Fire Nation Family

“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