'we might just get away with it.' Zuko x Reader — [S][F][H]
established relationship • fire lord & fire lady • playful intimacy • 3,2k
→ sokka’s arrival gives the fire lady the perfect excuse to neglect her duties and disappear with her husband for a while.
'how can i be guilty as sin?' Zuko x Reader — [S][A][Y]
forbidden desire • mutual yearning • 4,1k
→ a sheltered earth kingdom noble girl reads a letter she was never meant to see and begins wanting a fire lord she can never truly have.
'you could do it on your own (while you're looking at me).' Zuko x Reader — [S][F]
established relationship • fire lord & fire lady • 1,1k
→ after a long day trapped in meetings, zuko returns to his chambers only to find you already halfway undone by thoughts of him.
'i woke up just in time (now i wake up by your side).' Zuko x Reader — [S][F][Y]
newly engaged • friends to lovers • emotional intimacy • 4,2k
→ after years of longing, stolen glances, and pretending otherwise, zuko is finally allowed to love you openly—and intends to enjoy every second of it. (part of 'only bought this dress so you could take it off 'dress series' but can be read as a standalone.)
'no ordinary things with you.' Zuko x Reader — [F][C][H]
established marriage • family life • princess izumi • 3,1k
→ the Fire Lady has meetings to attend and a kingdom to help run, but first she has to track down her missing husband and daughter.
✦blurbs.
'so good it hurts.' Zuko x Reader — [S][F]
established relationship • fire lord & fire lady • playful teasing • 591
→ what the Fire Lord and Fire Lady get up to in the precious moments between royal meetings.
'don't you ever grow up.' Zuko x Reader — [F][C][H]
princess izumi • family life • soft dad!zuko • 1,3k
→ bedtime rules become significantly harder to enforce when both your daughter and husband are determined to ignore them.
'your friends are around (so be quiet).' Zuko x Reader — [S][F][H]
established relationship • mission aftermath • sharing a tent • 606
→ after a mission goes longer than expected, sharing a tent with your boyfriend proves to be far more dangerous than the mission itself.
✦series.
'dress' series.
'only bought this dress so you could take it off.' Zuko x Reader — [S][F][Y][H]
friends to lovers • mutual pining • royal gathering • 5,5k
→ a royal gathering, one persuasive Katara, and a suspicious blue drink make it impossible to pretend you and the fire lord are still just friends.
2. 'there is an indentation in the shape of you.' Zuko x Reader — [S][F][Y]
morning after • political tension • pining payoff • 3,1k
→ the morning after proves far more dangerous than the night before, especially when breakfast becomes impossible to survive with dignity intact.
3. 'and if i get burned, at least we were electrified.' Zuko x Reader — [S][A][F][H]
friends to lovers • love confession • happy ending • 3,1k
→ while the Fire Nation waits for its future fire lady, zuko’s silence says everything you never wanted to hear—until it doesn’t.
Extra: 'i woke up just in time (now i wake up by your side).' Zuko x Reader — [S][F][Y]
newly engaged • friends to lovers • emotional intimacy • 4,2k
→ after years of longing, stolen glances, and pretending otherwise, zuko is finally allowed to love you openly—and intends to enjoy every second of it.
'call it what you want' series.
'they fade to nothing when i look at him.' Zuko x Reader — [S][C][F]
hurt/comfort • praise • throne room intimacy • 2,3k
→ overwhelmed by duty and expectations, the fire lady learns that sometimes devotion can sound a lot like worship.
2. 'starry eyes sparking up my darkest night.' Zuko x Reader — [S][C][A][F]
jealousy • reassurance • hurt/comfort • 4,4k
→ one harmless dance at a royal banquet sends Fire Lord Zuko spiraling straight into the throne room, where his wife reminds him exactly who he is to her.
'whaletail island/ready for it...?' series.
1. 'island breeze and lights down low.' Zuko x Reader — [F][C][H]
established marriage • gaang chaos • island getaway • 7,1k
→ the gaang orchestrates a fake diplomatic summit to force the Fire Lord and Fire Lady into taking a much-needed break.
2. 'baby, let the games begin.' Zuko x Reader — [F][H]
established marriage • competitive games • island mystery • 5,3k
→ the Fire Lord and Fire Lady learn to have fun, Sokka turns friendship into a competitive sport, and Whaletail Island begins hiding something beneath its cliffs.
3. 'you should see the things we do.' Zuko x Reader — [F][H][A]
adventure • spiritual shenanigans • gaang chaos • 11,1k
→ a guardian spirit needs help, the Fire Lord gets distracted at the worst possible moment, and the gaang spends one last night proving exactly why nobody should ever let them compete against each other.
4. 'touch me and you'll never be alone'. Zuko x Reader — [S][F][H][C]
established marriage • hot springs • gaang chaos • 9,2k
→ a missing Fire Lord leads to a secluded morning at the hot springs, the SOKA Summit ends with one final round of chaos, and everyone discovers that saying goodbye to Whaletail Island is much harder than expected.
i’ll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands).
— adult zuko x reader. a day at the caldera when it rains, royal robes entirely optional. | wc: 602
cw: smut, established marriage, praise, light restraint, neck handling. mdni.
Whoever dared to approach the royal apartments on a day like this would have to be exceptionally foolish, well aware of the particular reverence the Fire Lord and Fire Lady held for the rain.
Contrary to what outsiders might expect, storms made their mornings begin earlier, not later. Before the first cracks of thunder, dispatches were finalized, council sessions postponed, and messenger doves released with orders clearing the afternoon calendar. Once the deluge settled over the caldera… slick roads, poor visibility, and the volatile risk of lightning made unnecessary travel a reckless gamble. Conveniently, no one in the Capital dared to question the rulers’ insistence on safety.
The western wall of their private sitting room opened into a grand arched window, its deep stone recess fitted with a broad cushioned window seat and scarlet pillows. The entire capital spread beneath them.
That hard won privacy allowed Zuko to find his wife exactly where he knew she’d be: supervising the storm, drawing her feet onto the cushioned bench, and sitting resting into the pillows.
Oh, how the Fire Lord enjoyed that view. But he loved it infinitely more when those royal robes were long gone, scattered across the floor, and you were on all fours on the spacious window seat, facing the glass. He slid right into you after only a few testing strokes. He loved the rhythmic, driving heat of it, just as he was doing now: one hand planted firmly on the padded seat to anchor his weight, the other gripping your waist.
The impact of your hips against his lower abs grew louder and quicker in a breathless cadence that left you no choice but to bend lower, your chest sinking into the fabrics beneath you.
“Every time,” he murmured. He moved his hand from your waist to press at the back of your neck, keeping you steady, holding you captive to the his thrusts. “Every single time, I think we’re actually going to just sit here and watch the rain… And every time, you prove me wrong.”
Before you could replace one of your whines with a coherent sentence, his pace changed. He slowed, and thrusted deep, filling you to the brim twice over before pulling his upper body down to press a kiss grazing your shoulder blade. His hands snuck beneath you, mapping the curve of your breasts with a lethal combination of caresses and grips you’d gladly take the credit for teaching him.
“More…” you whispered, moving your hips back against him in desperate friction.
He moaned into tour skin, and braced his weight to lift himself.
“Mm… something’s missing,” he answered, holding still for a moment, letting you ache around him.
“I need more, please, Zuko—”
Lightning struck in the distance, illuminating the glass.
“You always do,” he rumbled. In one movement, he turned you around, your back flat against the crimson cushions. He pulled you flush to the edge, stepping between your parted legs. “But you aren't looking at me. I need you to look at me…”
Without giving you a chance to catch your breath, he captured your mouth while your hands flew to your own chest. He allowed you a single, stolen gasp of air before he buried himself inside you again, forcing your head back against the silk pillows.
“There you are…”, he gasped out.
He began to move again, ragged whines falling from his lips right next to your ear with no pressure to stop, your hands finding their anchor around his forearms as the storm raged outside.
note: just a little something bc i had some free time.:-) xx
I was thinking about an Izumi scenario where she is very much a daddy’s girl and follows him everywhere in the palace or somehow always ends up interrupting a meeting for like trade agreements. Soooooo maybe, like one day after school or something, she misses him and casually walks into his meeting and takes over? Something like that, it can be whatever you decide!
you remind me of a younger me.
adult fire lord zuko x fire lady firebender reader | mdni. | wc: 2,1K
summary: in which a trade negotiation takes an unexpected turn when Princess Izumi wanders into one of the Fire Lord's council meetings.
content: adult!zuko x firelady!reader, princess izumi, domestic fluff, royal family, established relationship, post-movie, political negotiations, family dynamics, softdad!zuko, no plot just turtle-ducks.
note: to the lovely anon who sent this request... i hope you enjoy it!! 🥹 thank you for the inspiration! ♡
Zuko had learned long ago that the true burden of sovereignty, more often than not, lay in the art of listening. Listening to ministers, governors, merchants, ambassadors, and, at times, to the same argument repeated in three different ways by three different people, each insisting their own view was the pinnacle of reason.
He remained composed atop the raised dais, hands resting against his knees as another minister elaborated on the matter at hand.
“…which is precisely why granting exclusive docking rights would undermine the eastern ports, Fire Lord.”
Across the room, Governor Lian shook her head in disagreement.
“With respect, Minister Qin, my province financed the entire expansion of those docks. Surely equity demands that—”
“It would,” another councilor interrupted, “had the southern merchants not provided half the labor.”
“They were compensated.”
“I shall remind you that they were compensated only financially,” Governor Lian corrected. “That does not make their contribution equivalent.”
“And financing the docks does not grant ownership over them. As I’ve previously mentioned…”
The debate, denying itself the choice to become anything else, resumed.
Zuko resisted the unroyal urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. After nearly two hours, the map spread across the central table seemed to have accumulated far more pins than actual solutions.
He looked at the open windows, wondering if, by now, you had already finished your own duties. If he remembered correctly, today's schedule had you reviewing the final preparations for the Royal Academy's new wing.
If the spirits proved exceptionally kind, the two of you might still manage lunch together. It had become one of his favorite parts of the day, salvaging an hour to yourselves before the relentless demands of duty reclaimed you both.
A knock silenced the chamber. Every head swung to the doorway.
One of the palace guards stepped inside, looking far more uneasy than a routine interruption should ever warrant.
"My apologies, Fire Lord." The guard hesitated. "There is... someone requesting an immediate audience."
Zuko couldn’t answer as a familiar little voice sounded from behind him.
“Papa?”
Izumi stood at the entrance, peeking from behind the guard as she fiddled with the hem of her tunic beneath her hands. The moment her eyes found Zuko, the little crease between her brows disappeared; she gave him a small wave without ever lowering her chin, even beneath the curious gazes now fixed upon her.
For his part, Zuko smiled.
Princess Izumi dipped into a bow.
“I’m sorry for… interrupting,” she said, stepping into the chamber with her hands clasped before her, just as you'd taught her. “Mama said I could come find you if your meeting was almost over.” She tilted her head. “...So is it, Papa?”
Governor Lian had abandoned any attempt to conceal the headache brewing behind her temples, Minister Qin tapped the edge of the map with the end of his brush as a distraction, and even a few attendants standing along the walls seemed grateful for the unexpected interruption. More than one councilor hid an amused smile.
“I assure you, Princess, it won't take much longer,” he replied, offering her a discreet wink that earned a tiny giggle. “I'll come find you in just a moment, alright?”
She nodded, though she made no move to leave. The guard at the door waited for instructions, but Izumi merely moved from one foot to the other.
“The hallway is quite boring to wait in, though…”
A few chuckles escaped around the council room.
“Oh?” Zuko mused, pretending to consider the matter with all the seriousness as he glanced around the room. “Whatever could the palace possibly offer to keep the Princess entertained?”
His eyes brightened with exaggeration. “I know!” Patting the space beside him on the broad dais, he smiled. “Come here.”
Izumi gathered the hem of her tunic, climbing the steps to the dais, and accepting Zuko's hand once she reached the top. She settled beside him with remarkable composure, making sure to not forget folding her hands in her lap like you had taught her.
"I promise to be quiet," she whispered behind her hand.
"I know you will," Zuko murmured, kissing her cheek..
Governor Lian, her expression now holding a smile, stepped forward and gestured back to the map. “As I was saying, Fire Lord, the eastern harbor becomes entirely unsustainable if every province enjoys unrestricted access. We financed the expansion, commissioned the engineers, and maintain the infrastructure.”
"And no one disputes that," Minister Qin answered patiently. "However… the southern ports have relied upon those routes for decades. Restricting access now would cripple their trade."
"It wouldn't cripple anything," Governor Lian countered. "It would encourage investment elsewhere."
A councilor cleared his throat. "Which, realistically, requires years and a small fortune in silver."
"And until then?" another asked. "The southern merchants simply absorb the loss?"
The debate threatened to spin into its third hour. Beside him, Zuko felt Izumi's head drift from one speaker to the next, her eyes tracking every pointing finger.
A tiny tug found the sleeve of his robe.
"Papa?"
He turned his attention toward his daughter.
"Mm?"
"...I don't understand."
Minister Qin regarded the princess with a courteous nod.
"The matter is rather straightforward, Your Highness, if I may attempt an explanation.” He eyed Zuko, who offered a brief nod, entertained by the idea. “Two provinces possess competing proprietary claims over a shared maritime infrastructure following disproportionate fiscal and logistical contributions, rendering the equitable allocation of commercial privileges exceptionally—"
Izumi blinked twice, then looked back at her father.
"...What?"
Zuko pressed his lips together, doing his absolute best to suppress a smile.
"I think," he said, meeting Minister Qin’s eyes apologetically, "what the minister means is..."
He reached for the map, lifting two small carved wooden ships from opposite ends of the harbor.
"Let's pretend these are two turtle-ducks."
A ripple of amusement passed through the room. Governor Lian folded her arms, smiling.
"I must admit, Fire Lord," she said, "I am curious to see how the turtle-ducks resolve our maritime crisis…”
Zuko looked back down at Izumi. "These are two turtle-ducks, alright? This turtle-duck helped build the pond."
She nodded, watching the explanation unfold.
"And this turtle-duck has been swimming there for a very long time."
Izumi tilted her head, her brow furrowing as she processed the information, which alone made Zuko melt.
"...Are they friends?"
"They're… trying to be."
"That’s nice of them." She studied the wooden figures. "Why are they shouting then?"
Governor Lian let out the tiniest laugh, catching herself. "That's an excellent question, Princess. They both want to use the pond, so they… ” She hesitated, looking awkwardly around the room. “…they bump into each other when swimming.”
Izumi nodded. “They just need to say 'excuse me' when they pass!”
Minister Qin began adjusting his robes as he jumped back in, "Unfortunately, Princess, commercial shipping requires simultaneous—"
Izumi leaned forward, letting everyone know she wasn't finished as she reached out a tiny finger to nudge the two wooden pieces until they sat side by side on the dais.
"But..." She looked up at Zuko. "...if this one helped build the pond..." She patted the first boat. "...and this one loves the pond..." She patted the other. "...why are they trying to win it?"
She gave one of the figures to Zuko, her little fingers wrapping the other one.
"Papa says the sky is big enough for every dragon," she recited. "...Maybe ponds are like that too?"
Zuko turned the boat over in his hand, feeling the rough grain against his thumb as he spoke. "...If one turtle-duck took over the pond," he said, "...the other could no longer swim."
"Nope," she corrected matter-of-factly, placing the wooden boat back beside the other one before propping her cheek against her palm. "That wouldn't be fair."
Zuko nodded, closing his hand around the toy as he addressed the table with a proud smile.
"I believe the Princess is asking," he said, directing his voice at Governor Lian, "whether this discussion should be about deciding who deserves the harbor..." He rotated his palms up, inviting the rest of the council in. "...or how everyone who depends on it can continue using it fairly."
Governor Lian rolled her shoulders back, pulling away from the table where she had been slouched for the better part of the morning.
"...Then perhaps," she began, "exclusive rights needn't be permanent."
Minister Qin set his inkstone down.
Lian continued, her hand tracing a small arc over the table to illustrate. "The eastern province could retain priority access during the peak harvest months, when the harbor is at its busiest. Outside of that window… the southern merchants would be granted unrestricted use."
Minister Qin considered the proposal, tapping the end of his brush against his palm.
"The southern ports would, in return, contribute to the harbor's maintenance throughout the year," he said. "Shared responsibility should accompany shared access."
Governor Lian offered a decisive nod. "That seems only fair, indeed.”
A collective rustle of paper followed as several councilors leaned back in their chairs.
"It is hardly a finished treaty," one governor remarked, capping his inkwell.
"Yes," Minister Qin agreed, sweeping his old notes into a messy pile and pulling a fresh sheet of parchment toward him. "But it is considerably closer than we were an hour ago."
Zuko let out a breath as he stood up from the dais.
"Then let us adjourn for today," he said. "Minister Qin, Governor Lian, I trust the two of you can draft the revisions before tomorrow's session."
Both officials bowed at the same time.
"It will be done, Fire Lord."
A collective exhale seemed to pass through the room as chairs scraped backward. Beside him, oblivious to the fact that she had just dismantled a morning's worth of bureaucratic gridlock, Izumi was occupied with making the two vessels waddle clumsily across the map's margin.
"...Now say sorry," she muttered to one of them, tapping their wooden hulls together.
Governor Lian laughed. She massaged the bridge of her nose as she watched Izumi. "She possesses your heart, Your Majesty."
Zuko watched his daughter, who was too engrossed in her game to notice the adults. "I hope hers is even better," he replied.
Minister Qin smiled, wiping a dark smudge of ink from his thumb with a cloth. "If I may say so, Fire Lord, it was never your answers that truly distinguished you."
Zuko tilted his head, prompting the old man to finish.
"It was the questions you chose to ask," Qin said, dropping his brushes into a small terracotta cup.
"...Thank you, Minister."
He stood up, shaking out his legs to get the blood moving after hours on the dais. He extended a hand down to Izumi. "Now, if you will excuse me... We happen to have a vital luncheon to attend."
The doors groaned open. You were standing on the threshold, having arrived just as the first few officials crossed the exit.
"Mama!"
Izumi leaped down from the low platform, her slippers slapping against the polished floor as she sprinted across the room. You dropped into a crouch just in time to catch her momentum, the air leaving your lungs as she wrapped her arms around your neck, burying her face into your shoulder.
“Well, hello, if it isn't my favorite Princess…” you said, pressing a warm kiss to her temple. “I told you to wait outside if the meeting hadn't ended.”
“But Mama,” Izumi said, pulling back enough to allow you to breathe, her lower lip turning out in a tiny pout, “it was too lonely!”
"And she ended up being quite the help," Zuko added.
He offered you a hand to help you back to your feet. You accepted it stepping into his space, your arm slipping behind his back while his settled around your waist. Leaning down, he stole a well earned kiss.
"Did she, now?" you murmured once you parted, letting your forehead rest against his chest, equally worn from your own royal responsibilities.
Zuko smiled, smoothing a hand over Izumi's hair.
“She's ready to become Fire Lord.”
You raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at your lips. To him, Izumi had been ready to be Fire Lord since the day she was born. You knew your daughter was, in reality, heading down an excellent path, but the pride in your husband's voice stirred your curiosity.
“How come?”
Instead of answering your question, Izumi returned one of the little carved boats she still held to Zuko so she could proceed to take your hand, and lead you into the corridor.
"Pay attention, Mama. Do you see my boat?”
You nodded.
“Turns out it’s not a boat, it’s a turtle-duck…”
note: hii, i hope you like this one while i finish the request inspired by ‘too little too late’! thank you for reading!! Xx
if you saw me type “where…” THREE times instead of “were”- no you didn’t.
(also, I hope you actually enjoy imgonnagetyouback bc I was writing a blurb but didn’t have a setting for it, to which I thought- “what if they were exes?” + the request + I literally can’t stop thinking = these two parts I’ve been working on but I am so tired atm to fully proofread yet wanted to post ASAP, so apologies in advance).
adult fire lord zuko x reader | contains smut | mdni. | wc: 6,2K
summary: in which one midnight knock leaves Zuko and the woman he left behind with very little room to decide whether they’re meant to say goodbye… or finally find their way back to one another.
content: adult!Fire Lord Zuko x fem!Reader, post-canon, featuring the gaang, mutual pining, exes to lovers, second chance romance, unresolved feelings, yearning, hurt/comfort, sexual tension, explicit sexual content [p in v, praise, sprinkle of dirty talk?], morning after, happy ending.
note: inspired by an ask that got out of hand & imgonnagetyouback by taylor swift. this ended up becoming a two-parter, and part one is already out! lightly proofread. ♡
You couldn’t move. Your heart was hammering a frantic rhythm while your skin was still tingling, the sweet lethargy of your climax keeping you anchored to the bed.
Zuko knocked again.
You knew he wasn't leaving. Whatever silence you had hoped might spare you had already been broken.
Swallowing past the dryness in your throat, you swung your legs over the edge of the mattress. Your knees felt weak as you walked to the door. You took a deep breath and pulled it open.
Zuko was leaning against the doorframe.He was a mess. His hair was loose, tumbling over his shoulders, his tunic was half unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the flush of heat painting the skin of his throat and chest. He looked exactly as maddeningly handsome as you'd feared.
“Fire Lord,” you said, crossing your arms.
“Director,” he replied, his voice a raspy rumble.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” you asked, blinking up at him through your lashes.
Zuko let out a short breath through his nose, his knuckles white where his hand gripped the wood of the doorframe. “If you’ll indulge me, I’d ask you one thing...”
You narrowed your eyes. “Make it count.”
“Why did you…?” His eyes trailed down your body, choosing for silence.
“Why did I what?” You raised your eyebrows in impatience, your fingers dug into the silk of your sleeves. “Do finish your question, Fire Lord.”
Truthfully, he had too many questions standing before him.
For example: why were you looking so exquisite this late at night? Were you solely thinking of him, or had the thought of him risen enough while you were pleasuring yourself that you felt the need to say his name? Were you hoping he’d come at your door afterwards or he still had the ability of surprising you?
Was he being an inconsiderate douchbag by joining you after all he put you through? No, to that one he knew the answer, and it was yes.
“Oh. Maybe you mean to ask about the terrible crime of enjoying the comfort of my own guest room?” you asked, moving your weight to one leg. “I think I have every right to do that.”
Zuko held your gaze.
“Is shouting my name part of that right?”
“I wasn't shouting,” you said, taking a step forward.
“No?” He matched it.
“No.”
Step for step, you kept going until neither of you could move without touching.
“Then the Beifong walls are thinner than I thought.”
You pressed a finger to his chest, making him pull back.
“Perhaps the Fire Lord has an exceptionally vivid imagination,” you said, your fingertips wandering down the front of his chest.
“I don’t.” Zuko’s jaw tightened, his gaze dropping to your mouth before snapping back up.
“That’s awfully convenient,” you gave him half a smile, “don’t you think?”
“Just like you wearing the hairpin.” He said, his hand dropped back to his side. “Invite me in, Director. We shouldn't bother the rest of the estate.”
You glanced past his broad shoulder at the empty hallway. If Zuko had heard you through the wall, then anyone wandering could hear the two of you now, even if the other guests were on a different floor.
You stepped aside and moved back into the dark of your room. He followed, and you clicked the door shut behind him.
Turning around, you braced your lower back against the door.
“I have a lot of hairpins, Fire Lord. You’ll have to be more specific.”
“The ironwood one,” he said standing in the middle of the room. “The one I carved after you complained the silver comb kept slipping out whenever you wore your hair loose.”
You gasped. It was such a small memory, you'd long since assumed it had belonged to you alone.
“You sat on that fallen log for nearly two hours,” Zuko murmured, his eyes dropping to the floorboards between you. “While I ruined three perfectly good branches trying to make one that wouldn’t snag your hair.”
His golden eyes snapped back up, searching yours with a fire that made your knees feel weak.
“You laughed because I cut my palm in the dumbest way… before curing it, that is.”
He lifted his left hand, his thumb rubbing over the inside of his palm to show he remembered the place.
“I still have the scar.”
You hadn’t thought about that afternoon in years, not because it wasn't important, but because the memory tasted like ash.
“You were right.” Zuko admitted.
“About what?” You said, lifting your weight from the door to walk slowly towards him, a bit spellbound by his recollection.
“You told me I’d regret giving you something handmade because I’d never be able to look at another piece of ironwood without thinking of you. So you were right.”
You stopped your step and looked away first. Your gaze landed on the candle on your nightstand, anything to avoid the absolute sincerity in his face.
“How touching… but it is a little too late,” you replied, refolding your arms across your chest, your skin warming up in embarrassment. “I’ll be sure to look forward to the explanation for the breakup sometime around the next solar eclipse.”
Surprisingly, there was no sharp retort in response. He didn’t try to defend his pride.
You walked back toward the door and grabbed the handle.
“Now if that’s all you came to say, I’d suggest you—“
“Nothing about tonight makes sense anymore.”
Your hands left the handle.
“You keep telling me you’re over me, so I believe you, but then you compliment me in the garden, avoid me, escape from the touch of my hand, wear the hairpin, and moan my name loud enough for me to hear,” he said, taking one final step into your space, abandoning the safe distance.
Before you could speak again, he reached for you. His fingers stopped at the loose silk of your sleeve, brushing the fabric at your wrist without quite touching your skin.
“But I know you, and I know whatever you’re trying to do is no longer working the way you wanted it to.”
“I’m sorry I’m so confusing, Fire Lord.” You yanked your arm back, clearing the distance between his fingers and your clothes. “It must feel very bad to not understand the motives behind someone else’s actions. Believe me, I know the feeling. After a while, you stop expecting explanations. You realize they're overrated. If you won't leave, then I will. Enjoy the rest of your stay.”
You made it only a step before his hand found your wrist.
“What do you think happened?” he asked.
“What?” You didn't turn around.
“When we broke up. What do you—”
“I don’t know, Zuko! That’s the worst part… don’t you get it?” You spun around, using the force of the turn to twist your wrist out of his grip.
His fingers slipped free, but his gaze didn't leave your face.
“I had no explanation whatsoever. And like I said—”
“You must have thought something.”
A bitter laugh escaped you. “Oh, now you’re interested?”
His face didn’t change. The stubborn set of his jaw only tightened.
“I need to hear it.”
“No.” You shook your head, your chin tilting up defensively.
“What do you think happened?” He swallowed. “Why do you think I let you go?”
He reached for you again, his palm open. You stepped back, the door met your back before you realized you'd reached it.
“I…” Your hands curled into your palms until your knuckles blanched. “I need you to leave.”
He seemed to want to listen at first by a movement that came from his chest, but his feet remained in place.
“Please.”
“You are in no position to ask me for anything, Zuko! Get out!” You said pointing to the door. He didn’t move. “Fine. I’m not talking to you,” you said, going to your bed and sitting on it, your back to him, “get out.”
After so much time, there was no way you’d confessed how bad he made you feel. The image of the stupid note refused to leave your mind: it’d been a piece of parchment that made you feel excited at first, thinking Zuko leaving it on your bed meant he’d finally invite you to one of his royal duties, the disappointment you felt after reading his cruel words was still stinging your chest.
Tears started spilling out of your eyes. You made an effort to hide it, pressing a hand to them and then your mouth to avoid the sobs. But it didn’t work. You never thought the next time you saw Zuko would be like this, you thought he’d be crawling at your feet or that he’d be the one crying, but the fact that it was you was… unexpected. And you never appreciated the unexpected.
You didn’t realize he had walked through the room until you felt his weight on the bed. You hugged yourself, trying to say something.
“Zuko… don’t even… think…”
His hand found your back, moving in slow motion up and down. He scooted closer, you were just seconds away from stopping this nonsense of yours when he reached for your arms.
“I thought I wasn’t enough” You confessed. “I wondered If you had simply… outgrown me. I clawed through every single conversation we ever had trying to find the exact moment you realized I wasn’t worth a goodbye.”
The tears came all at once, years of careful composure dissolving before you could gather it back together. Your shoulders trembled with each uneven breath.
Zuko drew you into him, and the moment your forehead found the curve of his neck on his scarred side, the sob you'd spent years swallowing escaped. His arms came around you, holding you.
“I thought you just stopped loving me,” you said. It was a simple, flat admission, stripped of any drama.
Zuko flinched as if the words physically stung. “No. Never.”
A tearful laugh escaped you. “Don't do that, Zuko.”
You drew back just enough to look at him. Your eyes were rimmed with red, your cheeks still damp with tears.
“You have done enough.”
He didn’t argue. His eyes fell shut before he leaned in, resting his forehead against yours.
“I can’t change what those three years did to you.” He said as a tear slid down his own cheek. “I would if I could.”
His thumb brushed beneath your eye, hesitant, asking permission before wiping away another tear.
“But if there is one thing I cannot let you carry for another minute… it’s the idea that you were at fault.” His eyes searched for yours desperately. He shook his head. “Not for a single heartbeat. I loved you too much to watch them use you against me. So I made the worst decision I’ve ever made.” His jaw trembled. “I decided for you. I never asked what you wanted….” A tear of his own fell over his scar.“And I have hated myself for that every day since.”
You searched his face, looking for the smallest hint that he was telling you what he thought you needed to hear.
You found none.
“You really thought you got to decide that?”
Zuko lowered his gaze. “I thought I was keeping you safe.”
“No.” You shook your head, retreating onto the bed on your knees. “Don’t dress it up as a favor, Zuko. You looked at our life together, at me, and decided you knew what was best without asking me a single question?”
He mirrored your position on the mattress, every trace of certainty gone from his face. “I didn't think I had a choice.”
“You took away my choice,” you said, shoving his shoulders.
“I know.”
“You took away my future with you,” you pushed him again, harder.
“I did…”
“You took away my dignity,” you drove your palms into his chest, forcing him down against the mattress. “Because you were terrified.”
He flinched, looking up at you from where he lay, offering no resistance.
“I had to read that stupid note by myself,” you said, your body on top of his. “I had to explain to everyone why I’d suddenly left the Fire Nation.”
You planted your hands on either side of his head, pinning him to the pillows.
“Tell me…” You lowered your face toward his. “…how you convinced yourself I would’ve wanted that.”
“I didn’t.”
You frowned.
“I convinced myself it didn’t matter what you wanted.” Zuko reached up, his palm cupping your cheek. You stilled beneath his hand. “I was so terrified of losing you…”
His eyes filled again.
“…that I… became the person who did.”
You looked down at him, and the impossible puzzle you'd carried for years came apart. There had been no hidden scheme, no careful cruelty or impossible choice made for reasons beyond your reach. Only Zuko being foolish enough to mistake love for something that could be protected by leaving it behind.
“…You idiot.” The words came out in such a whisper they almost sounded affectionate. “You absolute, unbelievable idiot.”
You were already so close, that the only reasonable option left was to press your lips against his.
Zuko’s hand caught and slid from your jaw, his fingers tangling deep into your loose hair to hold you, while your opposite hand climbed the solid breadth of his shoulder to cup the side of his neck.
He proceeded to pull his legs around, sitting cross legged on the mattress and gathering you into his lap. The breath stealing kisses gradually lost their urgency, punctuated by lingering pecks that tasted of salt and smoke.
Finally, you pulled back, pressing your forehead against his, your eyes closed tight as you let your hands rest against the unbuttoned collar of his tunic.
“You’re not forgiven,” you whispered, your breath hitching. “Not yet.”
His forehead pressed back against yours, his hands resting against your waist. He nodded.
“I shouldn’t be,” he murmured. “I understand I can’t undo the last few years in one night. But I can’t allow myself to walk back into my room knowing you still think I ever stopped loving you. I need you to know that I never did.”
You let out a ragged sigh.
“I tried so hard to stop,” you confessed, your voice in a thread. “I don’t know how.”
A tear traced the scarred side of his face. Even so, the corners of his mouth bent into the smallest of smiles.
“Neither do I.”
He leaned in, catching your mouth in another peck. He pulled away just enough for you to notice the unsteady rise and fall of his breathing.
“For the record… “You made me a better man long before I deserved it..”
A laugh broke through your tears as your fingers lightly swatted the back of his neck.
“You are still terrible at compliments…”
“If you’ll let me,” he said, his thumbs rising to trace the line of your cheekbones. “I’d like to spend whatever time you’ll give me trying to do better at them, and everything else, incluiding not choosing for you. If you’re generous enough to give me years…” He brushed another stray tear away from your eye. “I’d do anything.”
You searched his face.
“Anything?” you asked suspiciously.
“Anything.”
You shook your head, smiling despite yourself.
“Well, Zu, you can start by shutting up…”
Zuko blinked.
“… and once in your life…” You leaned closer, your fingers sliding up into his loose hair until your noses brushed. “…just kiss me.”
He didn't need to be told twice. He kissed you. True to form, he couldn’t resist interpreting your instructions rather generously. His hands slid down your back, feeling the curve of your spine through the silk robe, while your fingers trailed down to his chest.
Right against your mouth, Zuko let out a hushed laugh.
You pulled back. “What?” You asked, allowing your fingers to trace his jawline.
“I’ve wanted to do that again for so long,” he rumbled.
You rolled your eyes. “You’ve become unbelievably sentimental, Fire Lord. Was it three years or fifty?”
He laughed.
“I like to think I’ve become more honest.”
You smiled. “…About time.”
You leaned down and kissed him again. Unlike the times before, the kiss stretched out, deepening as the two of you got even closer. Zuko’s hands tightened on your waist, and with a tilt of his hips, he guided you backward onto the mattress, his frame rising over you as you sank into the sheets. His forearms came down to bracket your head so he didn't crush you.
Your fingers moved up, threading through the strands scattering across his shoulders. “It’s longer,” you whispered.
He smiled down at you. “So is yours. You look beautiful.”
Your hand slid to his face, your thumb tracing his scar. Under your touch, he realized there had never truly been a time when he wasn’t yours.
Zuko turned his head into the touch, pressing a kiss right into the palm of your hand.
As he pulled his head back, his eyes caught the light reflecting on your wet cheeks.
“Hey…”
You swiped at your eye. “Stop saying things I’ve wanted to hear again.”
He gave you a radiant smile that reached all the way to his eyes, and looked down at you, studying your features in the glow of the candle. “You’re still the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known,” he said.
You snorted, a deep blush immediately warming your cheeks. “You can try again.”
He shook his head slowly.
“I saw you in the reception tonight… “ he looked up at you, “and I forgot how to breathe.”
Your blush deepened, your hands sliding up to cover his mouth out of overwhelmed embarrassment.
“Spirits…”
He nipped shorty at the edge of your palm until you dropped your hand, his eyes dancing triumphantly.
“It happens to be true,” he whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to the tip of your nose.
Zuko’s eyes traveled from your own down to the loosened robe. His hands, that were still bracketing your head, slid down to rest against the skin of your collarbones.
He didn’t move any farther.
“Zuko,” you breathed, your fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him down.
He caught his breath, his eyes locking onto yours. “Are you sure?” he whispered. “I can just hold you all night. I don’t want to take anything from you again.”
“I’m glad you’re learning, but don’t worry. You won’t.”
Your hands slid up his chest, your fingers wrapping around the backs of his elbows where his arms were locked to hold his weight up, and with a pull, you buckled his arms outward, breaking his balance.
Zuko let out a gasp as his chest met yours at last. The sudden impact forced his hips down, making you feel the rigid length of him press hard against your thigh. Your arms wrapped around his neck, trapping him there as your lips brushed the shell of his ear.
“This is my choice,” you whispered.
He shuddered before his mouth met yours.
His hands moved to the tie of your robe. They unknotted the silk, parting the fabric to reveal your bare shoulders. His lips moved from your jaw down to your throat, reacquainting himself with the taste of your skin.
“I cannot believe I have the honor to hold you close,” he murmured against your skin, his hands smoothing down your waist, tracing the curve of your hip making your body melt into the mattress. He smiled against your neck. “Aren’t you… the most valuable asset of the enterprise?”
You couldn’t help but laugh, your fingers threading curling into his hair. “Zuko—”
“You settled three rival guilds before sunset,” Zuko teased, his thumbs tracing the line of your ribs. “And every major guild in the Earth Kingdom knows your name. No wonder everyone looks at you the way they do. You make everyone want to surrender.”
“You are ridiculous,” you gasped, you said with a breath of laughter, your head tipping back into the pillow as his fingers drew the silk from your shoulders.
“I’m just stating facts, Director,” he whispered, moving between your thighs. He looked down at you, a curl of steam rising from his skin, floating in the background.
“I believe, most importantly…” Zuko leaned down, his forehead resting against yours and his hands sliding up to frame your face. “…you’re the woman who still owns every single thought I have… every piece of my heart… and every inch of me.”
You arched your hips, your heels digging firmly into the small of his back, pulling him flush against you and urging him to close the distance between your bodies.
“Every inch, huh?” you murmured, your voice a sultry challenge.
Zuko nodded, his face drawing closer until he reached for your mouth, desperate to lose himself in another kiss.
But before his lips could touch yours, you brought your hands up, holding his face by his jaw, and keeping him just a breathless millimeter away.
“Careful, Fire Lord,” you whispered, earning the curve of his mouth. “You know how meticulous I am with my assets. I’ll be measuring if they’re enough.”
Zuko’s breath hitched, a growl catching in his throat at the audacity of your words.
You released his jaw and sank your fingers into his shoulders just as he drove forward, sliding inside you in a deep motion.
An equally shared and fractured moan tore from both of your throats, swallowed by the bruising kiss that followed as your rhythms locked back together.
When he began to move into you, you closed your eyes, your mouth falling open while soft noises spilled from it involuntarily at every thrust. Your palms slid up the wide expanse of his back to press him close, your body adjusting to his size moving in and out.
His face pulled away from yours to hide next to your neck, a moan vibrating right against your ear before he whispered, “Is it enough?”
“I’m still deciding…” you panted, “and adjusting”, your breath catching as the sensation overwhelmed you.
“You can take it…”
The words served as a warning as he plunged in and out a fraction faster. His mouth found yours again in a messy kiss that didn’t quiet your moans but muffled them. Your inability to stop the noises made him thrust harder and deeper, angling his hips until they met the sudden hook of your legs, pulling him down once again.
“Did you get another freckle on your neck?” he asked, buried deep inside of you, pausing momentarily.
“I don’t… know,” you gasped, every coherent thought entirely wiped from your mind.
His fingertip hovered over the spot in your skin instead of touching it. “I would’ve remembered,” he murmured, his brow furrowing deep in thought.
“Spirits, Zuko,” you grunted, arching against him. “Keep going, please.”
He laughed right as his movements restarted. His length made you feel incredibly full, leaving no room for anything that wasn’t him.
You kept moaning as you stared into his face. His eyebrow pulled inward, tense, his mouth open as he drew heavy breaths at every thrust that turned increasingly urgent. One of his strong arms slid beneath you as you squirmed, while his other hand remained braced next to your head, his thumb lightly caressing your cheek as your head pressed back into the mattress.
He kissed the opposite side of your neck, his pace faltering as your walls tightened around him. You pressed one hand to his back and gripped his thigh, urging him to go deeper. He obeyed without hesitation, his head pulling away from your neck only to fall next to yours, your hair tangling together from the friction.
“Don’t stop, Zuko…”
“Wouldn’t even dream of it,” he rasped.
He dived in deeper than before, hypnotized by the way your mouth parted and your eyes rolled every time he moved.
Deciding the view wasn’t enough, he hoisted his weight upward without breaking the rhythm. Bracing himself on one hand, he used the other to gather both of your arms above your head. He pinned your wrists together beneath his palm, the new angle allowing him to move faster than before.
When you looked up, his jaw was tight with concentration at the sight of you under him, the pleasure noises leaving your lips nonstop as your body moved in time with his. But when his gaze dropped between you, a sharp gasp caught in his throat.
You dared to look down to the place your bodies joined. The sight of sweat running down his abs, flexing at every movement, guided your view to where he ran thick and wet into you. It was enough to push you over the edge. Your spine arched off the mattress once again as your muscles gripped him. At the sensation, Zuko dropped back down to your mouth, the hand that held your wrists freeing itself to tangle in your hair, keeping your head angled to receive his mouth over yours.
You came around him, your cries muffled by his lips. His own thrusts became ragged and desperate as he followed your climax. He drove into you just a few more times before pulling out, collapsing into the space beside you.
The sheets tangled around your legs as Zuko settled beside you, spent. He didn't say a word, but his hand sought yours, weaving his fingers through your smaller ones and pressing them flat against his chest, right over his heartbeat.
He leaned over, pressing his lips to your temple, then to your cheek, and finally to the corner of your mouth. Each one entirely devoid of demand and feeling the closest to a vow.
You looked up at him.
"I'm right here," he whispered into the room filled with steam, his thumb tracing the back of your hand. "I'm not going anywhere."
You nodded, your forehead drifting down to rest against his shoulder. You just held onto him, matching his breath until the dark turned to dawn.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
Your eyes snapped open to the bright sunlight piercing through the window screen. For a disorienting second, the room felt unfamiliar, making your chest rise with anxiety. The export shipping manifests, the supply chain deadlines… your mind scrambled to grab the logistics of the day, panic rising in your throat as you wondered if you had left Lao Beifong’s entire board of directors waiting at the estate gates.
A pair of lips brushed against your bare shoulder blade, working wonders you’d only experienced drinking one of Iroh’s calming teas.
Zuko’s broad arm crossed your waist to drag you back against his chest. He buried his face into the crook of your neck, letting out a sleepy breath that woke your skin.
“You’re thinking too loud,” he mumbled, his voice a gravelly morning rasp.
You let out a shaky breath, your hands coming up to grasp his forearm, melting into the solid mass of him. “The factory tour. Zuko, I was supposed to—”
“Toph came an hour ago,” he said against your skin, his grip relaxing just enough to let his fingers stroke your stomach. “Before everyone left.”
You froze, your eyes widening. “She came here? To the door?”
You felt him smile before he spoke. “I opened it. She didn’t say anything, she just grinned, punched my arm, and told everyone in the hallway that the Director was taking a personal rest day.”
The relief of knowing the day had been cleared allowed your shoulders to drop, even if you knew you weren’t going to be spared the continuing “I told you’s” from Toph.
The daylight forced the reality of the last three years back into the room. Zuko’s hand slowed its movement against your skin, his fingers coming to rest flat over your ribs.
“Do you know what the worst part was?” he asked.
You didn’t answer. You kept your back to him, staring at the dust motes dancing in the sun.
“Every time something good happened…” Zuko swallowed, and you felt the next breath he drew. “…you were the first person I wanted to tell. The day the treaty with the Southern Water Tribe was signed, the night the new schools opened in the lower districts... Every single victory felt completely hollow because I’d turn around to look for you, and the room was empty.”
His forehead pressed against your shoulder blade.
"The first years on that throne... I was drowning," he admitted out loud, his words coming in an unpolished rush. "Every morning I sat in that council chamber surrounded by the same ministers who had funded my father's war, watching them smile while trying to figure out how to manipulate me. I had to learn to sleep with a dagger under my pillow. I had to look at my own family’s history, and all I could see was a cycle of cruelty that destroys everything good. You were the only whole, uncorrupted part of my life. I became so consumed by the fear that the crown would force me to become someone dangerous… someone who would eventually drag you into the line of fire for a throne you never asked for… that I panicked. I thought if I kept you near me, the palace would swallow you whole, just like it did everyone else. And you didn’t deserve that. You still don’t.”
You turned around in his arms, forcing him to look at you. His eyes were clear in the daylight, shadowed by exhaustion.
“Do you know what I would’ve chosen, Zuko?” you asked.
Zuko searched your face, already preparing himself to deserve whatever came next.
“You,” you declared. “I would’ve chosen the old men on the council, the targets on our backs… Zuko, I would’ve chosen all of it if it meant choosing you. You never gave me the chance.”
The realization did what you knew it would. It destroyed the last of his self-inflicted martyrdom, confirming that his grand sacrifice had been nothing but a theft of your agency. A tear left his scarred eye.
Your thumb rose to catch the dampness on his cheek.
“I’m still angry,” you whispered, your fingers staying against his cheek.
Zuko nodded, his hand rising to cover yours, pressing your palm to him harder. “I wouldn’t ask you to feel any other way.”
“I’m probably going to wake up angry tomorrow, too,” you warned him. “We can't just erase these past few years in one night, Zuko. It doesn't work that way.”
“Then I’ll be there tomorrow,” he answered. He leaned in, his nose brushing yours. “And the day after that. I’ll take every bit of your anger for as long as you need to throw it.”
After hearing your words the night before, Zuko knew that whether you welcomed him back or closed the door on him once more, he would meet your answer instead of running from it.
“I understand why you did it. Even if I don’t agree with your ways, I understand. And from now on, you can rest assured you don’t need to decide for me.”
“I wouldn’t dare to believe that anymore,” he said, brushing strand of hair away from your cheek with the back of his fingers. “Losing you was the worst mistake in my life.”
You bit your lip.
“Every inch, remember?”
His knuckles grazed the side of your neck on their way to your waist, where his hand drew you back onto the bed.
He didn't go for your mouth right away. Instead, he slid down the length of your body until his head was positioned between your thighs.
Your fingers gathered the sheets around you. Zuko wet his lips, his eyes tracing the line of your hips. He slid his thumbs over the inside of your thighs.
“I used to think about this every single morning,” he murmured while he looked up the length of your body. “Just watching the sun find you. I forgot how much it completely ruins me…”
You tapped a finger against his collarbone. “Then I suggest you focus, Fire Lord. You’re currently operating on Earthen Fire time, and my schedule is exceptionally demanding.”
“I’ll ensure my performance meets your highest standards, Director,” he rumbled, his grip tightening.
Zuko looked up at you from between your thighs before his mouth descended to your pelvis first, leaving a kiss right against your skin, exactly like he always used to.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
The estate doors groaned as Zuko pushed them open, stepping out into the crisp afternoon air with you right at his side… Three years had taught you how to walk alone. It took only a few steps to remember how to walk together.
Sokka, who had been in the middle of an animated gesture while explaining something to Katara near Appa’s tail, froze mid stride. Katara’s jaw dropped, her eyes darting from your face to Zuko’s. Even Aang, who was adjusting Appa's saddle, paused to blink down at the two of you in realization.
"Uh..." Sokka blinked rapidly, pointing a finger between you both. "Did the sky fall while we were at the factory or am I hallucinating? Are you two... not trying to glare each other into ash anymore?"
"They’re fine, Snoozles," Toph interrupted, leaning against a nearby stone pillar with a grin on her face. She didn't even turn her head as she added, "I stuck ’em on the same floor for a reason. What happened after that? Not my problem.”
Zuko coughed into his fist, clearing his throat trying to look anywhere but at your laughing friends.
"Toph," you warned.
"Just keeping everyone updated," she cackled, pushing off the pillar and strolling toward you. She dropped her voice enough for the two of you to hear, tossing a friendly elbow into your side. "Glad you finally stopped overthinking your logistics, Director. You were getting unbearable to work with."
Before you could offer a suitably corporate retort, Lao Beifong marched in, flanked by three assistants buried beneath towering stacks of leather bound ledgers, manifests, and inkwells.
“By the way, you’re taking vacations. Also on my account.”
“I’m taking what?” You asked.
Lao’s face lit up the moment his eyes landed on you, settling the matter before Toph could speak.
"Ah! There she is!" Lao said, waving his hand to dismiss his helpers, who scurried to stack the paperwork on a nearby stone bench. He stepped forward, taking your hands in his with excitement. "Toph told me the news when we met at the tour this morning. I cannot tell you how incredibly relieved I am that you are finally taking some personal vacation time!"
"Thank you, Lao," you said, with a grateful smile. Whatever Toph had planned for you, you had learned to accept. Your professional instincts did flare as your eyes drifted to the massive stacks of paper. "But you know I can’t completely disappear, the Omashu guild agreement is still waiting on my revisions, and I promised the arbitration committee I’d review the shipping contracts before the end of the week. I can finish them while—”
"Absolutely not,” Lao interrupted, raising a hand. “Yes, I brought the paperwork because I knew you wouldn’t sleep without checking the final registry. But you are not to worry about company business for the next month.” He smiled. “Earthen Fire Industries will survive without its finest asset for a few weeks.” His voice got lower. “Please… you deserve to be happy.”
Lao gave your hands a squeeze before stepping back toward his assistants, leaving you a moment of space.
You looked up at Zuko, who had moved closer and was watching the exchange with an immense respect for the life you had built entirely on your own. His hand found the small of your back, his thumb tracing a comforting circle through the fabric of your coat.
"And where exactly would those vacations be spent?" Zuko asked, a teasing smile touching his lips. "Because I happen to know a place or two in the Fire Nation that have changed quite a bit since you left. Besides..." He leaned down. "...a certain dragon has been terrorizing the palace guards because he misses his favorite handler."
You tilted your chin up, smiling by the thought of seeing Druk again.
“I don’t know," you murmured playfully. "I'm not sure if the Fire Lord would be particularly fond of me spending all my time at his palace…”
Zuko reached around, your hand fitting neatly within his. "The Fire Lord would gladly hand you the keys to the entire nation if it kept you there," he replied, his voice earnest.
Across the yard, Lao smiled at the sight of your happiness, while Toph made a dramatic gagging noise from her pillar.
"Oh, thank the spirits," Sokka groaned, throwing his arms up in the air and marching toward Appa's mounting ramp. "My favorite couple is finally back together! I couldn't take another day of the brooding. To be fully honest, It was ruining the vibe."
Katara rolled her eyes, giving you a supportive nod as she climbed up the sky bison's side.
"Seriously, please board Appa immediately," Sokka continued, gesturing for you both to get in the saddle. "We will deliver ya right to the palace ourselves so you can go back to your royal stuff, make your little fire bending babies, and live your grand Fire Nation life. Just no more pining. I'm begging you."
Aang laughed, settling into the driver's seat and grabbing the reins. "Are you guys coming, or do you need another personal rest day?"
Zuko looked down at you, his thumb brushing across your knuckles. He didn’t answer his friends. His attention remained on you.
You smiled and gave his hand a tug.
“Let’s go home.”
note: i hope you enjoyed this! i’ve been looking forward to finishing both parts so you wouldn’t have to wait for me… i guess all the waiting happened before the release instead lol. thank you so much for reading ♡ requests are always welcome (just processed very, very slowly). also, taylor is allegedly getting married today/tomorrow (what??????). if so, happy wedding to my personal friend taylor swift wherever she is! xx
🏷️my dear taglist (based off your approval in the last whaletail island series - always open!xx): @highlady0239 @xoxocelestial @eepypupy @maee67 @keropiiko @yeonatingz
adult zuko x reader | contains smut | minors dni. | wc: 6,2k
summary: in which years after a devastating breakup, Zuko and the one woman he has never managed to forget are forced to spend a diplomatic evening under the same roof, where one paper-thin wall proves that revenge and longing aren't so different after all.
content: adult!Fire Lord Zuko x fem!Reader, post-canon, featuring the gaang, mutual pining, exes to lovers, second chance romance, unresolved feelings, yearning, hurt/comfort, sexual tension, explicit sexual content [masturbation, mutual masturbation (separate rooms)], happy ending.
note: inspired by an ask that got out of hand & imgonnagetyouback by taylor swift. this ended up becoming a two-parter, and part two is already out! lightly proofread. ♡
The double doors of the private reception hall groaned on their tracks as Zuko opened them with regret.
"Look who finally decided to join the living!" shouted Sokka from across the room, ruining all of Zuko's plans for a discreet entry. "You're late, buddy!"
There was a buzz of conversation filling the room. Nobles and Earth Kingdom delegates mingled in clusters holding crystal chalices.
"I have a nation to run, Sokka,” Zuko muttered. The defense felt weak even to his own ears.
"Yeah, yeah. It’s fine, I honestly didn't expect you to come at all," Sokka said, waving a half-eaten skewer. He paused, squinting at Zuko with suspicion. "Why did you, by the way? I thought Toph’s family wasn’t a matter royal enough for the Fire Lord."
Zuko forced his shoulders back. "Well... I figured I'd accept Lao's invitation this once. It felt... appropriate."
"Appropriate?" Sokka barked out a laugh as Toph strolled over, grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh, lay off him, Captain Boomerang," Toph chimed in, leaning her weight onto one heel. She tilted her head toward Zuko with unmistakable satisfaction. "Though, funny thing... the second he walked through those doors, his heart started hammering like a loose piston. What's the matter, Sparky? Intimidated by a room full of merchants?"
Zuko remained quiet.
He had known there was a chance you’d be there. Before making the journey to the Earth Kingdom, he had requested a list of the evening’s guests. Your name had appeared exactly where he’d feared it would.
He had spent the last three days rehearsing exactly what he would say in his head… assuming you even wanted to speak to him, which didn't seem likely.
Not after the silence he had left you with when he broke your heart.
"Just for your information," Sokka added with a grin, gesturing over his shoulder toward a seating area near the balcony, "she arrived here first. I’ve been keeping her company, but don't worry, you're still my favorite... uhh... firebender, of course."
Zuko’s throat went dry.
"Who did?" he asked, if only to postpone hearing your name aloud.
"Ah, Fire Lord Zuko! Welcome to my family’s Yu Dao estate," an aristocratic voice interrupted.
Lao Beifong stepped into their circle, smoothing his green and gold silks. He offered a bow.
"We were just enjoying some refreshments before heading into the dining hall," Lao continued, gesturing toward the rest of his guests. "I believe you are already familiar with my brilliant Director of Legal Affairs and Guild Relations?"
Zuko’s eyes snapped to where Lao was pointing.
You were standing near the balcony with a glass of wine resting between your fingers. After the breakup, you had fled the Fire Nation, and he had made no attempt to stop you. Toph, in her own blunt, protective way of showing affection had made her father hire you into the family business. You had thrown yourself into the mercantile world of the Earth Kingdom, climbing the ranks of Earthen Fire Industries until you earned a permanent place at the company's highest table.
And, Agni, did it show. The dress you wore was an elegant Earth Kingdom cut, but it was tailored perfectly, fitting like a glove, tracing lines of your body that Zuko used to know by heart. The soft look of youth he remembered was completely gone, replaced by nothing else but a breathtaking elegance.
You didn't look at him right away. You simply swirled the wine in your glass, already aware of his arrival, and that his entire cosmos had just rearranged.
Zuko thought it wouldn't be impolite at all to turn around, all of a sudden. It was getting more and more tempting to walk out the door and jump off the nearest balcony…
Sokka let out a nervous cough, his eyes darted between Zuko's pale face and your unbothered posture. Before Lao could frown at the Fire Lord's lack of manners, Toph laughed and leaned on her heel, tilting her head toward her father.
"Come on, Dad, shouldn't we be having dinner by now? If we keep waiting on the formalities, the food's going to turn as cold as the Fire Lord's conversation."
Lao cleared his throat. "You’re right." He clapped his hands together. "Dinner is served. This way, everyone."
If the mere sight of you across a crowded room (while you were presumably unaware) had been enough to hollow him out entirely, how was he to survive the agonizing hours of a banquet right before your eyes?
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
You seemed like you were enjoying the way his hands shook every time someone asked to lend them something, or the way his eyes couldn’t help but take quick glances at you when pretending to drink from his glass.
You were probably enjoying the fact that the sound of your voice alone made him start rounds on top of rounds of suffocating small talk with Aang, who was more than uncomfortable by the sudden barrage of political pleasantries. And if you weren’t enjoying the merciless and luring effect your presence had on him, you sure looked like it: every so often moving your hair, tracing your collarbone and the bare skin close to your chest with a brush of your fingers, smiling at everyone who asked for your time with those perfectly painted red lips. Lips he had devoured before, and that kept dragging him back to the memory of it… mercilessly so.
He didn’t hate to see you happy. But he hated not being the source of that happiness, and he hated himself even more because he had been the one who willfully walked away from it.
"Zuko," Aang whispered, leaning over his empty plate. "Just talk to her."
Zuko’s fingers locked around the stem of his chalice. "What do you mean? Talk to whom?"
"Yes, to whom, Fire Lord?" Lao Beifong inquired from the head of the table. "I was unaware there remained anyone in my delegation you wished to speak with."
Across the table, you had to press a hand to your mouth, a finger shielding the suppressed laugh that threatened to spill past your red lips.
Oh, your red lips…
He felt warmth climb the back of his neck. Clearing his throat, he reached for his glass.
"To all of you," he declared. "For an exceptionally fine evening, and for the continued prosperity between the Fire Nation and the grand enterprises of the Earth Kingdom."
The toast was met with a lot of polite assent and the clink of porcelain and crystal. Lao offered a nod and turned his attention back to a guest seated to his right.
Because the banquet table stretched nearly the length of the hall, the conversation fractured into two different worlds. At the head of the table, Lao and the older guests remained locked in discussions regarding shipping tariffs and harbor borders. But at the far end, out of the merchant’s earshot, Sokka started a conversation with the movement of his chopsticks.
“Okay, now that the official stuff is out of the way, we need to finish what we started in the hall before Zuko arrived. If we were all creatures of the four nations, what are we dealing with here?"
"Well, if we're talking about Zuko," Katara began, her blue eyes lighting up as she leaned on her elbows, "he's clearly a shirshu. Rigid, always on the hunt for something to be stressed about..."
"And if you get too close when he's cranky, he paralyzes you with a glare," Sokka added, pointing a chopstick at Zuko.
The table chuckled, but Zuko only scoffed.
"I am not a shirshu. If anything, I'm a dragon-moose. Majestic. Territorial. Highly sophisticated."
You let out an involuntary huff of a laugh. It wasn't the chuckle you had given the merchants earlier; it was an equally real and breathless sound that creased the corners of your eyes.
You had laughed. At him. The room lost its importance. He was sixteen again, desperate to prove he could keep up, and wondering if he could make you laugh again.
"Oh, please, Sparky," Toph smirked, throwing a peanut into the air and catching it in her mouth. "You're about as majestic as a flying bison trying to squeeze through a palace window."
"Hey! Appa is very majestic," Aang defended.
"Aang, you're more of a turtle-duck," Zuko countered, leaning back into his chair, his voice adopting the tone he usually reserved for strategy meetings. "Mild-mannered, terrified of conflict, and you spend half your time floating around in circles hoping everyone just decides to get along."
Sokka laughed, slapping his hand against the table.
"A direct hit! What about Katara?"
Zuko turned his gaze to the waterbender, his smirk growing. "A platypus-bear. Protective to a fault, but the second someone messes with her routines, she turns into a beast that could rip a man's arm off."
Katara huffed in mock offense. "I am not a creature!" she protested.
Zuko was riding high on the rhythm of it now. He felt in control, even more so knowing that you found his comments amusing rather than irritating or unbearable.
Sokka’s eyes danced back across the table, landing on you.
"Alright, Fire Lord Hotman, you're on a roll," Sokka grinned, leaning back and crossing his arms. "What about our director, right here?"
Zuko leaned forward, resting his forearms against the table. And if he had managed it once, perhaps, just perhaps, he could coax another smile from you.
And, if the spirits were feeling particularly generous, the two of you could share a more amicable conversation than the one he had originally envisioned.
"A turtle duck," Zuko stated, his eyes locking onto yours. “Because every time she's upset she dives underwater and pretends the rest of us don't exist.”
Sokka let out an ooh, eagerly turning his head to see the reaction.
You didn't flinch. You merely had a tragically beautiful smile spreading across your lips.
"A creative assessment, Lord Zuko," you replied. "I must say I agree with Katara... I’ve always found the shirshu far more accurate for you."
Zuko’s smirk faltered. "The... shirshu?"
"Yes," you said, looking at no one else but him. "Katara mentioned earlier how they are always hunting for something to be stressed about. But we forget the most important part: when a shirshu gets overwhelmed by a scent, it doesn't really stay to face it. It strikes blindly, paralyzes the only thing close to it, and flees, leaving whatever it broke to rot."
Sokka's booming laughter rolled through the room, oblivious to the undercurrent. Katara chuckled into her wine, and even Aang offered a grin at the sharp wit.
His hands, previously resting loose and confident on top of the table, retreated into his lap, fingers curling into fists beneath the tabletop to hide the tremor in his knuckles.
On your seat, you had already resumed your meal as though you hadn’t just summarized the worst decision of his life in a single metaphor.
“Well! Since the Earth Kingdom obviously wins this round of the draft,” Sokka beamed, "can somebody pass the dumplings?”
Aang began explaining a bizarre Air Nomad festival tradition to one of the guild representatives, using his hands to describe ancient kites. Beside him, Katara and Toph started arguing over whether badger-moles or saber-toothed moose-lions would win in a fight.
The world kept spinning.
Zuko stared into the untouched tea in his cup, watching his own hollow reflection ripple against the green ceramic. He had foolishly allowed himself to believe, if only for a second, that talking to you might be simple.
It was agonizingly clear what he had to do next: he had to run.
Lao Beifong had generously offered every guest a room in the eastern wing of the estate, knowing most of his guests had traveled far, and a formal tour of the factory was already scheduled for the following morning. But Zuko knew he couldn't stay, not when every accidental meeting of your eyes carried the promise of a blaze. Whether it would end in ashes or light was no longer his to decide.
Perhaps he should thank Lao for his hospitality, fabricate some excuse about urgent matters in the capital, and be gone before sunrise. The conversation with you he’d rehearsed a thousand times during the journey there now seemed about as achievable as convincing Appa to sneak unnoticed through the halls of his palace. And why should he even try? Why should he attempt to bridge the chasm he had built, when it was painfully evident that you had flourished in the soil of his rejection, with your life so complete there was no place left for him in?
He knew he had forfeited the right to be part of that life the day he’d walked away. Perhaps the kindest thing he could do now… was leave it undisturbed.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
Zuko tracked the older merchant to the edge of the courtyard, but as he drew near, Lao’s voice carried over the din of the departing guests who wouldn't join the tour.
"—an invaluable asset to the family's enterprise. Three rival guilds had spent the better part of a decade refusing to sit at the same table. She had them signing the same agreement before sunset," Lao was saying to a prominent magistrate. "I confess, I had hoped a match with the young Minister's son would secure her future in the Earth Kingdom permanently. She declined the proposal before I'd even finished telling her about it." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Said she had no intention of abandoning the company while there were still guilds left to win over. I've been trying to convince her to take a proper break for a while now."
Zuko stopped dead in his tracks. You rejected a proposal.
The magistrate nodded.
"A rare sort of dedication."
"She is a rare sort of woman," Lao admitted. "Every major guild in the Earth Kingdom knows her by name. Half our legal disputes never reach arbitration because she settles them before they become problems. The contracts she drafts have become the standard others imitate." His smile widened with paternal pride. "Frankly, Earthen Fire Industries would be a far poorer company without her. Did I ever tell you what she accomplished in Ba Sing Se?"
Before he could hear more, a hushed dispute caught his attention a few paces away.
Near a stone pillar, you were standing face-to-face with Toph. Your shoulders were rigid, your arms crossed. Toph was leaning in.
"You're lying to yourself if you think you hid it," Toph muttered, her voice as low as Toph could, its protectiveness impossible to miss. "I could feel your pulse from across the room the second he—“
"I am not talking about this, Toph," you snapped.
Without waiting for a response, you turned on your heel, your skirts sweeping against the polished tile as you hurried past the archway and vanished into the moonlit sanctuary of the Beifong gardens. Toph stood still, letting out a frustrated sigh when the vibrations of your footsteps disappeared beneath her feet.
Zuko decided his conversation with Lao could wait. Stepping past the pillar, he made his way to the arched bridge overlooking the koi pond. He caught a glimpse of you before you realized he was there.
Your shoulders shook. You were breaking apart. But the moment your ears caught his hesitant step, you… transformed.
By the time you turned around, you had rebuilt your walls.
Zuko stopped a few paces back on the crest of the bridge, his hands tucked into his sleeves. The closer he stood, the harder it became to remember why he’d convinced himself he could live without you. You were, quite simply, magnificent. The girl he’d left behind in the Caldera had disappeared somewhere along the years, replaced by a woman whose very presence demanded his attention.
"I saw you walk out. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
You let out a humorless laugh. Instead of retreating, you moved into his space without hesitation.
"Did you, Fire Lord? I assure you, I am perfectly fine. I’m sure there are more people inside who’d be pleased to hear one of your creature comparisons.”
"Don't do that," he muttered, his mind already scrambling under the sudden whiplash of your proximity. "Don’t act like we're strangers. I didn’t mean to offend you at dinner, I just… I just want to explain myself."
"Oh, Zuko." You said, your eyes reflecting the cool silver of the moon as you looked him up and down. "Whatever explanation you’ve been carrying around in your head all these years... you can keep it. I might have needed those answers years ago, when I was packing my bags to leave the Fire Nation. But now? I don't need them. And you don’t have to keep pretending we’re on good terms.”
He frowned.
“I’m not pretending.”
“No?” You smiled in a hollow expression as you brushed an stray strand of hair behind your ear, looking past him toward the water. “I assumed you were doing this for everyone’s benefit. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
You took a small step backward to sweep past him, but your heel caught on the uneven masonry of the bridge's edge. You gasped, losing your balance for a second as you began to tilt toward the dark water below.
He reached you in a single stride, one arm circling your waist as he pulled you against him. You collided with his chest, your hands finding his shoulders on instinct while his grip held you fast.
Neither of you made the first move to step away. You still fit against him.
Your pulse fluttered against his palm, matching the quiet betrayal of his own. So much for the careful distance you’d both spent the evening pretending to keep.
You looked up at him, close enough that the air between you no longer belonged to either of you. There was the faintest curve to your lips and you leaned closer until your words found his ear instead of the space between you.
“You’ve changed, you know. You’ve become very handsome,” you murmured.
His fingers flexed against your waist. He was utterly confused by the type of poison you were offering to him.
“I suppose ruling a nation agrees with you…” Your gaze didn’t leave his. “It certainly agrees with your ability to leave things unresolved.”
"Just allow me to explain, I—"
“I promise you, I’m fine, Zuko.” You said as you steadied yourself.
“You rejected proposals,” he blurted. “Why?”
You laughed against his collarbone before you eased back just enough to meet his gaze, your fingertips brushing the front of his tunic as his hands remained at your hips.
“Is it not clear enough? I’m busy. If you heard about my personal life- which you have no right to even think about,” you emphasized, pressing a finger to his chest, “you surely must’ve heard what I mean to the company. I don’t have time for love. Not yours, not anyone’s. And I’m absolutely fine with that.”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with me," Zuko whispered, as he refused to break eye contact. "But I came here hoping we could—“
"I don’t want to talk. There’s nothing I want to hear from you," you interrupted. "You made your decision, and even if I didn’t understand it, I don’t need to know why you did.”
Your hand lifted of its own accord, straightening the collar of his robes.
“I don't feel mad at you anymore. Because I don't feel anything for you at all."
You gently pushed against his shoulders, signaling him to let go.
Zuko released his grip, stepping back. He had imagined this reunion a thousand different ways over the years: he had braced himself for your hatred, had absurdly prayed for your forgiveness, and had even prepared for the possibility that you might just pretend he wasn’t there at all. But this dizzying, volatile, ivy growing game, had not been in the list at all.The cruelty of your words wrapped in the intoxicating heat of your proximity... he couldn't make sense of either, let alone both at once.
He opened his mouth to challenge your lie, but as you stood beneath the moonlight with your head tilted back in defiant victory, the light caught on the intricate ornaments pinned into your hair.
Nestled subtly beneath the expensive gold of House Beifong, was a small piece of polished wood. The old and imperfect hairpin he had clumsily carved for you with a pocket knife years ago, back when you were just two teenagers trying to survive.
It was hidden, but he'd have known it anywhere.
Your hairpin contradicted every word you’d spoken... and he wasn't leaving this estate until he figured out exactly what you were trying to do.
Zuko gave a single nod. "Alright. Goodnight, Director."
You turned on your heel, your gown sweeping the stone tiles as you walked back toward the pavilion, leaving him standing alone on the crest of the bridge. He smoothed the front of his formal robes, turning to walk back toward the reception hall. Lao Beifong was still standing near the archway, offering a smile.
Zuko tore his gaze from the doorway where you had just disappeared and turned back to Lao.
"My apologies, Lao," he said with an incline of his head. "It can wait until tomorrow. I was wondering, however... would you mind showing me to my room?"
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
Who did Zuko think he was?
Other than the first boy to break your heart, the keeper of your first kiss, your first love, your youth, your Fire Nation dreams, and far too many sleepless nights…
Who did he think he was?
From the moment you had seen him walk into the reception hall, you knew he was planning something. You'd known it in the space between the two beats your heart had skipped at the sight of him.
What you had told him on the bridge was a lie. You weren’t fine at all, obviously. You had spent years agonizing over the wreckage he left behind, drowning in late night questions with no answers. Had you stopped being enough the moment he became Fire Lord? Had he outgrown the girl who knew him before? Had your love just been an inconvenient relic of a war he wanted to forget? For years, you had spilled those exact, bitter questions to Toph, a safe harbor for the ugly truths you couldn’t tell anyone else.
Oh, Toph. That woman had proven to be an absolute traitor.
You remembered the exchange near the stone pillar just before you had fled to the garden. You had been trying to steady your breathing, your fingers worrying at one another, when Toph intercepted you.
“Not in the mood for a lecture, Toph.”
“Good, 'cause I don't give 'em,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “I'm just pointing out the obvious: you’re not over him. I told you we could've just had my dad scratch his name off the guest list, but no, you had to be stubborn!”
“I told you—”
She caught you by the arm.
“... And what did that get you? You're treating him like an unexploded blasting jelly crate. For a fancy director, you’re acting pretty dumb. The guy is practically vibrating out of his boots just looking at you. There’s gotta be a reason he did what he did.”
“No, Toph. You’re not defending him. Not now, not after everything we’ve discussed,” you hissed, pulling away from her grasp and stepping closer to her, your voice a furious whisper. “What happened to ‘the day you see him again, you’re gonna make him regret breathing Fire Nation air’?”
Toph let out a mocking laugh. “That was when I assumed you could keep your cool! Right now, you're a mess, Sparky is a mess, and maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you just shut up and heard him out.”
"I'm handling it and hiding it, Toph. He doesn't get to see otherwise."
"You're lying to yourself if you think you hid it," Toph had muttered. "I could feel your pulse from across the room the second he—"
"I am not talking about this, Toph," you snapped before you turned and walked away.
The only real truth you had given him tonight was the compliment. He had changed, indeed. He looked every inch the Fire Lord now, broader in the shoulders, carrying himself with a magnetic gravity that made it impossible to look anywhere else when he was in the room. It infuriated you how easily he still drew you within his reach.
Your thoughts were still a chaotic storm as you followed the estate servant guiding you toward your quarters. When she unlocked the door to your room, you glanced down the empty corridor. Every other door on this level was firmly shut.
"Where are the rest of the guests staying?" you inquired.
"The rest of the delegation is accommodated on the first floor, Lady Beifong's orders," the servant replied politely, bowing her head. "Only you and one other guest will be occupying this floor tonight. If you require anything at all, please feel free to ring the bell and someone will come up shortly."
Before you could even process the weight of suspicion dropping into your stomach, the sound of footsteps caught your attention. You turned your head just as another servant rounded the corner, carrying a set of fine linens. Walking right behind him, his formal red robes casting shadows under the light, was Zuko.
You turned back to the attendant before she could slip away, gesturing down the empty corridor.
“Is this the only room available? I hate to say it, but I’m the director of—”
The servant extended a folded piece of parchment your way.
“Lady Beifong sent this along in anticipation of your objection. Excuse me, Miss.”
She bowed and hurried down the stairs, leaving you stranded in the hall.
You snapped the parchment open. Written in incredibly messy and uneven ink (obviously dictated by Toph but written by a very enthusiastic hand) were a few blunt sentences:
‘Don’t complain and listen to Shifu Toph.
Get him back, however that might be for you. And yes, Sokka helped me write this (Hi!!!!)
— T (& S).’
You stared at the page, you felt your eye twitching before you folded the parchment and squeezed it in your palm.
The attendant guiding the Fire Lord frowned down at the neatly folded bundle in his arms before looking between the two doors.
“My apologies,” he said. “It appears we’re short one set of bath linens. I'll have another brought up at once."
“There’s no need,” you replied at the same time Zuko said, “It’s alright.”
The servant hesitated, his gaze darting back and forth. “If one of you wouldn’t mind waiting just a moment—”
“I’ll take it tomorrow, don’t worry,” you said, extending a hand to dismiss them.
“So will I,” Zuko answered, matching your stride.
You reached for the bundle together, your fingertips grazing for the briefest moment.
Both of you pulled back on instinct. The folded linens tumbled from your grasp, scattering across the floorboards. The attendant looked horrified, his hands dropping to his sides.
“I am terribly sorry—”
“It’s alright,” you and Zuko said in unison.
Before you could even think to bend down, Zuko was already dropping to one knee, gathering the scattered fabric with careful hands. The gesture was so instinctive, so ordinary that it caught you completely off guard.
Zuko was kneeling. Right at your feet. Smoothing the wrinkles from a stack of borrowed towels with his thumbs as though it were the most important duty he’d been given all evening.
He looked up, and your breath caught in your throat. He held the folded linens up toward you.
You stared down at him, your fingers curling into the fabric of your gown just to keep them steady.
A loose strand of dark hair had escaped the neat tie at the nape of his neck, falling over his forehead. He didn’t look like the Fire Lord you wished to hate, he looked like the boy who used to build campfires with you in the middle of nowhere.
“They’re yours,” you managed.
“They’re ours, apparently.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. It was the same smile that used to arrive right before he laughed.
The servant returned around the corner, breathing a little heavily and carrying a second bundle.
“Oh! Wonderful,” he said. “I found another set.”
You blindly reached out and accepted the fresh linens, clutching them to your chest.
“Thank you. Goodnight.”
Without looking back down at Zuko, you stepped backward into your room and shut the door. Only once the metal latch clicked firmly into place did you allow your shoulders to drop, pressing your back against the door. You exhaled and closed your eyes.
You had spent years preparing for the day you saw Zuko again.
You hadn’t prepared for him to smile.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
You had stripped out of the formal gown and the intricate ornaments, leaving your hair to fall loosely around your shoulders. Last came the old wooden hairpin. You traced around the worn carving before you set it beside the rest.
Clad only in a green sleeping robe, you lay staring up at the canopy of the bed. You had expected to feel a sense of triumph after the garden. You had held your ground. You had delivered your lines flawlessly…
Instead, every time you closed your eyes, the back of your eyelids played a cruel loop of the evening.
The way he’d walked into the reception hall, the jokes he’d traded with Sokka, the steady grip of his hands around the stem of his chalice- the same hands that had found your waist on the bridge.
You rolled onto your side, dragging a pillow into your chest, but it did nothing.
It was normal to miss him, right? You had done that more than you would admit, but seeing him after the time you spent apart- Agni, the paintings and posters you’d seen through the years did him no justice.
His hair had grown longer, his jaw had sharpened, his body had filled into itself, broader now beneath those impossibly formal robes. Even through the thick material, you’d noticed the difference. You wondered how they’d feel without all those layers between you…
You squeezed your eyes shut.
It really shouldn’t have mattered. After everything he’d done, everything he’d never explained, it shouldn’t have mattered that he’d become even more beautiful than the version your memory had stubbornly preserved.
Weirdly enough, wanting him wasn’t making you feel guilty. If anything, what felt woefully wrong was pretending you didn’t for longer than necessary.
Your hands found their way through your underwear… What harm could indulging in a few thoughts of him do?
A muffled sound from the other side of the wall made you snatch your hand away.
The creak of floorboards followed. A moment later, the metallic sound of something being set down on a washbasin confirmed what you feared: Zuko was awake.
You lay still, now aware of just how thin the wall between your rooms really was. Less than a foot of wood and plaster separated you, and judging by the layout of the guest wing, his bed was most likely situated on the opposite side of the wall from yours.
Your thoughts waltzed into dangerous territory.
He was, most likely, undoing the stiff collar of his robes, running both hands through his hair, pacing the room unable to sleep just like you.
You hated that the thought comforted you, but that didn’t stop the wave of heat that bloomed in your chest, radiating outward until the tips of your fingers tingled. Your hand drifted over the silk gathered at your waist, slipping lower for the second time…
You stopped.
This was getting ridiculous. He didn’t deserve another moment of your thoughts, let alone another sleepless night.
“Get him back, however that might be for you,” Toph had written- well, Sokka had, signing Toph’s name.
An idea came to your mind.
Your fingers went back between your legs, straight to your clit, beginning a movement in slow circles that turned into faster and wider ones the wetter you grew.
You let out a whimper as you rolled your hips against your hand which just made you press harder and let a sharp gasp spill freely into the dark room. Every sound you made grew louder on purpose, pitched just right to cut through the walls. You wanted him to know exactly what he was doing to your sanity.
On the other side of the plaster, Zuko was trapped.
When your first whimper hit his ears, he had frozen on the center of his bed. He tried to tell himself to move, to cover his ears, to pace to the other side of the room, but his body flatly refused.
The sound of your voice broke his defenses in a second, sending a rush of blood straight to his groin.
With trembling fingers, he reached into his trousers, his palm closing around the thick length of his cock. It was already leaking, stiff and desperate.
He didn't make a sound. He refused to give you the satisfaction after your wicked games, so he clamped his jaw shut, his teeth grinding together so hard his muscles ached, trying to keep his breathing silent as he began to stroke himself.
He worked his hand faster, trying and failing to keep some kind of control. He was completely losing his mind. Agni, he shouldn't be doing this. He knew it, but hearing you sound so small and desperate for him? That was a temptation he’d never been able to fight.
Through the wall, the silence from his side only pushed you harder. The lack of a response made you shameless. Your voice climbed higher, raw and distressed, your hips rocking faster as you let the pleasure show in every ragged cry. You imagined his hands on you, imagined him looking up at you exactly how he had in the hallway. You could almost feel his mouth hovering over your center, his breath hot, his heavy hands keeping you pinned against the mattress as his lips closed around you.
“Zuko!” you moaned, to his surprise… and yours too.
You wondered if he could even hear you at all over the roaring in your own ears. But on the other side, Zuko pressed his eyes shut, throwing his head back into the pillow as the sound of his name leaving your lips worked its way beneath his skin.
One of your hands traveled to your chest, squeezing your breast over your robe. You wondered… would he slurp? Would he start licking you?
One thing was for sure: he would’ve changed the way he used to eat you out when you were dating. There was no way he’d spent these years without perfecting the skill looking the way he did. He used to be a bit clumsy back then- which you actually liked, just so eager to taste you, but he would always leave a kiss in the curves of your pelvis every single time before diving in, a mere ritual to pretend he was composed.
You bit your lip at the memory. Moving the hand from your chest, you slipped two fingers inside your slick warmth while your other hand kept circling your clit.
And two things were for certain: he would look astonishing looking up at you right before his tongue took you under. Your rhythm accelerated at the mental image of your fingers guiding him, threading through those now longer strands of hair to hold him against you.
Of all the things your mind could have chosen by now, it settled on th private lift of his lips from the hallway. That devastating smile… but right there between your thighs.
That alone pushed you straight over the precipice.
Your whole body trembled, and a sobbing moan ripped from your throat as your climax crashed over you, repeating his name over and over again.
The sound of your undoing was the exact moment Zuko’s control shattered into ash. A deep grunt ripped straight from the back of his throat, heavy and unchecked as he came, his fist working frantically to catch the spills of his release.
It was your turn to freeze against your sheets, your chest heaving.
He had been doing it too. He had heard everything, and he had just broken.
On the other side, Zuko sat in the dark, his breathing ragged, his hand still slick. He had given himself away.
The song of jade crickets outside filled the space of both rooms in the rash absence of moans and whimpers. Your hands folded on top of your robe as your thoughts began to race: What if he thought you were insane? What were you thinking, touching yourself for him to hear?
Zuko rearranged his trousers, his breath still recovering. What if you thought he was insane? What was he thinking, touching himself to the sounds you were making in the privacy of your own room?
A bigger, and truthfully, upsetting question arose: What were the two of you even doing?
Through the wall, the floorboards in his room creaked. Footsteps crossed his floor. Right when you thought those footsteps would run, as you were used to him doing, they moved out into the corridor instead.
Three sharp knocks sounded against your bedroom door.
Part 2.
🏷️my dear taglist (based off your approval in the last whaletail island series - always open!xx): @highlady0239 @xoxocelestial @eepypupy @maee67 @keropiiko @yeonatingz
okay i have multiple of my fav t.s songs to request (obvi u dont have to do all im just giving you suggestions)🫶🫶
-great war [angst,yearning,a lil comfort]
-my boy only breaks his fav toys [angst,angst,yearning!!]
-haunted [yearningggg,angst😫, COMFORTING SMUT]
-castles crumbling [yearning]
-glitch [hella smut😏,humor]
-i can see you [yearning,flufff,smut,humor]
-imgonnagetyouback [yearning,smut]
-you’re losing me [angst.]
if i had to pick a top three i’d pick: i can see you,glitch,imgonnagetyouback
Helloooo!
I haven’t forgotten it, I promise! I’m planning on slowly making my way through these (very, very slowly 😭), but I can happily report that the first one is officially checked off!!
‘imgonnagetyouback.’
It somehow escaped my hands as a two part fic, and both parts are already out!!
Hopefully I’ll get to keep making my way through the rest of this list because these are SUCH good picks. Thank you again for all the suggestions. Xx ♡
hiii! i’ll probably delete this later, but i just wanted to let you know i’m alive and writing!
life’s been busy (as usual + there are multiple birthdays and important days happening atm and i’m Mexican so you know there are parties happening) but i’ve been working on something i’m really, really proud of so far. there’s one thing i especially wanted to challenge myself with in this one, and that’s trying to capture what i can only describe as “swiftian prose.” whether i actually pulled it off- we’ll see 😭 but it’s been so much fun to write, and i really hope you’ll like it when it’s out.
for now, here’s a little sneak peek for the curious people looking at the blog ♡
before i post it, i’ll also share a little schedule so you know which requests are coming next and roughly when to expect them. hopefully it’ll give you something to look forward to while i’m finishing everything up!
I can totally see a situation with a 5 years old princess in which she is bargaining to sleep with her parents, especially her mom.
Fire Lady: You're a big girl Izumi, it's time to be independent.
Izumi: That's unfair! Dad is bigger than me, he should be independent first!
It's a story Zuko would tell Izumi's future husband and Iroh II future father
Druk can relate to Izumi, once he was bigger than an average dog he had to learn to sleep in his own place.
don’t you ever grow up.
— adult!fire lord zuko x fire lady!reader. bedtime rules become significantly harder to enforce when both your daughter and husband are determined to ignore them. | wc: 1,3K
The silk of your nightgown hugged you as you unpinned your hair at the vanity, letting it finally fall loose. It had been a grueling week of royal meetings, and the quiet of your bedchamber was a welcome relief.
“I told the ministers that if they try to debate the festival logistics one more time, I'm letting Toph handle the seating arrangements,” you said, turning toward the canopy bed.
Zuko was already propped up on one elbow beneath the embroidered blankets, his hair half-down. He let out a rumbly laugh.
“Please don't. I don't think we can survive whatever she considers 'organized' seating…”
Sighing happily, you stepped up to the high mattress and slipped beneath the heavy blankets. You expected the familiar warmth of your husband, but as your feet slid further under the sheets, they brushed against a tiny, solid lump curled right in the center of the bed.
You jumped back.
“Spirits!”
From the deep shadows of the pillows, a little head with unruly dark tufts popped up. Izumi blinked sleepily at you, a triumphant grin breaking across her face.
“Surprise!”
She held up one of her small hands toward the other side of the bed. Without missing a beat, Zuko leaned over and gave her a high-five.
“Zuko!” you breathed, placing a hand over your racing heart as you settled back down. “What is she doing here again? We talked about this…”
“She had that nightmare about the sea pruners two nights ago,” Zuko said. He reached over, his large hand smoothing down Izumi’s messy hair. “I found her wandering the hall and just picked her up. I didn’t think—”
“But it’s the fourth night in a row,” you interrupted, looking between your husband and your daughter. You moved closer, trying to maintain a firm, motherly tone despite how small and sweet she looked. “Izumi, sweetie, you have a large and beautiful bed of your own. Big girls sleep in their own chambers. We established the bedtime rules for a reason.”
Izumi scrambled across the blankets on all fours, wedging her small frame right into your side. She wrapped her arms tightly around your neck, burying her face into your shoulder.
“But my room is too dark at night, Mama… And it’s lonely. Even the shadows look like monsters!”
You looked up at Zuko, silently pleading for backup, but his expression looked rather sympathetic.
“You know…” Zuko started, a sheepish smile touching his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck. “She actually reminds me of someone else who couldn’t handle sleeping alone.”
You raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And who would that be?”
“Druk,” Zuko admitted with a smile.
Izumi’s head popped up, her amber eyes wide with sudden curiosity as she sat back on her heels.
“Wait… Druk? But he’s a giant dragon!”
“Not when he was a hatchling,” Zuko said, moving even closer so the three of you were clustered together. “When the Sun Warriors first entrusted his egg to me, he was very tiny. And the very first week we moved into the palace, he refused to sleep in his enclosure. Every single night, I’d wake up because he had snuck into my room, scaled the bedposts, and curled up right on my chest.”
You stared at your husband, invested in the story as much as Izumi was, a smile tugging at your lips.
“You never told me that!”
“Because it was a disaster,” Zuko laughed. “He was breathing tiny sparks in his sleep. He nearly set my blankets on fire three times. I tried everything to enforce the rules…”
“Like?” Izumi tilted her head.
“Like putting him back, closing the doors… but he’d just wail at the threshold until my ears rang.”
“So how did you fix it?” She asked, completely captivated, her hands resting on Zuko's knee.
“Well, I realized he wasn’t trying to be difficult, he was just used to the warmth of the dragon nests,” Zuko explained, his eyes dropping fondly to his daughter. “So, I built him a smaller, cozier nest right beside my bed with heated fire stones wrapped in blankets. I told him he was a noble dragon, and noble dragons needed their own domain to guard. It took a few nights… but once he realized his nest was safe and that I wasn’t going anywhere, he learned to love his own space.”
Izumi looked at you, then back at Zuko, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip.
“Is my room my domain?” she asked in a hesitant whisper.
“The grandest one in the residential wing,” you said, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.
Izumi let out a shaky breath. Her small shoulders slumped as she let go of the blanket, untangling herself from the sheets with slow movements. She dragged her feet across the mattress, her head hung low and her lower lip pushed out into a pout.
“Okay…” she said, as she stared at the blankets. “I’ll guard my own domain like Druk. I go back to my bed now.”
She swung her legs over the edge of the high mattress, her small silhouette looking so incredibly fragile in the dim light as she prepared to slide down.
You stared at those small feet, suspended above the floorboards, and a dizzying wave of realization hit you so fast it left you stunned.
‘She was going to jump. She wasn't asking to be carried anymore.’
The thought struck you along with the panic that meant seeing her slipping through your fingers into a big girl's world far too quickly.
Your fingers twitched against the sheets. The strict bedtime rules suddenly felt entirely meaningless… utterly hollow, honestly. And you could make an exception.
“Wait,” you said.
Izumi paused, looking back over her shoulder with hopeful eyes.
From beside you, Zuko turned his head toward you with a curious glance. “What happened?” he asked.
You leaned closer to your husband, your voice dropping to a tender murmur meant only for him.
“I don’t want her to grow up just yet, Zu…”
Turning your gaze back to your daughter, your expression melted into one of your warm smiles.
“How about one last night? You can guard our domain with us, and start fresh tomorrow. You’ve shown you’re a brave princess.”
Izumi’s face lit up.
With a joyful little gasp, she scrambled right back into the center of the bed, throwing herself happily into the space between you both.
Zuko let out a laugh, moving in to close the gap. He slid one arm beneath your neck to pull you close against his side, while his other arm wrapped securely over Izumi's back. You leaned in too, burying your face against Izumi's hair, sandwiching your daughter in a family hug.
“Too tight! I need air!” Izumi giggled, her hands pushing playfully against your shoulders as she squirmed against the tight embrace.
Laughing, you both loosened your grip enough to let her breathe. Izumi didn’t waste time and turned onto her side, rolling over to nestle herself against your chest.
“Mama? Can I—,” she yawned, “have a cuddle while Papa tells the story?” she requested lazily, as the safety of the bed took over.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
You moved to tuck yourself against Zuko’s side, resting your hand over his steady heartbeat while keeping your daughter securely in your arms still between you two.
Zuko pressed a kiss to your temple, his breath brushing your skin before he looked down at your daughter. In a soothing cadence he had mastered, he began. “Long ago, before the Caldera walls were built, there was a sleepy little turtle-duck who lived in the royal gardens, and he had a very important secret…”
note: i looooved this request!! 🥹💕lowkey gave it my own twist but i hope you like it, anon! i felt like writing something cozy to post while i work on some of the heavier emotional requests. xx
🏷️my dear taglist (based off your approval in the last whaletail island series - always open!xx): @highlady0239 @xoxocelestial @eepypupy @maee67 @keropiiko @yeonatingz
— adult!zuko x reader. the dangers of sharing a tent with your boyfriend after a mission. | wc: 606
cw: smut, risky/public-adjacent situation, teasing, praise, hand over mouth, teeth grazing, mdni.
Zuko’s chest pressed against your back inside the cramped tent, the canvas walls doing nothing to block out the camp outside. His forearm slid under your neck, pinning you close, while his other hand glided down your side, leaving a wake of searing heat along your ribs.
The faint scent of crushed iris petals clung to the rough blanket beneath you, mixing with the sharp, green bite of strawberry leaves sticking to his skin from the trek back.
He nudged his cock between your thighs, the blunt heat of him finding your entrance.
“Zuko—“
“Shhh.”
With an unhasty push, he sank into you. The sudden fullness drew a shaky breath from both of your lungs. His hips rolled forward, each movement agonizingly committed, thick as he rode along your inner walls before withdrawing almost entirely. After the razor-thin margin of the mission, the sheer survival adrenaline was mutating into something dangerous, making the friction of his skin feel magnified tenfold.
Your fingers curled into the edge of the blanket.
Outside, footsteps crunched on dirt, faint voices from the surrounding tents flowed closer. Zuko’s breath scalded the back of your neck as he buried his face there, his teeth grazing your skin, testing the boundary of a bite.
The pressure built too fast. You let out a ragged sigh that caught on the edge of a moan as you clamped tight around him, desperate to swallow every inch of the next stroke.
“Come on,” he whispered the complaint against your throat. “They’re right outside…”
His free hand slid down between your thighs, his palm cupping you, his fingers slicking over your clit to mirror the torturous pace of his hips. Your hand tangled into his hair, pulling hard enough to root him there, the scorching urge to scream building behind your ribs. The wet, rhythmic slip of skin on skin was barely louder than the rustle of the travel mat beneath you, but every micro-shift felt deafening. Another weak sound split your lips.
"Bury your face," he mumbled against your skin. His jaw was locked, the muscles in his shoulders taut with the effort of keeping his pace measured when his pulse was clearly racing. "If you make a sound, I have to stop. And I really, really don't want to stop…”
He kept the depth exact, rocking forward until he was seated fully against you, pausing to let the ache build before sliding out again. Every long plunge sent sparks up your spine. His finger pressing just enough to make your thighs shudder.
You whimpered, your head tossing back against his shoulder. “I can’t…”
“Yes, you can. Just breathe. Let me take care of it."
Sweat gathered where your bodies locked together. Zuko’s hand left your center to grip the bone of your hip, his fingers digging in to hold you steady as he drove in deeper.
A loud sound threatened to rip from your throat. A reckless, desperate wave crashed over you…
You didn’t care if the canvas ripped, you didn’t care if the whole camp walked in, as long as he didn't pull away. You needed the ruin of it. You needed him to keep moving.
Sense left you, your hips rolling back against his in an open invitation to get caught.
“You’re killing me…” Zuko breathed.
His palm covered your mouth, firm enough to smother the high cry that followed his next deep and unraveled thrust.
“Bite down if you need to,” he said against the shell of your ear, his control cracking as his hips finally lost their cadence, driving into you with a hard desperation that matched your own. “Just don't make a sound…”
note: just felt like writing something quick. and spicy. and i was listening to ‘so high school’ by Taylor while i practiced vocabulary expansion, so why not. xx
So glad someone else is a obsessed as I am with Zuko! Adhd hyperfixation for the win ❤️🔥
Stop, because I genuinely feel like there are way more of us than anyone realizes!! 😭💕
Honestly, one of my favorite things about posting here has been finding people who are just as obsessed with Zuko as I am. I’m a writer and a teacher in my day-to-day life, so getting to come here, share my little daydreams, and put pieces of my personality into these fics has become such a comforting part of my routine. It’s genuinely one of my favorite things ATM ❤️🩹
Every time someone interacts like this, I feel a little less alone in the hyperfixation, so please do join us, get comfortable, and let’s bring more fics to life!!!
I absolutely adore your whaletail series! It was a fun read and the Izumi and Druk one-shot was cute! I will admit that for a second I thought that the whaletail island story will end up with conception since, you know, a natural hot spring and "Izumi" means natural water source + when the couple is relaxed conceiving is more likely. However, I love how you did your ending with "we have time and when it happens it happens" I'll admit, it's a breath of fresh air! I can't wait to read more of your writing!
Ahhh thank you so much!! 🫶 I’m so happy you enjoyed the Whaletail series (and Izumi and Druk too!)
And honestly, I did consider ending it that way for a little while! But in the end, I felt like the story was more about Zuko and Reader reconnecting, slowing down, and finding time for each other again… I also wasn’t entirely comfortable jumping straight into a conception or pregnancy storyline without having established that beforehand, especially since pregnancy can be a very personal and sensitive topic for different readers.
On top of that, it’s not something I’ve personally experienced, so if I ever decide to explore that part of their lives, I’d want to take the time to do it thoughtfully and give it the attention it deserves 🥹🥹 I hold mad respect for mothers ❤️🩹 - So anyway I ended up loving the idea of them simply being in a place where they could say, “when it happens, it happens.” I’m really glad you liked it!!!
Thank you sosososo much for reading and for taking the time to send this. Comments like these genuinely make my day, and inspire me very very much 🥰
And if you ever have an idea you’d like to see, my requests are always open! I do have quite a few sitting in my inbox at the moment (which is honestly amazing and something I’m incredibly grateful for!!!), so it might take me a little while to get through them all, but I always love hearing everyone’s ideas!! 🤍Xx
After all the endeavours Lord and Lady get into I think Izumi appeared rather quickly.
AHHHHH, first of all, thank you for sending this ask! 🩵
i’ll be honest, i was so hesitant about writing her. however, your message absolutely got me thinking about her and zuko’s dynamic, and it ended up inspiring a small, comforting one-shot that it’s available now and i hope you enjoy!
“no ordinary things with you.”
it’s probably a bigger cameo than what you might have had in mind hahaha - it focuses on a little family moment between zuko, reader, and a young izumi, and it completely stole my heart while writing it nglll
that said, if there’s a specific izumi scenario you’d love to see in the future, please feel free to send it my way! i’d love to keep her in mind as i get more familiar with her character. 🥰
thank you again for the inspiration!!!! this one genuinely wouldn’t have happened without your ask. Xx
adult fire lord zuko x fire lady firebender reader | mdni. | wc: 3,1k
summary: in which the Fire Lady has meetings to attend, and a kingdom to help run, but first she has to track down her missing husband and daughter.
content: adult!fire lord zuko x fire lady!reader, established marriage, domestic fluff, princess izumi, family dynamic, light humor, kissing, druk cameo, gaang mention.
note: no poorfread. hopefully i didn’t accidentally break any avatar lore along the way. based on this request.♡
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡
Your schedule had begun before the first bleeding of gold on the horizon. By midday, you had listened to three tiresome petitions, settled a petty dispute between rival merchants, and reviewed the exhaustive plans for the upcoming Festival of Harmony celebrations. You had also sat through an agonizingly circular meeting that, by all rights of efficiency, should have been reduced to a single sheet of parchment.
When you finally settled onto the high dais, you made sure to leave room beside you for your husband out of habit.
Zuko had slipped back into the palace sometime after midnight, fresh from a self-proclaimed 'sidequest' with your friends.
You had fully intended to coax the details out of him over breakfast, especially since you had remained in the capital to shoulder the festival preparations alone. That, and ensuring Princess Izumi completed her calligraphy lessons instead of smoothly convincing her tutor that practicing dragon doodles (her current obsession) counted as proper penmanship.
Unfortunately, the Fire Lord had arrived only hours before the start of your day, and left you to have breakfast on your own. You could only assume he had marched on to his next obligation.
The meeting before you was merely a dragging continuation of yesterday’s discussions regarding the festival. Most of the ministers had already begun rustling through their thick documents when Minister Qin looked up, clearing his throat.
“Should we expect the Fire Lord today, Fire Lady?”
The question was met with a few curious glances around the chamber.
You looked at the heavy iron-wood doors. At the back of the room, your chief attendant caught your eye. Nara shook her head.
“I would certainly like to,” you replied, a practiced smile gracing your lips. “But until he arrives, I suppose you’ll all have to settle for me.”
A few ministers chuckled quietly, the tension thawing. “It is always an honor, Fire Lady.”
You smoothed the silk of your robes, leaning forward. “Shall we continue where we left off yesterday, then?”
By the time you finally emerged from the council chamber, the sharp headache brewing behind your eyes had become impossible to ignore. As had the Fire Lord’s absence.
You found Nara waiting outside, a heavy stack of parchment tucked securely beneath her arm, two younger attendants trailing like shadows behind her.
“You did wonderfully, my lady,” one of them said, stepping forward to adjust the heavy drape of your sleeve.
“Thank you. Has Princess Izumi shown herself around the courtyard today?”
The two attendants exchanged a quick glance before shaking their heads.
That was unusual. Izumi practically lived to lie in wait outside the council chamber, eager to ambush you and accompany you through the rest of your royal duties after lunch whether she had been formally invited or not.
“Not at all, my lady,” Nara replied, her fingers tracing the edge of her ledger. “I can send someone to check the tutoring rooms.”
“Yes, please do.”
Nara tilted her head toward a passing attendant, a single look conveying the command.
You let out a long exhale, rotating your shoulders to ease the tension from the dais.
“Alright. Let’s move on to the next task.”
The group fell into a rhythmic step beside you.
“So, up next we have a fitting for the banquet,” Nara recited, her eyes scanning her notes. “The floral committee requires your final approval on the centerpieces. The palace artist is also requesting another sitting for your portrait…”
You let out a groan, the sound catching in your throat.
A glimpse of Zuko would have been a saving grace by now. A kiss (preferably, something slow and entirely improper for the daytime) was out of the question. Even stealing a few moments together in an empty room or corridor, the way you used to during your first years as Fire Lady, felt like a luxury from another lifetime.
“…and the dressmakers would like to discuss alterations,” Nara continued mercilessly. “That is for the immediate hour, but we could begin the trade research before the next council meeting if you wish.”
“We would need the Fire Lord for that,” you noted. “It’s vital he’s aware of the terms before we draft the decree.”
You pressed the tips of your fingers against your temple, soothing the pulse there, just as a breathless attendant hurried toward you.
He dropped into a low bow.
“My lady.”
“Yes?”
“Princess Izumi is not in the learning room. Her tutor claims she exceeded the expectations of the day, so she was allowed a few hours of rest.”
You nodded.
“Thank you very much for your assistance.”
The attendant bowed once more before quickly retreating down the hall.
Turning back to your staff, you crossed your arms.
“Do we have a single clue where my husband is hiding? Or is today the national day of missing royals?”
“I-I heard a guard mention the Fire Lord was at the eastern training grounds,” one attendant offered hesitantly.
“Today is his rest day,” the other countered. “I saw him heading toward the palace library earlier this morning, my lady.”
Your eyes narrowed. “Is Druk, perhaps… missing from the royal stables as well?”
Both attendants nodded.
You looked directly at Nara.
Zuko wouldn't simply vanish with Izumi without a word. Not because he was incapable of it; he had spirited her away countless times since she was a baby because, according to him, the dragon-back air helped her relax; but he never did so without leaving a note, or a whisper, or a touch against your shoulder to let you know.
The absence of the Fire Lord was one thing.
The absence of the princess was another.
But together? The pair were almost certainly up to something devious. Not the dangerous, nation-shaking kind of trouble. The fun kind. And, if you were being completely honest with yourself as you stood in the corridor, you couldn’t help the sharp twist of jealousy at being left behind…
Nara closed her ledger with a decisive snap, watching your expression.
“Go look for them, my lady.”
You looked at her. “But the fitting—”
“We will manage the dressmakers, they probably will appreciate to have some food anyway,” Nara assured you. “And we will find you if they grow restless. No need to worry.”
You gave her a grateful nod.
“Very well…”
You turned on your heel and set off down the corridor, adjusting your robes with a newfound purpose, completely unaware of where your husband and daughter had escaped to, but entirely intent on catching them in the act.
The palace grew less noisy the farther you ventured from the central corridors. You decided to check the royal library first.
No Fire Lord. Just rows of ancient scrolls and a very confused head archivist.
A quick detour to the training grounds proved equally fruitless; the sun-baked court was empty, save for a few master guards practicing their forms in the heat.
With a growing list of places to cross off, you pivoted toward the western gardens.
As you neared the threshold of the outer courtyard, a guard stationed near the archway caught sight of your silks.
“Your Majesty,” he murmured, offering a bow.
You slowed your pace, pausing just a few feet away.
“Have you seen the Fire Lord and Princess Izumi, by any chance?” you asked, maintaining a polite smile that hid the storm brewing beneath your surface.
Because if the Fire Lord and the heir to the throne had truly conspired to vanish for an entire afternoon without alerting a single member of the staff, they were both about to receive a very thorough piece of your mind…
“You will find them just ahead, Fire Lady,” the guard replied, gesturing toward the garden. “They have been there for some time.”
You raised an eyebrow, offering a brief nod of thanks before continuing down the path.
The deeper you drifted into the estate's private sanctuary, the more the outside world seemed to dissolve. The distant clatter of servants, the drone of ministers, and the sheer weight of your daily obligations faded, replaced only by the gentle rustle of open-air bamboo and the soft crunch of gravel beneath your slippers.
A flash of familiar crimson stretched across the grass caught your attention.
Druk was sprawled comfortably beneath the high afternoon sun, his scales absorbing the heat like rubies. With renewed determination, you stepped around the massive curve of the dragon's tail, ready to demand an explanation.
Your daughter sat cross-legged in the grass, a big leather-bound tome propped open in her lap. It was an advanced text on history of the world, far beyond the reading level of a five-year-old. Which meant she was almost certainly fabricating the entire narrative.
“…and then the dragon became Fire Lord becauseeee he is very powerful, you know,” Izumi informed the page, her tiny brow furrowed in absolute seriousness. She traced a finger over a detailed woodblock print of a map. “…but it was very difficult because dragons do not wear shoes. It was very tragic…”
You bit the inside of your cheek as you felt laughter threatening to ruin your entrance.
Right beside her sat Zuko. Or rather, he was completely dead to the world. As in, he was taking a nap.
One of his broad arms rested loosely around your daughter’s shoulders while he reclined back against Druk’s warm, rise-and-fall flank. The dragon seemed equally invested in the collective afternoon nap, the tip of his tail curving lazily around the patch of grass to form a protective barrier, keeping the outside world at bay.
Izumi delicately turned a heavy parchment page.
“…so then the dragon made a law that everyone must stop wearing shoes!”
An elegant solution to a complex political crisis, apparently.
You simply stared, letting the sheer absurdity of the scene wash over you. Your husband had missed the meeting you carried on, and somehow, he had ended up playing mattress to a dragon while your daughter dictated constitutional reforms for shoeless mythical reptiles… By all rights of the schedule, you should have still been annoyed.
Instead, your gaze lingered on the way Izumi leaned closer into her father’s side with every page she turned, making sure he remained part of her little world even while unconscious.
You took a soft step forward.
A stray twig yielded beneath your shoe.
Izumi’s head shot up instantly, her golden eyes widening as they locked onto yours.
“Mama!” she gasped.
You quickly raised a single finger to your lips. “Shhhh.”
The little girl slapped both hands over her mouth.
You walked closer, stepping onto the grass to look down at Zuko. He let out a slow breath in his sleep, his thumb twitching where it rested on Izumi's shoulder. His head remained tilted to the side, his sharp jawline relaxed. With his hair worn half-down, the long, dark strands fell softly around his face, framing his features and catching the filtered sunlight, while the top was gathered into the small, golden headpiece of the Fire Lord.
You crouched down right beside them. The temptation was simply too great; you leaned in, reaching out to gently brush a loose strand of hair away from his forehead, when Izumi decided to shatter the silence.
Pointing a dramatic finger at her father, she said at a full-volume shout:
“Papa is sleeping!”
At the sudden noise, Zuko’s eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, instincts kicking in as a barrage of disoriented questions tumbled out of him.
“What? Who? Izumi—?” His panic ground to a sudden halt the moment his gaze landed on you. The frantic edge vanished from his face, replaced by a sheepish grin. “Oh. Hi…”
“Hello, Zu. How was the nap?” you asked with a smile, smoothly catching the massive history book just as your daughter tossed it your way.
Before the book even cleared the air, Izumi threw herself face-first across her father's lap.
“Ow—” Zuko huffed.
“Papa! You fell asleep!” she accused, burying her face into his chest.
“I apologize, Izumi…” he murmured, his voice still thick with sleep as his arms wrapped around her to keep her steady.
You couldn't help but smile, shifting your weight as you crossed your arms. “So, how exactly did the two of you manage to go missing together?”
“Well…” Zuko cleared his throat, trying to find his regal composure while simultaneously anchoring your daughter. Izumi had already moved, flipping over onto her stomach across his lap, stretching her small arms out as she desperately tried to reach a wildflower growing just out of bounds on his other side.
Holding her securely by the waist, Zuko looked up at you. “Izumi and I crossed paths right after my morning session. She told me that her tutor had granted her some free time, and that she was heading out to find Druk to read him a story.”
You let out a soft gasp, catching your daughter's eye.
“On your own, little lady?”
“Yep!” Izumi chirped. She didn't even look up, entirely invested in her rescue mission for the flower, her legs kicking in the air.
You shook your head with a sigh, your focus going back to Zuko, who gave you a helpless look.
“… Of course, I wasn’t about to let her wander the grounds unattended,” Zuko continued, guiding Izumi just an inch closer so she could finally snag the stem. “I accompanied her, fully intending to head straight back to the council chamber once she was settled with Druk. But…”
“But my stories made him sleepy,” Izumi finished for him. She finally pulled back, clutching the flower in her fist, her bottom lip out in a dramatic pout.
“I’m pretty sure Druk was the one who was supposed to be listening,” you noted, tilting your head toward the dragon, who let out a whistling snore that sent a tiny puff of smoke curling from his nostrils.
Izumi blinked, looking at the slumbering reptile. “Oh. He’s asleep too!”
Forgetting her pout, she scrambled off Zuko’s lap, dropping her freshly picked flower on his knee.
“Druk! Wake up! You missed the part about the shoes!” She began enthusiastically patting the dragon’s scales in an attempt to rouse him.
Zuko watched her for a moment before his gaze traveled back up to you.
“I know I should have gone to the chamber,” he said. “Even though I’m sure you took care of everything. I only meant to close my eyes for a minute…”
“I know. You were missed, though,” you admitted, letting your arms drop to your sides. You stepped a little closer, the annoyance completely melting away. “I missed you. And I still want to know how everything went yesterday.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out to take your hand. “You didn’t miss much…”
“That’s never true,” you countered with a roll of your eyes, stepping into his space to squeeze his hand.
His free hand drifted up to his hair, his fingers combing through the dark strands that had ruffled against Druk's scales during his nap.
“Well…”
“I’m all ears!”
Zuko let out a huff of laughter. “Katara and I spent half the trip trying to convince Aang that a four-hundred-year-old bridge was structurally unsafe…”
“Let me guess,” you interrupted. “He crossed it anyway.”
“And there’s no bridge anymore,” Zuko finalized, shaking his head at the memory.
“Why am I not surprised?”
A heavy rustle of grass disrupted the conversation as Izumi gave Druk an especially enthusiastic, two-handed shove.
The dragon grunted in his sleep, moving his massive weight to find a more comfortable position. As he rearranged his heavy coils, his long tail swept across the grass. The muscle bumped right against the back of your knees.
“Mama!”
You stumbled forward into a freefall, but Zuko’s hands caught your waist mid air, pulling you down flat against his chest instead of the dirt. The sudden weight knocked the breath from him in a gasp, but his arms didn’t wait to wrap around your back, pinning you against him.
Your faces were inches apart, your hair mingling with his where it rested against his shoulders.
“Well,” Zuko teased, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “This is a pleasant turn of events…”
“Blame your dragon,” you whispered, yet you didn't make the slightest effort to move.
You didn't give him a chance to tease any further. Leaning down, you closed the remaining distance between your lips. Zuko let out a defeated sound against your mouth, his hand sliding up to cup the back of your neck.
“Can I fit here too?”
The little voice made you both smile against each other's lips. Pulling apart, you looked down to find Izumi already maneuvering her way into the grass beside Zuko. She burrowed herself under his free arm, using his ribs as a pillow before flopping the heavy book open.
“Now we can all read together,” she decided, looking up at you both expectantly. “Laying down is better anyway.”
You chuckled, shifting around until you were tucked comfortably against Zuko’s other side, resting your head on his chest. The three of you settled into the grass, Druk’s warm flank radiating heat behind you like a furnace against the afternoon breeze.
“Fire Lady?”
You didn't even have to look up to know Nara had finally tracked you down, a junior attendant hovering nervously behind her as they approached.
Zuko let out a sigh, you felt the rise and fall of his chest beneath your cheek.
“We should probably go,” he acknowledged as his grip on your waist tightened, contradicting his words.
You closed your eyes, letting the peace of the garden wash over you. The headache that had been threatening to split your skull all morning was entirely gone, and you had missed your family so much…
“No,” you said, stretching your legs out beneath your silks. “We’re going to lay with her. The urgent things have already been taken care of today.”
Raising your head enough to catch Nara’s eye, you offered a calm smile that brooked no argument.
“Nara? Please tell the dressmakers to come back tomorrow. The Fire Lord and I are occupied with state matters.”
Nara took in the scene: your finally relaxed posture, Zuko’s half-down hair, and Izumi, who was already deep into an entirely fabricated chapter about a sky bison who loved crowns.
“Understood, my lady,” Nara said, bowing low. “I shall reschedule everything for the morning.“
As the rustle of their footsteps faded back down the gravel path, Zuko let out a low laugh, his fingers tracing soothing circles against your shoulder. You tucked yourself closer against his side.
“So, the sky bison said what?” Zuko asked your daughter.
“Oh, he said… my crown is so pretty. Like the Fire Lady’s…”
Zuko pressed a soft kiss to your temple as Izumi’s voice drifted through the warm air, the afternoon sun beginning its slow descent over the Caldera.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚
note: i had to do an embarrassing amount of research for something that was supposed to be no plot just vibes. buuuut i hope you liked it! thank you again to the request that inspired this! xx
🏷️my dear taglist (based off your approval in the last whaletail island series - always open!xx): @highlady0239 @xoxocelestial @eepypupy @maee67 @keropiiko @yeonatingz
Hiiii!! I don’t know if requests are open, sorry if they aren’t!! I had in my mind one Adult Zuko x (earthbender) fem reader inspired by Too Little, Too Late by Laufey, where reader was scared to confess to Zuko when they were kids/teenage and now reader regrets because Zuko is in arranged marriage but he also loved and still does love reader, (lyrics are key imo) I don’t write good fics and I loved yours earlier works so I thought that you would be the best person to write this fic!! Have a good day!!
Hello!! No worries at all, requests are always open! I just take forever to get to them because life keeps me busy💔, but here I am!
So:
1. You have just introduced me to an AMAZING song, so thank you for that because holy cow???
2. IT’S HAPPENING.
Thank you so much for sending this in and for trusting me with your idea 🥹 It genuinely means a lot, and I really hope you enjoy what I end up posting for it in a few days! — The only thing is… how much hurt are we talking here? 👀 Am I allowed to make it a HEA? Or are we embracing the full Too Little, Too Late experience?
I’ll throw up a poll and let everyone vote on my fate…
what would you like for this idea?
yes, make it a HEA!
no, i love to suffer!
Voting ended onJun 13
Thank you again for your support and for sending this request in!! 💕 xx
*btw if you reading this wrote this request and your original idea is not winning on the poll, send another request letting me know what you want so we respect it hehe
('island breeze and lights down low.' — part four. Part one here.)
adult fire lord zuko x fire lady firebender reader | contains smut | mdni. | wc: 9,2k
summary: in which a missing fire lord leads to a secluded morning at the hot springs, the soka summit ends with one final round of chaos, and everyone discovers that saying goodbye to whaletail island is much harder than expected.
content: adult!fire lord zuko x fire lady!firebender reader, explicit sexual content [p in v, choking lowkey], established marriage, featuring the gaang (+suki obvi), humor, element bending (sokka keeps backbending duh), minor injury mention, alcohol/hangover mention, suggestive jokes, post-war, fluff, pregnant!katara, discussions of future children, happy ending.
note: pls ignore any accidental lore inconsistencies, i had to fill some restoration era/island worldbuilding gaps with my own interpretations hehe. sorry for the delay, not proofread tho. im not crying you are, but i hope you enjoyed your stay in whaletail island. ♡
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡
The final morning on Whaletail Island arrived wrapped in golden sunlight, crisp sea air, and entirely unreasonable levels of anticipation. Mostly because of the hot springs. And maybe, just a little, because of your husband.
You woke slowly, stretching your arms over your head before reaching across the mattress. Empty. The sheets were still warm to the touch, telling you that you had only missed him by a few minutes.
Frowning in mild disappointment, you washed up, pulled on a light, comfortable robe, and headed downstairs. The cabin was weirdly quiet. Everyone had gone to bed after the festival last night, so you could only assume the rest of the group was still sound asleep.
Everyone except Sokka, that is.
You spotted him sitting near the sunlit window, a steaming mug of tea forgotten on the ledge beside him. He was holding a piece of cloth, entirely absorbed in polishing the shiny tin surface of his new medallion.
You grabbed a fresh piece of fruit from the kitchen bowl as you walked into the room.
"Morning, champion!", you greeted him.
"Morning, my fellow champion," Sokka replied, holding the medal up to the light and squinting to check for streaks.
You took a bite of your fruit, glancing around the empty common area. You tried to make the gesture look effortless… but you were trying perhaps too hard.
Sokka lowered the medal, giving you a knowing look.
“Looking for Zuko?"
"No." You crossed your arms, leaning your weight onto one hip in total indifference. "Why? Have you, uh... seen him around?"
Sokka went back to buffing the metal, a smug grin playing on his lips.
"He left about half an hour ago after eating breakfast."
Your eyebrows shot up, you tried to mask it by twirling a loose strand of hair around your finger, suddenly invested in inspecting your split ends.
"He did? That’s funny…”
"Yep. He never really struck me as a morning person, but I guess being the Fire Lord changes a man," Sokka said, still too focused on his prize. He let a heavy beat pass before he casually sipped his tea. "He went up to the hot springs."
You dropped your hair, smoothing down the front of your robe.
“Okay. Thank you. See you.” You turned on your heel, ready to bolt out the door.
"Wait." Sokka narrowed his eyes, pointing the polishing cloth at you. "He specifically told me not to let anybody go up there."
You paused, looking back over your shoulder.
"...Anybody?"
"Anybody."
You nodded thoughtfully, tapping your chin.
"Interesting… Well," you said cheerfully, taking a step toward the exit. "It's a good thing I’m not going to the hot springs, then."
Sokka blinked, looking at his cup. "You're not?"
"No! Why would I, especially since he asked you to guard the path?" You walked over and gave his shoulder a supportive pat. "You’re doing a fantastic job, by the way! Keep it up. Just in case Katara or Toph want to go up anytime soon…”
"Katara is locked in her room," Sokka noted, shaking his head. "She asked me to make sure nobody disturbed her, either. Apparently, Aang is feeling under the weather this morning."
"He's not feeling well?" you asked, intrigued by Katara's suspiciously familiar strategy.
Sokka sighed.
“Yeah, Katara said he wouldn’t appreciate any noise or disturbances while she helped him 'relax' and recover."
"I see..." You smiled to yourself, respecting Katara's brilliant execution. "What about Toph?"
"She’s sleeping outside in the hammock," Sokka explained, setting his tea down to give his medal one final wipe. "She didn’t explicitly tell me to keep people away, but honestly, I wouldn’t go near her if I were you. She’s terribly hungover."
"That sounds dangerous," you agreed.
"Yeah. Anyway... where exactly are you going if you're not heading to the hot springs?"
"I'm actually going to gather..." You looked around the room, your eyes scrambling for inspiration before landing on the fruit bowl. "...sea-plums!"
Sokka stared flatly at you. "Sea-plums?"
"Very important. Essential for breakfast."
"You don’t even like sea-plums. I know that for a fact!”
"I’ve changed…”
"You changed overnight?"
"People grow, Sokka." You quickly turned and made a break for the front door.
Sokka slowly lowered his cloth, his eyes widening as the pieces connected. "...Wait."
You offered a cheerful wave without turning back.
“Bye!"
"WAIT!"
By the time Sokka scrambled to the open doorway, your laughter was already echoing down the trail as you hurried toward the secluded area.
"What happened?" Suki asked, leaning against the doorframe and rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she walked up behind him.
Sokka watched your retreating figure for a moment, a spark igniting in his eyes. He turned to Suki, proudly slipping his shiny champion medal around his neck before looping his arm smoothly through hers.
“You know what they say, babe! If you can’t beat them, join them."
Suki blinked up at him, very confused.
"… What does that mean in this situation, Sokka?"
"It means," Sokka said, his voice dropping into an uncharacteristically romantic tone as he reached up to tenderly tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "that you and I are going to go check out those beautiful waterfalls on the other side of the island."
Suki's eyes sparkled with delight, her hands resting flat against his chest as she stepped closer into his space.
“We are?"
"For sure," Sokka murmured, leaning down to press a sweet, lingering kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, a look of authority took over his face, and he cleared his throat loudly. "And NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO GO NEARBY!"
Suki laughed, swatting his shoulder playfully.
"Why are you shout—?"
A perfectly aimed pebble flew through the open doorway and struck Sokka dead in the back of the head.
"Ow!" Sokka yelped, rubbing the spot and spinning around.
"No one is going anywhere, you loudmouthed boomerang-brain!" Toph’s scratchy, hungover voice boomed across the yard. "Everyone is clearly busy! Now shut your traps and leave before I actually get up!"
Sokka and Suki froze for an instant before Sokka grabbed Suki’s hand, spun on his heel, and the two of them bolted out the back door toward the waterfalls in silence.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
You followed the narrow path upward, brushing past vibrant clusters of wildflowers and dark stone already warmed by the morning sun. Every so often, faint wisps of steam drifted between the rock faces ahead, disappearing into the fresh sea breeze before you could even reach them.
Rounding one final bend in the trail, you stopped.
The hot springs sat nestled within a beautifully sheltered hollow carved directly into the heart of the cliffs. Several natural pools stepped gently down the rock face, their crystal-clear surfaces veiled by drifting, shifting ribbons of steam. Mineral-rich water spilled lazily from one stone basin into the next before disappearing into a narrow channel that ran down toward the sea. The entire place felt hidden from the rest of the world.
To make it even better, a few of the larger, natural rock pools were separated by heavy, ivory privacy curtains. Following a strong suspicion, you walked toward the largest pool at the very end of the path, where thick steam rose like a protective wall. Holding your breath, you stepped up to the curtain and peeked through the fabric.
Zuko was leaning back against the dark volcanic stone with his eyes closed. One broad, muscled arm was stretched along the rocky edge of the spring, and just looking at him made your thoughts spin…
His hair was in a bun, you noticed. Morning sunlight filtered through the mist, catching in the damp, dark strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead. For a moment, you stood there and stared, taking him in.
Without even opening his eyes, he spoke. "You know, I could feel you coming a mile away."
You stepped fully into the enclosure, pulling the curtain aside behind you.
"Maybe I wanted to be felt," you teased, stepping closer. "I wouldn’t want to interrupt anyone else’s private rest time."
Zuko opened his eyes.
"I would love nothing more than for you to interrupt mine. Please, don’t be shy."
His gaze dipped pointedly toward the edge of the pool where his clothes lay on the ground, inviting you in.
Now that you were inside the curtained space, you realized just how spacious and hidden it actually was. To the right of the natural spring, someone had laid down a plush arrangement of thick blankets and soft pillows on the smooth ground. Overhead, glowing strings of lights hung across the rocks like the ones outside your cabin.
You walked over to the flat stone on the left where Zuko had neatly left his clothes, and your fingers went to the ties of your outfit. You hadn't dressed in anything extravagant or fitting for a Fire Lady today; you had chosen a simple, airy white dress. As you unfastened it and let the fabric slip down to the floor, Zuko's eyes found you.
He leaned his chin in his hand, a beautifully tired, heavy-lidded expression on his face as he watched you from the water. He didn’t need to utter a single word. The dark, burning intensity in his eyes told you everything you needed to know: your husband was incredibly eager to get his hands on you.
Fully naked, you stepped closer to the edge of the spring, carefully scanning the wet, smooth stones to find a way in without clumsily ruining the ambiance growing between you.
Zuko’s half-smile widened at your caution. He began to stand up.
As he rose from the steaming depths, the water cascaded off his frame in shimmering sheets, and a quiet truth hit you all over again- you would never, ever get tired of seeing him naked. The light helped defining the hard, sculpted lines of his chest and the sharp ridges of his abs. Everything was slick with heat, a dozen glistening water droplets tracking slow paths down the prominent, deeply cut V-line of his hips. Your gaze instinctively flicked lower, catching a brief, heated glimpse of him completely bared and uncovered, before you quickly brought your eyes back up to meet his.
“Come here," he said in a rough command.
"Such a gentleman," you teased softly, slipping your hand into his grip.
The water took you in with a rush of enveloping heat as you sank into the sculpted basin of the spring directly opposite him. Your tired muscles began to loosen, and your body practically sighed with gratitude as the water rose to your collarbones. Unable to help yourself, an involuntary moan escaped your lips.
"This is so good," you breathed, letting your head fall back against the stone. "We really need to take warm baths like this more often, don’t you think?"
"I think we can definitely arrange that," Zuko replied, the water sloshing as he sat. "These past few days have shown us both that there are a lot of things we should be doing more often..."
"Like allowing Sokka to organize more of our group events?" you asked, a playful smile tucking at your lips as you inhaled the damp steam.
Zuko let out a quiet laugh under his breath.
"I’m still pondering if that’s a risk we can safely take."
You opened your eyes to find him watching you. "Oh, admit it, he’s been a fantastic host! And he completely helped me redeem my honor in the harbor games last night, which, you know more than anyone is a massive deal—ow!"
As you tried to shrug your shoulders emphasis, a sharp twinge of pain cut through the base of your neck. Your hand immediately darted up to press against the tight knot nestled right between your neck and shoulder blade. The inevitable price of spending weeks hunched over endless stacks of scrolls back at the palace.
Before you could even complain, Zuko moved.
His hands found your waist beneath the water, his grip firm and effortless as he guided you around, pulling your back against his chest so you were sitting right between his thighs. His fingers brushed your hand away from your neck.
"Allow me," he said against your ear as his thumbs found the exact center of the ache, applying an amazingly deep pressure.
"Zuko," you gasped, your head lolling back as the agonizing tension finally began to break. "Agni... right there, yes..."
He laughed.
"What?" you asked, leaning into the intoxicating heat of his touch.
"Nothing, just keep relaxing," he replied, his thumbs tracing slow circles over the tight muscles. "But this is exactly why you need to let me take care of more of the daily scrollwork."
"Absolutely not," you mumbled, your head swaying slightly with the rhythm of his hands. "Then you would be the one hurting, and you already do more than enough."
His hands paused for a fraction of a second, his chest expanding with a deep breath against your back.
“You do enough too," he whispered tenderly.
He leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss to the bare curve of your shoulder, before his hands slipped back to work, melting the last of your stress away into the steam.
For a while, neither of you said anything. The silence wasn’t awkward; it never was with him.
The entire island felt slower this morning, as though even the world itself had decided to rest after the chaos of the past few days.
When his hands finally left your shoulders, you let your head fall back against his chest. Zuko’s arms didn’t need an instruction to wrap around your middle beneath the water, pulling you flush against him as he rested his face against your damp hair.
“This has been nice,” you said in a quiet whisper, feeling your eyelids grow heavy. You could have fallen asleep right there in his arms without a single regret...
You felt the faint vibration of his laugh against your back before you actually heard it.
“Which part? The retreat or the collapsing shrine?”
“The retreat,” you smiled, nudging him with your shoulder.
Your arms shifted beneath the surface, settling more comfortably as you folded them over his, locking your fingers with his hands.
“Yeah,” he admitted after a moment with his chin resting on your shoulder. “It really has. But don’t tell Sokka.”
“Because you’re going to tell him yourself, right?” you said. Zuko let out a low noise of complaint against your neck. “Come on, Zu. He deserves it.”
“Fine. I will tell him,” he conceded. “It has been... quite enjoyable.”
There was something unusually raw and honest in his tone that made you move to glance back at him.
Moments like this were rare throughout the years: just the two of you, with no responsibilities, no titles, and no one expecting anything from you. Your gaze lingered on him a second longer than you intended.
Naturally, Zuko noticed. “You keep looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re… thinking.”
You smiled. “I am thinking, dear husband.”
“That’s what worries me, dear wife.”
You laughed, shifting your hand beneath the water to splash a small wave in his direction.
The playful sound died down when his hand lifted from your waist, his fingers gently brushing against your cheek.
The cut. It was tiny, barely visible now under the morning light, but it didn’t stop his thumb from tracing the uninjured skin just beneath it.
You groaned, tilting your head back. “Zuko…”
His eyes didn’t leave the scratch.
“I can’t help it. It still bothers me.”
“It was barely even a cut, come on…”
“You were bleeding…”
Wanting to put an end to his worrying, you twisted around to face him properly, sending small ripples cascading through the water. Sensing your movement, Zuko's hands caught your hips, effortlessly guiding you until you were sitting straddling his lap, your thighs framing his waist.
“It was a scratch,” you insisted, placing your hands on his broad shoulders.
“It was your face!”, he insisted.
“I've had much worse. Remember my fight with the sea monster?”
Zuko paused, a panicked blankness washing over his features. “Not really, no…”
“True... that was back when you were still chasing us,” you chuckled, clearing your throat. “Anyway! I survived that, and I am still in one piece. Plus, there are people out there who constantly get hurt doing much sillier things.”
“And?”
“And I think surviving a rogue pebble from a collapsing ancient shrine is fairly impressive by comparison.”
That finally earned a reluctant smile from him, the tension in his shoulders dropping a fraction.
You leaned closer. “I’m fine, Zu. I promise. You don’t have to feel bad about it!”
His hand slid from your cheek, his fingers cupping your jawline with a familiarity that ran straight to your core.
“I know you’re fine.”
“But…?”
“But I still don’t like it.”
His grip on your hip tightened, pressing you to him as if a sudden gust of wind might steal you away. Even after all these years, the mere sight of a mark on your skin unsettled him so deeply it showed in the tight, sharp tension of his unscarred brow.
The crown, the throne, the nation… none of it mattered in the face of the terrifying truth written in his eyes: losing you remained the most frightening thing in his world.
You leaned forward, closing the small distance between you, and pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth.
When you pulled away, Zuko's eyes stayed closed for a long second, his breath hitching against your lips. His thumb smoothed over your jawline, his hand remaining resting against your face.
“You know I adore you, right?” he asked.
The question caught you so thoroughly off guard, leaving you to do nothing but nod blindly against his touch.
“I just…” He exhaled quietly, the warm breath fanning across your lips as he looked down at you. “Sometimes I look at you, and I think about everything this life asks of you.”
You blinked, his words sending a wave of curiosity through you.
“Zuko, what are you talking about?”
His hand slid from your cheek to the back of your neck, his long fingers tracing the exact alignment of muscles that had been knotting up with pain only moments earlier.
“Things like that,” he answered, his thumb rubbing a comforting circle into your skin. “And the scrolls. The endless meetings. The ministries and the councils. The fact that this entire vacation has been the most enjoyable time I’ve seen you have all year.”
“That's not true!" you countered. "I really loved putting together the chorus of kids for your birthday celebration last month…”
A smile broke through his seriousness. “Aside from that.”
His thumb continued its hypnotic movement against your skin.
“You wake up before everyone else in the palace. You go to sleep after everyone else has gone to bed. Half the time, I look at you and realize you’re carrying problems that should be entirely mine to bear.”
“They are ours,” you emphasized, lifting your hands to cradle the smooth side of his face.
“They became yours because of me,” he replied, his voice dropping into a register of what you knew was deeply rooted guilt.
“Zu…”
His gaze pulled away from yours, looking down at the rippling water between your chests. “You were one of the first people who truly trusted me when I wanted to change.”
“Actually, I think that honor goes to Toph,” you pointed out.
“You were one of the first people who trusted me,” he corrected, a hint of his usual stubbornness returning.
“Better.”
His smile faded back into a memory that clearly still lived right beneath his skin.
“I still remember the Western Air Temple, how you looked at me back then,” he whispered, his grip on the back of your neck tightening enough to pull you a fraction closer. “I remember thinking that I didn't deserve that kind of unyielding faith. And I remember promising myself that I’d spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of it.”
His voice had gone quiet, barely carrying over the rhythmic lapping of the water against the stone.
You looked at him, at the man who still carried the ghosts of his past even after all these years of peace. At the man who had spent decades trying to become someone worthy of the trust people placed in him, completely blind to the fact that he already was. He couldn’t just say those things.
“Zuko, I…”
He looked at you. Whatever verbal response he had been expecting, it clearly wasn’t what you did instead.
You reached up, cupping both sides of his face to pull him down into a deep and loving kiss, hoping the absolute devotion in the touch would suffice as an answer where words failed.
As the seconds stretched, his hand slid up into your damp hair, while your own hands settled against the sides of his neck.
When the kiss finally broke, it was only because breathing had become a necessity. Zuko didn't pull away far, resting his forehead against yours, his chest rising and falling in heavy and synchronized breaths with your own.
“You know,” he said, as he brushed the tip of his nose against yours, “most people answer serious conversations with actual words.”
You smiled, your eyes fluttering shut as a wave of absolute bliss washed over you, leaning into him. “Luckily for you, most people aren’t married to me.”
He let out a breathless chuckle, his lips grazing yours with the movement.
“Yeah,” he whispered, his eyes dropping to your mouth in a self induced trance. “Incredibly lucky.”
The trace of his smile vanished before the sudden reminder that the two of you were entirely alone, and perfectly hidden away in a secluded hot spring at the very edge of the world.
Water crested over your shoulders as his hand spanned the curve of your waist, erasing the last inch of space until you were resting against his lap.
“Your chosen way of answering is incredibly tempting, Fire Lady.”
“Is it, Fire Lord?” you questioned, tilting your chin up to meet his eyes.
“You have no idea.”
You found his lips again, unable to repress a needy moan the second your mouths met. The sound only seemed to undo his remaining restraint, prompting him to pull you impossibly closer until there wasn't a single inch of space left between your bodies.
Your hands slid down his neck to his broad chest you loved so much, and your palms caressed the hard plane of his muscles beneath the water, your hips moving with an involuntary tilt against him.
Zuko let out a moan against your lips, his hand traveling up from your shoulder to cradle the curve of your throat. He didn't squeeze, but the pressure of his palm against your racing pulse made you feel like you were burning from the inside out.
His other hand traveled down from your waist, his fingers tracing path along the side of your breast before his mouth abruptly left yours. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, pressing a row of kisses against your skin while his hand moved to afford him room.
He went lower. His lips closed over the breast his hand had only teased, sucking while his tongue flicked across your nipple. You gasped and pressed his head closer with both hands, one gripping his shoulder and the other tangled in his hair.
“Zuko, please,” you breathed.
The hand at your waist slid beneath the water. He gripped his cock, stroking once before guiding the head to your entrance. His other hand tightened at your throat just enough to pull you down. You sank onto him, pausing twice to adjust to the stretch. A broken moan left you once you were fully seated with his length buried deep inside.
“Are you alright?” he asked against your cheek.
You answered with a shaky nod and jagged breaths. Once the burn eased into pleasure, you began to move.
Your hips rose and fell, water rippling around you. His hand started to venture from your throat. You intercepted him, wrapping your fingers around his wrist and pulling his hand firmly back into place. He smiled darkly and his fingers spread wide against your neck, applying just enough heavy pressure to anchor you down as he drove you into a faster, harder rhythm.
Every drop of your hips forced his cock deeper, the thick stretch dragging against your walls until your vision blurred. The surface of the water churned and bubbled from the heat radiating off both of you, steam rising in thick white sheets until the air itself felt heavy and wet against your skin.
You let out a shaky and breathless laugh, your pace never faltering. “Are you trying to boil us alive?” you gasped, leaning down to press your forehead to his.
Zuko didn't laugh. His head fell heavily into the crook of your neck where another moan build up, his fingers sinking into the skin of your hips to keep you in place.
“Don't joke right now,” he ground out, as his body trembled beneath yours. “Not when you’re doing this to me. Keep moving.”
You leaned into the pressure, chasing the dizzying rush it gave you. Your pussy clenched tight around him with every thrust. Sweat trickled down your spine and between your breasts even as the spring soaked your skin.
“That’s it,” he growled against your ear.
Your hips kept jerking and grinding as the coil in your belly wound tighter and tighter. Zuko’s cock hit that perfect spot again and again until your whole body seized.
You spasmed hard around him, pulsing and squeezing in rhythmic waves as the orgasm crashed through you. Your thighs trembled. Your back arched, pressing your chest to his while your inner walls fluttered and milked his length.
Zuko held you through it, grip firm at your throat and hip, letting you ride out every last shudder. Only when your body finally went limp against him did he release your throat.
His mouth crashed onto yours, tongue sliding against yours as he stood in one smooth motion.
Water poured off both of you. His hands hooked beneath your thighs and lifted you without ever pulling out, keeping you impaled on his cock as he carried you from the spring, steam still coming off of your overheated skin.
The cool island breeze hit you for only a fraction of a second before he set you down over the thick blankets, carefully positioning you right in the center of the plush layout. As he hovered over you, you couldn't help but notice that his messy bun had somehow remained intact through all of it.
You reached up, both of your hands framing the sides of his head to draw him down.
“You know what the funny thing is?” you asked, your voice catching as you briefly pressed your eyes shut, your fingers tightening in his hair at the overwhelming sensation of him sliding deeper inside of you on your position.
“Hm?” he murmured, his breath hitching as he braced his weight over you.
“You keep talking about the crown like it’s something terrible that just happened to me.”
Zuko frowned as he leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead.
“... but it did.”
You shook your head against the pillow, looking up into his eyes.
“No. You forget I knew exactly who you were when I chose you... I knew you even before the throne.”
You locked your fingers behind his neck, pulling him down so his chest would be against yours, dragging deliciously against you with every move, and making you both moan from the skin to skin feeling.
“Becoming the Fire Lord, the crushing responsibilities, the endless meetings and impossible schedules... of course, nothing could’ve truly prepared me for the reality of it. But none of that matters. Not when you’ve held my hand through every single second of it.” You spoke. “And if I had the chance to go back to the very beginning and do it all over again…”
You leaned up, tilting your head to press an adoring kiss directly against the rough skin of his scarred cheek.
“… it’s going to sound cheesy, but, I would still choose you, Zuko. No doubt at all.”
He froze completely, his breath catching in his throat as his brow twitched.
He gave you a breathtakingly vulnerable smile.
"You have no idea what hearing you say that does to me," he said. His large hands slid down to pin your hips firmly into the blankets. "If you keep talking to me like that, I'm never going to let you leave."
"That’s alright," you said, moving so you’d lock your ankles behind his waist. "I don't really plan on going anywhere."
Abandoning all hesitation, he leaned down to capture your lips once again. Tongue gliding deep to taste every corner of your mouth while his hips began a measured roll.
Zuko kept his chest pressed to yours, the solid weight of him pinning you to the blankets without crushing. His breath came out in visible wisps, mingling with the steam rising from your joined bodies.
He broke the kiss only long enough to murmur against your lips,“I love you,” before sealing the words with another slow grind of his hips.
“I love you, Zuko,” you replied as your heels rested against the small of his back while he moved. The angle let him sink fully each time, the base of his cock brushing your clit on every downward stroke.
Your fingers slid into his hair, careful not to disturb the bun, and tugged gently. The small pull earned another moan from him. Pleasure coiled tighter with every pass, your inner walls fluttering around him.
“Don’t stop,” you gasped out, winding your arms tighter around his shoulders.
Zuko let out a low breath, his gaze fixing on yours with absolute adoration. “I wouldn’t dare,” he ground out, his thumb caressing your cheek. “Look at what you do to me— spirits, you're perfect.”
His hand slid beneath your lower back, lifting your hips so he could drive even deeper. The new angle made your breath hitch, a broken sound escaping you that he swallowed with another kiss. His own breathing grew ragged, and he whispered your name between kisses with need.
Your climax crashed through you, inner walls clamping down around his cock as you cried out his name. The sound and feeling triggered his own release; Zuko groaned loudly, hips stuttering as he spilled deep inside you, cock throbbing with each spurt of cum. Both of you moaned through the shared peak, bodies locked together, breath steaming between your mouths.
He stayed buried inside you for a moment, forehead pressed to yours and still breathing hard.
When you felt like the shocks were coming down from your body, Zuko had you sit up. His hand reached up to his head, and with a quick tug, he finally undid the messy bun, letting his dark hair fall completely loose around his face. He started to maneuver himself lower onto the covers until he could drape your legs over his shoulders.
You looked down at him, breathless. “I don’t think I can do this again…”
He hooked his hands behind the back of your knees, pulling you forward until you were hovering right over his face. Looking up at you, Zuko parted his lips with anticipation, thumb stroking your thighs as he drank in the sight of you, his mouth seemed to be watering for a taste.
“You’re the Fire Lady, there are no impossibles for you” he affirmed in a rough voice. His hot breath washed over your damp skin, making you shiver as his eyes locked onto yours. “Move however you please…”
Zuko’s fingers dug into your thighs as he pulled you down onto his waiting mouth. His tongue dragged through your slick folds in one hungry stroke before sealing over your clit. A low groan vibrated against you, sending a tremor of heat snapping up your spine. His hands slid up the backs of your legs, fingers splaying wide to keep you steady while his lips sealed around the sensitive bundle of nerves over and over again.
“Right there,” you said, one palm stayed braced against the slick stone lip of the nearby spring while the other cupped the back of his skull, holding him exactly where you needed.
You moved faster, grinding down, chasing the sharp edge that built low in your belly. Every breath came shorter.
Heat built fast. Your firebending stirred without conscious thought as bubbles rose in sudden bursts from the pool. The water in the spring churned, giving off a thick, blinding cloud of condensation that rolled upward in waves, filling every corner of the space in response to the flare inside you.
Zuko’s hands slid higher, palms hot on your ass, urging you to take what you needed. You moved faster, riding his mouth with growing urgency. His nose brushed your clit with every forward rock while his tongue thrust deep, drinking every drop you gave him.
“Spirits…”, you gasped, feeling his hands going up your chest.
The pressure coiled again. Your thighs trembled around his head. You leaned harder on the spring’s, knuckles whitening. Your fingers threaded deeper into his hair, gripping the strands as you rocked forward, guiding the angle until the flat of his tongue met your clit with each pass.
You locked down, completely undone as the climax ripped through you. Your thighs clamped tight around his jaw, trapping him in your scorching heat. You could only gasp as your body buckled again and again under the relentless strokes of his tongue.
Zuko kept licking steadily until the tremors eased and your grip on his hair loosened. Only then did his hands ease their hold, letting you sink back onto your heels above him, breath still ragged and skin flushed from the combined heat of the springs and your own doing.
Exhausted, you moved off him, settling back down right next to him on top of the thick blankets. The moment you were at his side, Zuko rolled over and pulled you against his chest. His long arms wrapped around you, shielding your naked skin from the cool island breeze while he buried his face in your hair, inhaling deeply.
You let out a luxurious sigh while melting into his solid chest. "I’d have this every day if I could," you murmured, pressing a lazy kiss to his collarbone.
Zuko let out a hum against your skin, a sound of unbothered satisfaction.
"But sadly," you teased, tracing a line down his chest, "we have to go back eventually."
He didn't even open his eyes. He just shook his head against your cheek. “Not yet. As far as I know, everyone’s minding their own business. And if we get back now, we’d be interrupting them.”
”You have a point…”
Propping your chin on his chest, you looked up taking in the sight of him. The fierce and rigid lines of the Fire Lord had completely melted away, replaced by an expression so serene it felt sacred. A rosy warmth still stained his cheeks, and his dark hair fell in loose waves across his forehead. He looked utterly striking like this: unraveled and at peace.
Glancing past him, you looked around the secluded clearing, your fingers smoothing over the fabric beneath you.
“The blankets are so comfortable, though. I wonder if the rest of the secluded springs have them…”
His eyes flickered open.
”I wouldn’t wonder if I were you,” he murmured, his fingers caressed the small of your back. ”Instead, I’d stay with my husband, and not question why we have them.”
You blinked. Your eyes dropped to the heavy fabric beneath your hands, tracing the intricate, familiar gold stitching running along the rich crimson border. It was a pattern you knew by heart: the exact weave used for the private linens inside the Caldera palace.
"Oh, of course you would," you gasped, a wide smile breaking across your face as you nudged his chest. "You set them up!"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he replied , the warmth in his eyes giving him away. He pulled you up until his lips could graze yours in a fiercely loving kiss. "But since we're here, and the blankets are so comfortable... I suggest you take advantage of it."
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
By the time the two of you finally made your way down the cliffside path and stepped back through the front door of the cabin, the quiet sanctuary you had left that morning was completely gone. In its place, was a wall of chaotic noise echoing straight out of the kitchen.
You and Zuko paused in the doorway, radiating the serene, heavy-lidded bliss of people who (momentarily, at least) hadn't a single care in the world as you took in the absolute disaster happening over the kitchen table.
"For the last time, Sokka, we need to pack!" Katara’s voice shrieked, her hands thrown in the air as she glared at her brother. "The fish won’t be able to cook outside as quick, the ship is already half-loaded, and we leave in a few hours!"
"And I am telling you that fish is, in fact, better cooked outside!" Sokka yelled back, brandishing an oversized wooden spatula like a sword. "It’s a traditional island recipe! We are eating outside for the sake of the last day!"
"But Aang can’t even eat fish!" Katara countered, gesturing to where Aang was sitting on a stool.
"I can’t bend and I still hang out with you guys!" Sokka shouted, slamming his spatula onto the counter. "So we are going outside!”
Aang raised a timid hand. "I wouldn't mind a roasted fire-root outside—"
"Not now, Aang!" Katara and Sokka snapped in unison.
Suki was leaning against the pantry eating a sea-plum, looking highly amused by the sibling rivalry.
"What exactly is the issue here?" Zuko’s voice cut through the noise. His hair was bundled back up, but it was visibly damp, and his aura was so peaceful it practically glowed.
The kitchen went dead silent for a fraction of a second as everyone turned to look at the two of you.
"Oh, fantastic," Katara sighed, marching over to you. "Tell them we are staying inside to finish organizing our things while we eat."
"Whoa, whoa, side with the chef!" Sokka interjected, stepping up next to Zuko and nudging his arm. "Zuko, buddy, fellow guy. Tell her the outdoor fire pit is the only logical place to spend our final morning."
You looked at Zuko. "Well... Sokka did catch the fish, right?” Sokka nodded “And it does cook better outside…”
"Yes! Thank you!" Sokka cheered.
"Absolutely not," Zuko countered, throwing you a look before turning to Sokka. "Katara is right. If we don't pack now, our arrival to the capital could be delayed. We eat inside."
"You're taking her side?!" Sokka gasped, wounded. "Suki, back me up!"
"I really don’t mind, honey," Suki laughed, tossing a plum pit into the bin. "But inside is cooler anyway."
"Aang?!" Sokka yelled desperately.
"I just want a squash!" Aang cried.
Within three seconds, the kitchen erupted into absolute chaos. Everyone was talking over each other, Katara was lecturing Zuko about time importance to which he agreed, Sokka was screaming at Suki about loyalty, Aang was trying to defend his squash, and you were laughing so hard you had to lean against Zuko's shoulder, while he stubbornly tried to maintain his "rational leader" voice amidst the shouting.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden door to the side hallway slammed open against the wall with enough force to shake the floorboards.
The arguing stopped.
Toph stood in the frame, looking like demon raised from the underworld. Her hair was a wild, bird's-nest tangle, her eyes were narrowed, and her face was pale and fiercely twisted with the rage of a catastrophic hangover. The sheer menace radiating off her made Sokka slowly lower his spatula.
She marched two steps into the kitchen, her gaze locking dead-on into the center of the room.
“Listen up, you repetitive dunderheads! I have an idea: if you got laid today, you don't get a vote!" she roared in her sleep-deprived voice.
Katara’s jaw dropped, her face turning a violent shade of crimson. Sokka blinked, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Beside you, Zuko froze completely, his eyes widening in panicked blankness as a bright red blush instantly rushed up his neck and flooded his cheeks. You quickly cleared your throat, finding the pattern on the kitchen floor absolutely fascinating all of the sudden…
Toph let the horrific silence stretch for a few seconds, satisfied with the compliance she had just beaten into the room.
She let out a grunt, crossing her arms.
"Great. My ears are bleeding, and you all sound like screeching turtle-ducks. I say outside. Let's go and don't complain."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and marched right out the back door toward the fire pit.
Sokka cleared his throat, raised his spatula, and whispered, "...So, outside it is."
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
The outdoor clearing was a welcome relief from the suffocating awkwardness Toph had left behind in the kitchen. The bright midday sun warmed the grass, Appa was sprawled lazily near the edge of the yard, letting out a low, rumbling groan of satisfaction as Momo ate some fruit Aang gave him right between Appa’s giant ears.
Sokka, fully vindicated by the hangover dictatorship, was beaming with joy. He quickly got the fire pit roaring, utilizing a controlled spark from Zuko to get the volcanic coal glowing.
Within twenty minutes, everyone was settled around the pit on low stone benches and woven mats. Sokka proudly handed out the crispy fish to Suki, Katara, and yourself, while sliding a massive platter of roasted fire-root, seasoned squash, and sea-prunes over to Aang. Toph sat flat on the earth, her eyes closed with her forehead against a smooth stone she had earthbent up from the ground just for that purpose.
"Drink this, Toph. It'll help," Katara said, sliding a wooden mug filled with a steaming herbal brew a few feet away. "It's a Water Tribe remedy for... overindulgence."
Too lazy to physically reach for it, Toph kept her forehead pressed against the rock and lazily extended two fingers toward the ground, sliding the cup across the grass and directly into her waiting palm.
She peeled her face off the cool stone and sat down cross-legged on her mat, sniffing the brew. She gagged at first, but took a massive gulp anyway. A bit of color returned to her pale cheeks. She grabbed a skewer of roasted squash from the platter, taking an aggressive bite as if punishing the vegetable for her headache.
You leaned into Zuko’s side watching it all happen while happily finishing your lunch and enjoying of your friend’s company.
“So," Suki started, leaning her chin in her hand. "Since this is our absolute last day together on the island before we all go back our respective duties around the world, we need to do something fun. No scheduling talk allowed!”
“Ooh, I know!" Aang chimed in. "We used to play a game at the Southern Air Temple during festival mornings. You take turns naming a scenario and everyone points at the person who is most likely to do it."
"A pointing game?" Sokka chewed thoughtfully. "Simple. Elegant. Excellent potential for judging each other. I'm in!”
“I can't see where any of you are pointing," Toph muttered, "so this game already sucks."
“Wait, scratch the pointing!" You interrupted. "Instead of pointing, we can stomp. One heavy stomp on the ground toward whoever you're voting for. Toph can feel the vibrations and tally the scores.”
A grin spread across her face.
“Now that is a game. Proceed."
“Alright, I'll start," Suki chuckled, looking around the circle. "Who is most likely to completely lose a top-secret state document because they used it as a bookmark?"
Without a single second of hesitation, a synchronized chorus of heavy thuds rattled the dirt.
Toph burst into a loud laugh, pointing a finger straight at Sokka. "Five distinct seismic waves, all hitting you dead-on, Snoozles. The dirt doesn't lie."
"Hey!" Sokka protested, outraged. "First of all, it was one map! And second of all, it made a perfect bookmark for my poetry journal!"
"You rest your case," Katara laughed, taking a sip of water.
“Your turn, Fire Lady," Aang said, leaning forward eagerly as he tossed a piece of melon into the air, which Momo swooped down from Appa's head to catch mid-flight.
You hummed, tapping your chin playfully before glancing down at your husband. "Who is most likely to secretly spend three hours meticulously planning a romantic gesture, but then act like it was totally an accident and they 'just happened' to find it?"
Katara and Suki slammed their heels down, sending two enthusiastic thuds straight toward Zuko.
Toph didn’t even wait for the rest. She let out a cackle, slapping the ground. "Oh, the dirt is practically screaming! Sparky, give us a stomp, what’s your defense?"
Zuko, who had just taken a sip of his tea, choked slightly. He looked away, his boot remaining guiltily still.
"I have no idea what that implies," Zuko mumbled.
"Oh, come on, that's definitely a Zuko special," Sokka teased, leaning across the fire pit. "Next thing you know, he'll 'accidentally' stumble into a perfectly catered five-course banquet in the middle of the courtyard."
"Shut up, Sokka," Zuko said, with no real heat in it.
“Alright, my turn," Toph said, leaning her head to the side. "Who is most likely to try and make friends with a dangerous, wild spirit creature just because they think it looks 'misunderstood'?"
A singular, incredibly loud, stomp shook the ground as every single voted instantly.
"Twinkle Toes! The earth didn't even hesitate. You're practically a magnet for weird monsters."
"They aren't weird monsters!" Aang protested. "They're just expressive! If you give them some space and don't make any sudden movements, they're actually really friendly…”
“That’s so cute! Okay, my turn," Suki said, to keep the momentum going. "Who is most likely to accidentally set a kitchen on fire while trying to cook a simple midnight snack?"
Aang and Katara stomped toward Toph. Sokka and Toph stomped right back toward Suki. You and Zuko looked at each other and stomp-voted for Toph as well.
"Why am I getting voted?" Toph complained, kicking a pebble into the fire pit. "I can cook!"
"Toph, you tried to roast a tea-leaf on a hot stone inside the cabin when we arrived and almost burned the curtains down," Suki laughed.
"The rock was hotter than I thought!" Toph grumbled, taking another gulp of Katara's hangover tea.
“Alright, let me ask one," Katara said. Her hand coming to rest against her rounded stomach as a knowing smile spread across her face. She looked around the circle. "Since I'm already carrying the first of the next generation... who do we think is most likely to have a baby next?"
The ground practically groaned under the collective force of the stamps. Katara, Suki, Aang, and Toph all kicked their heels down with absolute certainty, every single vibration pointing directly into the space between you and Zuko.
“The Fire Lords, it is,” Toph announced.
Your heart skipped a beat. A wave of heat rushed to your face, and you quickly tried to laugh it off, holding your hands up.
"Come on, guys!" you said quickly, a little flustered. “You only want to tease…”
“I don’t want to tease, I think you both would be wonderful parents!” Suki said, her eyes filled with genuine sincerity.
"Yeah, plus, the baby would have a built-in Air Nomad playground whenever you visit," Aang offered enthusiastically.
"And I can always help you watch them when things get too busy at the palace," Katara added, a sweet smile on her face. "Though if they inherit both of your firebending, I might need to keep a water-whip ready just to put out the sparks…”
"Oh, they'll definitely inherit the legendary Fire Lord temper," Sokka joked, earning a swift jab to the ribs from Suki.
Your chest tightened with a nervous flutter under all the attention. You glanced sideways at Zuko, tracking the sharp line of his jaw and bracing for the familiar tensing of his shoulders.
You half-expected him to shift uncomfortably to avoid the heavy weight of royal lineages and future heirs. Instead, his shoulders remained dropped and relaxed in the midday sun. A genuine smile played on his lips. His eyes met yours. Without a word, his large hand slide over yours, his thumb tracing a circle over the back of your knuckles.
“We have time," Zuko said, his fingers squeezed yours in reassurance. "But... I think we'd be ready when it happens. And, apparently, all of you too…”
Before Suki or Katara could let out the squeak you knew they were holding, Toph snorted.
“Everyone speaks for themselves. I only talk with evidence. And if we're talking about stomps, I felt some very specific vibrations coming from the upper hot springs early on…”
Instead, the squeak came out from Sokka.
Zuko looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him whole.
“Do you realize that, if we're talking about a future Fire Nation heir, I am the cause of it? Without me, they wouldn't have relaxed!” He said, shaking Suki's shoulders. “They would still be drowning in endless scrolls back at the palace!"
The entire circle burst into laughter. Katara threw a piece of squash at her brother's head, which he expertly ducked.
"Oh, please, Sokka," Suki laughed, catching a stray blossom drifting down from a nearby tree. "The only thing you masterminded was getting a light hangover from a couple of island juices."
"It was the salt air!" Sokka defended himself.
"I don't know," Toph chimed in, leaning her head back with a grin. "If the Fire Lord's kid turns out to be an over-scheduler who loves weapon maintenance, we'll know exactly who to blame."
"I would welcome a child with an appreciation for proper weapon care," Zuko mumbled. He was openly chuckling.
“I think you’re right, though…” you started saying, earning a shocked look from everyone and a head tilt from Toph.
“About the fake summit, I mean!” Everyone relaxed, especially Zuko to your side which made you smile. “Look around. We actually did it. No councils, no global disasters. Just us… In fact, this calls for a real toast, because this time together was... really, really enjoyable. And Zuko and I owe it to all of you.”
“Or to the SOKA summit…” Sokka suggested, a massive grin on his face as he proudly raised his wooden skewer and his mug into the air.
Suki laughed, standing up to raise her cup next to his. Katara and Aang joined in, their faces lit with joy, and even Toph raised her hangover brew with a lazy smirk.
You raised your own cup. Zuko clinked his cup of tea against yours.
"To the SOKA Summit!" everyone cheered in a chaotic yet happy chorus, the sound of laughter echoing beautifully out over the island cliffs.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
The afternoon seemed to slip away far too quickly after that. One moment everyone was still sitting around the embers of the fire pit, and the next, Appa had been loaded, the cabin had been swept clean, and the Fire Nation sailors were making the final preparations down at the harbor.
Nobody wanted to be the first person to acknowledge that the retreat was officially over… So, naturally, Sokka did.
“Well,” he announced dramatically, throwing his travel bag over one shoulder as everyone reached the wooden docks. “I think it’s safe to say the summit was an overwhelming success and nothing ridiculous, contrary to popular belief…”
A collective groan rippled through the group.
“It was a success, but it was also a little ridiculous,” Katara pointed out, carrying a small satchel.
“Great leaders leave a legacy, Katara,” Sokka countered, puffing his chest out. “Mine is, amongst other numerous things, this amazing trip.”
Everyone paused at the ramp of the ship, turning back to look up at the green cliffs of Whaletail Island one last time.
The air was warm, the tide was peaceful, and a heavy wave of nostalgia suddenly settled over.
“We should come back,” Aang said, his grey eyes reflecting the brilliant blue of the ocean.
“Maybe next year,” Katara agreed, her hand resting over her stomach with a hopeful smile.
Suki chuckled, nudging Sokka’s arm. “Without a collapsing shrine next time, maybe?”
“With less juice,” Toph grumbled, she was leaning comfortably against Suki’s side.
“And with more fish,” Sokka amended.
One by one, everyone began to board the ship.
As the vessel finally pulled away from the docks, the sails caught a perfect, steady wind. The distance grew, and the island began to shrink against the backdrop of the midday sky.
Up at the bow, Aang and Katara stood close together, watching the water part against the hull. Nearby, Sokka was already holding a map, explaining a "more efficient" naval route to Suki, who was listening with an affectionate smile lighting up her face. A few feet away, Toph was sitting on the wooden deck, her eyes closed as she soaked up the sun, pretending she wasn’t listening to a single word of Sokka's rambling.
Standing beside Zuko at the railing, you leaned against the wooden barrier and just watched them.
Nobody was in a hurry. There was no looming emergency, no high-stakes meeting, no war, no political crisis, no frantic scheduling. Just the rocking of the sea and the familiar sound of your friends' voices.
“They’re happy,” you murmured.
Zuko glanced over at you, the ocean breeze catching his dark hair. “Who?”
You looked back toward the group, with a smile at your lips.
“All of them!”
Zuko’s gaze followed yours, tracing the chaotic, loud, but beloved family sprawled across the deck.
“Yeah,” Zuko said, his voice dropping into that tender tone meant only for you. His large hand slid sideways along the railing, his fingers between yours. “They are.”
“You know, we will be able to come back again,” Zuko muttered after a moment.
“At least Sokka won’t have to make up a whole diplomatic event to get us to come next time," you replied, a laugh bubbling up as you looked at him. "We cannot let that happen again, even if it was funny… we have to remain close to our family.”
Zuko smiled as he turned toward you, his free hand coming up to cup your jaw, his thumb wiping a stray strand of hair from your cheek before he leaned down to press a kiss against your lips. When he pulled back just enough to lean his forehead against yours, his arm slid around your waist to bring you closer.
"We will," he murmured. "I promise."
You rested your head against his shoulder as Whaletail Island slowly disappeared into the horizon behind you.
Ahead of you waited the palace with the councils, endless stacks of scrolls, and the overwhelming responsibilities that came with the lives you had chosen to live…
But for now, your friends were laughing somewhere behind you, Zuko’s hand remained intertwined with yours, and for the first time in a very, very long time, going home didn’t feel quite so heavy.
𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ⋆𐙚₊˚
note: thank you for visiting whaletail island! ♡ — this little series became such a comfort project for me, and saying goodbye to it feels a bit like leaving a vacation i wasn’t ready to end.
along the way, i ended up developing quite a bit of backstory for this specific version of the reader and zuko’s relationship, and i’d absolutely love to explore more of it again sometime soon…
thank you for reading and coming along for the ride. whaletail island expects your return, until next time! xx
🏷️my dear taglist (lmk if you'd like to stil be tagged in other zuko works!xx): @sereaylia @newseldarya @winter-lemon @clockworkgraystairs @eepypupy @solarlovesxyz @sainz0fthetimes @radicaldualism @littlemiyastars @pdacex @saintfaux @keropiiko @potao-o @thestupidgirlakira @1iluvvocattoss @maee67 @kwomikailea @msheds0519 @awkwardnesshabitat @highlady0239 @angelruinz @xoxocelestial @simplykayblog @roroclarinett
if you happen to stumble across this I’d really appreciate your feedback!
Do you like to see the world count in one shots?
Yes
No
I don’t care
Voting ended onJun 2
Ive been thinking about adding them but i have no clue if it’s actually useful for you lol lmk xx
Update: Proud to say I’ve finally updated my masterlist, added word counts to every post, and tweaked the format a little. Hopefully those changes make it easier to navigate and find what you’re looking for!
The fourth part of the Whaletail Island series is coming soon, along with some blurbs and me finally getting around to fulfilling a few requests 👀
Thank you for your patience and support always. xx
