An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: The Gaang discovers that Zuko is ticklish.
Zuko was training Aang in fire bending. He was completely serious barking instructions and demanding Aang to fight harder.
You could say he was a strict, no nonsense teacher, but considering he needed to train the avatar fire bending so that he could defeat his father, the fire lord, to end the hundred war, it was understandable that he was intense and stressed.
The others who where a bit younger than him and where more into relaxing and having fun, despite regularly fighting dangerous enemies, however tried to convince him to loosen up a bit.
"Come on Sifu hotman, you should laugh more."
"Not interested"
"Or we could make you laugh" said Sokka confidently.
"I already heard your jokes and they are not funny." Zuko said immediately making Sokka deflate and scowl.
"Hey, My jokes are funny!"
"No there not" Katara added, making Sokka scowl even more.
"I know something that works on everyone." said Suki, her voice coming from somewhere behind Zuko.
Zuko didn't even bother looking where her voice came from, because he knew he could trust the Gaang, which this time around proved to be a mistake.
Because just a few seconds later he felt two hands taser his sides, making him screech and jump. He instantly turned around and baked away, a faint blush on his cheeks. He felt incredibly flustered and tried to overplay the embarrassing reaction with anger.
"What on earth was that for!"
"To test if your ticklish and obviously it worked" Suki said smugly.
"No way Zuko is ticklish!" Sokka screamed with glee.
"I wouldn't have thought that worked so well" said Aang his expression full of surprise and wonder.
"Well, even he has to have a weakness" Katara said.
"Prince Zuko is ticklish what a revelation!" Toph added amused.
Zuko wanted to sink into the ground, he never ever wanted anyone to find out about this. And now that they knew, they will definitely not let him live this down.
"We need to get back to training" he tried, trying to deflect.
"Now way first we need to test out the extent of your sensitivity" Sokka said an evil smirk forming on his face.
Everyone was suddenly circling him, looking at him like he was their next prey. Oh, no he was so royally screwed. He tried to run away, but the only openings he had left where swiftly blocked by Toph with her earth bending. And before he could come up with a plan Suki tackled him and Sokka followed suit, pining him down, Sokka at his arms and Suki on his legs. Katara and Aang sitting left and right of him. He was utterly trapped, the only way he could escape was by using fire bending. But he didn't want to hurt his new friends and betray their trust.
"Now lets see what we're working with" Suki said. She went back to squeezing his sides making him squeal and fall into giggles
"Seems like a good spot" commented Aang.
He joined in, squeezing each and every rib, while Katara started tickling his belly, dragging her fingers along the sensitive skin. He let out a screech and started laughing wildly. The three pairs of hands driving him mad, and to make things even worse he could feel Toph taking of one of his shoes and spidering her fingers on his bare foot.
His laughter was frantic and bubbly and utterly adorable, making the others laugh with him.
"Ahahaha pleahahase stohohop" he pleaded, but his please fell on deaf ears.
"No way we just got you laughing" Sokka said
"And this is perfect to relax you" Aang added.
"Yeah, besides your pretty adorable this way." Katara said and Suki agreed.
Zuko felt like he wanted to disintegrate, he was mortified, his face burning like fire and he was laughing like a child. On the other hand it felt nice to just let loose and laugh, even though the others were absolutely torturing him.
As Katara moved to his armpits his laughter became more high pitched, surprising the Gaang.
"Oh how cute, your armpits are extra ticklish! Katara coed, making him even more flustered.
After another two minutes of torture they finally let up, not wanting to overdo it.
Zuko immediately curled into himself and laid there completely out of breath, a giddy smile still on his lips.
"You okay?" asked Suki
"Was it to much?" Aang asked concerned.
"I'm fine, but never do that again."
"We'll only do it if your being to grumpy again." Sokka said.
"Yeah, it's the perfect way to cheer you up Mr.Grumpypants" Toph added.
Zuko only huffed but didn't comment. For better of for worse he supposed he would have to get used to this. But he thought that it's probably good that he had friends that cared so much about him laughing and being happy, and if that means that he will get tickled now and then he didn't mind that much.
A/N : i love atla rn. love zuko. if i encounter an awkward grumpy guy with a redemption arc in media, u bet ur ass i’m going to tickle him
Word Count : 3863
Summary : Zuko still feels like an outsider in their group. Aang and the others are gonna make sure he feels included!
hope u enjoy!!
—
“You’re such a liar!” Katara playfully punched Sokka in the arm, drawing a laugh out of him.
“I am not! That’s exactly how it went down, you’re just embarrassed that–”
“I’m not embarrassed–”
“Yeah, and you’re totally not red in the face either.”
“Sokka!”
This was…this was weird.
Before meeting Sokka and Katara, Zuko really thought “being angry at your sibling” was a concept he understood better than anyone. He and Azula fought constantly back at home, it was pretty much just how they communicated with each other. Arguments aplenty, yelling and bickering by the dozen.
But after spending the past few weeks with his new team (the word ‘friends’ still makes him bite his tongue), he’s realized there’s actually two different types of a sibling fight, and one of those types he’s never personally encountered before.
He’s used to spitting insults, deep personal cuts made against your biggest insecurities. Lies and manipulation hidden under sweet smiles so no one around suspects a thing. Most fights were like dances, using careful words and holding back just enough information to make your opponent second-guess themselves. And, of course, an argument was rarely ever had without literal flames thrown around to really drive it home.
But this? This was playful bickering around a campfire just to get under each other’s skin. Lighthearted teasing that showed how well they knew each other. There was love under each jab.
It was sorta weirding Zuko out.
He wasn’t uncomfortable by it, in fact probably the opposite. It made him feel closer to the group that he was included in moments like these. He liked getting to witness how normal siblings are supposed to interact, even if he knows he’ll never truly get to experience something like that himself. Zuko’s accepted his distance with Azula, and honestly it’d probably feel weirder if they did interact like this after everything they’ve gone through.
Honestly, he’s not sure why he feels weird. Maybe it’s because he’s just not as close to them all as they are to each other. Right now, Zuko’s just an awkward outsider that’s sorta-kinda trying to fit in, and fitting in with normal people has never exactly been his strong suit. He’s awkward and stiff and he knows it. And yet, they’ve been so open to him already. Sure, he had to prove he was over his whole ‘capture the avatar to avenge my honor’ phase, but now that he’s over that hump they’ve been super cool to him.
Zuko’s weirdly enjoyed getting to know this group’s dynamics with each other. He’s not entirely sure how he fits in yet, but that’s not even his biggest concern right now. Actually, his biggest concern right now might be that weird look Katara’s got on her face.
“Lying is pretty unbecoming of a warrior, dontcha think Suki?” Katara grinned over at Sokka’s girlfriend, who chuckled into his shoulder,
“Do not get me involved in…whatever this is.”
“Yeah, don’t drag her into this! She wasn’t even there!” Sokka argued very loudly, his usual bickering style. He gripped onto Suki’s arm with a pout, fluttering his eyelashes. “You believe me, right?”
Suki glanced at Katara behind Sokka’s back, and could clearly see her plotting something. Katara grinned like a loon before holding a finger up to her lips. Suki giggled, “Of course I believe you. How couldn’t I believe this face?” She pinched his cheek and Sokka hummed happily. Zuko took another spoonful of soup as he watched quietly, catching on that something was about to happen. He just didn’t know what.
Then, when Katara shoved her hands under Sokka’s arms, Zuko nearly spit his soup into the fire at Sokka’s resounding shriek. Sokka quickly fell into a fit of loud laughter, toppling over his log with Katara following after.
“Admit you’re a liar!” She practically yelled over Sokka’s obnoxiously loud cackling. “Admit it!”
“AH! Ahaha no! You–You’re crahazy!” He sputtered out, shoving at Katara’s hands to no avail.
Zuko felt weird watching this. He’s not unfamiliar with the concept of tickling, but he’s not exactly accustomed to it either. Especially not with family. Sure, Uncle had been known to tweak his sides every once in a while when they were out on their own together, but never anything like this. Zuko took to awkwardly staring into his soup, hoping he’d fade into the background like he usually did at dinner time.
Unfortunately for him, tonight he was sitting next to Aang. Zuko felt an elbow nudge his rib, glancing over to the smiling Avatar.
“Y’know, Sokka’s pretty well-known for exaggerating his stories like, a lot. Katara’s told this story before and he didn’t say a thing then. He definitely deserves this.”
Zuko swallowed some soup. “That seems likely,” he said stiffly. Zuko could feel Aang’s eyes on him at the same time he heard the scuffle quiet down.
“That was…” Sokka panted, “so uncalled for. Did you have to do that in front of Suki? And the fire prince?!” Sokka whined, his hands thrown over his face.
“Hey, if anyone deserves to know how much of a liar you are, it’s gonna be your girlfriend and the new guy,” Katara said proudly, standing up to grab another log for the fire. Sokka grumbled, crossing his arms as Suki wrapped him in a sympathetic hug.
Zuko decided not to acknowledge his mentioning, not sure if he should get involved in this. Apparently Aang felt otherwise.
“Did you and your sister ever play like that?”
Oh. Okay. So that’s what Aang was thinking about.
The crackling of the fire seemed so much louder now that everyone had gone noticeably silent. Zuko found himself staring into it.
Katara shifted uncomfortably. “Aang, maybe we shouldn’t–”
“No no, it’s okay,” Zuko sat his bowl down next to his log. “I understand having questions.”
Aang continued looking at him with those big eyes of his, but Zuko kept staring into the fire. Talking about family wasn’t always the easiest, but felt necessary in gaining more of their trust. They deserved to know this stuff.
“My sister and I have never really been close. We’ve had our…moments. But play was rarely on the table,” Zuko said. “Not when we both had so much on the line.”
Aang pinched his lips together in thought. “So I’m guessing tickle fights were never on the table either, huh?”
Zuko huffed in amusement, finally peeking over at Aang. “No, not really.”
“Wait, so…” Sokka spoke up, curiosity mixed with something else glinting in his eye, clearly excited about changing the subject. “Do you even know if you’re ticklish?”
Toph barked a laugh from her rock stool. “You’re just asking cause you’re tired of being the most ticklish in the group!”
“Hey!” Sokka exclaimed angrily before fixing his face. “Look, first of all, I’m not the most ticklish. We all know that title belongs to Aang,” Sokka nodded towards Aang, who just grinned. “And secondly, being the one that gets ganged up on all the time gets a little unfair when I’m surrounded by frickin' benders, okay?!”
Everyone but Zuko chuckled at that, which brought Sokka’s attention back towards him. “Seriously though, fire prince. Ticklish or no?”
“Um…” Zuko cringed. “I mean, yeah I guess so. Er–Uncle poked me sometimes when we were on the run together, if that counts.”
“Did you not just hear Sokka begging for his life two seconds ago?” said Toph with a chuckle. “That definitely doesn’t count.”
Zuko really wasn’t sure what to say. He’s smart enough to know where this conversation seemed to be heading, and was really unsure how to feel about that. In a poor attempt to evade whatever this was, he pulled his knees to his chest and crossed his arms over them, leaving a spot to rest his head.
While Zuko might’ve been smart enough to sense the direction these questions were heading, Aang was smart enough to sense he didn’t really feel comfortable with it. Not yet at least.
“Sokka, can you tell that story about the saber-tooth moose lion? I don’t think Zuko’s heard that one yet.”
Sokka gasped in excitement, his train of thought successfully derailed. “Foo Foo Cuddlypoops!”
—
The next day, Zuko had forgotten all about the attention he got last night. Sure, he thought about it some when he was trying to go to sleep that night. And sure, maybe he clutched onto his midsection a little tighter than usual as he dozed off, thinking about the loud laughter drawn out of Sokka from playful hands. It didn’t…it wasn’t like he was actually thinking about it. Not in any real way. It was just something interesting to ponder on. A sensation relatively foreign to him that would probably make him laugh like he didn’t often get to do so freely. And thinking about the fact that the rest of the group seemed curious if it would work on him was definitely…it was totally nothing, really.
So like–he’s forgotten all about it now. It’s a new day, and Zuko’s got work to do.
He and Aang had been training their fire all morning, and it was finally time for lunch. Sokka had gone fishing earlier, so they all kept to doing their own thing while he cooked over the fire (a fire Aang had lit himself, by the way. Zuko felt a weird sense of pride that Aang was seriously getting the hang of this, and using it in a way he knew would make Uncle proud).
Zuko decided on meditation while he waited. He sat on the ground shirtless, honoring his Uncle as he let the sun warm his skin and settle the fire inside him. Meditation like this seemed impossible to him just a couple years ago, his impatience once too thin and his temper too fraught. But now, it came so much easier. Zuko could feel the sun working wonders in his body, keeping his fire at a healthy state while also giving him time to clear his full mind. It was truly relaxing.
Well, it was relaxing, until he felt a set of hands scribbling at the base of his spine. “GAAHA–!” Zuko was quickly jolted out of his zone with a yelp, arching his back away with flailing arms.
“What the–?!” Zuko whipped his head around to find Toph giggling behind him on the ground. “Toph, what the heck?! Can’t you see I’m meditating!”
“Well duh, Sparky, that’s why I did it,” She wiggled her fingers in the air teasingly with a grin. “You never even saw it coming!”
Zuko couldn’t will the flush from his face. He felt so embarrassed, getting played by a 12 year old girl like that. Zuko groaned into his palm, “Whatever, just don’t do it again. Let me finish before–”
“Lunch is ready!” Sokka yelled across camp, using Suki’s fan to waft the smell towards his friends. Zuko groaned again, scowling at the girl who couldn’t even see him doing it.
“Time to eat, Jumpy,” Toph snickered, getting up and following the smell. Zuko rolled his eyes before throwing his shirt back on and following behind.
For the next 10 minutes the group sat around the smoky logs no longer lit by fire, eating their food and sharing how their days have gone so far.
“Guys, Zuko showed me this really cool firebending trick earlier! I’ll show you once my stomach’s settled,” Aang said excitedly, taking a bite of the berries Katara had scavenged for him.
“It’s actually a pretty complicated move. I was surprised you picked it up so quick,” Zuko said, feeling a little shy. He was finally warming up enough to talk without being addressed first during these meal times, and silently hoped he wouldn’t get called out on it.
“Well, that’s Aang for you,” Katara smiled towards the Avatar. “Actually, it sorta frustrated me when I first started teaching him waterbending. It took me ages to master those skills, and yet it took him no time at all.” She crossed her arms at him, teasing as if it still bothered her after all this time.
“Yeah, I get that,” said Zuko. “I guess it doesn’t bother me as much since I’ve already seen all the crazy stuff he can do with the other elements. It’s not exactly new for me to see him be so…” Zuko waved his hand in the air trying to find the word, but once he did he got a little embarrassed and decided against it. “Well, you know.”
“Nooo, c’mon, what were you gonna say!” Aang grinned beside him, poking his arm. “You were totally gonna say ‘amazing’ right?”
Zuko sported a little grin of his own, peeking an eye towards Aang. “Actually, I was gonna say annoying,” Zuko lied, almost chuckling at Aang’s gasp.
“Ohoh snap!” Sokka giggled, stuffing his face with more fish. “You just gonna take that, Aang?”
Toph suddenly let her stool drop to the ground, the loud bang catching everyone’s attention. “I know how you can get him back.”
Zuko froze, staring nervously her way. Aang caught the look he was giving, and was immediately intrigued.
“Oh yeah? How so?” Aang asked, before Toph leaned in and whispered something in his ear that made them both snicker.
Aang stood up with crossed arms, unable to stop smiling. “You know, I just remembered a certain conversation we had last night about a certain weakness of yours.” Zuko’s eyes widened, his gaze darting around each person to gauge their reactions. They were all smiling, and Zuko felt a nervous twitch at the corner of his own lips.
“Cmon, seriously? I know what you told him, Toph, and that was not what you think it was. You just…surprised me while I was concentrating,” Zuko defended, trying really hard not to smile right now.
“Yeah, tell that to the giggle you let slip,” Toph snickered.
Sokka caught on quickly with a chuckle. “Oh, buddy, you are so in for it now,” he tossed his last bite of fish into his mouth. “Take it from me, it’s best to just let it happen instead of running. If you run now, everybody’s gonna come after you.”
Zuko froze, darting his eyes back to Aang towering over him. The Avatar wiggled his fingers in the air, and Zuko knew what he had to do.
With a groan, Zuko took a deep breath, puffing his cheeks with air, and tensed his entire body. He pulled his arms close to his chest and clenched his eyes closed. He was gonna take it like a champ. A very awkward champ.
But instead of the tickle attack he had expected, he heard everyone around start laughing. He peeked one eye open and saw Aang doubled over holding his stomach through his giggles.
Katara snickered behind her hand, “For a former prince, you really can be such a dork sometimes!” Zuko blushed, untensing his body.
“Sokka told me not to run so–!” Zuko waved his arms around awkwardly, unsure of what to do. He sighed behind his hands, feeling warm in the face. “I really don’t get you people sometimes.”
Aang giggled, walking behind Zuko and plopping down. “It’s okay, you’ll figure us out eventually,” he said, before digging his fingers into the back of Zuko’s ribs.
“AH! Ahaha–wait! Aang!” Zuko sputtered out a surprised giggle before pinching his lips closed, squirming and kicking his feet into the dirt. He giggled in his throat, trying hard not to let any sounds escape his lips. Somehow, this was even more embarrassing than Zuko thought it would be.
“Oh cmon, he’s trying to hold it in!” Toph complained, pointing at her ears, “I can’t exactly see your reactions, idiot, I’m gonna need to hear it.”
Zuko shook his head, but it was getting really hard to contain himself when Aang was doing that to his sides. He kept letting out little squeaks and growls, but he could feel his chest was filling with giggles and knew it would be no time before a real laugh leaked through.
“Get his armpits! That always kills you and Sokka,” Katara called out, getting an offended, “Hey, what’s this got to do with me?!” from Sokka.
Aang listened, tickling with so much concentration his tongue poked through his lips. He tried sticking his fingers under Zuko’s arms, but the prince kept them glued tight to his sides. Aang stopped with a chuckle, looking toward the siblings. “He won’t let me in there!”
“I can’t hehelp it!” Zuko complained, but didn’t move from his spot on the log. He panted, relieved for a break, but he could tell Aang wasn’t finished just yet.
“At least try to move your arms away. C’mon, I wanna hear you laugh!” Aang said, giving Zuko a poke to his lower back. When Zuko yelped and arched away, Aang snickered and tried again. And again. And again. Aang kept poking at his back like a typewriter, and Zuko let out the quickest set of giggles before standing up and backing away nervously.
“I–I cahan’t. I really–there’s no way–” Zuko shook his head, embarrassed but clearly having some fun himself. Everyone giggled at his reaction, amused by how ticklish and unable to take it he seemed to be.
“Wait, okay, now I want a turn,” Sokka stood up from his log and walked towards Zuko with wiggly fingers. Zuko shrinked away with a nervous chuckle, his arms wrapped around his midsection.
“Noho way, this is ridiculous–”
“Oh cmoooon! I’ll let you get me back after!” Sokka locked his hands together to beg, “Pleeease Zuko?” He pouted and bat his eyelashes at the boy. Zuko just scoffed and rolled his eyes with a grin peeking at the corner of his lips.
“You are so stupid,” he grumbled. “That’s not gonna work on me. I’m not your girlfriend.”
“Maybe not, but I think I make a pretty good argument. I’m super fun to tickle, right guys?” Sokka looked around the room. Katara shrugged.
“Eh. You’re super loud. It’s kind of annoying.”
“Katara! Help me here!”
“Er–buuuut you do snort like a pig sometimes! That’s pretty funny,” she smiled toward Zuko, who just gave an incredulous look back. “I think you should do it. He’s pretty easy to fight back if you hate it.”
Zuko took a second to think it over. No one launched towards him, no one took him by surprise. Everyone just waited to see if he’d actually be okay with it.
Spirits. Sometimes it’s really annoying how nice this group can be.
With a sigh, Zuko spread his arms out to the side, holding his head up high (but kept his eyes closed for good measure. It’s really embarrassing to look everyone in the eyes right now).
“Alright, yes!” Sokka clapped his hands together, making his way behind Zuko. “Okay, see how long you can keep your arms up for. Aang and I play this game all the time.”
Zuko expected the tickle to come right after, but…nothing happened. He waited a few seconds, and still, nothing. Finally he got frustrated, and peeked his eyes open to see Sokka’s hands floating just above his armpits. Seeing that freaked Zuko out way more than he expected, shooting his arms down with a yelp. Unfortunately for him, all that did was trap Sokka’s hands right where they wanted to be, and they immediately dug into his armpits like no tomorrow.
Zuko shrieked, curling up as much as he could while standing before crumbling into a fit of screechy cackles and giggles.
“Oh man, I wasn’t sure that trick would work on you!” Sokka giggled, his fingertips gently but efficiently digging into Zuko’s underarms with no plan on moving.
Zuko was in stitches. He wasn’t expecting this to be so unbearable, but spirits were his armpits ticklish. He could barely get a word out, pretty much babbling nonsense through his endless laughter.
“Ahaha! W-waahaha! It-It–-gggahaha nohoho!” Zuko cackled, squirming from side to side before crumbling to his knees in laughter.
“Finally!” said Toph, punching Aang in the shoulder happily. “Took you softies long enough to get him actually laughing! If it was me tickling Sparky, he’d probably be in tears by now.”
“And that’s exactly why you aren’t allowed to tickle him,” Katara said, watching the scene with a smile. “Not yet at least. Clearly this is new to Zuko, we don’t wanna run him off when we just got him.”
“St-stahahaha! Ahaha guys!” Zuko rolled onto his back, his body overcome with giggles when Sokka started pinching lightly at his sides.
“‘Guys?’ Don’t look at us, it’s Sokka you’ve gotta bargain with,” Toph teased, popping one of Aang’s berries into her mouth.
“Yeah! What do I get in return for stopping, huh?” Sokka said, pinching upward toward his lower ribs. That got a real good shriek out of Zuko, and everyone around couldn’t help but laugh.
“I-! Gahaha, I dohohon’t–fffaahaha knohohow!” Zuko threw his head back as Sokka tickled all over his ribs, finally grabbing onto Sokka’s wrists and pulling him off. Sokka pulled back with no fight, only giving him another poke in the belly to hear Zuko yelp before sitting back and letting the boy collect himself.
Zuko panted, a stray giggle escaping him as he breathed. He clutched his stomach and threw a hand over his warm face, covering his eyes. He wasn’t sure how he was gonna look everyone in the eyes after that display. Oh spirits, what was he thinking? That was such a bad idea letting them take him out so easily like that. They’ll never take him seriously again, he’s supposed to be Aang’s teacher for pete’s sake, shoot this might be really bad, this might—
“Ohoho man that was awesome Zuko! You lasted way longer than I thought you would!” Aang giggled from above Zuko’s head. Zuko peeked his eyes out and saw Aang holding up a hand for him to high five.
Zuko couldn’t help the little giggle that slipped out at that. The Avatar is so…silly. He groaned and swatted Aang’s hand away, making everyone laugh.
“After you get Sokka back, it’s my turn to play!” Aang straightened his back quickly, making the T-stance with his arms that Zuko held just a minute prior. “I bet I can last longer than you!”
“Pfff-” Toph laughed, slapping a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “Twinkle-toes, your record is currently four seconds without begging. You should probably start thinking your bets through before making them.”
“You can go ahead and have your turn. I’ll get Sokka when he least expects it,” Zuko grinned, sitting up and shooting his attacker a mischievous look. Sokka gulped with a nervous giggle, darting towards Aang to tickle him and change the subject away from himself.
“Ahaha wait! I wahasn’t ready!” Aang cried, immediately crumbling to the floor in a fit of childish shrieks and giggles.
Zuko watched on with a smile he couldn’t wipe from his face. These people were good. They worked with him at his pace. They understood things take time for him, and they’re okay with that.
Zuko can tell they already see him as their friend. He’s starting to think he can see them in the same light.
-
thanks for reading! consider reblogging if u enjoyed hehe <3
Sooooooo…this fandom is pretty dead but I just rewatched ATLA and let’s just SAYYYYY
Zuko/Sokka tickle fic dropping in the next few days.
Did anybody ask? No. Do I care? Also no. Will any of you actually read it? Probably not. But if you see this and you’re excited, this one is for u :,) stay tuned
56 for lee!zuko and ler!sokka?? love ur blog sm, i get so excited when u make a new prompt list like this!!!
Prompt 56 - "I never would've pegged you as the ticklish type."
A/N: this is such a sweet message and I’m so happy ahhh! thank you so much <3 also YES avatar prompt avatar prompt and ticklish zuko at that????? Yes?????!!!!!!!!?????
…
“Y’know, I never would’ve pegged you as the ticklish type.” Sokka said, cheerful as ever as he sat by a panting Zuko on the ground beside him.
Zuko just groaned, pulling his hands in to cover his face.
Sokka grinned as Zuko unknowingly opened himself up for further attack. He took the opportunity and dove in for another round of sporadic pokes to Zuko’s stomach and ribs.
“Nah-HA hahaha- nohohoho!” Zuko absolutely howled, laughing and scrambling onto his side as his arms flailed down.
“Mm see. I feel like it destroys the whole image of you that we had for months. Chasing us. Trying to capture Aang. Meanwhile your tickle-laugh sounds like this.” Sokka cooed.
Tickletober prompt 21 with lee Zuko and ler mai from ATLA. Mai is trying to wake up her sleepy boyfriend but Zuko is being difficult until Mai remembers his weakness ;)
Sure! I wrote this kinda late, so sorry for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy!
Lee: Zuko
Ler: Mai
Summary: Zuko won't get up. Fortunately, Mai has just the thing to help.
Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don't like that, scroll away!
The sun shone in through their bedroom window, casting a warm glow onto the bed. Mai was up, and had just finished getting dressed. They were on the beach for a small trip, and they had their own private place to stay.
It was nearing the afternoon, and Zuko was still fast asleep. She knew his royal duties were tough, but he ought to be up by now. She tried to shake him awake, but was met with a groan. "Come on, Zuko. It's getting late, time to get up."
He just turned away from her, pulling the blankets up to his head. "Mmmm. Later." He could've gotten up, he just didn't want to. The bed was warm and inviting, and getting up felt like climbing a mountain. He'd rather say tucked in and cozy.
Mai was getting impatient. "Come on, you know it's time." Another groan. "If you won't wake up, I'll make you." She sat on the bed, shoving his arm. He decided the be annoying and kick her. It wasn't hard, but she still felt it. "That's it. Time to get up, now."
She lunged at him, landing on top. In seconds, she had him pinned. He was still groggy, so he wasn't putting up much of a fight, still hadn't processed what was happening. "Mai? What're you doing?" She smirked. "This."
She pulled back the covers, exposing his bare chest. Then, ever so slowly, ran her nails down his torso. He squirmed, repressing the giggles he felt bubbling up.
Mai brought her hand back up, placing it on his abdomen. She spidered her nails, agonizingly slow, out his sides. He was barely holding in his giggles, the soft feeling somehow much worse than if she were actually tickling him. "Staying stoic doesn't do anything but make it worse. But, do what you want."
He only lasted a few more seconds before he broke. Low, breathy giggles flowed into the room. "Mhmhmhahai! Noho!" Now that the wall was down, she picked up speed, adding in her other hand. "Hehehey! Quihihitit!"
Zuko was awake now, starting to make a real effort to escape. Unfortunately for him, Mai had him pinned pretty well. He couldn't move much, and he had slept without a shirt, so he was exposed. Shoot.
Mai ignored him, moving down to his hips. She knew this was a bad spot, but he deserved it for making her wait. "MAHAHAHAI! COHOHOME OHON!"
She pinched and scratched at the sensitive area, circling the bone and scratching at the skin. Her nails were an advantage, making each moment tickle twice as much.
He tried bucking his hips, maybe get her away from the spot. All he did was encourage her to stay. "IHIHI CAHAHAN'T! GEHEHET AWAY!" He practically launched himself upwards, almost knocking her off him. She left his hips alone, figuring he was about done. One thing left to do.
She laid on top of him, lining her head up with his stomach. She sucked in a breath, put her down, and blew a huge raspberry. "NAHAHAHA! IHIHIT-AHAHAHA!
Raspberry after raspberry was blown onto his poor belly, his loud laughter bouncing off the walls. He pushed at her head, kicked out, anything to dull the feeling, make it stop. It was so bad.
Mai stopped eventually, rolling to the side and hopping down from the bed. Zuko curled in on himself, giggling off the tickles lingering on his belly.
Opening Zuko's closet, she picked out a nice outfit for him, laying it out on the bed. She eyed her giggly boyfirend, smiling to herself. He was always cute when he was smiling.
He recovered as she returned with some water, gulping it down. "That was uncalled for." She sighed. "Was it? You wouldn't wake up, and we have things to do today. Plus, it's always fun to see you smile like that."
He got dressed, and they went out for the day. Though he would have rather slept in, he couldn't say it wasn't a fun start to the morning. He wore a smile for the rest of that day, pleasing both himself and his girlfriend.
Shortly after he laid down to rest that night, Zuko was yanked awake by yet another frightful nightmare.
He was drenched in sweat, despite sleeping shirtless with all the bedroom windows open, and his lungs desperately gasped for air as if it were foreign to his body. Grounding himself back in reality was proving to be a challenge with the image of his father still burned into his mind.
It was the same dream that had plagued him since the age of thirteen. Five long years had passed since the fateful day of their agni kai, but being forced to relive it almost every night made it seem like it had just happened yesterday. It was as if the wound was still fresh, the fire still hot, the pain still throbbing.
The fire prince let out a dejected sigh before he decided to get up. He stumbled around in the dark until he was able to shove his feet into a nearby pair of slippers. Then he marched to the nearest bathroom in search of water.
Things were pretty quiet in the palace of the fire nation. After his father had been defeated at the hands of the avatar, the world entered an era of unfamiliar peace. Nowadays, the palace felt more like a home and less like a prison. There wasn’t the same aura of tension surrounding everyone and everything that stepped foot inside, partially in thanks to the fact that Aang had decided to stick around for a while. Something about helping rebuild the fire nation and introducing the element of “fun” back into the culture. What was supposed to be a short term stay had quickly turned into a year, then two, until Aang had practically moved in.
(Not that Zuko really minded.)
After downing two cups of cold water, he felt his body return to homeostasis and figured it was best to try and get some more sleep. He made his way back to the bedroom, fumbling around until his hands felt the coolness of the slightly damp sheets. He plopped down unceremoniously and let out another sigh before closing his eyes once more.
His eyes shot back open when he sensed movement beside him and hot breath on the right side of his cheek. He turned his head ever so slightly and came face to face with a lithe figure, donning the goofiest grin known to man.
“... AAH!”
“Waaah!”
“Who’s there?!” He leapt out of the bed with a fighting stance, hands already ablaze with fiery blue embers.
“Chill out! It’s me, Aang!”
The flames provided just enough light for him to see the airbender lounging across the mattress like it was his own. It was enough to pacify his fear. Zuko lit a candle on the nightstand before putting out the fire he’d summoned and inhaled sharply, crossing his arms in annoyance.
“What the hell are you doing in my bed?”
“I heard you yelling in your sleep and it woke me up! I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Feeling a bit sheepish, Zuko scratched the back of his head and lowered his gaze to the floor.
“Oh, uh… sorry about that.”
Aang looked concerned, his brows furrowed with worry. Zuko didn’t dare meet his gaze, knowing it would give away his uneasiness and cause even more trouble for himself.
“Are you okay? You looked really stressed.”
“I’m fine. You can go back to your room now.”
He waited for Aang to move, but instead ended up staring at him awkwardly as the avatar showed no sign of leaving. Instead, he rolled onto his stomach and practically shouted out a suggestion.
“Why don’t we have a sleepover tonight?!”
“What? No. Why would we do that.”
“Come oooon, it’ll be just like old times when the gang was all together!”
“You mean when we slept on the ground and had no money?”
“Yeah! Except this time it’ll be more comfortable. Ya know, with a bed and a roof over our heads and all.”
Aang seemed pretty gungho about it, and Zuko found it difficult to keep saying no when he was giving him those damn puppy dog eyes, so he found himself giving in without much more of a fight.
(How did he know those always worked on him?)
“Alright. But only for tonight.”
Aang let out a triumphant cry, eliciting a stern “Shhhh!” from Zuko who didn’t want to disturb the others sleeping in the rooms next door. He cautiously crawled back into the king sized bed, taking care not to bump into his uninvited guest. Turning his back to the airbender, he curled into a fetal position and closed his eyes in another attempt at peaceful slumber.
“Goodnight, Aang.”
“Goodnight, Zuko.”
It was quiet for about two seconds, until Zuko felt something thin and soft flutter around his waist. On instinct, he let out a muffled cry as panic struck through his chest.
He relaxed once he realized it was just Aang’s hands.
“Aang,” he warned in a low tone. “Why are you hugging me.”
“For reassurance!” He sang out happily. “So you don’t feel scared anymore.”
“I told you, I’m fine,” Zuko argued as he started to squirm from the feather-light touches on his sides. “You don’t need to -aheeha!”
Another cry slipped out after he felt Aang’s hands brush right above the band of his pants. It was a silly sensation that made him twitch wildly, against his better nature. He felt Aang adjust himself, wrapping his arms a little tighter as his fingers continued to absentmindedly brush against Zuko’s bare skin. The firebender struggled to keep from laughing. Physical touch had not been a part of his life for many years, and being reintroduced to it now was making him very, very flustered.
“Hah! What was that?”
“It’s no-ahaha!-thing! Stop touching me like that, jeez…”
“Why? Wait, are you…”
Zuko tensed up, sensing what was to come next. Aang fell silent, spurring the fire prince’s anxiety even more. There was no need to finish the question when he already knew the answer.
“Aang, no.”
“Aang, yes.”
Ten fingers suddenly skittered up both of his sides, and in an instant Zuko burst out into a fit of cackles. There was no way he could hold it back; it tickled way too much. Aang’s touch was like air as he danced his fingertips over his exposed skin. The feeling brought forth the most musical giggles, an unexpected treat from someone who was usually so stoic. Zuko slammed his arms down and curled into a ball, but that didn’t deter the avatar from his attack.
“Aheeheeheehee! No, no, nonononono-OOOOO! Dohohon’t!”
Aang laughed merrily along with him, as if he were having the time of his life. Which he probably was. He always took the opportunity to make Zuko laugh or smile whenever he had the chance, and now was no exception.
“No way! I never knew you were ticklish! Haha!”
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHANG!”
The airbender pulled away momentarily to let the fire prince breathe, but his mercy didn’t last long
“So, your sides are ticklish… what about your armpits?”
He jammed his hands in between his clamped down arms and wiggled around as much as he could, with Zuko attempting to squirm away and all. In truth, he was trying really hard not to struggle too much in fear of accidentally hurting his friend. A painful memory of Toph’s burned feet etched in his head as he made sure to keep his hands away from Aang and free of their usual fire. Instead, he just kept laughing until it felt like he was going to choke.
“No… not there! Pleheeheeheease!!”
“Okay, so your sides and armpits are pretty bad. What about your stomach?”
Zuko felt the wiggling hands leave his body for a second, then once again sensed them scurrying across his skin, this time exploring his belly. Soft, muted giggles escaped his lips, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. Still, his skin twitched wherever Aang made contact.
“Ahahaaa… noooo! Stahahap!”
“It’s not so bad here… but what about here?”
Aang gave no warning this time before he began pinching Zuko’s ribs, which spurred another round of maniacal cackling from the sullen firebender. He thrashed from side to side, kicking his legs frantically until Aang had to climb on top of him to avoid getting kicked. The airbender cracked up as he watched him descend even further into uncontrollable giggles.
“Wow, this must be a really bad spot for you!”
“Shahahahahaddup!! It’s not funny!”
“Heh, it’s kinda funny! Who woulda thought the big strong fire lord would be weak to a little tickling!”
Zuko found himself unable to respond as the tickling went on, his pleas turning into babbles thanks to Aang jumping around from spot to spot and teasing him into oblivion. Each time he’d explore a new area, he’d ask Zuko before honing in. And each time, Zuko wasn’t ready. He’d let out a high pitched shriek before succumbing to more upbeat giggles, uncharacteristic for someone of his nature.
He had no idea how long things went on, but when Aang threatened to tickle his feet, he suddenly grabbed both of his arms and held firm.
“Please… no more…”
He spat out his last pleas in between haggard breaths, and that signaled to Aang that enough was enough. The avatar pulled away, allowing him some respite after the tickly torment he’d just put him through. When Zuko opened his eyes, he saw the avatar staring at him with a warm, sunny smile. It made his cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“Zuko… I wish you’d laugh more. You have a really nice smile.”
“Wh… huh? Why would you…”
Now it was Aang’s turn to act shy. He let out a sheepish chuckle, backtracking a bit before explaining himself.
“Ah, sorry. I guess that’s kinda sappy. But, I dunno, you seem so sad a lot of the time. Sometimes I wish I could just come up to ya and do this!”
He scribbled across his stomach again, making Zuko squeal again, but stopped before it got to be too much. When his laughter died down again, he mumbled something so softly that Aang almost didn’t catch it.
“Well… maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“Hnh, nevermind.”
Aang opened his mouth to protest, but clamped it shut almost immediately. Zuko wondered what he was going to say, but decided to let it be for now. After all, he was pretty spent after the surprise tickle attack he’d just endured.
“Uh, can we go back to sleep now?”
“Oh, yeah! Sorry, heh.”
Aang slid off and made himself comfortable on the other side of the bed, giving Zuko some space just in case he wanted to be alone. Zuko blew out the candle and laid down as well, and for a few seconds the room was silent. However, as Aang’s eyelids began to droop, he heard a timid voice speak up through the darkness.
“... Um… Aang?”
“Yeeeees?”
“Can you… can we… uhm…”
Aang chuckled under his breath, quietly enough that his bedside companion couldn’t hear. Without another word, he hugged his arms around Zuko and pulled him in close until they both were in a comfortable position. He pressed his forehead against his back and felt the firebender relax for the first time all night.
“Goodnight, Zuko.”
“Goodnight, Aang.”
Aang couldn’t see it, but that night Zuko fell asleep with a small smile. Neither woke until the bright light of late morning greeted them through the window.
