolerate him only because Aang needs a firebending teacher and you're outnumbered when it comes to the "should we push Zuko off a cliff?" vote </3

You insist on this vote being weekly and keep losing

Every year on your birthday, you make it a tradition to honor those that have come before you. It's because of them that you're still alive. As for the fallen ones, you still honor them. They fought bravely even when the odds were against them

You sneak away for some peace and quiet. You're not far by any means. You're far enough to give your brain time to sit and relax

You have certain traditions you do, like lighting candles, burning incense, other spiritual shit I can't think of right now 🧍‍♀️

That's where Zuko finds you

"Hello. Zuko here-" "Please find another way to start conversations"

He's lingering like a gnat so you tell him to either go away or sit down. It was supposed to be a smart remark but he actually sits down next to you

Maybe it's years of loneliness, maybe it's survivors guilt (even if you weren't there), maybe it's the fact that you're detached from your people's culture, maybe you're missing your parents who are hiding somewhere else now. Whatever it is, it leads you to explaining your yearly tradition when he asks you why you're sitting alone

"We missed your birthday? No way. Why didn't you tell us?" (Who caught the reference?)

"How can I celebrate being alive another year when there's so many of my people that aren't alive? I think about them all the time. Sometimes it's all I can think about" "If the Avatar can forgive himself for leaving then you should be able to accept you aren't at fault" "Okay well maybe the Avatar is a lot stronger than I am because I can't forgive myself!"

Plenty of Air Nomads had potential to do amazing things. The men, women, and children, they're all gone. Why was your ancestor snatched away and able to flee with someone? Why did it all lead down to you? What gave you the right to be alive?

Zuko looks at you like you've grown another head

"I-" "Do not mock me!" "I wasn't going to" "You weren't?" "No. I was going to say I understand wondering why you're even alive"

You weren't expecting that

Zuko tells you about his life

His complicated family, feeling like was never enough, him being lucky to be born, his own father burning him, the impossible task of finding the Avatar

The two of you haven't lived the same lives, but you've had similar feelings of being lost in life

You spend the entire night telling each other about yourselves, which lead to a whirlwind of emotions

It isn't love after that but it definitely is the start of a friendship

You start to see him as his own person instead of his Nation

Of course the finale happens and Zuko becomes Firelord. You feel a hole in your chest seeing all these people in each Nation and only 2 in yours

You check in on Zuko's injury from fighting his sister pretty often. Katara is literally a healer but you're like "ehhh I'll double check"

You and Zuko's friendship continue to grow. He's busy quite often but he seems to always have time for you?

Which could mean nothing

Being in the Fire Nation is hard even if you've realized the citizens aren't responsible for what their government does

Zuko gets more busy and you begin traveling

You sightsee, help people, tell anyone who's interested about Air Nomad culture, learn about others, see your parents

Yet you find yourself always thinking of him

You keep in contact but letters take so long to get to the other

Whenever you visit, you can see relief on his face

"You know what I'm realizing?" "Hm?" "We have never had a conversation last this long without you insulting me. Not once" "I don't insult you anymore!" "You do! Even as a joke you'll call me stupid, or careless, or remind me of my missing eyebrow, or-" "I'll stop, I'm sorry" "No, don't. It's... comforting in a weird way"

He fell first. You fell harder. Then he kept falling. You still falling. Two dumb bitches just falling

You go on dates neither of you realize are dates

Toph has to literally be like "oh you two went on another date again?"

"DAAAAATTEEE?" you both scream at the same time

Even after realizing your feelings, you don't say anything. It's not worth ruining your friendship

Like yeah Zuko sometimes initiates physical contact with you by brushing his pinky against yours but that doesn't mean he likes you back

And just because he's gotten you a home in the capital near the palace doesn't mean anything

And who cares if he remembers your birthday and makes sure you honor your ancestors while also celebrating yourself? That means nothing

One day when you go to leave he grabs your arm

"Stay. Stay in the Fire Nation. Stay with me" "And what would be the point?" "I don't want you to go" (another reference because I'm corny)

So now you're officially dating

We've seen him be a boyfriend with Mai but also that relationship very much gave "two sad hoes bonding". Plus, every relationship isn't the same

He doesn't have nearly as much time as he wishes he did to spend time with you but he does what he can

You have to verbally tell him you understand

You try to build a friendly relationship with the locals. It sometimes works. You've sometimes had to deal with Ozai loyalists but that's unfortunately the world you live in

He is so incredibly proud of you when you get your airbending tattoos

Definitely joking about your bald head though

"Oh you're gonna make jokes? Sokka told me about how your hair used to look. Bald with a ponytail?" "I was having a rough couple of years😔"

"Chrome dome over here" "Iroh told me about you becoming ill after doing something nice" "Can people STOP TELLING YOU my BUSINESS?!"

No. People will never stop telling you his business

Google says business is spelled right but why does it look wrong? Anyway-

Zuko's proposal is very sweet

He asks Aang if there's any marriage customs for Air Nomads so he can mix both of your cultures together

Picks the most beautiful spot

Stunning view, clear lake nearby, flowers, statues, a bridge bathed in evening light

Has practiced his speech a million times but seeing the happiness on your face makes him stumble over his words

You find it endearing

Your actual wedding is beyond stunning

He pulls out all the stops

Once again your wedding mixes in both your cultures. The two of you even switch outfits at some point from something that matches his home, then your home, then something that has hints of both

It's a royal wedding so there's tons of guests

Sokka claims he knew this would happen because he "had a dream about it"

Okay Sokka

Sokka probably built yalls wedding rings and it's like that damn sponegbob friendship ring. Yall know what I mean?

Katara does a beautiful water show which includes using the light to make a rainbow

Toph creates statues of the two of you with a stomp of her foot because she's goated like that

Aang uses soundbending (sub element of airbending I saw on reddit) to give you a very loud one man wedding band performance

It's very sweet but you think "never do that again"

You've married someone you thought you would hate for the rest of your life

It's unexpected, but you don't mind the unexpected

This ended up longer than I thought it would so imma cut it off here and IF yall want a part 2, just lmk

[crushmeeren]

☽ ⋆ ⋅ it’s not zuko’s fault his wife can’t keep her hands off him.

☼ cw ; fem! reader, fire lord zuko, being late to a meeting because you can’t stop riding zuko, mentions of all the babies you guys have, sokka being sokka. the gaang’s all here (after the sex).

☽ ⋆ ⋅ m.list

“Come on Zuko— one more time? Please?” You’re panting, naked, hands braced on Zuko’s sweaty chest as you grind back and forth in his lap.

His breath hitches from the sheets, squeezing your hips. “Seriously? I’m already late. How does it— fuck. Stop that!” Zuko frowns and pinches your ass when you tighten around his cock on purpose.

“How does it look if the Fire Lord can’t stop fucking his wife long enough to attend a simple meeting with the Avatar?” He continues.

Zuko is still half hard inside your pussy, cum trailing down his shaft— filling out thick and hot by the second.

“Then why are you getting hard again?” You tease, dipping down to suck on his throat.

“That— that’s unfair,” he moans. You draw back to look at his face, and his cheeks are flushed such a similar color to his scar it almost blends together entirely.

“And if you really thought this meeting with Aang was important you wouldn’t still be in bed with me.” You place your palm over Zuko’s mouth, grinning at the way his eyes go wide and his cock twitches.

“Now shut up and let me ride my husband one more time.”

When you walk into the fire temple chambers where the meeting is taking place, the entire group is there.

Aang and Katara share a look, laughing at the picture you and Zuko make. Hair mussed and clothes ruffled, a hickey high on Zuko’s throat.

Sokka looks thoroughly annoyed and throws his hands up in exasperation.

“Seriously dude?!” He shouts, jumping from his chair and jabbing a finger at the poorly hidden hickey. “This is why the fire temple is crawling with your offspring!”

Toph snickers, and Zuko doesn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed.

forgive me i wrote this in thirty minutes immediately after i watched the movie.

[aisatsaa]

looks like the orders got mixed up

[oh-dear-moon-give-me-a-kiss]

Oh great heavens

Edit I finally found the artist: eriimyon

[blumineck]

After possibly thousands of requests, here’s a version of the Pans video with CAST IRON pans.

Spoiler: there’s a reason weapons and armour weren’t usually made of cast iron!

Patreon now has bonus pan content!

[natequarter]

"terminally ill people should be allowed to choose to die if they feel it is the best decision for them" and "euthanasia can easily become eugenics" and "we should provide support for depressed and suicidal people" are statements that can come into conflict but should all be respected

[hairysituationship]

also “offering euthanasia to people who can’t afford actual treatment is murder”

[blumineck]

Frying pans! Who knew, right?

Sometimes I have videos planned out in advance, sometimes I’m throwing out an old pan and can’t resist!

(There actually isn’t much pan content on my Patreon, but here’s the link anyway!)