#firebender

[mirk0-maniac]

Me now that the avatar fanfics are back

IM SO HAPPY THE AVATAR FANDOM HAS BEEN REVIVED

[marcespeaks]

synopsis | in which your little sister, toph, is trying so hard to make you and firelord!zuko get along despite your obvious differences (for the sake of the gaang, of course, because toph has never had ulterior motives). and toph will do anything to get her way, absolutely anything.

content | angst? (it's so buzzy), little sister!toph, evil little shit!toph, simp!zuko on the low, brief bone manipulation, small miscommunication trope

word count | 2.6k

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

You and your sister lean lazily against one of the less crowded walls of the bustling great hall, the two of you "people-watching" as she funnily calls it, listening to other people's conversations through her sharp hearing and your stilled breathing. A few stare back at the both of you, whispering in your own little world, all inside jokes and complaints about the stuck-up air of the room.

Sometime in the midst of your joking and complaining, Toph had made some off-handed comment about a very particular man across the room, a close friend of hers, though Toph had never been very good at making friends. This one, you knew of, and of course he was here, it was his home you'd been invited to, his great hall which hosted the Fire Nation's very first party of the new scorching summer.

Toph's mentioning of him blanketed something else sinister, hid something teasing.

"You know, he's not so bad once you get to know him."

Your sister, Toph, had always proved rather convincing when it came to you---like everyone else, she had you wrapped around her strong little finger from the day she was born and all the days after. Her word was your Bible most times, you both put your trust in each other so completely, and there was rarely ever a doubt in your mind that Toph didn't know exactly what she was doing. But here, you couldn't help rolling your eyes.

She'd felt it somehow, your unimpressed expression, thumping at your shoulder quickly and laughing under her breath when you'd visibly winced.

"And he's attractive, too!"

You gave her a short look, brows raised in question. "Like you'd know, Toffee." She was always saying strange things like that, being able to feel when someone was interesting, or cute, or muscular. And you supposed that's what the Firelord Zuko was as you look around the room and allow your eyes to land on him.

Interesting in the way he spoke gruffly even when he was trying to be kind. The way he dragged men over to the group he was speaking to, just to have them agree with him on whatever he'd been arguing. Interesting in the way he let his hair fall over his scarred eye in public, not ashamed, you'd gathered, but not wanting to entertain the questions that came with it.

Cute in the way a bear was cute, something broad and grizzly, eyes squinting when he laughed and teased the Avatar and the Waterbending Master's brother.

Muscular like a sea of mountains, ripples of them across his body, pushing through the fabric of his formal garments. Muscular in the way his hands flexed out when he'd caught you staring at him, the way—oh, fuck, he'd caught you staring at him.

You swiftly turn back to a grinning Toph, her eyes shining white and mischievous. You thump her shoulder back, feeling the floor rumble beneath your feet, and it's not quite so obvious who's doing it but you think it's best not to find out. There are eyes boring into your side as you try and listen to the babbling woman in front of you—something about the food from tonight, or had she asked what food you wanted for tomorrow? You didn't know and you almost didn't really care, the way you'd spot him in your peripheral still glancing your way, only ever leaving his distraction when someone grabbed his shoulder or asked him something serious.

"I need some fresh air."

"Fresh?" Toph's face scrunches in a strange disgust, arms folding over her chest. Her smirk expands over her face as she stares right through you. "It's humid everywhere, you know. It's the Fire Nation—"

"Yes, yes, thank you for the tidbit."

With a kiss of her warm cheek, you hurry away from her before she can make some crude joke about the burning in your cheeks, and just before you escape into the main corridor, the Firelord catches your eye again.

And he is so disgustingly beautiful.

You scurry through the almost empty hallway, nothing but servants carrying piles of dirty bowls and cups and royal advisors gliding back to the hall to discuss important business with the still fresh lord, his duties seemingly never-ending. You slip and sneak behind one wall, and then another, left and right and left again, the passageways seemingly endless too. Once you let your mind settle, you finally register that you've stopped hearing the bustle that once filtered out of the great hall, met with the silent whirring on wind and dry humidity that made you sweat underneath your silky green dinner gown. All of sudden, you realize you're nowhere near the outdoor garden you were aiming for, and if you hadn't been so stubborn, you would've maybe admitted that you were lost. You make a few turns here and there that you think are leading you back in the direction of the hall, but you're not entirely sure, cursing yourself for being so equally, stubbornly distracted. Too absent-minded, Toph would often tease, never paying attention to your surroundings like you ought to.

You didn't care. You didn't need to pay attention like normal people did.

With a frustrated huff, cursing under your breath in a way that's still attempting to be lady-like, you slip off your nice shoes with a swift hand, letting your cold toes hit the stone floor.

You hum out, closing your eyes and listening for those busy vibrations you and Toph had been so attentive to before in the great hall. You mind wandered and search for her familiar cadence of footsteps against the bare ground—she had a habit of tapping her foot when she wanted to drown out noise, and you loved being the only one to hear it. You stepped carefully towards the tremor sounds in the earth, inching just closer to them to guide yourself back, feeling the jittery drunk conversation bouncing off of some walls in the distance. To your left, you'd concluded, not too many corridors way. You smile when you feel Katara's laugh somewhere far-off, mixing with the low rumble of Toph's chuckle. You wonder if she can hear your heartbeat, but the idea is quickly drowned out by another sound.

You tilt your head to pay attention to both, careful not to lose the guidance of your sister and her friend, but oh-so-curious as to who might be approaching.

Your smile drops and you resist opening your eyes for a moment. You know those heavy footsteps, that soft breathing reverberating in the air and in your ears.

You let your eyes flutter, a deep sigh leaving your lips without your permission.

And he smiles as he comes closer, something simple and boyish. "Good evening." He bows his head to you politely, and you return the favor, keeping your head down as he speaks. "Sorry to disturb you." You lift your head up when he takes a step closer, your hand reaching out instinctively. He stands still, as if at attention like a solider. "I'm Zuko."

You laugh and you can practically hear his heart flutter. "What are you doing, we know each other."

"Yes, I thought perhaps you'd forgotten." He adjusts his posture, his back and shoulders broadening. He's quick with his words, tumbling out of his lips like they've betrayed him. Still, he stands firm, head held high. "Since you'd failed to say hello."

Your breath hitched at that accusatory tone and you looked away to save face, knuckles crackling. "Yes, they sat us a way's away—"

"You failed to say hello the whole night."

He takes a careful step closer once again and this time you know well enough to step back, to keep this distance between you. And still, with your feet against the warm floor, you can feel his heartbeat quicken despite its normally calm pace. His hand looks like it might reach out for you but he knows well enough too.

"You know perfectly well why it seemed inappropriate."

Now, what's the story on you and the gruff Firelord?

Perhaps it starts when Toph had first introduced you to the jumbled and unlikely Avatar group a year ago, another hot summer that you can only remember when you dream.

Scorching days at Ember Island with your sister’s traumatized buddies from the war, sweat dripping from your body in vulgar sorts of ways when one distinct friend eyed you for longer than necessary. He had this way about him, something gorgeous and mesmerizing in a way that was unfair. When the summer heat got almost entirely unbearable, you'd all spent your time in the Water Tribe, basking in whatever cool air you could find. Your room had been just next to his, in a far wing of the palace, and you'd sneak away together when sleep refused to take you, or bundled up on the floor of your visiting chambers and tell stories upon stories. His voice like honey in your ears.

So, perhaps the starts instead during that same summer, in a now humid bedroom, with his hand up your skirt, and his lips against your jaw, and your name being mumbled repeatedly from his soft lips like a prayer. It's not quite so clear how you'd gotten to this point—whether it had been the drinks he'd snuck into room to rid you of the nighttime boredom, or the way your eyes couldn't stop flickering to his slender fingers brushing against yours—but sooner or later, you're on his lap, another hand in is your hair, and all decorum has been tossed right out of the window.

And the story ends that same evening, when there's a creak in the floorboard behind the bedroom door, and a quick glance between the two of you that says this can't possibly happen again. Sure, you hadn't been caught this time, but there was something messy about mixing things up with your baby sister's friends, something filthy about meeting in secret with the new Firelord in all his broken honor and his faltering prestige. He'd been worshiping you on that bedroom floor, but it could never happen twice, you two had reputations to uphold, kingdoms and communities to lead.

So, Zuko should know why you didn't speak to him at this party, why you hadn't spoken to him in almost exactly a year (of course, you both had been counting), and why you'd really only agreed to come in the first place because of Toph. Because she'd begged like she knew why you wouldn't want to, and you knew that seeing him from a safe distance was better than not seeing him at all.

But, you see, that's why he'd invited you too. It wouldn't be suspicious, because the whole group would come, and you both could speak because the whole group would be speaking, and he would promise not to let his hand drift towards your thigh like he wanted, he'd promise. And instead, you stayed on the complete other side of the hall the whole time, laughing at what other people were saying to entertain you, talking to everyone except for him, waltzing around in that dress and that color that drove him absolutely insane. He'd been so hopeful when he finally caught your eye across the table. When you'd left almost immediately after, avoiding his gaze—he had been almost absolutely sure that it was an invitation.

However, the way you were looking at him now said differently.

You looked around carefully. No one close by, no one peeking. Still, you wouldn't relax your shoulders just yet, lest the two of you grow too comfortable. You lowered your voice and stripped that unlikeable tone out of it. "You should get back to the hall and I can follow behind. Surely people are awaiting you—“

"I can excuse myself in my home."

"You can also speak to your guests properly in—”

“Is that what you are—a guest?”

“As opposed to what?” There’s a heaviness in your breath that hadn’t been there before, and you suddenly realize how close you’ve let him come, how near his breath and heart rest sound against the arch of your feet. “My lord.” Your scowl deepens as you flick your wrist and quicker than you’d meant it to happen, Zuko stumbles back with a hand on his chest. Your lips almost fix themselves to ask it he’s okay, but you’d hate to give him fuel.

He lets out a huff of a laugh, arms lunging to grab your hands. He’s trapped you, walking you back further and further away from the party, from Toph’s clever tone, from the clinking of lingering drinks and glasses—it alls starts to fade as you struggle against him.

“You’re not supposed to be able to control the human body,” he notes breathlessly, gaze traveling and skittering all over you, like he was imagining you use those same skills for all the wrong reasons, for nefarious purposes. “What was it you said, the calcium and phosphorus in my bones?”

“Who cares what I said, we shouldn’t be here—!”

Thump, thump, thumping upon the stone floor and your sister’s voice is whispering to you three halls down, asking where you’ve run off to. But she knows exactly where you are, exactly who you’re with, she’s always been so much better at that seismic sensing than you.

You find yourself wondering why she really begged you to come to this party, why she’d insisted on mentioning Zuko in every single conversation since you’d arrived.

Toph rarely played stupid, but when she did?

Something was up her sleeve.

You rip one arm from Zuko’s slowly loosening grip and slap your hand against his lips, and you swear you hear him groan against you, leaning closer into your touch. But you know silencing him won’t matter. Toph knows. You can practically feel her smile spreading across her lips like butter. And then you hear her laugh—that evil one she does, when she’s mocked you for just long enough, when she’s won in some game, when all goes her way in the easiest way possible. She’s laughing, but she stops walking—abruptly, so it seems, and—

The ground rumbles.

“Shit.”

“Hmm?”

Before you know it, you’re dragging Zuko away from Toph’s line of fire—she’s clumsy when she’s giggling—and just then, the ground cracks before you both, the dirt and rock from beneath emerging from the opening and creating a blockage between you and every other living being in the palace.

You and Zuko. Alone.

Toph would be dead by morning, you’d make sure of it.

“Aw,” Zuko coos against your palm before you slip it away. “You trapped us together, how sweet.”

You shove at his chest with no real weight, allowing him to drift just slightly closer. “Don’t get your hopes up, it was that brat—this is your home, you know, you’ll have to clean this all up.”

“No, I owe Toph, I think this’ll do.” His hand crept closer to your face, thumb running over your jaw as soft as kisses, as light as feathers, and you burned with the feeling. But you let him. Not just let him, you wanted him to, you'd hoped he'd touch you, just like this, the whole night, knowing that you shouldn't. He smiles sweetly, dipping his head to nose the crook of your neck, the bridge running just behind your ear and down so he could take in the scent he'd been waiting for---a whole year he'd been waiting. "Please. Tell me you've thought of me."

You let in a sharp breath, straightening your figure at even the thought of your answer. How were you supposed to lie?

"Even once would be enough."

His other hand dips to your waist, pulling your hips closer to his own in this new comfortable silence, smiling gently against your skin.

"I can show you how enough it would be."

guys I'm working on part two THIS VERY SECOND I SWEAR please don't hurt me

hope you guys enjoy and let it be nourishing to our bodies

love, your pretty princess!

© marcespeaks. all rights reserved.

[avyc02]

Flameo hotman~🔥

[zutarasluvr]

creds: pjayogart

[0angel-tears0]

Fire, Pain and Love

Zuko x Fem!Waterbender Reader

Word Count: 3.9K

A/N: Taking a break from my James fic to write this because GAH DAMN. Those animators made my childhood crush OLDER than me again, I am losing my mind.

PSA - I haven't seen the leak, I support artists and their art but I also hate Paramount so I'm real conflicted about it.

Summary: When you're injured during a fight you witness Zuko's harsh, tempered side. He doesn't know how to express his concern and you don't like being told what to do.

Warnings: Angsty? I guess, Zuko is a lil mean but he makes up for it, established relationship.

---

You’re not quite sure how you managed to clamber up onto the tall rooftops of the imperial city, you imagined it was from the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins as you chased down an Ozai sympathiser. 

This wasn’t even meant to be a mission, the gaang just happened to be visiting casually in the city, checking out the sights, meeting old friends. You had spent more time in the city than most and knew your way around well. After a week with your friends you decided to take some time alone, you browsed a nearby market in the open sun, one you loved to visit because of how it overflowed with an abundance of different foods and spices from all over the nations, and the fact that very few people recognised you there didn’t hurt. That was until Sokka was pushing towards you screaming your name a few people making room for him while most looked at him like a crazy man (which isn’t unusual for him). He had worked himself up so much that by the time he reached you he was panting too much to actually speak. You just waited patiently, almost chuckling at his state. 

“Disturbance… firebenders… hurting citizens… Ozai” was all he managed to stutter out but it  was enough for you to understand as you quickly pushed past him and made toward the direction he came. 

You came up to a small square surrounded by tall buildings blocking the sun from reaching all the corners. A group of masked men surrounded an elderly man and young woman. As a large crowd looked on, you quietly observed the interaction, waning around the people and urging them to leave, you sensed it could get messy. 

“He didn’t mean anything by it! Please, grandfather apologise.” The young woman cried as she gripped onto the stern looking old man. 

A larger masked man stepped towards them, his fists clenched the elders collar, shaking in rage, “Ozai was our true Fire Lord! Not that petulant child!” he shouted. The older man hardly reacted, angering the masked man more.

You had heard of a few of Ozai’s followers becoming a bit more vocal, but never violent and never organised like this. Usually they would stick to the shadows, put up posters they would never come out in full force and in uniform, something about this situation uneases you as you stand guard, ready for the fight.

The man raised his free fist incoming steam boiling off it as the two citizens braced. Before he could bring it down you had uncorked your pouch at the speed of light, reaching forward and hooking the man's raised wrist, bringing it back and slamming him down into the ground, the force of which knocked him out cold.

The rest of the group turned to the disturbance caused and thank the spirits Sokka had finally caught up. “The others?” you asked, poised and ready.

“On their way” he replied, the air back in his lungs now as he grabbed his boomerang from his back. Just as he finished you noticed a flash of orange in the sky, Aang.

A brave man lurched forward to you, fists red hot as he shot blazes at you. You managed to deflect quickly, using your water to whip at him creating some distance. Sokka had also leaped into the brunt of it taking on a few. What you both missed was a man blasting towards you, you were occupied with your back turned and the blast was on course for a direct hit. Zuko dropped through just in time, smashing his leg through and diverting the blaze into a small nearby fountain, causing it to crumble. 

You turned at the commotion only to come into contact with Zuko. “Careful” he spoke quickly as he held your face in his hands doing a speedy check for harm that he always does. You simply gave him a small nod of acknowledgement and got back to it, you didn’t want him to interfere like he usually does or even get hurt because he was too distracted by keeping you out of harms way. With Katara and Toph’s help you had managed to apprehend most of the men.

Toph stood before the small group who sat with their arms firmly fastened behind their backs. She dusted her hands before throwing an arm over your shoulders, you were both left to keep a close eye on the men. “You guys could have put up some of a fight!” she mocked, the main guy (or who you believed was the leader) scoffed at her.  Katara and Aang were attending to any possibly injured bystanders and Sokka started the clean up duty with Zuko. 

“Since when does the ‘Fire Lord’ get involved in common crime?” He spat out, you didn’t much appreciate the way he mocked the Fire Lord and moved to shut him up before a voice stopped you.

“Since that crime threatens my people.” Zuko retorted from behind you both with an aura of regality you had never seen on him before. 

“We’re your people too!” another man spoke up, Zuko refused to reply which left Toph to speak up.

“That’s why we won’t kill ya!” They all stopped talking at that. Something about the situation seemed odd to you though, this attack was too organised and centred to be taken down so easily. Your neck felt hot like there was a single beam burning into it. You turned to see if there was a cause or if it was just paranoia but right behind you, up on the rooftops in front of the pale sun sat a figure, crouching and masked just as these men were, although this one seemed a bit more intricate than the common balaclavas the detained men wore. 

The figure noticed you noticing them and quickly jumped up leaping to another rooftop and away. You said nothing and sprang into action using your water to propel you up to the roof and beginning the chase, ignoring all the calls of your name, this has to be them, if you could just catch this guy you could definitely get some answers. Toph moved to follow you but Zuko stopped her, “Stay here and watch” he commanded, causing her to go still as he took off after you.

So, here you were leaping across the rooftops and sliding across the tiles all the while cursing yourself, how could you be so stupid? Of course that guy wasn’t the leader, just a short conversation with him proved that. You should have been on the look out sooner, caught this mastermind sooner, listened to your gut.

You felt a heat blaze past your torso, just missing burning your skin but close enough to feel the heat, you were in casual clothes, a short vest top and trousers of course they weren’t really battle clothes but it’s not like you were expecting a fight. You continued your chase dodging the balls of fire launched at you as well as trying to stop houses from going up in flames. That was getting exhausting, especially in this heat, you couldn’t keep up chasing them across the whole city and your mind was running ten times fast to figure out how to cut them off. It was moving so quick, focusing on the chase that you didn’t notice Zuko up ahead.

“Y/N!” Zuko called, you didn’t know how long he had been following but he managed to make it in front of you both causing you to stop dead in your tracks on a narrow rooftop. 

The figure spotted Zuko long before he called out your name and didn’t hesitate; they immediately raised their fist at the Fire Lord, injecting it with heat. “Zuko!” You called out, he was too focused on you, he wouldn’t be able to defend in time, their fist was already bursting with flames you had to act now. 

You whipped your water out around their ankle and yanked hard, the figure dropped and face planted but didn’t allow a moment of respite as they whipped over to face you, their fist still ignited, they shot out a blaze and a searing pain exploded across your shoulder and you lost your balance completely you water releasing their ankle and trickling down the tiles of the roof, you dropped from the height and plummeted into the streets below. You heard your name being called but your vision had instantly gone black from the pain long before your spine collided with the hard concrete. 

---

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Zuko stormed into your room, fury burning in his eyes. 

You rolled your eyes at his demeanor, you of all people were well aware of how steamed he could get. “I’m fine,” you replied from the edge of the bed. You were not fine, it took you ten minutes to slither into this position.”Katara healed me, to question me is to question her skills.” 

Zuko scoffed, you were being a smart ass and he didn’t like it. “She couldn’t heal this though” He hastily grabbed your arm, a large scar escaped from under your vest to cover your shoulder and crawl up your neck. You snatched your arm back from his warm grip trying to hide the wince that the movement had caused, Zuko saw the wince and it confirmed your lies, you were not fine. “Jumping into the line of fire?! Do you have a death wish?!”

You looked down at your feet, “I’m fine”, you repeated, eyes watering as you just wished him to just leave you be, you would usually love to have time with Zuko but not when he gets like this, and you knew that this has more than just common concern attached to it. 

“You are unbelievable” He spoke low as he turned on his heel and stormed back out the way that he came. He had pushed the doors open with so much ferocity that he almost knocked out Katara who was on her way in for your next healing session. 

“Zuko! Are you okay?” She asked the Fire Lord who was basically steaming. 

“I’m fine!” He echoed your words from earlier as he disappeared down the hallway. 

Katara sighed, making a mental note to ask Aang to deal with him later as she knocked on your door. 

“Come in” You spoke softly from the other side. As Katara entered she saw you now laying on your back, your feet dangling off the edge of the bed, you were still healing and although you put on a brave face Katara could see that whatever interaction you just had with Zuko had taken a lot out of you. 

You felt the bed dip beside you as Katara took her place, She said nothing as she reached for the bowl of water at your bedside. You sighed as you felt the cool water envelop your shoulder, a sharp contrast to the burning sensation that Zuko had left behind. 

“Why is he like this?” you asked after a prolonged silence. 

“Zuko has always been a bit hot headed,” Katara replied calmly, focusing on her work. 

“But it’s just me, I don't see him go off at Aang or Sokka like that.” You sat up now, forcing Katara to move with you; it didn't bother her. She was very used to your inability to sit still, “Is it because I’m a waterbender? Or a woman?! I didn’t think that Zuko was that kind of guy but maybe over time…” You trailed off, not fully sure of your accusation as Katara chuckled at you. 

“Zuko isn’t that kind of guy, he just cares but doesn’t know how to express it. Especially with you.” She mumbled that last part but you heard it anyway.  “All done here today. You could also probably heal yourself from now.” 

“I’m not as good as you, especially with one hand” You said, it wasn’t a lie, you were always more of a fighter than a healer. In the northern water tribe you were never given a chance to fight until the Avatar arrived so out of protest you also refused to learn to heal and practiced yourself in secret. That was until your father was badly injured during the war and something about that experience seeing him hurt, barely able to move expect to call for your mother, that had pushed you into learning. Then the Avatar arrived before you really managed to learn, you met a strong, stubborn Katara, a funny, intelligent Sokka, and the rest was history. She became your teacher as well as Aangs and eventually your best friend. So no, it wasn’t a lie but what you didn’t tell Katara was that you really enjoyed your healing time together, it was so rare that you all had time for each other nowadays. 

You didn’t say that to Katara but she understood, as she always did. “Okay, a few more sessions but then you really have to heal on your own”. 

You sighed “Alright”. You’ll take what you can get. 

Katara stood, placing the bowl back in its place on your bedside. “Maybe leave this room today? You need to get out.” 

You rubbed your head, your last mission that resulted in your injury was a week ago, you had finally woken up 3 days ago and spending 4 days unconscious was wreaking havoc on your system. You refused to exit your temporary healing room, you hated feeling useless and you didn’t want to constantly be reminded of that..

Katara said nothing else as she left. 

---

Zuko had managed to find of time for training today, he was in his private courtyard taking in the heat of the sun as he relentlessly battered a training dummy. 

“How’s Y/N?” Aang spoke calmly, he had waited patiently before announcing his presence not wanting to startle the young Fire Lord out of fear of being accidentally burned with the way he was attacking that poor dummy.

“You would know” Zuko replied sternly, like he knew Aang had been there for a while. 

Unfortunately for the both of them Sokka was also there, direct, sometimes rash, Sokka. “Hey, it’s not Aang's fault he’s checked in on your girlfriend more than you have.” Exactly, rash. 

Zuko sighed, “I just don’t know why she never listens! I always say ‘be careful’ ‘don't chase’, ‘think ahead’. But when it comes to it she just runs off and does what she wants anyway!”

Aang listened tentatively, his voice even as he spoke, “She’s strong willed”, he reasoned. 

Zuko, leaned on a stone wall, close to his friends, frustrated ”She’s going to get herself killed and if I’m not there-” His voiced wavered, “I can’t lose her”. 

“Y/N had traveled with us long before you joined Zuko” Sokka spoke, he was sometimes surprisingly reasonable. “She’s always known how to handle herself and maybe she’s not used to someone else doing it for her.”

Aang’s face scrunched in confusion but Zuko seemed to understand what his friend was poking at. 

“So I’m suffocating her?”

Sokka shook his head, “more like, containing…” he knitted his hands together to show some sort of a visual. Zuko thought on this, he never thought about how his interference could be the reason for your hurt, maybe he wasn’t trusting in you enough.

“See it like this” Aang began, he managed to get it now but still wanted to keep Zuko level headed enough so he can eventually talk it out with you. “Firebenders can draw power from a comet right? If the first firebender to discover that was told to slow down and not use their potential you guys probably wouldn’t have discovered that until hundreds of years later” he explained. 

Zuko had never thought of it like that, how what he thought was concern is something that you saw as something that dampened your ability to aid during missions, he’d never told you about his deepened fear of losing you so how would you see it as anything other than him just babying you? He felt a pang in his chest as he reminded himself of the was he spoke to you earlier and he wanted to smack himself for letting his temper get the better of him. 

“I need to talk to her” Zuko grabbed his vest and slipped it on before leaving the courtyard and making his way to your room. 

---

The floor of the palace was cool against your bare feet, a stark contrast to the heat of the oncoming summer that had leaked its way into your room. 

You had decided to take up Katara’s advice and get out of that stuffy room, she was usually right anyway. That last healing session left you feeling a lot better than you had in days. Everyone had come to see you when you awoke, Aang and Katara were the first, then Toph, then Sokka then… today was the first day you had seen Zuko. Katara told you he didn’t leave your bedside while you were out but you had a hard time believing her. 

You had never really explored this palace before, you had hardly stayed in one place so long. Especially with everyone, you’ve spent many a night camping under the stars alone, missing the days when you all used to camp together, finding joy in the circumstances you were all in as kids.

You didn’t think everyone would stay long, you never wished them to. Last you heard from Katara was that Aang was in and out with Avatar things, Toph left with him just a few hours ago for his latest mission. Sokka stayed though, taking a quiet place in the background of a few of Zuko’s meetings.

“Sokka? Quiet?” You chuckled out.

“I know, I know, he can be attentive when he needs to be,” Katara laughed with you. 

So here you were, wandering the palace, alone. It was very…red. The mixing of so many different shades just screamed fire nation. It wasn’t until you pushed open the two huge doors of a banquet hall that you were struck. The hall was glittering in sunlight, two gigantic round windows sat at the top of the hall which allowed the sunlight to beam in unapologetically. It made the hall look so alive as it bounced off the red walls causing them to glow in the light. 

“This is usually a space for royal weddings” You jumped at the voice. Behind you, just shy of the large doors in the small shadows that traced the walls stood the Fire Lord himself, leaning on a pillar that reached so high up you thought it would reach the sky. 

“It’s beautiful” You replied. Looking back from him and around the room. 

Zuko watched you, basking in the sunlight. For someone who comes from a land of ice and snow you seemed most at home in the sun and you looked absolutely gorgeous. He approached you slowly, sometimes he was so unsure about your mood but he wanted to be close to you to apologise. 

You felt his presence behind you, he was so close you could feel the heat from his body. “I’m sorry” he said as he brought a hand up to lightly graze your arms, almost wincing as he felt the bumps of your scar. You should be mad at him but you couldn’t help but lean into his touch, feeling his chest against your back as he rested his head atop yours. “When you fell off that roof…” He exhaled, “that was the most fear I’ve ever felt in my life Y/N” He wrapped his arms around your shoulders.

You said nothing, you were thinking and Zuko swore he could hear the cogs tinking in your head. His chest felt heavy. “I love you” He said, he knew he loved you from the moment you met but he had never felt it as strongly as he did now. He said it laced with the fear of what it felt like to almost lose you.

You twisted in his arms, you rested your head on his chest as you wrapped your arms around him, his heart was beating fast. “I love you too” You felt his breath of relief as his chest dipped and wrapped his arms around you squeezing tighter while placing a soft kiss on the top of your head. 

“I’m sorry too.” You said, causing Zuko to pull back to look at you. 

“For what my love?”

“I was careless, I shouldn’t have chased but when I saw him lift that hand… I just… I didn’t want… like before” You looked up at him, almost choking trying to hold back tears as you thought back to his Agni Kai, how useless you felt in that situation as you watched Katara heal him.

Zuko seemed to understand, he placed a hand on your cheek and leaned down to kiss you softly. Your eyes fluttered shut feeling his lips on yours after so long felt like heaven, when he finally released you he rested his forehead on yours. “I know” was all he said, eyes still shut. It was rare that you both had moments like this, with both of your busy schedules, you wished you could stay in this moment forever and Zuko wished so too. 

But that would never happen, “There you are!” Sokka exclaimed from the open doorway, Zuko cursed himself for not shutting that door earlier. “Alright, you guys can smoochy smooch later! We have a meeting with your advisor” Sokka said as he placed a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. 

Zuko turned away from you slightly, still keeping a firm grip around your waist. “You know what Sokka? Why don’t you take this one for me?” 

“What?” Sokka looked shocked, with a glint of excitement in his eyes. 

“Yeah, you’ve sat in on enough of my council meetings, just tell him something came up and you’ll be taking information for me” Zuko gave him a quick smile and eventually Sokka nodded.

“Okay yeah, I can do this!” Sokka was fully excited now, “I’m the Fire Lord.” He puffed out his chest while he attempted to mimic Zuko causing you to laugh and your boyfriend to roll his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah” he said and Sokka made his way out of the room quickly. 

You, still laughing, looked up at Zuko, “Can you do that?” 

Zuko wrapped his arms back around you, giving you another sweet kiss, “He’ll probably just talk about marriage and heirs, that's all he seems to do” he said, you laughed more at the idea of Sokka trying to sit through that meeting. 

“Oh? And who’s going to be the lucky young lady?” you teased him. Zuko pretended to think.

“Probably some noble Fire Lady.” You smacked his arm which made him chuckle, “okay! Okay! I have someone in mind, but only if she’ll have me also.” He leaned down to give you another kiss as he pulled you closer to him but you stopped him before his lips could reach yours.

“Is that a proposal your majesty?” Although your tone was mocking, Zuko still felt a shiver in his spine at the title. 

“Of course not, my proposal will be so extravagant, you won’t see it coming!” He spun you causing you to hold onto his shoulders as you squealed in delight. 

He placed you down and gazed over your features, his beauty. Zuko leaned down and placed another kiss on your lips, slow, long, one you gratefully accepted.

“I’m yours,” he said, speaking in a low tone. “Forever”.

---

Thanks for reading! Pls interact I loooove it <3

[starkkat]

Flame Dancer

Summary: As the Fire Nation is rebuilding under Fire Lord Zuko, you’ve been called to the palace as a candidate for marriage. Having fled the capitol after Ozai’s removal from the throne, you fully intend to attend only out of obligation. As much as it will pain you to watch your childhood love select a bride, you can’t fathom Zuko would select a pardoned criminal who turned her back on him the second she was freed.

Pairing: Fire Lord Zuko x fem!reader

Word Count: 3.4k~ (oops!)

Content Warnings: brief mentions of imprisonment, slight angst, yearning,

A/N: heyyyy so I haven’t written fic since 2020 so plssss be kind y’all T-T Huge shoutout to my best friend for proofreading this and keeping me sane as I crashed out over this lmao hope you guys enjoy <3

Your hands tremble at your sides as you pace through the halls of the palace among the crowd of candidates being herded towards the banquet hall. As a former lady of the court, and one of Ozai’s favorite Flame Dancers, the way is familiar to you even after years spent far from these halls.

The other women glance around in awe at the luxurious spaces, but you cannot bring yourself to share in their amazement at your shared opportunity. Girls across the Fire Nation would have sacrificed life and limb to be among the twenty or so invited tonight; to even be considered as a potential bride of the Fire Lord was an honor few could have even dreamt of. The members of the royal court had sought out only the most eloquent and impressive bachelorettes the Fire Nation has to offer; and you stand among them, called back to your gilded cage to perform once more for the new Fire Lord.

Zuko… when was the last time you’d had the opportunity to speak with him at length?

When he had taken control of the nation and released those imprisoned for defiance to Lord Ozai, you had fled the country’s capital without a shred of hesitance. You can only remember the hurt in his eyes as you swore to never return, and that ever since, you’ve noticed a royal messenger present at your performances; even despite his best efforts to remain hidden within the crowds. There’s not much you could imagine is worth him sending along but far be it from you to call into question the Fire Lord’s motives. Returning today was nothing but obligation. You would attend, perform, and watch as your first love chose a bride for the Fire Nation. All the more reason to wash your hands of the guilt you felt for abandoning him as soon as your chains were undone.

You’ve come to a stop outside of the door to the banquet hall. The court ladies surrounding you fuss with their hair and gowns and whisper nervously to each other. A handful of them ask you if they look alright, and you nod and smile: adjusting hairpins and murmuring reassurance that each one of them looks like the embodiment of sunlight.

And you mean it, every woman called to court possesses beauty worthy of royalty. Even those who are rejected by Fire Lord Zuko are sure to find themselves approached by the soldiers and nobles in attendance. It would be surprising for any in your group to leave the palace tonight without a marriage proposal. Even if it is only a consolation prize when compared to being made wife of the Fire Lord, it guarantees a lifetime of ease to be wed to a noble. Finally, the rustle of silks and whispers of the girls fade back to silence, and the doors of the hall are pulled open.

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The banquet hall is overflowing with members of the court, bustling with movement and conversation that hushes as the candidates enter.  The crowd of officials from all four nations part to allow you all to pass and approach the Dais to present yourselves to the Fire Lord. The wait in line feels agonizing, you want this whole event to be over.

The air feels heavy with whispers of guests as you step up to the dais and kneel, the silk of your gown settling across your lap as you sink into your most reverent bow.

“My Lord, I’m most grateful to have been deemed worthy of even a moment of your attention.”

 “You have my gratitude for attending. Please, stand.”

 Your pulse hammers in your ears so loudly you nearly miss his instruction, his voice achingly familiar and gentle. As you stand, you finally take a moment to take in the man seated on the throne ahead of you.

Zuko’s build and demeanor are a drastic change from the awkward prince who had returned from exile mere years ago; despite wearing his heavy formal robes, the very way he moves speaks to the powerful corded muscles concealed beneath the layers of silk. He lounges comfortably on the throne and for a moment you are reminded of a crueler man who once occupied this space, but his eyes lack any shadow of his father’s malice, they are kind and concerned as he seems to take in every detail of you standing before him. You feel a wave of relief wash over you as you realize there is none of the anguish or resentment you feared would have lingered with Zuko, and your relief must be present on your face, because the Fire Lord’s lips quirk up the slightest bit into an awkward smile.

Perhaps he hasn’t changed quite as much as you thought.

You have some time to mingle, to eat and drink and prepare before the candidates are given the floor for their skills showcase. You find a quiet corner away from the chaos of the noblemen, all balancing precariously on the verge of drunkenness, and try to get your breathing under control as you stretch. When you turn back towards the dais as a guard calls attention to the center of the room and announces the beginning of the skill showcase, you’re startled to see the Fire Lord’s eyes on you, his beautiful features pulled into a sad smile.

 “Would you care to start?” His voice carries across the hall, and it’s not as if you can really decline. You plaster a smile on your face and make your way towards the dais once more, Zuko’s eyes never stray from you as you approach.

“It would be my pleasure, Lord Zuko.” His cheeks tint pink at the use of his name.

You take a moment to speak with the musicians at the base of the dais and approach the padded mat that had been set out for the girls to perform on. You breathe as slowly as you can in an attempt to quiet the roar of blood rushing in your ears.

And then music fills the hall.

Your body sheds the tension you’ve felt the entire evening as you step through a basic fire-bending combination, the warmth of the flame familiar and comforting as you wield it like a silk ribbon. Flame Dance isn’t unlike the kind of fire-bending taught for combat, and the skill is certainly not uncommon for court ladies who can bend.

Before Zuko’s banishment, when Ozai had still hosted events in the palace, you had been a favorite performer of the royal family. Flame Dance was supposed to be a testament to the elegance and power of fire-bending; and though Azula had always sneered at you with your flowing silks and feminine flames, Zuko had always been your biggest fan. As children he would tear you away from the festivities and into the courtyard, begging you to teach him to fire-bend like you did. When he struggled to match the style of the dance he would pout endlessly, until his uncle Iroh would come wrangle the two of you back into the halls of the palace.

But after his banishment the event became suffocating. Talk of foreign policy you couldn’t understand began to sink in, the hatred brewed into every mention of the other nations tainting the only expression you had ever had.

Your art was supposed to be about showcasing what made fire-bending unique, not superior. Your style warped and became harsh as it took the shape of your anger, your distrust of the message that the Fire Nation was above all others. That’s what prompted you to develop the style that led you to be imprisoned for defiance, the style you’ve returned to for tonight.

You shift your stance, close your fists, and blunt your sharp movements so that you launch the flames as if they were solid earth. You’ve traded the technique of fire for the strength of earth-bending. The crowd of officials begin to murmur, but you focus on the rhythm of the music and again morph the flames into a new style.

This time you loosen your limbs, draw the fire around your body as if it’s become a liquid, recreating the gentle flow of water-benders. The whispers tick upwards in volume again. You can’t seem to slow your heart rate as you finish another verse of dance and exchange styles one final time.

This is what had warranted imprisonment under Ozai’s rule, technique mimicked from stolen scrolls hidden away in the palace archives. A scrap of an art he wanted erased from the world. You step lightly, twirl as your flames surround you and mix in your vision with the blended colors of robes from every nation, and finally the whispers silence as you adopt the movements of an air-bender.

 It could never truly compare, not without a teacher or example to learn from outside of static illustrations worn by time, but it’s the sincerest attempt you can make. With one final flourish, you let your fire dissipate and go still in the absence of the music. When you finally bring your eyes to the man sitting on the throne your heart skips at the expression on Zuko’s face. He’s beaming like he’s the same little boy from the performances of your childhood, eyes full of excitement.

“Beautiful.” He speaks softly, with such fondness in his voice that it causes your heart to ache. You can’t even form a response and opt to simply bow to the Fire Lord before you escape to the edges of the hall.

∘₊✧────────────────────────────────────────✧₊∘

You step out into the courtyard and swallow a few lung-fills of the cool night air. The air inside the palace doesn’t scorch your lungs as horribly as it used to, the decorative flames in the gathering spaces toned down from the heights they had once burned, but you need a moment away from the confines of the place regardless.

The guards hadn’t been too keen on letting you exit into the garden at first, but something had prompted them to step aside and release you into the night air. Perhaps it had been the panic on your face when they barred your exit, or perhaps it had been a stern look from royalty.

You tilt your face up towards the moon, reveling in the silence of the night. The constant buzz of conversation in the hall had begun to weigh on you. That, and the constant feeling of Zuko’s eyes on you had become too much to bear. Every lull in conversation you couldn’t help but steal glances at the dais, and throughout the entire night each stolen peak resulted in you catching the Fire Lord observing you. It looked like it almost pained him; to sit and watch showcase after showcase as you mingled with his court.

At one point a young man from the military officers approached you to express his admiration as a longtime fan of your art, and you could’ve sworn the flames in the hall had burned hotter for a moment; right before the man turned white as linen and hurried away from you like you had caught fire.

To be away from the eyes of the Fire Lord for a moment was what you needed to shake the longing from your heart, to remind yourself that you simply needed to survive him selecting a bride so you could flee the capital one final time. But your peace is short-lived; footsteps approach from the doorway as the guards shift once more to let someone pass.

“You dance even more beautifully now than when we were teenagers.”

Speak of the devil.

You glance over your shoulder to see none other then the Fire Lord himself standing a few paces away from you, his long hair swaying gently in the cool breeze. Your heart aches as you smile at him and bow politely.

“Thank you, I’ve not had such an honorable audience in a long time.” Zuko returns your smile, taking a step closer.

 “Could you make one final attempt at teaching me to bend so gracefully?” The word final hangs between the two of you, bitter and unpleasant, but you nod.

As you walk him through the movements of your routine, it becomes even more apparent that this is not the prince you knew before; Zuko’s movements are precise and elegant, despite the bulk of his frame he is as nimble as you. When he finishes his practice, he places his hands on his hips and flashes that beautiful smile at you.

“It only took me 23 years to pull it off.” He laughs.

 “You’re a far more graceful man than you were in your youth, My Lord.”

At the sound of his title from your lips the comfortable smile disappears from Zuko’s face. “I wish you wouldn’t call me that.” His tone is mournful, and he casts his gaze away from you.

“I’ve missed you, you know?”

You open your mouth to respond, but choke on the words as they form. “I’m sorry.” Is all you can manage. Sorry for not leaving with him when he was banished, sorry for fleeing the second he undid the shackles Ozai had condemned you to, sorry for returning.

“I understand why you left. I trust you’ll believe me when I say this palace is as haunting to me as it is to you.” There’s a sadness in his voice that causes your heart to ache; you long to reach out to him and comfort him.

“I would imagine it is even more so my lord.” You feel selfish for having made your discomfort so apparent knowing that this is his home, that he’s been made responsible for cleansing it of the cruelty steeped into it by the generations before him.

“I can’t undo the things that have happened here. I’m ashamed to have once believed my father’s ruthlessness to be a true love of his people.” Zuko’s voice is barely audible, and he scratches uncomfortably at the base of his skull, eyes cast downward to avoid your gaze. “It pains me to request you stay here knowing how desperately you fled from the capital.” He takes a deep breath and finally meets your eyes.

 “But know that I would rebuild the palace, the Fire Nation, the entire world to make it a place kind enough to be worthy of your presence in it.”

Your breath catches in your throat and Zuko’s cheeks burn scarlet as silence hangs between you. “I’m not fit to stand at your side, Majesty. I don’t have the skills to lead that the rest of your candidates do.” Speaking the words feels like swallowing white hot embers, but they’re true enough. You have no grasp of foreign affairs, or diplomacy and trade. Zuko shakes his head and steps towards you, his hands reaching for you.

“You have a love for the people in our nation. And respect for those outside our borders. You were willing to be imprisoned, to be executed, for learning the styles of benders my father saw as sub-human.” His hands find yours, strong and warm, and you blush terribly and drop your gaze. But he won’t allow you to avoid him, releasing one hand to lift your chin and bring your eyes back to his pleading expression. “You can be taught to participate in the affairs of the nation; you will always have my support as you learn to lead. I don’t want a diplomat as my wife, I want you. I want your kindness and your warmth to remind me that fire can be nurturing instead of destructive. I need you by my side to keep our people from returning to cruelty.”

Your heart is thundering in your ears as you stare at the man before you. Zuko’s face is flushed and you can feel the heat of his body radiating from him in the chilled evening air. His eyes are desperate and searching your face for a clue to what you’re thinking, and you can’t help but reach out and touch his face. Your fingers skim his cheekbone on the scarred side of his face, and he leans into your touch, his eyes fluttering shut.

“I won’t force you to stay, I could never bring myself to cage you here.”

But you haven’t felt more at ease this entire night than you have here with him. Perhaps the cage was never the palace itself, only the man within it; because Zuko feels like home in a place you thought could never be hospitable.

When he opens his eyes again you take another step towards him, closing the gap between you. For a moment he’s still as you press yourself into him, leeching from him his warmth, and then he wraps his arms around you. His touch is gentle and unsure as he holds you.

“It would be too torturous to leave you behind a second time.” You whisper, and you can hear his heart thud louder against the solid muscles of his chest.

 “Tell me to stay. Ask me outright to be your wife.”

You need to hear it again, that he would choose you to stand by his side as he faces ruling the Fire Nation, because you can’t quite grasp it. Zuko wraps you tighter in his arms, and when he speaks his voice seems to hum through you.

 “Please. Stay with me.”

 He releases you for a moment and sinks to his knee before you, his hands on your hips as he looks up at you.

“Take me as your husband and know I will never let harm come to you again. Help me be the ruler our people deserve.”

You reach out to touch him again, running your fingers through the untied part of his hair. “I accept your proposal, my lord.”

The smile that breaks across his face is dazzling. Zuko stands and pulls you to him, pressing his lips to yours and clutching at your waist like you might disappear if he lets go of you. When you pull away for air, he buries his face into the place your neck meets your shoulder. “My queen has no need to use my formal titles.” He says against your skin.

“Call me by my name, my love.”

 Before you can respond, he sweeps you up into his arms.

“Zuko!”  you throw your arms around his neck, startled by his strength as he lifts you up as if you weigh no more than a feather.

“That’s much better.” His smile lingers as he strides towards the palace, the guards at the entrance to the hall parting as he approaches. “Zuko, I can walk. If you waltz through the banquet carrying me people will talk.”

“Let them talk, they were going to anyway.”

He crosses the threshold of the hall and is immediately approached by guests, all staring incredulously at the two of you. Fathers of candidates begin to request awkwardly if he would spare a moment to speak with their daughters. Court ladies ask with skepticism if something has happened to you that prompted his chivalry.

It is rather improper to have reentered a court festivity with one of the candidates cradled in your arms, blushing with embarrassment. But Zuko hardly slows his pace as the people crowd around him, striding past and towards the main entrance.

“I’ve made my selection.” His voice rings out over the chatter of the room.

“Stay and celebrate, or feel free to leave for home. I’ll be retiring for the evening with my partner.”

At the word partner some of the candidates begin to fuss and weep, you feel a pang of sorrow for the girls. You had come here with every intention of uplifting and supporting the other candidates, setting them up with worthy nobles if the Fire Lord rejected them. From within the crowd you hear Uncle Iroh consoling some of them.

“Now don’t look so sorrowful, we’ll find you a wonderful husband among the nobility in attendance tonight. Rejection is simply the spirits guidance towards destiny.”

 As he reaches the door Zuko lowers you to your feet, hand lingering on the small of your back as he turns to address the stunned crowd, speaking one last time to the dejected candidates.

“As my Uncle has said, feel free to connect with the bachelors of the court. You are free from your obligation to devote your attention to me. I’m afraid I’ve wasted your time, and for that I need to apologize. I knew my choice from the moment she stepped into the palace.”

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ALL: @champagnesbiggestproblem

Also creds to @pixopix for the star divider! :)

[nerdyperday]

Day 3358 Zuko

[neo-kid-funk]

💙