Glory and Honor

if by fate / mai & zuko

@doxavhonored​

She could still feel the scorching embers that singed her hair and clothes. Sometimes her breath would catch and she’d feel like she were suffocating on the memory of sweltering heat. The Boiling Rock had been a miserable experience both physically and mentally, one she still carried even though she found herself someplace far away from her home. But even though she had been nearly burned alive by the pooling lava that bubbled below, and even though her throat stung after having screamed after that idiot for abandoning her like some forgotten toy, she would have gone through the same motions all over again if it meant he were to escape untouched and alive.

She still remembered that look of pure fury on the princess’s face as she watched her brother escape. She still remembered the sunken feeling in the pit of her stomach when weapons were pulled on her, and the promise of living in absolute despair sentenced by Princess Azula herself. She still wouldn’t have traded it for the world if it meant he went on fighting.

It was bittersweet to think that the last memory she had of him was of him leaving her behind to essentially die. ‘But I didn’t,’ she had to remind herself, and she never blamed him for the circumstances either - not at first anyways. He had still be an ass to leave her behind in the Fire Nation in the first place. Still, what happened at the Boiling Rock, what happened during that argument, her heart torn in two, had all happened for a reason. 

She still missed him; she still missed her home. Even if her home had consisted of a too small cell block with a tiny, barred window. She even missed the stiff bed.

For nights on end Mai would reminisce about what did and did not happen. Lost in her melancholy, she would usually hole herself up in her apartment, curtains drawn and lights off. A cup of herbal tea would be her only companion during these tumultuous times until, one day, she realized she ran out of her favorite blend. Store bought tea was horrible and a waste of her time. Instead Mai found that the local cafe in Cestrelle not only served tea but sold bags of their most famous blends.

Thus a trip to Cestrelle was in order.

The day promised light showers with a soft, milky gray and white patterned sky canvased above. Mai took the subway into the city. Her umbrella had been stashed away in her bag just in case. She hated being out in the rain - she hated feeling wet. Still, though the threat of rain lingered, she was determined to return home with a bag of her favorite blend. 

Tea Time Cafe wasn’t too busy when Mai walked in. A few patrons sat idle at the tables and only a couple stood in line. She hung back for a moment as she perused the menu.

Time worked differently in Wonderland, and the more time that Zuko spent in Wonderland the more his most recent and prominent short-term memories escaped into the abyss of his mind. Every time his mind flashed through the prior happenings, he realized that certain aspects changed with each run-through. And now Zuko was beginning to doubt his own memories.

His most prominent memories that plagued his mind stemmed from his decision to betray his father and join the Avatar’s gang. He knew this was the right path for him, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he did things differently. What if he included others in on his idea? What if he shared his thoughts? What if he didn’t decide to make this plunge alone?

But none of that mattered anymore. The past was the past.

“Hi, Zuko here. I’ll be your server today,” he said, holding back his sigh. The firebender was tired and ready for his shift to be over with. If it wasn’t for his previous work at his uncle’s teashop, a short amount of time where he had been forced longer shifts than these measly ones in Wonderland, then he surely would have lost his cool already. 

water-bending-queen​:

    Katara could see how nervous Aang was, it was what she expected honestly, but with Zuko she had no idea what he was feeling. She had a feeling he could be hiding it behind a mask, but she wouldn’t question him about it right now. There was a lot they had to prepare for still, mentally more so than anything. She gave him a soft smile before walking next to Aang and following Zuko into  the castle. 

    “I hope this mirror at least places us the day before the comet. And somewhere close to Sokka and the others.” She spoke quietly as she glanced down to the floor. Even with all the preparations, all the planning, she was still scared and nervous. She prayed to the spirits that at least no matter what, they were dropped off near her family, at lest then no matter what, they’d have an easier time figuring out what they needed to do no matter the day the landed on. 

    “Well this is it.” She commented softly as they fade it to the looking glass. She tightened her hold slightly as she stepped forward, ticket in her free hand.

   Aang looked between Katara and Zuko with pursed lips, he was thinking. Momo chittered and slid across his other shoulder, as if just as puzzled as the Avatar was. From what they had told him, they’d been here a fair amount of time before he showed up - that thought alone was enough to unsettle him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zuko, he just… well, he wasn’t sure why that bothered him, but he chalked it up to nerves and the green lemur protested in his ear. 

   It didn’t matter now. All that mattered was the mission in front of them. Stepping forward, Aang fell into line with Katara and held his breath. If they were lucky, they’d be dropped in the perfect position with the perfect amount of time to prepare. If they weren’t, they would arrive just before or in the midst of the comet, with zero prior communication to their allies. The airbender swallows thickly and follows her towards the mirror. 

   “This is it,” He repeats, grip tightening on the small bag of things he had packed. His knuckles were turning white. Ready or not, he didn’t have a choice. It was now or never. 

“The mirror probably knows of the importance of the journey; it’ll probably give us something good to work with,” Zuko said, taking a deep breath. Though there was no telling what side the mirror was. Maybe the clear-glassed entity was actually against them and this was all a ploy to send them home at the wrong time to watch their lives crumble to ash. 

It was difficult for Zuko to be optimistic and focus on the fact that something good could happen. Maybe it was because of his father’s and sister’s influence and their perspective that they must always be prepared for the worst and fear was the greatest weapon. With one growing up in that environment, and Zuko’s own shortcomings that pegged him down, there wasn’t room for optimism in his dictionary.

The firebender followed the two through the mirror, and once his eyes opened he found himself in a familiar world in an unfamiliar location. No longer were they surrounded by the high walls of Spade Castle. Now the trio were in an open space, and Zuko glanced around as he tried to understand their current predicament. There was nothing around them that could help them discover their location, the time, or the current standing of the world.

    Katara glared at the bathroom door as he replied. How could he not care or even consider being cautious with being nude! Yes she worked at a clinic and sometimes she had to see things she wouldn’t want to see, but she was prepared for that. She wasn’t prepared here at all! She had gone all her travels with Aang and her brother without having any instances like this, they had always made sure to give a heads up so there were no accidents. 

    When she realized he was coming out of the bathroom she quickly turned away, unsure of if he had covered up. She took a chance to take a glimpse back at him when he had paused, and was relieved to see that he had at least grabbed a towel this time. 

    “Yes, yes i did call you a dumb hot head, you got a problem with that? And let me tell you now, yes, i have seen Sokka naked, but he’s my brother and those encounters are bound to happen. But during our travels I am proud to say that I had never seen any of them nude. Thank you for ruining that for me.”

The girl’s embarrassment cause Zuko’s own cheeks to take on a reddish hue. It wasn’t like this was something that he overtly thought about. Before his banishment, it was customary for servants to help dress Zuko for the day; so the exiled prince accustomed to others seeing him without clothes. But with Katara 

“Well what did you want me to do?” he snapped. “Did you just want me to tell that bastard to leave me alone because I’m in the shower? Did you want me to warn you that I was lying naked in my tub?” Zuko grumbled incoherently to himself as he rushed by her, feeling the pain in his side from where the attack was. He could feel his blood boiling as he got riled up, more at Katara and this situation than the stupid attack.

“Forgive me, princess,” he mocked, turning his head over his shoulder. Zuko half-turned his body towards the waterbender as his eyes narrowed. In the heat of the moment, the heat of raised voices and flushed cheeks, he had already pushed aside that she had helped him and that it was her idea to put clothes on so they could try and do something about the situation.

water-bending-queen​:

This is War

@doxavhonored​ & @theavatarlives​

    The day she had woken and found the ticket she had instantly jumped out of her bed and had called Aang as she made her way Zuko’s apartment, banging on the door to get his attention since he had finally learned to lock his door. There had been nothing on her mind except for using these tickets for what she had to assume was to go home and defeat the Fire Lord. 

    After forcefully waking up both Zuko and Aang, they had had a long talk about what they were going to do. They planned for a few hours and spent the rest of the day preparing for the trip. Now Katara waited for them outsides Spade Castle, she felt anxious but was also excited. She was going to see Sokka again, but now they were going back to fight a war that she dreaded but knew it was what had to be done. She wasn’t sure how any of it would go, they only had 48 hours after all, which hopefully meant they got a day to rest and plan with everyone and then the day of the comet. 

    No matter what happened, they had made plans for every possibility that could happen. She kept going through them in her mind until she looked up and caught sight of her companions finally arriving. 

    “Took you guys long enough, are you ready to go home?” She smiled a bit at them as she clutched her bag tight.

   When his phone (which he was still attempting to navigate the use of) rang that morning, Aang was ecstatic to hear Katara’s voice clear on the line. However, what she said left him in a nervous, hesitant laughter. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to convey to her - determination, preparedness, a lack of fear? Whatever it was, he knew it hadn’t come across, and had instead opted to swiftly agree to a meeting place, ending the call there. 

   Their strategy meeting went off without a hitch, and for a moment Aang was able to throw himself into the intense focus of planning a war path. This went on for hours, and the Avatar even felt hope rising in his chest, a sureness settling deep in his stomach. After all, this was his destiny. This was the reason he was born - only the Avatar could restore peace to the four nations. And he would, no matter if that costed him his life. Avatar Roku had done it, Avatar Kyoshi, and every one of his past lives, too, had assumed their duty. The air bender would do the same. 

   A large part of him was excited, thrilled to be returning home, even if it was for such daunting circumstances. He missed Sokka’s terrible jokes and Toph’s steady presence, and it killed him to be away from Appa as long as he had been. He would see them again. He would get to talk and laugh with them again. The only family he’d ever really known - yes, Aang was holding his breath for their reunion. 

   When he arrived at Spade Castle, Zuko with him, his heart jumped in his chest. This was it. A now green Momo chirped on his shoulder as Katara’s smile tried to soothe his nerves, and he attempted to feign all the confidence he knew the Avatar should have. “Never been more ready! How about you, Zuko?”

It was Katara’s insistent knocking that forced Zuko awake, and within seconds he had found his own ticket preciously placed by his bedside. There were no coincidences when it involved the mirror; the all-knowing entities of this world knew that all three of them needed to return home for Sozin’s comet.

Every second of their trip back home needed to be calculated. Apart from the impending arrival of Sozin’s comet and the countdown of their own trip, there were too many factors that deemed time was of the essence. But they had their focuses for the trip: stop Ozai and stop Azula. Even if Ozai had been reprimanded, a feat that was of the utmost importance, there was no doubt that Azula already had her own plan in motion if things were to go haywire. The Fire Nation armies would still follow her, and the Avatar’s ragtag team of heroes needed to eliminate every threat.

We’re still missing some things, Zuko bitterly thought. They didn’t know anyone’s location. There was no telling what the rest of their gang was doing back home. Zuko, trapped in Wonderland for an amount of time that couldn’t compare to the time back home, still didn’t know his Uncle’s whereabouts. There were holes to their plan, but Zuko knew that they could swiftly fill them.

Zuko arrived to Spade Castle with Aang, quickly meeting up with Katara. “Wouldn’t really call it home, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” he dryly commented. His eyes flickered between the two and the wide-eyed lemur. He couldn’t blame them for their wanting to go home, but there was no reason for Zuko to be as eager. The firebender had renounced his home; he was just going back to finish his duty.

    Ever since Zuko had joined team Avatar, every time he had actually agreed on something or admitted that they were right was still a huge surprise to hear, especially when it was said in a calm manner as if he had no issues with admitting it. So of course when he had agreed with her, her head whipped around to stare at him for a moment, eyes wide slightly in surprise. The surprise didn’t last as a small smile found its way on her face which was quickly slapped away the moment he had stood up and she was reminded that under the bath curtain, he was naked.

    Her face instantly turned a bright red as she let out a small squeak and averted her eyes, stumbling over what was left of her ice wall to get out of the bathroom. 

    “YOU COUDN’T HAVE WAITED TILL I WAS OUT OF THERE BEFORE YOU STOOD UP YOU DUMB HOT HEAD!!” She yelled out to him as she calmed herself and tried to get the image out of her head. There goes her streak of having never seen a guy naked despite having traveled with them for a while now. Just her luck. 

The sound that Katara made, while quiet, sounded like a tiny animal that had been handled in some way against its will. Momentarily it reminded him of one of the small stray felines that wandered the streets of Ba Sing Se, and the squeak whenever a child would poke or prod them. So Zuko had been surprised at Katara’s reaction and the speed in which she moved to retreat. 

And then it hit Zuko. He glanced down at his body, and breathed through his nose at the slight irritation. First there was the attack, and now Katara’s childish nature. “Will you grow up?” he asked, his own voice rising. He walked to the bathroom’s door before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist to keep the waterbender from reacting in any way again.

    Katara simply nodded at him as she followed him silently towards the tunnel, hiding in the shadows as he did and keeping light on her feet as to not let others know of their presence there. As the got to the entrance she instinctively knew that there was water inside, and a large amount of it. It surprised her a bit and made her curious as to why but that wasn’t the point now. This simply meant that she had the upper hand here now.

    “There’s water in there, a lot of it. We’ll have the upper hand.” She whispered low enough for Zuko to hear as she crouched besides him to peer inside like him and take a look at where they were heading. At the sight of the white bird thing inside she raised an eyebrow before glancing up at him, confusion on her face.

    “I don’t think that’s a turtleduck….but whatever it is I’m curious as to why it’s here.” She slowly stood from her crouched position after responding and ever so slowly made her way to the still bird, noticing that it wasn’t really moving at all, nor did it look like was breathing. She realized then that it wasn’t actually real but a boat, which was only confirmed after placing a hand on it and feeling the cold metal body. 

    “It’s not real….but why is it here?”

Carefully following Katara, Zuko kept his eyes on the surrounding area as his peripheral vision kept the girl in his sight. This creature--strangely resembling a turtleduck but it missed a shell, had a different bill, and it was a different color than those back home--could have easily been a trap by the killer. While they were distracted, the Killing Joke could easily have gotten the jump on them.

But as they stood there, nothing happened. Zuko straightened his posture as he looked down the length of this building. There was no exit in sight, but there was a river that went as far as this tunnel went. He reached forward and touched the bird, feeling its cold metallic touch that contrasted against his warm hand.

“This is a place for rides, right? Maybe children find this mechanical bird and this strange river to be fun?” As someone who was used to sailing on the ocean, he couldn’t entirely understand the odd fascination. But for someone who grew up in a city like this it oculd have been something more.

soft caring sentence compilation

@water-bending-queen

Zuko stared at Katara, his mouth gaping slightly open as he looked between her and the sweatshirt that she was currently wearing. He knew that she was often coming over to his apartment, it only made sense because of how close they had recently got. Bu when exactly did she steal it? Finally his eyes rested back on hers and they narrowed. “I’ve been looking for that.”

    Katara couldn’t help the satisfied smile that crossed her face when acknowledged her work on getting the information. It felt dumb to take joy in that, but Zuko was a tough nut to crack so small things like praise on things like that were very fulfilling. 

    She was surprised to see him be slightly interested in finding out what made these contraptions worked. She had expected him to brush it of and tell her something about her figuring it out later or even acknowledging it at all. Something about it caused her to smile softly, but she wouldn’t mention it because he was right, now wasn’t the time to think about any of that, they had to find this killing joke and put an end to his game.

    “You’re right, we’ll talk about it another time.” Was her simple reply as she began to look around for where he could be hiding. Nothing looked suitable for a hiding spot as they walked through the park, at least not until she spotted a tunnel based ride. Quickly she stopped and turned towards Zuko, reaching for his arm as she pointed at the ride. “There! I’m pretty sure he’s going to be in there!”

After weeks of countless banter between the two, it was strange for Katara to leave the conversation--or was it a tiny argument?--with something that he had commented on, especially when it essentially killed whatever they talked about. Zuko couldn’t help but raise a skeptical eyebrow before shaking his head and focusing his attention forward. 

But then Katara mentioned the tunnel, and he glanced expectantly in the direction. With the sun setting, the looming shadows made the area look more desolate than it probably was. Zuko’s nose crinkled disdainfully. How was such a contraption supposed to be fun? Though, he assumed that everything was better maintained when the park wasn’t closed due to a serial killer.

He nodded. “Let’s go and check it out.” Steadying his breathing, Zuko dashed forward and kept to the shadows that the low sun created. Hiding in the night was something easy for the firebender, and he had become accustomed to sneaking around like this. So this should have been child’s play as he tentatively moved forward to scope the entrance to this tunnel. He crouched behind a sign, ignoring the words on it, and glanced at Katara. She was almost as good at keeping quiet as he was.

nonsexual acts of intimacy — select from the following for my muse to respond to:

♡ : Accidentally falling asleep together

@water-bending-queen

Heavy eyelids betrayed Zuko and he felt them slowly open. At first everything was blurry, and the weight of his lids threatened to lull him away into the stupor of dreamland. But then his sleepy vision focused on the darkened expanse in front of him, and he found himself staring at the familiar furniture within Katara’s apartment. The television’s glow, depicting an image of a bearded man continuously crying “shamwow!”, offered a tiny bit of light in the late hours of the night.

“When did I-?” The firebender attempted to staighten his body as he spoke

Golden eyes stared at the girl, watching the lights dance across Katara’s face, before he softly sighed and gave the tiniest smile. Carefully, he tried to move his arm around Katara, holding his breath as her head rolled from his shoulder toward his chest. Before he knew it, he was wrapping his arm around her shoulders. His fingers flexed, hesitant about the action he just pulled, before they finally relaxed and his palm rested against her bicep.

Literal Joke

     The explosion that had gotten her attention, maybe it was also what made the guy run and run fast out of there….or maybe not run at all. Her head instantly snapped towards the door, moving one hand from its position over Zuko’s wound and instantly creating a wall of ice at the doorway. She wasn’t going to risk being snuck up on while she was taking care of the fire bender, especially in the small bathroom. 

    “A precaution….since I didn’t see him. I rushed over as soon as I heard the explosion, bu- Hey! Wait what are you doing!” She began speaking before his attempts to get up stopped her as she tried to stop him and then proceeded to catch him as he slipped, helping stop him from hitting his head for a second time. “I just finished healing your wound! Take it easy hot head!” She bit out before sighing and shaking her head slightly. He was obviously extremely upset and she had to control herself and deal with this without getting upset herself. 

    “This guy is taking advantage of any situation to attack.” She kept her voice calm, hoping it would help to calm him as she placed a hand over his on the side of the tub. “I know your upset because he got you by surprise but getting angry isn’t going to help anything. It’s definitely not going to help that head injury you probably got from hitting your head.” She squeezed his hand slightly before standing up and looking at the ice wall she created. “Let’s get you out of the tub and dressed before we do a quick look around the area to make sure he’s not still around.” She added as she slowly began to unfreeze the doorway, taking a moment to peek out before fully removing the ice.

Zuko felt as Katara’s hands helps to keep him from hurting himself once more, and his cheeks burned red. His teeth gritted together from his irritation. How did it come to this? The firebender had found the Avatar when nobody else could and he prevailed alone in the Earth Kingdom. He stood against his father and made a decision that would turn the tide of the war with the Fire Nation.

Yet he was useless in this modern era. He had become too comfy, too useless. And he hated the way he was now. “There isn’t time for that,” Zuko argued, shifting his position. Despite his wound being healed by Katara’s bending, his dully ached. He wasn’t entirely sure how her healing worked--yes, he was grateful for it, but he wasn’t surprised that the cut still hurt. “We need to get him he hurts someone else.”

There was something about Katara’s voice that lulled him from his anger and from his anxiety, allowing his fingers to slowly loosen their grip around the bathtub’s rim. Zuko’s heart skipped a beat when the waterbender placed her hand over his and lightly gripped his hand. It was strange for him to receive this... reassurance, he realized, and his angry expression fell into a frown. 

Cat and Mice |

    “At least I found information, what did you find huh?” Katara replied to him with a small glare before turning away from him. She’d gone out of her way to try and get information on where this guy was even hiding and he had the audacity to question her and be a jerk. She should have known better than to expect much from him for this favor.

    Instead of dwelling on it she decided to just focus on trying to figure out where the hell the bastard could be hiding. Zuko could be pissy about everything that had happened on his own, plus it gave her a chance to actually look around at this place she’d never been to. It was like something she’d never seen, she knew these things were meant to enjoy yourself on, but she wasn’t sure how. Maybe they could come back to this place when it was actually opened.

    “Same, but I hear they’re supposed to be fun according to what I’ve heard. I’m kinda interested to see what its like when it’s active you know?”

The skin around his burnt eye tightened as golden orbs crossed towards one another. He studied her expressions for a moment before glancing his attention away. “You make a fair point,” he said. “Good job. On finding your information.”

“It might be,” Zuko drawled. His sight lingered on a giant wheel that stood tall and proud against the other machines in the park. How could these be fun? He knew he shouldn’t question the machines. After all, much of the convenient electronics in this modern world were quite amazing. Television, including Katara’s (and even his won) favorite dramas, had quickly become a regular part of the ex-prince’s life. “There’s no time to think about that right now. Another time, maybe.”

“So why would he be here?” he asked. As they quietly moved through Amusementland, Zuko couldn’t help the way his fingers grazed the taupe awning of some of these merchant stalls that reminded him of home. If it wasn’t for the huge mechanical machines in the background or the colorful stuffed creatures hanging in some of these stalls, he could have thought himself back in the Fire Nation or even Ba Sing Se. “He’s a coward who hides in the shadow. Most things here are in the open.”