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.
Fandom: ATLA
Pairing: Sukka, Lee!Sokka
TW: none
Summary: Sokka isn’t too enthusiastic about his girlfriend’s taste in music. Suki volunteers to change that.
A/N: I just found out that Suki is canonically a fan of Chong and the nomads, so i decided to write up a little somethin somethin for yall!!!
“Why do you like that band that much anyways?” Sokka rolled his eyes at his girlfriend.
“Come on, Sokka! Give ‘em a chance.” Suki kissed his forehead. “I mean, I didn’t like them at first, but Squid Toad Love really hooked me!”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had to be stuck in a cave with them for what seemed like, I don’t know, forever!” “And Squid Toad Love isn’t that great either!”
“How do you know, Sokka? I bet you don’t know any of their songs.”
“How can I not know!? I hear you sing them in the shower all the time!”
“Come on! Secret Tunnel is a lyrical mas-ter-piece!” She accentuated every syllable with a poke to his stomach, eliciting a squeal similar to that of a sparrow-keet’s.
“Gah- It is nohot! The lyrics are literally what hahappened!” Sokka ranted with a goofy smile plastered on his face. Upon realizing his reaction, Suki pounced and straddled his legs.
“Waitwaitwaitwaitwait- NAHAHAHAHA! Suki! They’re good, they’re goohohod! I’m beheheing honest!” Sokka cackled as Suki rapidly poked his sides with pin-point precision. Kyoshi warrior training really paid off.
“Yeah, sure, and you hate meat.” Suki resumed. “Why don’t I refresh your memory with a song?”
“A- a song?”
“Yeah, a song. And your favorite at that.” “I think this’ll ring a bell for you….” She dug a finger into his belly button, wiggling it slightly.
“Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountains…”
“Suki-hehehehe!”
“Secret, secret, secret, secret….”
“Thehey’re greahahat!”
“I’m afraid that’s not enough.”
“Please! Just stohop!”
“Tunnel!”
She ended her short chorus with a raspberry to his stomach, resulting in his hips bucking up and flailing.
“Okay, okahay! They're the behest!”
“I’m not stopping ‘till you say that you wanna go to all their concerts with me!” She spidered up and down his sides, having him twisting and giggling.
“I’ll goho to them! Just stohop!” He attempted to twist his legs, but he forgot his girlfriend- no, his super strong girlfriend was straddling his legs.
“...And that you’re their second biggest fan. Second to me, of course.”
“N-nahahaha! I-I’m their sehehecond biggest fan!”
“..And that, uh... I think you’ve had enough for now.” Suki stilled her fingers and climbed off of him.
Let’s just say that Sokka tolerated the nomads slightly more now.
I've been trying to edit this for days but I've been having brain fog so it's been pretty unsuccessful lol. It was written months ago though and I edited it once back then so it's probably fine? Last time I did a fic poll this got the second-most votes so it made sense to post this next.
----
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Ship(s): Suki/Sokka/Zuko
Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Sokka/Ler!Suki/Zuko
Word Count: 2038 words
Summary: Sokka's a bit too restless to fall asleep, and unfortunately all his fidgeting is keeping Suki and Zuko awake. Suki decides to show Zuko just how she tires Sokka out enough to sleep.
[ao3 link]
-----------------------------------
It was different, now.
Zuko had been worried that it would be different, that things would change. He often worried late into the night about it, if they would still like him after they all started to find peace. There was certainly something to be said about romantic bonds formed in the face of death itself, after all, and while Zuko was certain his own feelings were true, he worried about the feelings of his partners were simply in the heat of the moment.
After all, he had tried to kill them multiple times. And had their friends kidnapped, multiple times. And sent an assassin after them. And--
Zuko stopped that train of thought. Uncle Iroh had told him repeatedly how unproductive it was, and Suki and Sokka had started trying to convince him of that as well. He would begrudgingly admit that their methods were a bit more effective than his uncle’s.
But that didn’t mean Zuko’s fears had vanished.
The war was over, now. His father and Azula had been defeated, Aang had saved the world, and now Zuko was anxiously waiting on his own coronation. The heightened emotions from the battles were waning, and Zuko wasn’t yet convinced that Suki and Sokka’s feelings were not going to wane with them. It would be just his luck, wouldn’t it?
They were nothing if not persistent, though.
It was the first calm night since his father and Azula had been taken down. The past several days, everyone had been rushing around, putting out one political fire after the next, stopping battle after battle. Not everyone had gotten the memo that the war had finished. For the first time since Ember Island, the three of them were in the same building with no obligations.
Somehow, they all wound up in Zuko’s suite.
The three of them had slept in the same room before; heck, they had even slept in the same bed before, but they’d never done it alone. Team Avatar, as Sokka liked to refer to their group, was not only extremely close-knit, but also extremely traumatized. Odds were, if one person found their way into your designated sleeping area, five more weren’t far behind.
This was the first night the three of them would ever spend alone.
Zuko felt a bit out of place as he climbed into the bed, Sokka already sprawled out in the middle and Suki climbing in on the other side. Sokka had quickly made himself at home, letting his hair down and throwing off most of his clothing before climbing into the bed. Suki’d had much more decorum, but she certainly wasted no time in snuggling up in Zuko’s bed, cuddling up to Sokka’s side. They both glanced up at Zuko.
“It’s no different than any other time,” Suki said, her voice gentle.
“It’s a little different,” Zuko said.
Sokka rolled his eyes. “Can you at least have your crisis while cuddling me?” He said. “I’m cold, and I need my weirdly-warm firebender boyfriend plastered up against my side, like, yesterday.”
Zuko huffed a small laugh, steeling his nerves and sliding into the bed. Sokka stayed sprawled on his back, Suki’s arms wrapped around his waist. Not sure where to go, Zuko hesitantly mirrored her position on Sokka’s other side.
The three of them laid in silence for a while. Suki was clearly dozing in and out, though not fully asleep yet. Zuko himself felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier, the spaces between each blink growing longer and longer. Sokka, though, seemed incapable of settling down. His eyes remained wide open between them, and he seemed incapable of controlling his fidgeting, despite how hard he seemed to be trying. After the fifth time he’d jostled them both awake, Suki sat up.
“That’s it,” she said. “Do we need to tire you out?”
Zuko immediately felt the energy in the room shift. Suddenly on edge and no longer sleepy, he carefully sat up, glancing back and forth between Suki and Sokka. Sokka had his hands raised in a placating motion, a nervous grin on his face. Suki looked downright predatory.
Zuko made a note to himself to never be in the center of the cuddle pile. He didn’t want to risk her wrath if he couldn’t hold still, either.
He couldn’t help but feel a little out of place in the situation, though. While this was a clearly practiced song and dance between Suki and Sokka, Zuko had no clue what was going on. He didn’t know why that grin was on Suki’s face, or why Sokka was blubbering incoherently, or why whatever this was would help Sokka get to sleep.
But then Suki looked over at him, her devious grin going a little softer at the edges. “Wanna help out?”
Zuko blinked. “With what?”
Suki smirked. “Sometimes, Sokka’s brain moves a little too fast for him to fall asleep--”
“I’m fine!” Sokka interrupted, deliberately snuggling back into the pillows on Zuko’s bed. “See! Totally tired.” He gave them a comically fake yawn.
Suki rolled her eyes. “So when that happens, I have a little method to help tire him out for the night.”
Zuko glanced back and forth between Suki and Sokka. “What’s the method?’
Suki grinned. “I’ll show you.”
Without any more warning, her fingers were suddenly spidering against Sokka’s bare sides. Sokka shrieked and thrashed around on the bed, but Suki didn’t let up. If anything, she tickled with more vigor, her grin growing. Sokka shied away from her fingers, shouting and pleading for mercy. Zuko’s hands twisted in his lap.
Suki looked up at him and her grin faltered. “Zuko?”
Zuko gestured awkwardly. “Are you sure that’s okay?”
Suki’s face immediately softened and she slowly reached out to him, allowing him ample time to pull away or tell her no. He did neither, and she took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. Zuko stared at their hands, almost with a sense of wonder.
“I know he’s playing it up a lot,” Suki said. “But he doesn’t hate it.”
“I’m right here,” Sokka said.
Suki rolled her eyes. “Then you can calm our boyfriend down, since you’re the one who worried him.”
Sokka let out a drawn-out groan, but reached out to link his fingers with Zuko’s free hand anyways. Zuko ignored the way his heart seemed to be skipping beats.
“Alright, fine,” Sokka said. “I don’t hate it.” A flush spread across his cheeks and he fidgeted a bit where he lay between them. “I kinda like it, actually. Just a little.”
Suki scoffed. “He likes it a lot, he means. I wouldn’t do it to him if he didn’t love it.”
“And all the yelling?” Zuko asked.
Sokka shrugged. “Involuntary.”
Zuko nodded. Suki gave his fingers one last squeeze before pulling away and wiggling her fingers threateningly in Sokka’s direction once more. Sokka started giggling before she even touched him, flinching away from her and raising his free hand in defense. He made no effort to pull his other hand out of Zuko’s grasp. Suki lunged.
“You wanna help out, now?” Suki asked over Sokka’s laughter, a bright grin on her face.
A smirk slowly started spreading over Zuko’s face as he stared down at Sokka. His cheeks and ears were flushed, and his eyes were crinkling at the corners from the force of his smile. His laughter shook his entire body, though it was hard to tell with the way he was thrashing around on the bed, trying to escape the fingers pinching evilly along his waistline.
“Who am I to say no to that,” Zuko replied, his smirk growing into a predatory grain when Sokka’s eyes went wide.
Slowly, Zuko used the hand he had interlaced with Sokka’s to raise Sokka’s arm above his head. Zuko’s speed was originally because of hesitance, but then he noticed how flustered it seemed to make Sokka, his thrashing and pleading growing all the more desperate. It made Zuko chuckle a little under his breath as he finally pinned Sokka’s hand to the bed above his head.
“Hey,” Zuko said, voice so low that Sokka could probably barely hear him above his own laughter. “This might tickle.”
While Suki’s fingers occupied themselves with Sokka’s stomach, sides, and hips, Zuko’s own fingers landed on Sokka’s tricep and began slowly spidering down with the lightest of touches. It proved to be very effective, with Sokka arching his back and squealing at a frequency that only flying bison could hear. His legs kicked as he whined through his laughter.
“Torture!” He yelled. “Torture!!”
Suki laughed. “Light tickles get him so bad. He’s usually too squirmy for me to be that mean.” She shot him an evil-looking smirk. “But now that you’re here and I’ve got the extra hands, we can torture him as much as we want.”
Zuko laughed, gaining confidence. He kept his fingers feather-light where they were wiggling down Sokka’s arm. Right when he was above to dive into Sokka’s armpit, Sokka’s thrashing getting more and more frantic the closer he got, he switched directions and started a slow spider back up to Sokka’s elbow. Sokka kicked his legs around at the end of the bed.
“Don’t tease!” He said through his cackling, burying his flushed face in his free hand.
“But you’re cute when I tease,” Zuko said.
Sokka didn’t seem to have a response for that, but Zuko took mercy on him anyway. The next time Zuko made it back down Sokka’s arm, he continued into Sokka’s armpit, scratching the skin as lightly as he could with his blunt nails. It drove Sokka wild. Zuko hadn’t even realized Suki had stopped tickling at first, because Sokka was still thrashing and howling as desperately as ever.
“Are you tired, yet?” She asked Sokka.
“Yes!” Sokka cried, slapping at Zuko’s tickling hand with his free one.
Suki caught Sokka’s free hand and pinned it as well, scritching against his top rib with her nails. “Are you sure?”
“Yes! Please!”
Suki pulled back at that, so Zuko followed suit. She laughed as Sokka curled into a ball and started rubbing at his ticklish spots, trying to scrub away ghost tickles. Zuko couldn’t help his fond smile at the sight. Then, Suki grabbed his hand and leaned in for a kiss, once more giving Zuko ample time to pull away if he wanted to.
He leaned in.
Even through his breathlessness, Sokka wolf-whistled at them kissing over the top of him, and Suki giggled into the kiss. Zuko carefully kept his own smile under control, not wanting the kiss to end so soon, and brought his hand up to cup Suki’s face. He felt one of her hands run through his hair, while one of Sokka’s hands trailed up his side under his robe.
He flinched when Sokka’s fingers brushed a little too gently against his waistline, unfortunately pulling away from Suki in the process.
Sokka was grinning when Zuko opened his eyes.
“We are so exploring that later,” he said.
Zuko gave him a bashful smile, but didn’t protest. He let Sokka pull him down into a kiss, planting his hand against the mattress next to Sokka’s head for balance. The other hand went down to cup Sokka’s neck. Sokka’s hands cupped Zuko’s face, not letting him pull away until Zuko was properly blushing from the heady kiss.
Not that Zuko would’ve been pulling away, anyway.
Suki leaned for her goodnight kiss next, and Zuko smiled as her and Sokka’s lips met. His heart felt like it was turning into liquid, warm and thick and heavy in his chest in all the best of ways. The feeling only intensified when Sokka pulled him and Suki close again, the two of them cuddling up to his chest. Suki and Sokka drifted off first, this time, leaving Zuko to admire the peaceful faces they made in their sleep.
He was sure the spiraling thoughts would find their way back to him at some point. They always seemed to after all, no matter how hard he tried. For tonight, though, Zuko let himself relax into the mattress and hold his partners close.
He was starting to feel like maybe he belonged here.
