#earthbender!reader

it started during his first year as firelord, the vision loss in his left eye. he hadn't thought much of it as it was never perfect after ozai burned him. he had been on a mission with the gaang when it became obvious that his peripheral vision was shot to shit as he nearly got himself killed because he didn't see an enemy coming until he turned his head.

every doctor he inquired over the years all but told him he was trying to fight a losing battle. the damage was severe and he had been lucky to not have immediately lost his vision after the incident. he was angry and started drinking more than normal, though it was always in the privacy of his own chambers.

too embarrassed to ask katara for help, he had begun reaching out to physicians from different nations when a woman from the northern water tribe responded back. she wasn't an actual physician due to their customs, but she was a water bender and had healed plenty in her tribe. plus she was willing to give zuko a chance when everyone else had given up on him.

when she healed him the first time, zuko actually hugged her and he was far from that kind of guy. the water treatment had gotten rid of the growing blur that formed over the years but it only lasted a week before it came back. he wept in privacy when she agreed to stay full time. the only downside of the treatment was that it left him exhausted and scatterbrained.

plus it was painful.

that's where he had been before he met mai in the gardens. when he had woken that morning to you tucked into his side with one leg thrown over his hips, he realized he needed another treatment when the usual morning fog didn't ease from his left eye.

he softly pressed a kiss to the side of your head before slipping out of bed and readying himself. it was early but he was grateful that sakari had already been awake and quickly treated him.

he wanted nothing more than to return to bed with you but duty called and he got an early start to his day. as the first bell went off a few hours later, he had already went through most of the documents that were piled high on his desk.

he was exhausted after his treatment but fought through the force that tried to pull him under. he had every intention of going to see his wife before he was expected in the throne room.

he was nearly to your shared rooms when an odd looking servant that was walking by quickly slipped something into the pocket of his robes. zuko was stunned for a moment before he turned to confront the stranger, but they had disappeared. when he pulled his hand from his pocket, it was a piece of paper..

with a message from mai telling him to meet her in the gardens urgently. zuko was confused but mostly annoyed. he had ignored her last letter but it seemed she didn't get the message. he would have to break it to her in person (mistake one), a heat filling his body as the note that interrupted his plans of spending the rest of his free time with you, burst into flames.

he hadn't meant for her to kiss him. they were arguing for nearly fourty minutes before he told his guards to fuck off as he dragged her to a secluded area (mistake two) and told her very firmly that he was married now and that she had left him.

"i wrote to you explaining myself. i know the timing is terrible zuko, but an arranged marriage is beneath you and you know it."

he was exhausted, on the verge of passing out and about to scream at her when she abruptly pulled his face toward her and placed her lips on his. zuko was having a moment where his mind was elsewhere, wondering if you had already awoken.

a few seconds later, he'd finally noticed what was going on and that the lips pressed against his were not the ones he felt last night. he quickly pushed himself away from mai, fire burning in his eyes as he tugged his hair to avoid doing something he would end up regretting.

then he heard it. your voice, sweeter than honey, low but loud enough for him to notice. the sheer heartbreak on your face made him want to die and when you ran off, he was sure he would.

as the water healed his vision again (only two days after the incident mind you), pain ripping through him as he fought back a scream, he allowed his mind to drift. all of this because he needed treatment for his eye, because his father was still fucking up his life from his prison cell.

zuko hated him, but he hated himself more.

ঌ

on the second day of attempting to ignore zuko, you found yourself dressed in earth kingdom green instead of your typical fire nation red. your top was a sleeveless high-collared tunic and snug at your waist was a black corset belt. you wore loose dark pants and black boots.

you would no longer dress as the firelord's wife but as the princess of ba sing se. the only thing fire nation about you was the crown atop your knot and the ring on your finger.

you stayed in your head since you caught zuko with another woman, right in front of those stupid fucking flowers you were planting for him. you only allowed yourself to cry once because if there was anything that your father taught you, it was to never allow others the power to control you through emotions.

so you straightened out and continued on with life as if nothing had ever transpired between you and zuko. you were only a duty to him, as he were to you. and you were going to make this marriage work, even if it was only while others watched.

it was easy to avoid zuko. he gave you your space outside of leaving flowers, imported sweets from your kingdom, and cute letters to start your day with. you ordered the flowers to be donated, tucked the letters away and ate the treats. but not a single word was said.

you'd grown close with yuri who had become your only friend. the day after the incident, she had come to ask you for permission to visit her nan for a day. you had other ladies that could tend to you of course, but none of them were yuri and you needed a break from the palace walls.

that was how you found yourself in the lower city of the capital, tucked in yuri's humble family home. you were shocked to find that she was not of noble blood, as what you had been taught of the fire nation was that only nobility was allowed to wait on the firelord and lady at that level. when yuri explained to you:

"his majesty, firelord zuko changed a lot of traditions when he came into power. one being that commoners were allowed to serve as ladies in waiting."

you scuffed to yourself, not wanting to make yuri feel bad. you loved the idea but hated the person behind it and honestly didn't want to hear his fucking name when this day was about escaping your cage. though the five guards that hovered silently proved you were doing the exact opposite.

you spent the entire day learning how to cook traditional meals from yuri's grandmother, whom cared for her since she was a little girl and lost both of her parents. it was just them two, and you became overwhelmed with a sense of guilt that she spent most of her days tending to you instead of her grandmother.

when you returned to the palace that night you gave her permission to leave whenever she felt necessary.

on the fourth day, you were no longer able to avoid him. you had been summoned to discuss matters of a ball which would honor the anniversary of republic city's founding. a place where people of all nations existed together. you had slept like shit the previous night and waking to more flowers and notes from zuko irritated you.

you allowed your ladies to ready you for the day, though when they arrived with only red dresses you became furious. you had demanded that they only return when they had something green for you to wear.

a girl that seemed to be no older than seventeen had flushed before bowing and apologizing. "i apologize majesty, but on orders of firelord zuko you are to wear red only. i was told to make you aware that if it were an issue, you could discuss it with him."

so he was playing that game? fine, you could play it better.

an hour later you sat in an airship beside zuko, trying your best not to bite his head off. no one had warned you that this meeting would be taking place in republic city, where you'd be staying for next two days with your husband and his friends.

you had a feeling the missing information was left out on purpose.

when you looked to the man next you, he had already been staring. his eyes were pained and he looked tired but still he offered you a small smile, his gaze reminding you of the night he made a woman out of you.

"hi." he whispered, his face holding out hope that you would finally say something to him. anything.

"whatever." you mutter, rolling your eyes and turning. he was quiet for the rest of the trip, his head leaned back against the wall as he fought the urge to grab your hand and kiss it.

when the ship had finally landed, you stood at the door by zuko's side and grabbed his hand. you made sure to shoot him a scowl, lest he think this was for more than just appearances. he squeezed your hand in gratitude anyways.

it was straight to business as soon as you stepped off the airship. you and zuko had been ushered to the city hall where'd you meet the others to begin preparations for the ball. the big green dome atop the building reminding you of home.

when you were inside the building and hidden from the public eye, you snatched your hand from zuko's. yuri, who was right behind you, widened her eyes but said nothing at the awkward interaction.

zuko's chest ached but before he could really dwell on your distain for him, aang and katara were walking toward you both. katara was well into her pregnancy with their first child but had insisted on being present anyways, never allowing motherhood to slow her down.

you however, were taken aback when zuko introduced you. this was the woman he had saved and earned a scar for. she was beautiful and looked oddly similar to sokka, so you weren't surprised when she mentioned that he was her older brother.

"it's nice to finally meet the woman zuko can't seem to shut up about."

"katara." zuko groaned as aang laughed and began to lead the way down a series of halls.

so she was just as funny as her brother and just as good at leaving zuko's ears red with embarrassment. you would be great friends.

the room the meeting was taking place in was beautiful. it had floor to ceiling windows that lit the room golden from the imposing sun and your heart sped up when zuko looked at you. his eyes were almost glowing from the light and he looked like a god.

"toph and sokka couldn't make this one but they should be here tomorrow." katara explained as you all took your seats. there were other people there, most likely professional planners, advisors and members of parliament based on how they were dressed.

you spent the next two hours discussing budget, decorations, security.. all things that bored you immensely. you were starting to realize why you and zuko were left out of the wedding planning. his recommendations being nothing more than "as long as there's food and refreshments I don't see what the big deal is."

needless to say you both mostly sat quietly while the others handled everything. the most important part on your ends was showing up. the celebration would be held the following month and an idea formed in your head.

ঌ

"absolutely not." you complained when you and zuko were led to your shared room. it wasn't conjoined like at the fire palace, but was one room, one single bed that you were obviously expected to share.

and there were fucking roses on the bed.

zuko groaned and ran his hand down his face. he was starting to get agitated with your attitude and lack of interest in hearing him out. he missed being your husband behind closed doors and not just for the sake of preventing gossip.

he missed holding you the way he did the morning everything went wrong. your naked body pressed against his, his arm wrapped around your waist, your leg caging him in. the feeling of your breath lightly blowing against his chest as sleep consumed you.

it made him sick that he hurt you. pushed you away when you had finally opened yourself to him. he could blame his vision, the side effects from the treatment, but he couldn't excuse the fact that he let it get to that point in the first place.

"can we talk please?"

zuko was angry at the man you had reduced him to. most people feared him, one of the most powerful beings on the planet, and here you were glaring daggers at him from across the room, no sign of fear in your blazing eyes.

his beautiful wife.

"you survived nearly a week without my attention. i'm sure you can survive some more."

and when you pushed him to leave the room, he didn't stop you. zuko felt his eyes burn but quickly rubbed at them as he sat on the bed. he couldn't prove it because the man wasn't here, but he knew sokka was behind the roses.

ঌ

you found yourself walking through the gardens behind the city hall, arm looped with yuri's, guards following at a distance. it wasn't nearly as grand as the ones back at the fire palace but at the very least you knew you wouldn't find your husband kissing another woman here.

who was she anyways? you'd never thought to ask but her sheer beauty left you feeling insecure. was she zuko's real type? perhaps she was an ex he was stuck on. she wasn't dressed like a servant, maybe she was the lover he had been neglecting you for in the first days of your marriage.

in the end it didn't matter who she was, only that zuko had betrayed you in a way only a husband could betray his wife. you felt it deep in your spirit. the anger, the shame, the embarrassment. what did she have that to you didn't?

a gentle nudge pulled you from your thoughts. yuri was nodding toward a bench and you allowed her to tug you until you sat side by side. you closed your eyes and basked in the beating sun, allowing it to melt the ice that was your jealousy.

it was peaceful here and you didn't want to taint the day with your marital drama.

"my lady, may i speak freely?"

you looked at her, your eyes softening as you brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "we are friends yuri, tell me what's on your mind."

the woman's face reddened as she played with her fingers, looking everywhere but at you. it made her look like a teenager, like she wasn't older than you by some years. "well it's just- i noticed that you and his majesty have not been on the best of terms. all of the servants have, my lady."

you pulled back as your eyes widened, suddenly defensive and ashamed that you had not hidden your marital squabbling well enough to prevent gossiping.

"i don't understand the meaning of this conversation. couples fight, do they not?"

yuri giggled lightly and nodded her head once. "yes, of course, but as your friend and loyal servant, i only wished to offer you an idea. should i continue, my lady?"

you bit your lip and shrugged your shoulders. your father would have you punished if he'd seen you behaving like a "commoner", let alone taking advice from someone he'd deemed beneath you. but he wasn't here and yuri was your friend so fuck him.

"every person on earth is waiting to see how long your union with the firelord lasts. your success or failure determines the future of many. if you can show the people of your respective kingdoms that the fire and earth nation can exist cohesively, you would usher in another age of peace."

you smiled although your heart was cracking at the thought that you were failing your people. you'd barely been married two months and already lost your husband to another woman.

"I do not know what the firelord has done but i do know that you can't continue as you are now. pretending for the people then hating each other behind closed doors helps none." she took in a deep breath before continuing.

"i am lowborn but I can tell you that even with the changes his majesty has made within the nation, our people remain prideful. they grow tired of the fire nation having to continuously prove that the one hundred years war is truly over. fire and earth citizens will continue to be at each others throats, even here in republic city, until your union can show them that they don't have to be."

you were shocked into silence. yuri was right, you knew that and the inner child in you appreciated that she trusted you enough to open up to. no one had ever done that. but you were conflicted. while you wanted to uphold your end of this experiment, you could hardly stand the sight of zuko. it had been easier before, when there was no friendship and you still hated him. before he spent the night fucking you into the mattress,

before you caught feelings like an idiot.

you rubbed at your forehead and closed your eyes with a sigh. "i understand. i do not want anyone to believe that we do not take this seriously because we do. i just- i struggle.." you trailed off, too embarrassed to admit out loud that couldn't bear the truth. that you were just another duty for zuko.

"that leads to my proposal. not all relationships have to be emotional, my lady. what if you were to—please forgive my frankness—only bed the firelord on even days?"

that night, you and zuko lay silently in bed with your backs to the mattress and eyes on the ceiling, the room only lit by a few candles and the moon that peaked through the windows.

you fiddled anxiously with the hem of your robes, mortified at the idea of mentioning yuri's proposal to him. you didn't find it to be a terrible one, getting fucked by zuko every other day. you were a woman and still had your needs but that other woman's face was engraved in your brain.

meanwhile zuko was trying his best not to move his body closer to yours. you were so close yet too far away and he felt like his entire body was about to burst. your thin strapped night gown exposed the smooth skin of your collar bone where evidence of your night together still sat.

it was mostly faded but zuko could still see it. could still remember when he gave you the mark, how your sweet cunt had clenched him so tightly that he retaliated by sucking on your skin hard as he filled you with his third load.

you were attached to him that night and now you distanced yourself as if you were no longer his wife.

"can we-" he started but was quickly cut off.

"I only wanted you to know that I have every intention of fulfilling the terms of this marriage."

the room was silent save for zuko's heart pounding in his ears. that was the first time you spoke to him since the kiss without hatred lacing your voice. it brought back that feeling he was too afraid to confront yet.

"if you agree, we should arrange to lay with each other on even days only. the sooner we accomplish this shared goal, the sooner we no longer have to see each others faces every day."

and he just about died. the words stung worse than the day he got his scar and knew he had to explain himself so he didn't hesitate when he said: "I will agree on the condition that you allow me a moment to speak. to explain what happened that day."

you dug your hands into the sheets, both of you still staring at the ceiling, avoiding each others gaze. you weren't in the mood to hear how he forgot his vows but remained silent anyways, giving him the chance to talk.

and he did. he told you everything that happened, careful not to mention his treatment as that was something he did not want to burden you with. and you just laid there silently before turning on your side, facing the opposite side of the room.

"you shouldn't have been there in the first place zuko."

ঌ

when sokka and toph arrived the following morning, zuko's dimwit of a friend all but admitted he had arranged for the roses to be left out on his bed. a reminder of the time when he'd walked in on sokka who'd been waiting for suki and not expecting a brooding prince. zuko was proud of himself for not strangling him.

though he had begun to wish he did with the way sokka spewed jokes at his expense, to his wife. and you were.. laughing. what the fuck was zuko's life right now?

"hey sokka, do you remember that time mr. big dick tried to tell tea jokes and made a fool out of himself? he couldn't even remember the actual joke and only told us the punch line."

aang added in and your face burned at the nickname. zuko did in fact have a big dick but hearing someone else say it so bluntly had you choking on your cup of wine.

sokka laughed like a fool and plopped down on the sofa you were sitting at, the side of his arm touching yours. suddenly, the joke was the furthest thing from his mind. zuko was possessed by a jealousy that was dangerous and beyond rational. it was the kind that made men monsters and forget all reason.

why the fuck weren't you moving anyway? zuko stared icily at the two of you. well no, not two. toph was seated to your other side but that wasn't the bloody point. so he got up from his seat and without thinking about what he was doing, pulled sokka up by the collar of his shirt and pushed him away. plopping down next to you.

to say you were shocked was severely downplaying it but the others only laughed so you said nothing as zuko but his arm over the sofa behind your head.

the following morning came quicker than you wanted it to. you actually enjoyed being around zuko's friends, especially toph whom you sparred earth bender style with, and while you dreaded the thought of returning to the fire nation, you missed your bed and grew tired of sharing one with zuko.

you were less upset him with after he explained to you what happened. that the woman was his ex and that it was handled now and she wouldn't be a problem anymore. but you couldn't move on from the fact that he had thought it'd be a smart idea to meet with her anyways.

and you could tell he was still hiding something from you, so until he could show that he trusted you, this marriage would be in name only. you would only share a bed in your attempts to produce an heir, nothing further.

it was an even day, you'd realized when you made it back home. it was nearly night but you ordered your ladies to prep you anyways. yuri was visiting her grandmother but had wished you good luck before taking off.

zuko was in a quick meeting so that gave you time to bathe and slip into a gown, opting out of wearing panties and to leave your hair down. when you were done being prepped, you waited for zuko on his bed.

he waltzed in ten minutes later, his face set in a scowl though it softened when he noticed you were there. he frowned before slowly closing the door that connected your rooms.

"even day?" he asked as he pushed his robes off, hanging it on the hook attached to the wall.

you simply nodded and stood when his legs decided to work again. when he reached you, he lifted his hand to touch your face but stopped himself, lowering it back to his side.

a marriage in name only. right.

"let us do our duty, yeah?" you said and though it bothered zuko that you didn't want him to touch you in any way that wasn't sexual, he didn't hesitate to smash his mouth against yours.

fuck, did he miss the feel your soft lips. the kiss was different from your first time. that was a delicate moment, a chance for zuko to learn your body and now that he knew it, he wasted no time as he dipped his head to your neck and sucked on your pulse. he would give you a new mark, a reminder that you were his wether you liked it or not.

it also served as a warning to other men that you were claimed.

his fingers found your clit easy, thanks to your lack of panties and his cock immediately jumped when you let out a moan, a whisper of his name that had him dizzy with lust.

he slipped one finger inside of your wet hole first, your soft walls gripping him possessively before he slowly added another. your arm wrapped around his neck as he continued to attack yours.

"so wet for me, love. i thought you hated me, hmm?" he whispered in your ear before licking a long stripe from the lobe, across your cheek and until he reached your mouth. your tongues fought like they were enemies, his fingers not letting up on their ruthless pace.

"s-sshut up and- oh! f-fuck me." you huffed out between moans. zuko loved seeing you in this state, knowing he was the only one that had that privilege.

he didn't waste any time. his fingers left your cunt and you whined at the lost of contact before he was bending you over, lowering his pants and slowly pushing himself inside of you.

you were so fucking tight, zuko knew he wasn't going to last long. so he only gave you a few moments before he gripped your hips and started pounding into you. the frustrations from his meeting and your silent treatment had him raging and seeking a release.

"ngghh, zuko, I can't-"

he groaned, cock growing impossibly harder at the sight you gripping the sheets to keep yourself upright, tits bouncing with each thrust.

"you can take it. look at you, love. what a good girl, taking your husbands cock so well." he leaned forward, moving his hand until he found your clit again, rubbing in circular motions and biting your neck.

"I h-hate you, mmgh go harder." your moans filled the room, sweat dripping down your back under your dress, legs shaking as zuko stuffed you full.

"hmm say it again." you were so fucking wet, squishy walls squeezing his cock so good. zuko was too pussydrunk to really care about the three words you said, shamelessly believing that it was better you felt something toward him at all.

"I hate y-you. haaah, m'gonna-" your stomach tightened, a high pitched sound leaving your lips as the world fell apart, your orgasm stealing your sense of reality.

"m'gonna cum inside of you, love. gonna fuck you until you're carrying our child." zuko pulled your body up, wrapping his arms around body as he held you close.

you were too gone to stop the kisses he trailed from your neck to your forehead. the act too intimate for what your relationship was.

zuko's eyes rolled back at he filled you with his seed, his hand finding your chin and titling your head up to his. his mouth covered yours as he painted your walls, pushing deep to keep every drop inside of you.

he slept like a baby that night.

the next even day, he found you hosting tea time with noble women before dragging you to the nearest storage closet and fucking you hard.

you were glad for the interruption. the conversation with the nobles was incredibly boring and you were on the verge of falling asleep.

"ooh, just like that zuko."

zuko was quick, only because you cried about not wanting to get caught. he didn't care, wanted the world to know that you were his and his alone to fuck. needed them to know that he was yours.

ten minutes later you were squirting on his cock as he dumped load after load into you.

two days later you were laid bare on your stomach, your husband on top of you as he fucked his cock inside of your dripping cunt. one of his hands underneath your stomach, holding you up so he could get brutally deeper, the other gripped the sheets above your head.

drool escaped the sides of your mouth as zuko fucked you stupid. he felt different today, every thrust making you feel as if you were already orgasming. his long hair fell forward, framing around your head as you sobbed into the bed from the intense pleasure.

you'd already came two times and zuko once but he wasn't letting up. he's grunting like an animal above you, his moans deep and masculine, and every bit manly and doing insane things to your body.

zuko didn't know what was making you feel so different this time but he was hooked. your pussy was wetter than ever, liquid dripping down your legs. you were gripping his cock with a desperation he'd never experienced before, and the way he had you writhing under him had him high on arrogance.

it wasn't long before you were seeing stars for the third time that night as zuko stuffed you full with his seed, his previous load leaking out your puffy cunt.

he dropped to the bed beside you, throwing an arm over his eyes as he caught his breath. you turned to lay on your back, a warm sticky feeling between your legs.

zuko peeked to look at you with his left eye and his heart dropped when he noticed the blur had returned. fuck! he didn't want you to know about the issues with his vision. he had made far too many people in his life feel like he was a burden and he couldn't handle doing the same to you.

especially with the current state of your relationship. so he settled for the only other option he had: being an ass.

he stood abruptly, his head still spinning from his orgasms as he quickly threw his loose pants back on and wrapped his night robe around his shoulders, tying it loose at this waist. he went shirtless.

you sat up on your elbows, looking at the man with your brows furrowed. you looked so fucking cute. all sweaty, hair a mess and leaking with his cum. "where are you going? it's late."

"get some rest, wife. i plan to see you at breakfast tomorrow." he thought about kissing the worrying off your face but decided against it, knowing you'd only reject him anyways.

but sleep was the last thing you'd be getting, because as soon as he was out of sight you were rushing to slip your gown back on, sliding into your slippers and not even thinking to put panties on. you didn't want to lose him.

he was turning down a hall as soon as you stepped out the door, two guards trailing him. you bit your lip at the feel of his cum leaking and moved as stealthy as possible while keeping a decent speed. you weren't bad at it either, with the years of experience you had sneaking around the castle in ba sing se.

when your father caught you once at only six years old, he pulled you up by your shirt and narrowed his eyes at you. "sneaky little brat. who taught you to snoop like that?" and then he had you practice it more.

so it wasn't hard to follow zuko down hallways and up a flight of stairs that led to the third level of the palace. what was he doing up here? this was the staff floor, what could he possibly need?

you ducked behind a wall when he turned his head, staring right where you had been. you curled your lips to keep your breaths low and waited a few moments before looking again. zuko was going through the door at the end of the hall, an older woman holding it open for him with soft eyes and a tired smile.

what the fuck..

when the doors closed, the guards that followed stood protectively in front of it, ready to stop anyone that tried to get through. you didn't know what to think and you were in no state to fight right now, so you turned on your heels and returned to your rooms.

sleep did not find you easy that night.

you continued to fuck during your even days for the next week, mind so occupied on who that woman was and what zuko was visiting her for, that you hadn't even realized you missed your monthly.

"yuri, have you ever seen the firelord on the third floor?"

the brown haired woman stares at you through the mirror as she fixed your hair. she let out a confused laugh before continuing, "why would his majesty be on the third floor, my lady?"

you hummed and decided to let it go. best not to stir up gossip, though you knew yuri wasn't that kind of person.

when zuko hadn't come to your bedroom after his return from a public appearance, you knew something was wrong. only earlier that day he assured you he would not miss your 'even day' but it was getting late and he still hadn't shown his face.

that was how you found yourself on that fucking third floor again and sure enough, the same two guards stood outside the door at the end of the hall. you were furious and didn't feel the need to hide anymore as you marched down the hall, robe flying behind you.

the men straightened when they seen you, eyes wide as they hadn't been expecting to see their firelady here.

you wasted no time. "move."

the man on the right widened his eyes even more while the other just looked annoyed at the inconvenience of having to deal with a woman's attitude. he was the one that spoke.

"firelord is busy, my lady. i'll let him know you were looking for him."

you scuffed. "you will let me through those doors or I will have your corpse strung on the front gates."

he squinted his eyes and gave you a false smile while the other man shrunk, but you had dealt with men worse than him.

"as I said, my lady. firelord zuko is otherwise occupied and will be until he decides he's not-"

just then, you heard zuko groan behind the door but it wasn't one of pleasure. every bone in your body was telling you to blow that door its hinges but you attempted to reason with the men once more.

"you're aware of the structure of this palace, correct?" you didn't wait for him to answer. "it's made completely from the earth, with a few metals here and there. did you know that as an earth bender I can manipulate the exact brick you stand on now and have you fall through the floor? as one of the very rare metal benders, I can squeeze the silver around your body until you stop breathing. now I won't ask again. move."

you would never kill someone unless your life was in danger but it did the trick. they let you pass with a quick "my lady." you shot the man a promising glare before pushing the door open, zuko still groaning on the other side.

the sight before you was not what you had expected. a small part of you thought he had been fucking this woman, but the last thing you had thought you would see was her moving water over his left eye as he gripped the handle of the chair he sat in, sweat beading across his forehead as his eyes were shut tight.

"what are you doing to my husband?"

zuko shot up at the sound of your voice, the woman seizing her movements and moving the water back to a bowl. what the fuck.. what the fuck! your heart raced as zuko stood and moved toward you with crazed wide eyes, his hand reaching out to grab your arms.

"(name), what are you doing here? how did you find me, love?" he tried to guide you back to the door but you snatched your arm away. how many secrets did this man have? your eyes began to fill with tears as you stared at his scar.

"fucking explain yourself zuko! tell me what's going on or I'll walk out this room and go back to ba sing se. tell me, now."

he ran his hand through his hair, his other placed on his hip as he bit his lip deep enough that you were surprised it didn't bleed. he looked sickly, skin pale and sweaty and his left eye twitched as if he were in pain.

"she was healing me. i'm losing my sight, love."

part three

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀ঌ⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

note: ahhh I'm so glad y'all like this story, i've been cooking it up for a bit and honestly, its my fav thing i've written so far. maybe y'all can forgive zuko now though? 🫣

I had the day off and decided to feed ya early. lemme know what you guys think in the comments, mwah!

zuko taglist

Keeping a relationship secret turned out to be significantly harder than either of you had expected, not because you were bad at secrets, but because everyone around you was annoying. Particularly Sokka.

"Why are you both here?"

You froze and across the palace library, Zuko looked equally guilty.

Which was unfortunate because you weren't actually doing anything…for once.

"I was reading," you answered.

Sokka narrowed his eyes "Together?"

Neither of you responded quickly enough.

"Oh, that's suspicious," he said, clearly joking.

"It isn't," Zuko said immediately.

"Suspicious."

"Sokka,” you both said

"You both said that at the same time. Very suspicious."

You briefly considered earthbending him into a wall. But, eventually Sokka wandered off, talking to himself about conspiracies or something like that.

The moment he disappeared around the corner, you dropped your head against the nearest bookshelf "He's going to figure it out."

"He once thought Appa secretly ran an underground animal fighting business when Appa's an animal himself."

"That's not reassuring."

"It should be."

Unfortunately, Zuko was smiling which wasn't helping at all.

The second problem was that apparently once you both started dating, you wanted to be around each other all the time. A fact you found deeply irritating. Before, you could go days without seeking him out, now you'd be halfway through and suddenly wonder where he was.

Not because you needed anything, simply just because. It was ridiculous.

The third problem was that Zuko had somehow become worse at hiding things. 

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You absolutely do."

The whole group was attending some banquet none of them wanted to be at. Toph was hiding out in a different room, Sokka was dancing with Suki and Katara and Aang were talking to some noble.

Everything was normal, except for the fact that every time you looked up, Zuko was already looking at you. What an idiot.

"You're going to get us caught."

"I'm just standing here."

"Exactly."

By the third week you had developed a system. A terrible system, but an incredibly effective one. One built entirely around disappearing whenever possible.

The palace had far too many corridors and empty rooms. Too many places where two people could accidentally find themselves alone.

‘Accidentally.’

"You're late." You folded your arms as Zuko slipped into the unused room.

"I had a meeting."

"You are the meeting, Zuko."

"That's not how being Fire Lord works."

"It should be."

The door clicked shut behind him and silence settled. For a moment neither of you moved Which somehow felt more intimate than anything else.

"You know," Zuko said, "normal couples don't have to hide in abandoned rooms."

"We aren't normal."

"Fair."

A laugh escaped you and Zuko's expression softened immediately. And there it was again that look that made her stomach do strange things. The one she'd spent years not noticing or trying to push away.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"You're doing the face."

"What face?"

"The one where you look at me like that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Liar."

He stepped closer “Maybe," he admitted.

You rolled your eyes then kissed him. When you both pulled apart, Zuko looked entirely too pleased with himself "See?"

 "See what?"

"Much easier than arguing."

"Incorrect."

A knock sounded somewhere outside and both of you froze.

"Reader?" Katara's voice.

You and Zuko looked at each other horrified.

"Reader, are you in there?"

Zuko mouthed “Don't answer.”

You glared and whispered "That's your plan?"

"It's a good plan."

"It's a terrible plan."

The handle rattled and both of you jumped. Thinking quickly, you grabbed Zuko's sleeve and yanked him behind the nearest curtain terrified she'd just open the door and walk in. There wasn't enough room at all though. "Move," he whispered

"You move."

"You're taller."

"How is that relevant?"

Outside, Katara sighed "You know what? Never mind."

You both remained frozen for several seconds until her footsteps retreated, making absolutely sure she was gone. Finally you said "...I hate this."

Zuko's shoulders were shaking with laughter.

"Are you laughing?"

"No." He was.

"Zuko."

Eventually you started laughing too because the situation was ridiculous. Two grown adults, one of them the Fire Lord, hidden behind a curtain because they couldn't tell their friends they were dating.

"This is your fault."

"How?"

"I haven't decided yet."

His smile softened, then Zuko reached for your hand whether to reassure you or himself more, you weren't sure. "We don't have to tell them yet."

 You squeezed his fingers "No."

He pulled the object out of its sheath on his back, glaring at it as if it was the boomerang’s fault he didn’t have bending.  As if he wasn’t a bender because of the boomerang.  Not that he had the boomerang because he couldn’t bend.

           He just wished he could be more.  Do more.

“Heads up!”

           Sokka didn’t hear the warning.

You quickly drug earth out of the ground, forming a wall in front of him.

           The rock that had flown his way bounced off of it, rolling away.

You brought your hands down, rejoining the wall with the rest of the earth.

           “I think I’m done for today, Toph.”  You told her, turning to the twelve-year old.

“I tired ya out, huh?”  She teased.

           You chuckled.  “You wish.”  You retorted, walking away.  You stopped in front of Sokka, your shadow falling over him.

           He finally looked up, his blue eyes piercing your e/c ones.

“You okay, Sokka?”  You asked, bringing an earth block out of the ground and sitting across from him. “What’s wrong?”

           Sokka eyed the rock. Another reminder of his inferiority. He looked away, his expression turning cold.  “Nothing.” He insisted sharply.

           You raised an eyebrow, not expecting the harsh tone from him.  “Now, I don’t believe that.  Toph’s been teaching me to feel vibrations.”  You leaned towards him.  “In other words, I can tell when you’re being dishonest.”

           Sokka glanced over at you.  He sighed, closing his eyes.  “I just… I can’t do anything.  I can’t bend. All I can do is throw this stupid boomerang.”  He grumbled, looking down at it distastefully.  He let go of it.  It landed on the grass with a soft ‘thump’.

           You eyed the weapon for a while before looking back up at Sokka.  You sighed, picking it up and cleaning it off.  “Sokka, you don’t need to bend to be part of the team.”  You placed the boomerang in his hands, closing them around it.  “You’re so much more than that.  You’re the leader, the planner.  We wouldn’t know what to do without you.”  You assured.  “Besides, no one else can throw a boomerang like you can.”  You offered, smiling slightly.

           Sokka looked up at you, but he didn’t smile.  He wasn’t frowning, but still.

You sighed, trying to think of what would make him feel better. “Sokka, you mean a lot to everyone here.”  You paused. “And you mean a lot to me.”

           Sokka’s eyes widened as he stared over at you.

You turned a light shade of red, the color deepening the longer the silence went on.  You cleared your throat, moving to stand.

           Sokka caught your wrist, pulling you back down.  He opened his mouth, but couldn’t seem to find the right words.  What was there to say?  He finally decided on leaning forward, pressing a short kiss to your lips.

           You looked at him in shock after he pulled away.  You hadn’t been expecting that.

“Thank you.”  Sokka whispered.

           You simply nodded, words failing you.

“Hey, Sokka, have you-” Aang froze, seeing your close proximity. He raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what was going on.

           You and Sokka both turned, hearing Aang’s call.

“What is it, Aang?”  You asked, standing and walking towards him.

           “What- ah!”

You turned, seeing Sokka on the ground.  He tripped over the seat you had made.  You laughed as Aang used airbending to lift him to his feet.

           “Very funny.” Sokka grumbled.

“Well, it was.”  You defended.

           Sokka shook his head. “You’re gonna regret that.”  He told you, clearly teasing.

“I have no doubt about it.”

           Aang looked between you two, clearly confused.  “I don’t get it.  What’d I miss, guys?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n:  Old request

Simply put, the pair were a force of nature. That wasn’t the reason they weren’t allowed to fight, though. No, nobody really paid much mind to their destructive tendencies, as long as they weren’t too close to camp.

It was their moods after the fight was done that brought about the rule.

Zuko would slink away to his tent and brood, grumbling at anyone who ventured too close to him. (Y/N) would stay with the group, a grin stuck to her face the whole time. It wasn’t a smile that put anyone at ease, though. It was feral, the snapping teeth and predatory curl of her lips more suited to a big cat than a young girl. Even Katara, who was usually found near (Y/N)’s side, avoided sitting too close.

(Y/N) was never mean to the others, but she had a razor sharp edge to her for hours after the duel that made Aang shift nervously in his seat and Sokka focus more on being the meat guy than the sarcasm guy. Suki would stay on edge until it was finally time to split up into their individual tents. Her fighting instincts would be on alert at the scent of scorched earth coming from (Y/N), a completely different smell from the smoke from the campfire.

Zuko, of course, would be the one to start said campfire. There was a tense, almost shy set to his shoulders as the weight of wild eyes bore down on him from near Toph. Toph, incidentally, never seemed to mind the rumbling of thunder in (Y/N)’s voice after a fight with Zuko, or the way Zuko’s heart beat staggered whenever (Y/N) so much as walked past him.

Toph didn’t care if the pair sparred, as long as it would get them over their timid dance around camp. She thought it was an entertaining break in the monotony of training and hiding, and the feeling of (Y/N) earthbending with such raw emotion was as sappy as any romance story there was. It was truly hilarious to her that nobody else could connect the dots between the unbridled chaos of their fighting and their quiet moments together around a campfire.

**

It had been a few days since the last incident when Toph finally decided to ask (Y/N) what their deal was during a training session.

“So, what’s up with you and Sifu Hotman?” She asked, a slightly maniacal laugh falling past her lips when she managed to catch (Y/N) off guard and nail her in the side with a boulder. Toph had taken to using Aang’s ridiculous nickname after she realized how quickly she could get under Zuko’s skin with it. Payback for Zuko burning her feet, she had justified.

Coughing and sputtering from the blow, (Y/N) tried to deflect the question with a volley of rocks she’d been keeping suspended in the air long enough for Toph to half lose track of.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Toph huffed indignantly, dodging the attack before shifting her feet and sending the slab of earth below (Y/N) tilting sideways.

“No, I just saw a weakness and used it,” (Y/N) laughed and leapt from her crumbling perch to position herself in the middle of the sparring area, knowing that Aang, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka were somewhere behind her. Toph wasn’t stupid, she knew (Y/N) was trying to get into a position that would make Toph go easier on her with their friends in the line of fire.

Oh (Y/N), you really think you’re clever, don’t you? Toph thought with a smirk as a plan formed in her mind, pressing her knuckles into the dirt and twisting them sharply. She felt (Y/N)’s growl before she heard it, knowing that the other girl hated when Toph locked her feet into the earth. This time, though, she kept her hold on the rock, sitting down and waiting for (Y/N) to answer her original question.

“Toph, c’mon!” (Y/N) whined, trying to free herself as Toph sat a few meters away laughing.

“Just tell me and I’ll let you go!” Toph called back, bending herself a chair from the earth with one hand while the other kept it’s grip on the rocks around (Y/N)’s ankles.

“You’re such a little jerk,” (Y/N) answered instead, looking around for something to help her. She was weak without being able to use her feet as her center, something Toph had been hounding her about forever.

“I thought best friends told each other everything,” Toph mocked as she felt the others stop fighting to watch the scene in front of them.

“Yeah, but you also told me you’d throw me off Appa because I took Momo’s seat last week,” (Y/N) replied, crossing her arms stubbornly. Toph was a stronger bender, but (Y/N) had more patience, knowing Toph could get bored or frustrated pretty quickly. That’s how they’d always been, ever since (Y/N) had been sent to live with her helpless, blind little cousin all those years ago.

“What’s going on?” Aang asked the pair, scootering over on a ball of air with a peeved looking Zuko trailing behind him.

“(Y/N)’s keeping secrets from me and acting like I won’t find out,” Toph accused, watching as Suki and Sokka joined the group. Katara, who had been assigned camp duties for the day, drew closer at the lack of fighting sounds.

“Toph,” (Y/N) warned, a sharp threat in her voice as the sound of a tree being pulled up at the roots echoed around the clearing as (Y/N) clenched her fists.

“Yes?” A challenge in her voice, her fist twisting further into the earth and sinking (Y/N) up to her waist in tightly compressed rocks.

“Enough.” Zuko stepped in between the pair, and Toph couldn’t help but notice the spike in his heart rate when (Y/N) dropped up to her shoulders in rock.

“Zuko, stay out of this. Toph’s just being a pain,” (Y/N) huffed, having a hard time breathing with the merciless press of dirt and rock around her chest.

He didn’t stay out of it of course, his heart beating faster than a bird's wings as he watched (Y/N) struggle in the ground. Toph thought the duo were nauseatingly oblivious.

She let out a frustrated growl and slammed her foot on the ground, sending Zuko sprawling flat out next to (Y/N) and encasing his hands and feet in earth.

“Fine. You can both stay here until one of you tells me, then.” Toph declared before standing and walking away from the pair. The rest of the group looked from Toph back down to their friends buried in the ground, and decided that maybe they didn’t want to end up stuck next to the pair. They walked off, promising to talk to Toph and have her fix this.

“Spirits, she’s such a little bastard,” (Y/N) mumbled, turning her head to look at Zuko. She blinked in shock, not expecting his face to be quite so close to hers. A tricky little bastard, the girl amended in her head.

“What were you two fighting about?” Zuko asked quietly, not having to speak much above a whisper with their proximity. Had his eyes always been so golden?

“She asked about what was going on between us,” (Y/N) answered, closing her eyes and turning her head away from him towards the sky. The sun pressed red kisses against her closed eyelids while the breeze played with her hair, making her feel for a moment that she was laid out next to Zuko in a spring meadow by choice instead of locked into the dirt by Toph.

“What did you tell her?” He kept his voice low, tone conspiratorial. He stared at (Y/N), the sun loving her throat and pressing kisses to her cheekbones. He thought, just for a moment, that Toph had done him a favor by locking him into this view.

A laugh, and then, “I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Why not?” He prodded, wishing (Y/N) would turn her head so he could… could what? He thought to himself, images of him wiggling closer and closing the distance between them flickering in his mind without warning. A warm blush crept up his neck at the thoughts, wishing he wasn’t so affected by their proximity.

“Because sometimes you need to let Toph think she holds all the cards so she’s a little less of a pain in the ass. And so she wouldn’t question what we really do when we spar,” (Y/N) whispered, opening her eyes and turning to face Zuko. She met his amber gaze immediately, a grin pulling at her mouth as she leaned closer to him, feeling the heat radiating off his body.

“Oh, you mean that thing where you torment me with your comments all day around camp and then try to play innocent when we’re alone?” Zuko huffed with a smile as he wormed his way closer.

“Hey, don’t get mad. I just saw a weakness and used it,” (Y/N) giggled as she leaned in towards him. Her gaze flickered briefly from Zuko’s eyes, to his lips, and then back to his eyes in a way that made him feel like the ground was falling out from under him. He leaned up to meet her halfway, falling just short of being able to seal their lips together. A soft groan from (Y/N) pulled a chuckle from Zuko’s throat, before his head flopped back down onto the packed earth.

“Such a little bastard,” he heard (Y/N) mutter a moment before her face contorted and rumbling from around them was heard.

Zuko’s hands and legs were freed from their earthen prison, letting him roll away only a second before (Y/N) rose up from her hole on a pillar of earth. She hopped down gracefully and brushed her clothes off before helping Zuko to his feet, that wild look back in her eyes.

“You couldn’t have done that earlier?” Zuko asked, brushing the dirt out of his hair.

“I can put you back, if you’d like,” (Y/N) hummed, stepping closer to him and giving him that sharp grin that sent his stomach fluttering.

“I’m fine right here, thank you,” he replied, a deep blush staining his cheeks as (Y/N) pulled him close and finally, finally, pressed her lips to his own in a slow kiss. He returned the kiss eagerly, loving the warmth of her hand cupping his jaw with gritty fingers as the other tangled in Zuko’s mop of hair.

The pillar she’d used to free herself moments before was now scraping against his back as (Y/N) traced a lazy trail of kisses along Zuko’s jaw. He let out a sound that was suspiciously close to a whimper and felt a thrill go up his spine at the glint of absolute trouble reflected in (Y/N)’s eyes when she pulled away.

“How long do you think we have until they realize we’re not stuck anymore?” She pondered, pressing delicate kisses up the side of Zuko’s throat and along the edges of his scar.

“Enough time to get a head start and cover our tracks.” His eyes moved deliberately to the forest away from camp, before flicking back to hers with a bashful quirk of his eyebrow. His breaths trembling, he tried to ignore how his nerve endings were alight with the feeling of (Y/N)’s lips on his skin.

“Very tempting, but I don’t feel like listening to Mother Katara yell at us for ‘running off and worrying the group,’” (Y/N) whispered back, pressing a kiss to Zuko’s chin before moving to pull away. His arms snaked around her waist quickly, locking her against him.

(Y/N)’s brows shot up in pleasant surprise at his actions. She had been the one to make moves from the start, more accustomed to touch that wasn’t soured by pain or anger. Zuko figured she’d like to have more physical affection from him, but the long nights spent untangling his emotions in return for a kiss were enough to keep her happy and moving at his pace. Zuko had been without a loving hand to hold for so long that he forgot how simple and sweet an embrace could be, how the pad of a thumb rubbing across bruised knuckles could soothe his aches better than any balm.

Feeling bold between the column of earth and (Y/N), Zuko leaned down to her height and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips, retreating before she could respond. The girl only grinned widely, wrapping her arms around his muscular torso. A puff of air left Zuko’s lungs as he was pulled into her strong arms, before tightening his own arms around her waist and pressing his face into the crook of her neck.

“We have to at least make Toph think nothing’s changed, or we’ll never hear the end of how she’s so right and it's everyone else who is really blind,” (Y/N) told him, pitching her voice in Toph’s bratty little sister voice she used when she won arguments.

“Let her. I’m tired of not being able to be like this whenever we want,” Zuko replied, his warm breath against the side of her neck sending a wave of goosebumps over (Y/N)’s skin. It shocked her in the most pleasant way possible to hear him say that to her, since they’d agreed to keep things quiet until he could figure out his emotions.

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when she makes you wish you were hard of hearing,” (Y/N) laughed, nudging his head back up to face her. Her senses were filled with Zuko, the smell of smoke filling her nose as the heat from his body scorched a pattern into her heart. Their noses brushed once, twice; their lips a breath apart.

Before either could close the distance, Toph marched around their column of rock, almost slamming straight into them. In a breath, she was gone again, back the way she’d come.

“I knew it, I was so right! You losers are so blind!” She shouted to the others.

Her sudden appearance had shocked the pair apart, making (Y/N) quirk an eyebrow and pulling a rare grin from Zuko at the astounding accuracy of (Y/N)’s impression of Toph.

“Just remember, you brought this upon yourself,” (Y/N) laughed, turning to walk back to camp. Zuko’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, reeling her back in towards him so he could seal a lingering kiss against her mouth.

only three months ago you were planning to finally break free of ba sing se and it's stuffy walls that locked you away from the rest of the world. you barely had friends, the only people willing to talk to you being the servants and your assigned guardian. as the eldest daughter and first born child of the king of the earth kingdom, most would believe you lived life in luxury and prosperity.

most people did not know that you were born to be a weapon. a tool specifically bred to gain an alliance with the fire nation and therefore, you spent most of your life hidden.

you had no real friends, didn't even know your own mother, had no social life outside of occasional appearances to keep gossip of the missing princess at minimum, and the once a year visit to the fire nation where you'd meet with firelord ozai and prince zuko to ensure the status of the forced betrothal and to bond with your future husband.

you were officially engaged at only ten years old, zuko being eleven. the visits moved to twice a year and during that time, you would be forced to spend time with the brooding prince. you had tried to, at minimum, be his friend but he was miserable and insisted he hated girls.

then ozai became firelord and the visits continued, becoming more frequent now that his father wasn't around to protest the idea of conquering ba sing se through marriage. after his rise in power, the plan was for you two to officially get married when you came of age at seventeen.

after zuko was scarred and banished at thirteen, the engagement was forgotten, though it was never actually called off. the attacks from the fire nation accelerated now that ozai wouldn't use his son to infiltrate the kingdom. this of course, was your fault in the eyes of your father. '

"you failed as his betrothed. if you had befriended him as i ordered you to, perhaps the brat would have been less motivated to speak out of turn! now look at us (name), you've doomed us."

of course this logic was nonsensical, but twelve year old you couldn't understand that. all you knew was that you disappointed your father and your people were dying because of you and the prince that refused to be your friend.

that was how you came to hate the man you were marrying.

ঌ

zuko was a man of honor. at least that's what he told himself to force his signature on the marriage document as he stood next to his bride who look equally as miserable as he felt.

he had put this off for as long as he could. he dated mai for several years, even came up with the idea to marry her but could never bring himself to do it. as firelord he could make it happen with the snap of his fingers but he could never get himself to just ask the fucking question, so he didn't. something always holding him back.

and he didn't blame her when she finally broke things off after his twenty-eighth birthday a few months ago, even if it turned him more bitter than he'd like to admit. she deserved someone who could give her the one thing zuko had not been able to offer.

later that night during the reception, zuko hardly looked at you, nor did you look at him. though when he did he couldn't help but to admire your beauty. you looked otherworldly in your bridal dress, which paid homage to both the earth kingdom and fire nation. your hair matched his in a half up, half down style and sat atop your bun was your crown that declared you firelady.

an uncomfortable feeling sat in zuko's chest that he tried to force away, snatching his eyes away from the ring on your finger when you had caught him staring. he kept his eyes forward, watching the traditional performance as a fire blazed in his chest.

it wasn't that zuko disliked you. he remembered you from when you were only children and how kind you had attempted to be to him despite his all but dismissive attitude. you would talk and he would sit with a permanent scowl on his face, wishing he could sink into the ground.

when his advisors had mentioned the idea of an experiment, seeing if the elements could mix, zuko brought up you. it was perfect. you were already royalty, an earth bender and legally, still his fiancé.

the last time he had seen you, was two weeks before he was banished for speaking out. you were charismatic as always, hoping to gain a sliver of the princes attention. now you were a woman, filling out your body in all the right spots and barely looked at him.

by the time the after party came and the dancing started, zuko was three glasses deep in wine and began to feel a little brave as a light buzz ran through his body. the stress of marrying someone he did not know and the conditions that came with it, slipping to the back of his mind as the music began to flow through his body.

zuko wasn't much of a dancer. he fucking despised dancing, but it was his wedding night and he was feeling brassy, so fuck it.

he stood from his chair, tall frame hovering over you as he stared down with golden-yellow eyes that burned with a look you couldn't quite decipher. he reached his hand out to you, lips quirked in what one might understand as a forced smile.

"wife." he grumbled and you took in a sharp breathe. you hadn't expected him to speak to you. "care to share a dance with me?"

you inwardly cringed, though being careful not to show it. you wouldn't ruin your union, not again. you would show your father that he could trust you, count on you to bring peace to the kingdom. maybe you would prove that you were worth treating as a daughter now. someone he could love as much as he loved his sons.

so as much as you wanted to decline, you gave a strained "yes." and took your husbands hand.

the dance was gentle, uncomplicated and would have been quite enjoyable if it were with anyone else. at least that's what you told yourself that night, arms around his neck as he bent slightly so could reach. his large hands gripped your hips as he pulled you close to his chest.

you smiled politely as the knot in your stomach unfurled and traveled between your thighs. heat spread across your cheeks but you weren't in the slightest embarrassed. while you had never had anything more than oral sex, you were far from a liar and knew you wanted this man in your bed.

he was beautiful and the long hair gave him an aura most men lacked.

this would be so much easier if he was ugly. you thought.

you hated him for his actions that led you to being seen as failure by your father but that didn't mean you were against fucking him. you were his wife after all, you were expected to perform your duties and that was far from the problem.

your father had ordered you to be with child within a year but you knew you could never have a child with a man you would never love. this union had turned into something distinct from it's original purpose. an experiment they called it, to see if royals from different elements could marry successfully and produce an heir. within a year.

you had your own plan, which was to take the preventative herbs (you bribed a servant for it) anytime zuko fucked you. you hoped that soon enough he would realize his poor wife is barren and pick up a few concubines to carry his heir.

you had other ways to make the marriage successful, even if that meant no child.

"i hope the night has exceeded your expectations, my queen." the words soured on zuko's tongue. here he was with a beautiful woman in his hands, and still his ex lingered in the back of his head. the relationship had been failing for some time, he knew that, but the sense of familiarity being snatched from him left behind a hole he couldn't seem to fill.

still, he tried to his best to forget about her. it was his fucking wedding night and his wife looked good enough to eat. he made a mental note to lay off the wine for the rest of the night, lest you show interest in consummating the marriage.

you faked a smile. "did you have a hand in any of the planning?"

you wondered. your father hadn't given you a say and left the planning to the professionals, with the one rule of incorporating earth kingdom culture. you were upset about being excluded from your own wedding but the green banners mixed in with red littered the room and it looked like a dream as the earth and fire symbol blended as one.

"not much." he chuckled as he spun you and brought your body back to his, swaying as he tightened his grip on you. not enough to hurt but enough to keep you put.

"i only played a part in approving the budget, if that counts for anything. not much of an expert in the wedding area. got kicked out of the room when I asked why decorations were necessary"

you fought a smile and nodded in agreement. a sick part of you was glad he had been forbidden from participating as well, knowing you weren't the only person deemed unworthy of planning.

your first common ground as a married couple. nice.

just when you were about to respond, you were cut off by an obnoxiously loud voice yelling over the music and moving closer to where you and zuko stood. you could see the annoyed but amused smirk spread across your husbands face as he straightened and you despised his happiness.

when he pulled back from you and took your hand in his as you turned to face the incoming squealer, you had to fight the urge to snatch your hand away.

for the earth kingdom. for my honor. you reminded yourself.

"flameo hotman! congratulations on the wedding." yelled the avatar himself as he gripped zuko's shoulder, clearly drunk and pulled him into a quick hug. another man with shaved sides and a bun joining in. you had forgotten zuko was now friends with his once mortal enemy but you had no idea who the other person was.

your stomach churned at the thought of zuko having friends. something was truly wrong with you if he could buddy up with someone he once wanted to capture and not you, a girl who only wished to hold a basic conversation.

you swallowed your jealousy and smiled at the men who gawked at you.

"wow zuko, didn't think you were capable of swooning a goddess." the man in blue joked.

zuko groaned as you bit back a laugh. "sokka. please stop." though his hand moved to your lower back, posssessively.

"this is my wife, (name)." he allowed the men to introduce themselves. you of course already knew who aang was but took a special interest in sokka. he was funny and you loved that he embarrassed zuko. you could still hear his laughter as your husband walked you two back to your now shared room.

behind you, trailed your father, some earth guards and a few of zuko's advisors and guards of his own. they escorted you to the bedding ceremony but would not be staying. when you both got to the door, zuko turned and talked to his advisors while you turned to your father.

your heart skipped a beat at the look on his face. he was a tall man but still shorter than zuko and every bit your reflection, which made your lack of a relationship even more depressing.

"you've gotten this far. do not disappoint me child. remember all that is at risk." was all he fucking said.

not I love you, or I'm proud of you. not even a simple well wish for his daughter on her wedding night. but you smiled anyway and when you went to drop into a bow, his hand grabbed your arm to stop you. you ignored the burn from his too tight grip and bit back a wince.

"you are the firelady now. you bow to no one."

you stood straight and nodded your head, acknowledging that you heard him. his grip tightened a bit before loosening but not letting go completely.

"an heir within a year daughter-"

"wife. everything alright?" a deep voice cut through the lecture you were about to receive and you turned to see zuko with a death glare on his face.

"firelord zuko, all is-"

"wife. are you okay?" zuko ignored your father, eyes locked on you as if no one else existed.

you nodded and rubbed your arm after your father dropped it. you fought the burn in your eyes and moved toward the room door. your father didn't wait, simply smiling and moving down the hall. guards on his tail.

zuko left you in room that night after making sure you were fine, moving through the doors that connected yours to his. you had expected him to consummate the marriage but he only bid you a goodnight and closed the door behind him.

you of course, had no idea that zuko spent the next hour fighting the urge to find your father and knock his head off his shoulders for putting his hands on you.

you awoke to the sound of bells the following morning, your hair a mess from the deep sleep you had fallen into. only a minute later, servants and what appeared to be your lady in waiting burst through the doors with clothes and a tray of fruits and cheese.

after you ate and washed, your lady (who called herself yuri) began to dress you in a silk thin strapped dress before adding a corset and tying it tight to your body. you winced as the woman sat you at the vanity and began pinning up your hair, adding whimsical fire lilies and daylilies.

you grumbled at the manhandling but kept quiet nonetheless.

after breakfast, you found yourself walking through the halls of the palace, on a mission of exploration.

"yuri. what is expected of me today? will I have any council meetings of my own?" please say no.

she chuckled next to you, speeding up to match your pace, two guards following behind. "you have no schedule, firelady."

"and why not?" you shot her a look of confusion. your father had you tutored in fire nation politics and etiquette since you were a child, so you weren't expecting this.

"because you are on your honeymoon, my lady."

you stopped, the guards behind you slowing their pace with annoyance. you hadn't thought of a honeymoon. you and zuko were supposed to be spending these hours cuddled in bed but he was no where to be found. what would you say anyways? you still hated him and felt incredibly awkward after he experienced the way your father handled you.

so you spent your first days as firelady eating sweets, drinking tea, exploring the palace grounds and reading a book. you did not see zuko. not at breakfast, or tea time, or dinner. how were either of you meant to fulfill your duties if he avoided you like you were a plague?

your guards began to bother you. they were constantly on your tail, the only alone time you got being when you slept or bathed. you had no doubt that zuko ordered them to do so, though you couldn't understand why. you were his wife, not his enemy and there was peace between your respective kingdoms, as far as you knew. plus you were more than capable of defending yourself.

the next time you saw zuko was five days past your wedding night. internally, you were fuming and feeling more insecure than ever. on the outside, you flashed your practiced smile and sat with him over a private breakfast in the gardens. he had a small enough table brought out and the two of you sat in silence.

he looked everywhere but at you and you stared through his soul. he looked hungover and agitated, as if he would rather do anything but be in your presence right now.

"where have you been?" you broke the ice. tea long gone, patience beyond worn. five fucking days. unbelievable.

zuko straightened and ran his fingers through his hair. it was free today, falling down his back as the wind blew it back gently. "I uhm-" he cleared his throat.

"have i offended you?" you had always been blunt when upset and no matter how much your guardian attempted to erase it, that had remained your one trait that stuck.

his eyes widened as he faced you fully this time. "no! i- just, i was busy with firelord duties. I did not mean to make you feel neglected."

you scuff and ball your fists under the table, fingers digging into your palms, your own hair whipping from the wind adding fuel to your agitation. it was more than just his duties, the man was actively avoiding you. you never saw him in the halls or pretty much anywhere and whenever you asked for his whereabouts, you were stiffly told that he was otherwise occupied. you were beginning to think-

"do you have a lover?" you hadn't the energy to bite your tongue. he was your husband after all and if you could not speak freely, this marriage was sure to fail.

he sighed and put his elbow on the table, forehead going onto his hand. "i am far too tired for this conversation. can we postpone?" the bottom of his palm rubbed at his sunken eyes.

your eye twitched. how fucking dare he. "when is a convenient time for the firelord to argue with his wife? i must admit, I thought you would have grown out of this by now, seeing as your buddies with your mortal enemy but can't spare your wife a few minutes to converse or let her know you're fucking alive."

"you are unbearable." he muttered before standing.

you were hot on his heels, following him to your rooms in a silent rage as to not cause a scene. you were madder than you had ever been. the only person to have ever dismissed you so rudely was your father and you would die before you took it from your husband as well.

but why were you so upset? you hated him, you shouldn't have wanted anything to do with him. maybe it was your trauma of being treated as less than, maybe it was jealously that his attention was going elsewhere. maybe you were sexually frustrated and needed a release.

it didn't fucking matter. zuko was acting like anything but a husband and you refused to deal with it past this day. which is why as soon as the door to your room slammed shut, you followed him to his conjoined chambers, ignoring his grunts of annoyance.

"why don't you just tell me what i've done wrong huh?" you bellowed, fist balled at your side.

zuko stared at you like you were mad as he shrugged off his robes. you tried to not stare at his arms, failing miserably. "are you so self absorbed that you believe everything is about you?"

"ha!" you sarcastically laugh, throwing your hands up. "considering you've been avoiding your new wife when we should be on our supposed honeymoon. can you really blame me for feeling that way?"

this man was maddening and you were fuming at yourself for having this conversation. you should have allowed him to stay away, to avoid building any kind of bond with this animal who you despised.

why were you allowing him to get under your skin?

"you've done nothing wrong, wife." he spits the word with disgust and the feeling was fucking mutual.

zuko honestly didn't know what had gotten into him. he was frustrated, hung over from his visit to republic city with sokka and consumed with guilt over his marriage after he'd gotten a letter from mai.

he'd hid it away without reading it, opting to leave his past in the past. he was fucking loyal, wether you believed him or not he was a far cry from the man his father was. so why couldn't he just say that?

"fine, I'll leave."

he ignored your yells as he marched out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

ঌ

for the next two weeks you danced around each other, only saying good morning, small hellos if you passed one another in the hall, or short conversations if you needed to discuss anything that required both of your signatures. it was a marriage in the formal sense only. you weren't even friends, hardly acquaintances, far from lovers.

most of your time was spent making public appearances, council meetings with zuko, reading, gardening or honing your bending skills in the training yard.

that's where you had been when zuko summoned you for the first time. anger burning bright as you used your feet and hands to earth bend, lifting different sized boulders, smashing them against walls and metal bending surrounding weapons. your hair which was braided behind your head, whipped with each vicious turn.

the guards watched with concern and a mild interest. some glared, not happy about the reminder that their firelord married an earth bender, let alone one that could bend metal.

"my lady. the firelord wishes for you to join him for lunch." yuri called from afar, too scared to get close.

you wished you didn't hear her because now you sat across the table, glaring daggers at your husband who looked unfairly desirable with his hair tied behind his head, bangs falling to the sides of his face.

you were freshly showered, now dressed in a fire colored silk dress, hair covering your shoulders as it was still drying from your bath. you were silent but zuko said nothing either, both waiting for the other to crack first.

a servant waltzed over to refill your cups before sensing the tension and hurrying their task, wishing to be far away from the dam that was cracking.

"i know you hate me and you have every right to." he started, his deep voice making the hair on your arms stand up. you hated that he was able to coax this reaction from you.

you only hummed in response so zuko swallowed his pride and continued. "I have not given you much reason to like me, i suppose. disappearing after our wedding, avoiding you, living in the past. it was selfish and i deeply apologize for it."

you didn't know what to say, anger withering a bit as you sat stunned and frozen to your seat. you hadn't expected him to be so straight-forward, it was far from his personality.

"you don't have to respond. i just- wished you to know that and hope that maybe we can start over. can we be friends?"

you quirk a brow. "i did try that, if you don't remember. you rejected me over and over then went and got yourself banished. i suffered years of abuse for that little stunt by the way."

you knew you shouldn't have been blaming him for that. from what you were told, he did the right thing by standing up for his people even if he suffered the ultimate consequence.

he grimaced before offering a small smile as a peace offering. "believe in second chances?"

lucky for him, you did. zuko spent the following weeks learning about you as if he had never met you before. every night, no matter how hard the day was, you'd find yourselves on either his bed or yours, asking the most mundane questions to deep, personal ones.

"how'd you get the scar?" you asked, legs crossed on zuko's bed. he sat in front of you in nothing but his pants, opting out of wearing a shirt. he claimed it was too hot, though his window had been left open, cooling the room with the outside breeze.

you didn't mention it, instead focusing on the scar on his chest.

"hmm, a gift from my lovely sister." his hand ran over the red mark.

he explained to you how azula had tried to kill his friend katara and he jumped in the way of the lightning. your heart clenched. this zuko was a different person from the selfish, angry boy you once knew. it made you wonder what he might do to protect you.

"what's your type?" you quickly ask in an attempt to smother those very much unwanted thoughts.

"isn't it my turn?" he chuckles, raising his brow at you. he leaned back on his arms, his hair framing his face as it fell down his back. your eyes betray you as they travel from his muscular arms and chest, down to his happy trail. you didn't mean to, really, but you bit your lip when you noticed his cock was straining against the confines of his trousers.

"my wife."

you head snaps up, face flashing when you realize you've been caught by the shit eating grin on his face. "hmm?"

"my answer is my wife. next question."

the shameless flirting continued after that. you had shown clear interest and zuko wouldn't let the opportunity pass. he was doing much better than he was during the first week of his marriage. the more he spent time around you, the less he thought of mai. in fact, zuko couldn't remember the last time he did think of her in the past two weeks.

it had taken him an embarrassing amount of time to notice just how truly attractive you were in looks and personality. his cock ached every time you were near and lately, his right hand has become his best friend. some days you would notice the effect you had on him and purposely entice him. like the other night during your twenty one questions session, you had worn a tank top with silk shorts that fit your hips just right and didn't leave much to the imagination.

zuko became possessive after that. any man who looked or talked to you became a potential threat. at galas he'd scare off any onlookers, standing right behind you with a death glare that reminded people that he was in fact, ozai's son.

you never noticed of course. your friendship was still blooming and he didn't want to mess up that progress because he decided to finally notice you and hated that others did too.

that would end the following week, when zuko's advisors requested an audience. all seven of them. and they requested for you to be present.

you sat at opposite ends of the long table, each side hosting all of the men that called this emergency meeting.

"pray tell what you've summoned my wife and i for?"

the men seemed almost embarrassed to speak up, grumbling their gratitude for their firelord accepting this meeting. just when zuko thought no one would talk, his grand chamberlain cleared his throat. you fiddled with your hands under the table.

"I beg your pardon for broaching a matter of a more personal and delicate nature, but may I ask about the well-being of your majesty’s union, and whether there has been any progress toward securing an heir to the throne?

your heart dropped but zuko only looked annoyed. in the weeks of getting to know each other, you had forgotten what you were sent here to do in the first place. secure an heir. show that the elements can mix and bring peace to both nations.

you made a mental note to throw out your herbs, guilt eating at you as you now considered zuko to be a decent person. you had expected him to still be that arrogant boy he once was and having no idea what kind of marriage you were walking into, had a servant secure you the preventatives.

it wasn't malicious but merely a way to protect yourself.

when you both retire to your chambers that night, zuko lingers in your room, towering over you as he holds your hands, thumbs rubbing over your knuckles in a way that makes you ache.

"i hope you understand that I would never force that on you. this is our marriage and we decide what happens in it and when, not creepy old men who no longer represent what this nation needs."

you weren't sure you loved him yet but you didn't need to love him in order to uphold your duties and create an heir for the nation. a symbol of peace for the rest of the world. you had never had more than oral sex from a few more than willing guards but your body craved zuko's touch and his cock as if it had experienced the feeling of being stuffed before.

"and what would you do if I said I wanted that? to give you an heir? this is our duty after all, our marriage is an experiment and maybe.. it's time we actually put it to the test."

zuko looked pained, as if every word you spoke brought him closer to death. you sank into his touch, head tilting as his hand moved up and cupped your chin. his thumb slowly rubs against your bottom lip

"if your words were truthful, I would take you to bed right now. show you how sorry I am for waiting to do this and then i'd fill you until you were full with my child."

you gasped, your stomach doing flips as he used his other hand to pull you impossibly closer, your breasts flush against his lower sternum. the man was a giant and you had to lift your head to look at him while this close.

"then do it, my lord, because i can assure you that my word is always truthful."

zuko smiled, a true one that showed his very small dimples before he slowly leaned his head down. when his lips finally met yours, fireworks exploded in your body. his lips were soft, movements gentle as he held your face in his hands.

you moaned against his mouth when his tongue dragged across your lips, testing your boundaries. you gladly opened your mouth, trading saliva with your husband as your tongues fought for dominance.

zuko fought the urge to bend you over the bed and take you deep and fast. he was well experienced in matters of the bedroom but you had him leaking precum and feeling like he could burst right there like a fucking virgin, his cock twitching in his trousers, begging to be inside of you.

he moved his hands from your face and slowly slid the robes down your shoulders until they fell to the floor. he pulled back from you for only a few seconds.

"you are truly ravishing wife." and before you could respond, his lips were back on yours. large, calloused hands dragged your dress up your hips before one spread your legs, fingers teasing your clit in slow circular motions.

you were soaked, your liquid coating the inside of your thighs as you whined against zuko's mouth. you returned the favor and pushed his robe off, fingers moving to undo the bun atop his head, throwing his crown to the floor.

"fuck." zuko grumbled before quickly discarding your dress and pushing you backwards toward the bed, his hands exploring your naked body as his mouth attacked yours.

when he finally had you laid out on the bed, he stood back and watched you. his wife. you were beautiful, dressed in nothing but your skin, hair fanning out across the sheets, body drawing him in like a moth to a flame.

"tell me what you want." he teased. zuko tossed his shirt then lowered his pants only half way, his hands freeing and gripping his thick cock.

your mouth watered at the size of him as your own hand made its way down to your dripping cunt, mouth dropped open in a moan as your fingers made contact.

"fuck me husband. do your duty to our nations and bed your wife."

zuko was whipped, quickly discarding the rest of his clothing and framing his long body between your legs. his cock rubbed against your pussy, your juices mixing together as zuko gripped the sheets above your head in an attempt to calm himself.

he lowered his head, trailing his nose against the skin of your neck, inhaling deeply before placing a kiss against your pulse. he began to grind his hips against yours, moving his hand to grab onto your breast, lowering his head to take a nipple into his mouth.

"zuko." you huffed, bucking your hips up for more friction, his tongue playing with your nipple sending chills through your body. "enough. i need you inside of me." you tug his hair lightly.

he complies almost immediately, a sly smirk on his face before he smashes his lips onto yours. zuko pulled his hips back only slightly, reaching his hand down to line his cock with your entrance. his rubbed the tip up and down your pussy a few times, covering himself with your juices before he slowly pushed forward.

you were unbelievably tight, your walls gripping and contracting around his cock. the fit wasn't perfect, zuko had to put extra force behind his thrust until he sat snug inside you.

a virgin. zuko fought the urge to cum then and there, the thought of being the first person to be inside of you doing awful things to his mind. pride and possessiveness swelling in his heart and making his head big.

you were in another world. the stretch of your husband finally stuffing you had you making sounds you didn't think possible. and when he finally moved, your hands clawed at his back as your eyes squeezed shut.

this was better than your time with your guards. the mixture of pain and pleasure setting your body ablaze as zuko thrust his fat cock deep inside of you.

"nngghh, that feels-oh! so good zuko." you moaned, tears forming at the corner of your eyes. when you finally opened your eyes, he looked down at you in awe.

his mind spun with feelings he wasn't ready to admit yet. the way you looked at him, eyes glassy as he was deep inside of you. something about the moment was too intimate, too close to a feeling he refused to acknowledge.

so when you cried out for him to go harder, he obliged. he hooked one of your legs over his arm and went deeper, his balls smacking into your ass as he pounded his way to ecstasy.

all too fast, a knot was forming in your stomach. "ooh fuck, m'gonna cum!" you cried, wrapping your other leg around his waist.

"that's it, love. let go for me." he grunted into your ear, nibbling at the lobe and you were gone. head thrown back in pleasure, your orgasm crashed into you like a wave. red pulsing pleasure pulling you under as tears streamed down your face.

zuko fucked you through it, his strokes faltering as he neared his own orgasm. he buried his head in your neck as he fucked you harder, one hand moving to grab your ass as he pounded you ruthlessly.

he grunted as he shot ropes of cum deep inside of you, painting your walls white as the wind was knocked out of him. he didn't stop, he kept his pace as he dropped buckets into you, his hand squeezing your ass tight enough to leave a bruise.

his mouth dropped open only an inch as steam rose from his body.

ঌ

the next day you were an entirely different person. you let your ladies bathe you, dress you and fix your hair without any complaints. you didn't mind your guards following you as you made your way to where you were told you could find your husband.

there was a confidence in your step. you felt and walked like a woman now. gone was the young sheltered princess and in her place was a firelady who was possibly carrying the future of this nation.

"oh!" you gasped as you passed the gardens and thought of the new plants you were experimenting with. a mixture of fire and day lilies to represent yours and zuko's union. you smiled to yourself as you thought of your plan to bring him here later and show him what you had been working on.

you weren't an expert in gardening but as a locked away princess, a lot of your time was spent in the garden when you weren't taking lessons in etiquette, politics or earth bending. the palace gardener took pity on you, a young girl mopping about the lawn, and began to teach you when you were eight.

"one quick detour gentlemen, and then we'll go to my husband."

when you found your special plot which was tucked away near the fountain, you stopped dead in your tracks as your heart thumped violently in your chest, smile vanishing in an instant.

stood with his lips locked against a woman you did not recognize, was your husband. his eyes were wide before he pulled back and stepped away, running his hand through his head. the woman was beautiful, with hair darker than zuko's and features so sharp they could cut.

"zuko." you whispered, but it was loud enough for him to hear you as he whipped his head towards you, eyes wide as time seemed to slow. why couldn't he speak? sweat beaded at his neck as his hands shook.

"what is the meaning of this?" you asked as tears formed in your eyes. how could he? after everything. after the weeks you spent together, after last night. did it mean anything to him or was he simply playing his role and carrying out his duties as firelord?

"love, it's not-"

"I was just leaving." the woman cut in but you bolted before she had the chance. tears streamed down your heated cheeks as you hiked your dress in your hands and ran past your guards, the men following in confusion.

your marriage was a faux and the reality of that left you glued to your bed for the rest of the day. tears streaming down your face as you wished you never threw away those herbs.

part two

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀ঌ⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

note: as per the results of the poll, here's part one of the zuko arranged marriage fic! it's based on the show queen charlotte so expect some more angst in future parts but i promise it's worth it!

zuko taglist

You were all back together again, older, a little more tired, a little more competent (or so people believed), and gathered in the gardens of the Fire Nation palace. Aang was mid-sentence when he noticed it first. You walked in from one side of the courtyard, and Zuko entered from the other. No big entrance.

And then it happened. Zuko didn’t stop to greet anyone. He just reached out casual, automatic and adjusted the edge of the sleeve of your robe where it had folded wrong in the wind. Then, just as casually, his hand stayed there.

Resting like it belonged there. Your friends went silent. Not “awkward silence.” A “Something has just changed reality” silence. Sokka was the first to break.

“…I’m sorry,” he said slowly. “Did Fire Lord Zuko…Mr ”Hello, Zuko here,” just hand-touch casually?”

Katara’s eyes narrowed immediately. “That wasn’t casual.”

Toph tilted her head. “Ohhh.”

Aang blinked. “Oh!”

Zuko finally looked up. “…what?”

Sokka pointed between them like he was trying to solve a crime.  “Since WHEN is THIS a thing?!”

You didn’t even flinch. Zuko, however looked like he regretted having a public existence.

“…it’s not a thing,” he said too fast.

Toph smirked. “That’s a lie.”

“It’s not—”

“You touched her sleeve,” Katara said flatly.

“I was fixing it.”

“You kept your hand there,” Sokka added.

“I forgot,” Zuko said.

“That’s worse,” Aang whispered.

You finally exhaled, amused as you pat Zuko's arm. “We’ve been together for a little while.”

For a second the only response you got was dead silence. Sokka dropped his arms. “EXCUSE ME?”

Aang actually floated up slightly in shock and Katara just stared at you. “…you didn’t think that  was worth mentioning?”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. “We weren’t hiding it.”

Sokka snapped immediately, “YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY HIDING IT BY EXISTING QUIETLY AS A COUPLE.”

You shrugged. “It didn’t come up.”

Toph pointed at them both. “That’s insane.”

Aang slowly lowered back to the ground. “So… you’re okay?”

You glanced at Zuko. Then nodded. “Yeah.”

Zuko, quieter: “…yeah.”

That did it. Katara’s expression softened instantly. “Oh.”

Sokka squinted. “…wait.”

Then realization hit him like a brick. “Oh my god, I missed a WHOLE LIFE ARC.”

Toph grinned. “This is why you don’t leave emotionally repressed firebenders and over emotional earthbenders alone for too long.”

Zuko muttered, “I wasen’t repressed.”

You added calmly: “You were repressed.”

“…fair.”

Aang smiled, genuinely happy now. “I’m glad.”

Then Sokka leaned forward again. “So you’re telling me,” he said slowly, “that I spent YEARS assuming you two were doing intense Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation politics?"

Toph cut in: “You weren’t wrong.”

Sokka continued, ignoring her:

“—and you were just secretly dating the entire time?”

You nodded.

Sokka stared into the distance. “…I need to sit down.”

Katara found You alone later. “You could’ve told us,” she said gently.

You leaned against a pillar. “Would it have changed anything?”

Katara thought about it. “…no,” she admitted.

You nodded slightly. “Then it didn’t matter. We’re happy. And besides, it was nice sneaking around like teenagers.”

Katara smiled softly. “You really are still the same.”

You smirked faintly. “Just with good taste in firebenders?”

From behind them a voice shouts “I heard that.”

you had crumbled the letter, seething with rage because it came too fucking late and your father stood in front of you in the palace's front courtyard.

he looked the same. tall, arrogant and every bit your twin which only served to further annoy you. he was dressed in his usual earth kingdom green and yellow, glasses low on his face, stupid fucking crown snug on his head. guards behind him stiff and on guard.

zuko stood beside you with a practiced calm to him, but you knew him enough to know he was just as annoyed as you were. the way his hands were folded in front of him, the too straight stance and the slight tick in his jaw.

he still hadn't forgotten the night your father squeezed your arm a little too tight and he still wanted to ring his neck. but he wasn't just your husband. he had to behave as the diplomatic firelord, but if your father tried any shit this time, zuko wasn't above reminding him that he wasn't always a reasonable person.

"king tian, it's a pleasure to see you again. though i am confused, we hadn't received word you would be visiting."

your father didn't even look at you when he spoke and maybe that was for the best, because unlike zuko, you weren't as good at hiding the emotion in your face. an unwavering glare etched in your features.

"we're family now, no need to be so formal!" he laughed, but it was false and made you feel uneasy. it was the laugh you feared as a child, the one that said he was fucking pissed and someone would answer for wronging him.

"besides, i figured I would check on my only daughter in person and see how marriage is treating her." yet he still refused to look at you.

that was bullshit, of course. you knew king tian cared for no one outside of himself and that he was here for something, or else he would have sent for you instead of coming himself.

there was nothing left to do but invite him in. it would be a nightmare if rumors spread that the earth king was denied entry into his own daughter's home. now you stood in one of the sitting rooms, feeling awkward as fuck as the last time you were alone with your father was when you were merely a princess and him, a king.

now you were firelady, a queen in your own right and you didn't know what to do now that you were on equal levels.

he walked to the window and stared at the public palace gardens as if in deep thought. he was quiet, so you stayed quiet. giving him the responsibility of starting the conversation he came here to have.

you fought the urge to bite your nails out of pure anxiety, reminding yourself that he was no longer your superior. wishing zuko didn't have important business to discuss with his council.

trying your best not to touch your belly.

"i'm only going to ask this once, firelady. is firelord zuko ill? do not lie to me."

your heart dropped. there was no way he could have known. zuko had never slipped far enough away from reality in public to raise concerns. from the outside looking in, the firelord was healthy and happily married, bringing about change to the nation.

you were going to lie, of course. zuko wasn't ill just because he was losing his sight in one eye. what the fuck was he going to do anyways? you weren't a little girl anymore.

"the firelord is well, though your concern is appreciated father. might I ask what brought this on?" you shift your balance from one foot to the other, stomach twisting in anticipation.

he was quiet again, save for a deep sigh that reeked of annoyance and disappointment. when he turned to face you, your fingers twitched at your side, ready to defend yourself if you needed to.

"why do you lie to me, child?" gone was the use of your title, his attempt at putting you in your place. in your own damned home.

"i do not lie. should i get my husband so you can ask him yourself? i'm not sure what brought this on but-"

"i heard rumors that his majesty brought his own healer to republic city. a waterbender from the northern tribe, can you believe it? i didn't think much of it at first but then a little bird told me something interesting. do you want to know what that is, (name)?"

you stayed quiet, pulse thumping hard against your neck. he continued anyways.

"i was told that at the celebration for that fraud of a city, the firelord looked distant all night and had a tremor in his hands. usually one could just blame it on nerves, but it wasn't that, was it? i seen it myself in the courtyard. he's good at hiding it but not well enough to fool me."

tears started to form in your eyes but you blinked them away. this isn't how today was supposed to go. you planned to tell zuko about the baby after dinner and then maybe have mind blowing sex, not whatever the hell this was.

you straighten and square your shoulders. "what do you want?"

"i'm simply visiting my daughter, is that so wrong? for a father to check on his child?"

you waited for him to continue, one eyebrow raised because now he wasn't being truthful. you wanted to bury him. instead, you turned to leave, bored of this game and fighting a wave of nausea that had been creeping up on you.

"oh! i'll also be staying for a few nights. what kind of father in law would i be if i didn't take matters of my son in law's health seriously? if you're being truthful then you have nothing to worry about. if not.. we'll be having a much harder conversation."

ঌ

"he knows." you told zuko later that night as you paced back and forth in your room after you both shared a bath, mind racing with unease. what would happen if the public found out? would they still accept zuko as their firelord or would others rise up to challenge him for the throne?

what would they do to you when they found you're carrying the heir of this nation? probably kill you to stop any future contesters to the throne.

zuko froze on the bed, eyebrows scrunched in confusion as he thought of what to say. he looks as shocked as you felt when you spoke to your father.

"what makes you think that?"

"i don't think that. he told me while you were in a council meeting, said someone saw you in republic city and told him. he's not here for pleasantries, he came to watch you zuko."

"fuck.." zuko whispered, hands turned over on his lap as he stared at them, watching how his fingers slightly shook. this is exactly what he was worried about. people would find out one day if the treatments stopped working, but he hadn't expected your father to be the one to discover his secret first.

he didn't know the man that well, but ozai had warned him that the earth king was not to be underestimated. he was nearly as conniving as koh the face stealer, and would do anything to ensure he stays in power.

not that ozai was any better, mind you. so for a young boy to hear that from his father, it made him unable to trust you in return. which is another reason why he shut you out when you were just children.

"i'm sorry." he whispered, running both hands down his face in hopes of hiding the way his cheeks were heating in response to the spike of fear he just felt.

tian is weaker than you. kill him before he kills you, fool. ozai's voice rang against his skull, agitating zuko even further.

you finally stopped pacing, face falling when you looked to your husband. his shoulders were slumped, eyes a little dark from the increase in treatments and lack of sleep.

you felt your soul cracking as you sat next to him on the bed. when he looked to you, you noticed a single tear fall from his right eye, breaking you further. this man..

"hey." you smile and place your hand on his cheek, shivering when he turns slightly to kiss your inner wrist, golden eyes locked on yours. "what are you apologizing for?"

he closes his eyes, taking in a deep breath before looking at you again. "this is embarrassing, love. you deserve a husband that's whole, not.. not whatever my father has made me."

and you became overwhelmed with the urge to harm anyone that has ever wronged zuko. anyone that had a hand in making this perfect man feel so incredibly insecure.

"i deserve you, zuko. i want only you, you got that?" your heart skips a beat at the way he's holding your gaze. "i'm right where I want to be and we will handle my father and anyone else that thinks to question your rule. i won't leave your side, i vowed it remember?"

of course he did. you looked so nervous that day, so sheltered and so fucking beautiful in your green wedding dress. your lips set in a small pout when you thought no one noticed,

but zuko did. he always noticed you, how could he not? from the moment he kissed you after slipping that ringer on your finger, he knew he was fucked.

"i love you." he said it before he could convince himself not to. taking your hand from his face and placing it over his heart, your eyes wide as your breath picked up. zuko took the opportunity to move to his knees in front you, a sight his advisors would have a stroke over.

the firelord on his knees for a woman? it was blasphemy, it broke every tradition he'd ever been taught. zuko didn't care, staring up at you like the devout husband he would always be. utterly yours.

"i have never loved anyone the way that i love you. i would commit the most unforgivable of crimes to keep you safe and by my side. there is no me with you, love. ever since that day-"

he chokes up and you take the opportunity to reach your hand toward a loose strand of hair, pushing it from his face and tucking it behind his ear. it was your turn for your hand to shake. skin covered in goosebumps as his words knocked the wind from you.

"zuko.." you whispered, ready to stay those three words back. for him to know that this feeling was far from unrequited.

"just.. let me finish. i need you to understand how much you mean to me."

and you let him. staying quiet until he found the strength to finally speak again, his eyes never wavering as they held you hostage. he had only ever stared this long when you weren't looking, so afraid of showing how much of his heart you owned. afraid you'd realize that he was a fuck up and force an annulment.

you never did, not even after discovering his secret. he never needed to hear the word, your actions alone proved to him everyday that you felt just as he did. that he wasn't a fool and his father's lingering voice had been wrong.

"lay back. please"

and you did. your heart pounding aggressively, mind in a tizzy as zuko kissed his way up your body. starting at your feet, moving to your legs, inner thighs, skipping your aching cunt, and stopping at your lower belly where he nuzzled his nose against your gown. placing delicate kisses against your stomach like he knew his child was in there. fatherly instincts kicking in before he even realized.

you were flushed and moved to sit up before his hand gently pushed you back down,

"zuko, i have to tell you-"

"i know, love."

what?! you tried to sit up again but he pushed you back down, a child like giggle leaving his mouth. he placed a final kiss to your belly and continued moving up your body, skipping your breasts and placing a soft kiss to the pulse on your neck, your nose, eyebrows, beautiful eyes, soft cheeks..

he was going to burst with the amount of pure, raw love he had for you. hovering above you, his back to the world as he locked himself in the bubble that contained only him and you.

"you know? i don't understand." you whisper, eyes burning from incoming tears. he couldn't have known. you didn't tell him and made the physicians swear on their honor that they wouldn't say a word.

he smiled at you, soft and true. the back of his hand grazing your face as he lost himself in your eyes. you spread your legs, letting his body settle between them.

"you forget that i know you, (name). you've yet to bleed as long as you've been here. you're tired even after sleeping in, eating the oddest foods, and you throw up almost daily. i'm a man love, not an idiot. though... i guess the two aren't that far off." he laughed at his own joke, forcing a light smile from you.

"i realized some time after we returned from republic city. was just giving you the opportunity to tell me yourself."

you couldn't stop the tears then. bottom lip poking out and all, you let the worry you'd been holding in your body disappear. zuko meant it when he said he notices you. in ways no had ever before. not even your guardian. especially not your father.

zuko's heart and eyes were for you only and you didn't know what to do with that amount of love, so you pulled his face down to yours and kissed him.

his laugh of surprise was muffled against your mouth before he relaxed against you, sticking his tongue out for access. which you readily gave, his moving in sync with yours. not a fight of dominance but a dance of passion and truths finally spoken out loud.

he pulled back, leaning his forehead against yours as you both caught your breath.

"i love you too zuko, more than anything in this world." you whispered and zuko was only a man, so you couldn't blame him that the words went from settling in his heart and straight to his dick.

but as much as he wanted to fuck you into a stupor, tonight was for something else. he was going to worship the body that was now creating life. his child. the thought that you now held half of him inside of you making his head spin with a possessiveness he never felt before.

"gonna show you how much you mean to me, love. need you to feel it."

and he did. from the way he took his time removing your nightgown, hands caressing every inch of your body. to the moment he was finally pushing his cock inside of you, slow and composed, watching as your face twisted in pleasure.

he didn't move for a minute, just stared at you until you lifted your hips in an attempt to get him to move. he rested his forehead against yours, "eyes on me, love. remember?" and when he finally moved, you were dazed, legs weak and twitching against the strong arms that held them.

zuko made love to you just like that. his cock moving painfully slow, eyes never leaving yours until you clenched around him, orgasm washing over you in soft waves. and when zuko finally came with a small grunt, hot cum painting your squishy walls as he pushed every drop into you, his mind wandered.

he mostly thought about the fact that you were now carrying his child. a small piece of him and you, his hopes and dreams manifested. and that he would burn the world to keep you both safe.

ঌ

you spent the next day avoiding your father, only seeing him at the small banquet zuko held, a dinner to strengthen relations with the clans of the fire nation and keep them loyal. things had been going well. you were laughing at a joke zuko told to one of the leaders when you looked to the door of the great hall, where your father stood.

just watching, like a fucking creep. it sent chills up your spine but you decided to ignore him and his look of fury. zuko hadn't noticed and you weren't about to make him aware either. this night was important to him.

"yuki, you must tell me again about that time my uncle got so drunk that he challenged a statue to agni kai and apologized when he lost."

the large man laughed excessively. going on to explain that he was just a boy when it happened but..

you frown at zuko's tight grip on your hand under the table. his stare was becoming distant again, though he hadn't received any treatment today. your body instantly filled with panic, especially when you noticed your father was still standing there. eyes now narrowing, locked on your husband.

zuko wasn't at the banquet. instead, he was deep in a memory of one of the only times he talked to you as a child.

"why do you always have that look on your face? do i look funny or something?" you glared back at the brooding prince beside you. he was petting the ducks in the courtyard before you showed up, interrupting his peace. azula and her friends had just been there, teasing him for acting girly because he liked to give the animals attention.

they were stupid. all girls were, even the pretty ones like you.

"no, i just want to be alone." he grumbled, even more annoyed now that the baby ducks were waddling back to the pond to their mother.

"oh. well, i don't want to be here either so you don't have to be rude to me. father says we should try being friends." zuko was baffled by your straightforwardness. you were always quiet when your father was around. he wondered if yours treated you the same way his did.

"no. i don't want to be friends with a girl." he huffed, turning his back to you so he didn't have to see your face. you were very pretty and he didn't like that his face warmed when he saw you. he also didn't want you to notice that it upset him when you said you didn't want to be there. even though zuko knew he'd done nothing to make you want to be around him.

"fine! but one day i'll be your wife and you'll have to be nice to me because we'll have children together. idiot." he listened as you stood and kicked some rocks before stomping off.

zuko blinked the memory away, looking down at you placing his hand against your dressed belly. he felt ashamed for the way he treated you when you were children. that was the last time he saw you before he was burned and banished.

now here you were. his wife and carrying his child, even more beautiful than you were that day. he didn't have much time to ponder on this though, as yuki was finishing his tale of young iroh. but he subtly rubbed your belly hidden by the table, giving you a grateful smile that you retuned. relief flooded him that it seemed no one had noticed his mind disappeared.

when he finally talked to enough of the clan leaders, he stood after taking a small sip of wine. his arm stretched toward you, head titled with a grin on his face.

"wife. care to share a dance with me?" your smile was big and bright as you remembered the first time he'd ever asked you to dance with him. it was at your wedding, but back then you'd wanted nothing more than to run away. to climb over the wall that surrounded the palace and take up a new life somewhere no one could find you.

you eagerly took his hand and he was quick to pull you into his arms. you spent the rest of the banquet that way: glued to each other as if the world might end if you separated.

ঌ

the morning your father was due to leave, you found yourself checking on your hybrid flowers. a mixture of fire and day lilies. a gift you had been working on for zuko. it took you a while to return here, anxiety still flaring up with memories you'd rather forget.

but your relationship with zuko had changed drastically since that day, and because you'd rather be anywhere than around your father, you declined showing up for his departure. feigning sickness.

the flowers were stunning. they had bloomed into a shade of blood red at the center, fading to orange and white with petals that were shaped like flames. thin stalks stuck out on each side, green and orange and every bit ethereal.

the flower was strong, just like your marriage was and you couldn't help but feel grateful that your father had sold you off to the fire nation.

back in the front courtyard, zuko was seeing your father off. the king looked like he could care less when he told him that you were feeling ill and couldn't make it. it took an incredible amount of strength for zuko to not scream at him for being a terrible father. the only difference between him and ozai was that he hadn't physically scarred you.

zuko sighed in relief when the man finally turned to leave before he turned back as if he had forgotten something, looking the firelord up and down as if he were judging him. deciding if he were good enough for you, as if you weren't already his wife in every way possible. tough shit.

"they call it fire madness and it's rare. if i had known you had it, i wouldn't have married my daughter off to you."

zuko paused. what the fuck was he talking about? he had never heard of "fire madness" but was sure this had to do with him knowing something was off with zuko.

"you look surprised, son in law. a well kept secret i suppose, though i feel it is not my place to tell you. that would be for your father to explain, as his father suffered from it as well. we all know what happened to azulon's wife."

"what are you talking about tian? speak plainly, my head hurts and i have duties to attend to." zuko feigned annoyance when he actually felt terrified. what did the earth king know about his grandfather that zuko didn't?

he felt the blood drain from his face, suddenly cold despite his ability to warm himself, as your father stared menacingly at him. "as i said, it is for your father to explain. i was merely here to observe, as i'm sure my dear daughter has already told you."

he moved closer to zuko, a little shorter so the firelord still stood above him. though he felt like a child again, ignorant and unaware of the secrets that haunted his family.

"i will tell you this: i may be old and weaker than i once was but if you lose yourself around (name), and you harm her, I won't hesitate to create a sinkhole big enough to swallow your entire kingdom. take care, firelord, and do tell my daughter her absent was noticed."

zuko couldn't even process the threat before the earth king was riding away. he didn't stop as he turned and stormed into the palace, ordering an airship be readied before he found you in the gardens.

he watched from afar as you lifted a flower to your nose and inhaled with a smile on your face. his hand twitched as his vision slowly blurred in his left eye.

shame ate away at him. zuko knew he would never intentionally harm you, but hadn't he grabbed you a little too tight when he found himself trapped in a memory? what if he went too far and did worse than that?

how was he going to protect you and the baby in this state? he was seeing things, mind disappearing without his permission and losing his vision at the same time. if anyone had answers, it would be his father.

zuko didn't falter as he backed away so you wouldn't see him, heart set on visiting sakari then his father. unsure if he should be relieved that tian thinks he's losing his mind instead of his vision.

a few hours later, he stood in front of the cell that hosted his father, guards sent to wait outside. ozai was much older than he had once been, grey hair taking over the black zuko shared with him. he was still menacing, broad shoulders and soulless eyes.

still a piece of shit.

it made zuko sick seeing his father in his red prison garments, a sly smirk on his face as he watched him through the bars. the very fact that his abuser lived while his uncle, the only man that had ever been a father to him, was dead, made him rage inside.

he wanted to set fire to the man, watch him turn to ash just as his uncle did. instead he swallowed the unwanted rage, masking any emotions lest ozai try to manipulate them to his favor. as he often did on the rare event that zuko visited.

you are a better man than he is. do not lose yourself son. this time it was his uncle he heard. but he wasn't there and he reminded himself of that fact as he stepped forward, not allowing his mind to deter him.

"firelord zuko, congratulations on your marriage to the earth kingdom whore. i suppose you have me to thank for that. have you come for advice on how to bed a woman properly?"

in a flash, zuko had his hand through the bar and wrapped around ozai's neck as he yanked his body forward, muscles flexing under his robe as he squeezed. he allowed his hand to heat up, hot enough to remind the former firelord that he was in fact still powerless, but not enough to scar him. 

"if you ever speak of my wife again, in any kind of manner, i will have your tongue ripped from your head. do you understand?"

ozai only smiled, pride written across his aging face before he nodded once. zuko dropped him to floor, wiping his hand on his robes as if touching him was a sin and he'd gotten his hands dirty. 

"now tell me of this fire madness."

the smile was wiped from ozai's face, eyes wide as he slowly stood to stare at his son. his jaw was clenched, fist balled tight before he composed himself. 

"where did you hear that from? it is not a thing, a rumor meant to make fire benders look bad." his voice was roughened by time, but still clear. 

"you're a lying bastard. tell me the truth of grandfather and his wife. what actually happened and what does it have to do with fire madness?" zuko was losing the little patience he had, wishing he were in bed with you right now. sealing yourselves behind your walls and losing himself in you.

ozai's sinister smile returned. "surely you didn't come here thinking i would freely give up information out of the goodness of my heart."

zuko huffed, standing just a little taller as he pointed to his left eye. "we both know you lack a heart, the only thing you've ever cared about is power and your image. what do you want?"

ozai glared at his son, moving closer to the bars. "and will you honor what i ask of you?"

"yes." zuko grumbled. obviously he wouldn't be doing that, he wasn't born yesterday. but he also wasn't above occasionally lying to get what he wanted.

"it begins slowly," ozai started, turning his back to zuko as his chains rattled with every move. "sleeplessness, irrational rage, the visions.. yes, my father had it, as did his grandfather. he would speak to people who weren't there, make claims that he could see the dead, and often he'd be silent. staring into the distance as if he were lost to his own mind. disgracing me whenever he got the chance. then he killed my mother during an episode."

"i had no choice but to kill him myself, though no one knew that until now."

zuko felt his stomach twist. no matter how much good he did, ending the one hundred years war, working with the avatar to build republic city, bringing true reform to the fire nation.. he would always lose in the end.

he was doomed from the day he was born.

"no one has survived it, that is all i know. as for my favor, i only ask one thing. kill yourself before it gets worse and you ruin my image. i see the look in your eyes, you can't hide from me. you look just as my father did and i will not be known for siring a mad firelord."

but zuko wasn't paying attention to him. too lost in the thought of ending up like his grandfather, of killing you while his mind was in a memory. he was going to be a father. what if his grandchild inherits this curse? he would have let his line die if he'd known of this.

when he turned to leave, the last thing he heard was "i did care for you, once. when i believed you would be anything more than a disappointment."

ঌ

by the time zuko returned home, you were fast asleep. it wasn't late but growing a child was exhausting and often made you more drowsy than usual.

he ordered a bath in his own room that night, sinking into the hot water as he contemplated everything his father told him. there was no cure, ozai had killed his own father after he'd kill his wife. was that to be zuko's fate as well?

no, he wouldn't let it get to that point. he would put himself out his misery before he harmed a hair on yours or his child's head.

that night, he slept in his bed. and the day after that too, trying his best to avoid you. until one afternoon, you found him hiding under his bed. he had been suffering from memories all day and his eye was beginning to blur again but he was too far gone to take care of it.

you were a beautiful storm of rage, barging into his room and demanding he explain his lack of presence. "I know you're in here zuko, yuri told me she saw you. where are you?"

you waited a minute, wondering if your lady in waiting had been wrong and you were talking to an empty room. then you heard it, the smallest sniffle coming from his bed.

his empty bed.

"i'm sorry." his voice followed.

you frowned, moving closer as you unclenched your fists as the sound of despair in his voice, heart squeezing. "zuko? where are you?" you moved around his bed, confusion written all over you before you looked down.

was he.. under the bed? you took in a deep breath before leaning over, lifting the skirt of the bed and looking under. and there he was. your husband, firelord of an entire nation, hiding underneath his bed.

you got on your knees to get a better look at him. he looked disheveled, hair a mess, wearing a light robe and pants without a shirt, under his eyes dark from a clear lack of sleep. face stained with dried tears.

"zuko? what are you doing under here, love? please come out."

"i can't. you should leave.. please."

fat chance in hell your were doing that. annoyed with his stubbornness and still wanting to help, you slid under the bed next to him. frowning when he flinched as your shoulder bumped into his. he moved away, creating space between the two of you.

"zuko, what happened? have i done something wrong?" insecurity bit at you. you don't remember anything happening, perhaps he was upset that you left him to deal with your father alone.

"i am hiding. my memories can't reach me here."

memories? you hadn't a clue what he was talking about, but you grabbed his hand anyway, squeezing when he tried to pull away. "tell me what's been bothering you, yeah? you can be truthful with me zuko, i'm on your side."

he sighed, his hand shaking with a strong force. you didn't let go, only held him tighter. heart in knots at his state, wishing you do more to help him.

"you shouldn't be here."

you laughed because what else were you supposed to do? he sounded ridiculous. "you're my husband, where else would i be?"

he looked at you for a moment, breaths uneven until they calmed down, turning softer before he stared back up at the bed. he was quiet again, like he was gathering up the courage to tell you something.

"sometimes.. i-i see things that are not happening." zuko planned to keep this from you when he thought the voices and hallucinations were merely a side affect of the treatment he got for his eye. until his father told him of fire madness and he knew you had the right to know, carrying his child who could potentially pass it onto their own.

"what do you mean?" you voice wasn't judgmental despite your concern, wanting only to understand so you could find a way to help him.

"i visited my father today."

you swallowed hard. sometimes you forgot that ozai was still alive, rotting in a cell in capital city prison. waiting out his day when he deserved death.

"tell me."

zuko closed his eyes, his left one twitching as his vision continued to blur. it seemed so small compared to the fate that awaited him.

"he told me of my grandfather, firelord azulon. how he killed my grandmother while he was lost to his mind. slowly being consumed by what they call fire madness. my family's greatest secret really."

he gave a dry chuckle, but you stayed quiet. afraid of what he was hinting at, but already knowing in your heart what he was going to say next.

"turns out it skips a generation, so my father never had to worry about it. never told me either, keeping me in the dark like he has my entire fucking life."

you were still silent so he continued, fighting away the voices that had been screaming at him all day. "i thought it was because of my treatments. the faces I'd been seeing, memories my brain brought me back to, and the voices. they've gotten so much louder, love. can't even hear myself think sometimes."

you went still, hand loosening it's grip on his. you weren't mad at him, so far from that. you hated that he continued hiding himself from you, even after you'd both said those three words to each other. you bit your lip before sliding closer to him.

he was rigid, but let your shoulder touch his. "i am not whole, and i am sorry. if you wish to leave i would understand and I wouldn't stop you."

"why would i do that? you are my husband and I said my vows." you were scared. fucking terrified and doing your best to hide it but zuko was stuck with you wether he liked it or not.

"what if i forget who i am one day? I can't ask you to-"

"then I will remind you, and if you forget me then i will help you find me again. even if we have to hide under this bed for that to happen. I won't leave you zuko."

it took him a minute to finally squeeze your hand back but that was okay. you already had yours and zuko's schedules cleared for the rest of the day, so you were willing to stay hidden for as long as it took for him to feel safe again.

you would hide from his mind together.

"you and me, husband."

"you and me, wife."

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀ঌ⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

note: one more part and this story will be complete! lemme know what you guys think :')

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