#paperwork au

So its an offshoot of paperworks and everything is going fantastic. The avatar is back, zuko joined the gaang in ba sing se, and they go to confront the fire lord.

Problem is 1. No one bothered to tell them Ozai was 6ft under (where he belongs) and 2. Azula was born a few years later…

Needles to say when they see a 8 year old on the throne the gaang is very confused and zuko is very concerned.

(Ty lee can be born later too so azula has a friend)

Wow, this probably means Iroh really was not answering his mail. Because I think for this to happen, the government would have to really keep Ozai's death a secret because the only other royal in the palace is a 5-6 year old child. And Iroh would have to think the increasingly-frantic letters from the Sages were some kind of trick (possibly to make him abandon Zuko).

The Gaang is super Not Impressed when they figure this out. Actually, all of them have An Concern when they realize the "Fire Lord" is a kid who hasn't even hit double-digits yet and is pretty much a puppet.

Actually, if she's that young, she might not even remember Zuko. Or only have vague memories of a boy who doesn't look like him now.

Eventually, I think they do. It's probably easier than in canon, because their relationship didn't deteriorate as far. And with Ozai gone, Azula got a chance to breathe, be less than perfect, learned that ruling by fear is lonely. And since she's so young when responsibility is shoved onto her shoulders, it's accept help or fail when the stakes are too high. So Azula's fangs aren't so sharp, or at least she doesn't bare them as much. There's not as much need to.

And then there's the fact that Azula spent three years trying to get Zuko to come home. When he learns the truth, that Ozai is dead and Azula wasn't lying, after his anger burns itself out...at the end of the day, Azula wanted him home. Not to humiliate him in front of their father, because dead men don't speak. Not to lord it over him, because Zuko is the elder, and Azula would have known he could have challenged her at any time.

And she still wanted him to come home.

That...means a lot. Especially since in the paperwork AU, Azula is even more shit at social interaction with her peers, because she has even less chance for practice. So maybe actions have to speak louder than words.

Zuko watches the work Azula has to do, and starts to wonder if he got lucky. That it could have been him. That wearing the crown is a lot of thankless work in a country rebuilding after a war. Zuko wanted his honor and the crown, because he had tied his own sense of worth to those and thought he needed them to hold his head high. Turns out, he always had his honor and he never needed the crown to have pride in himself.

It's Bumi. He just has a feeling and then does something really weird to confirm it.

Actually, it's not that weird. He has a feeling, and then when they're hashing out the treaty, Azula words something so that it appears to take effect when it is signed and she is Fire Lord. Bumi looks at it and casually offers "why not 'as soon as'?"

Azula looks at him carefully, then slowly agrees that is a fine revision.

Exactly how traumatizing/bad would s&a azula’s breakdown be if she was instead transported to paperwork’s gaang and was forced to fight her brother, best friend, and uncle? And because my brain hates me and wants me to suffer azula is begging zuko to tell her what she did wrong and a scene similar to the cliff scene from The Search occurred.

She wouldn't.

s&a!Azula wouldn't be able to raise a hand against her brother. A fact that would frustrate Zuko because she's just dodging and retreating. She won't even throw the most basic of punches, like she thinks he isn't worth it. Like she's taunting him.

A belief that's reinforced by how s&a!Azula will throw (light) fire attacks at Iroh and the Gaang. And he's fought Azula before and she's clearly gotten better here, but she isn't even fighting him.

Toph is the first one who figures out something is Wrong. Azula's always been quick, but this is another level, her feet barely touching the ground, whisper-quiet. But Toph's good enough for that not to matter. So yeah, she notices that Azula's heartbeat is rapid-fast, not the steady sureness Toph's always sensed. Not the same as lying, no. But something hurting a lot.

But it's enough that Toph hesitates a moment between attacks. So she's the one who gets the full picture of what happens next, when Aang, Katara, and Zuko all attack at the same time and Zuko charges in immediately after.

Azula dodges the combined attack, but she wasn't expecting Zuko to be right there and stumbles back, too far back, and the cliff below her feet starts to give way. The only way to recover is to go through Zuko. So Azula falls.

Zuko flings his arm out without thinking, fingers closing on the material of Azula's shirt (he doesn't think he's ever seen her in anything without red). He holds her aloft, feet dangling above the canyon.

Azula goes limp, looking down, looking defeated as that weird scarf flaps loosely in the wind. Zuko turns his head slightly to see where the others are, keeping watch on his sister in case this is a trick. (She doesn't move a muscle.) They're right behind him, faces hard and cautious (except Toph looks thoughtful).

PW Iroh: Azula is clearly irredeemable and must be put down.

S&A Iroh: ...

S&A Iroh: (inhale)

All the tea in all the possible alternative universes couldnt stop the verbal smack down s&a iroh is about to dish out :P

Either that, or s&a Iroh does it in two words: "Agni Kai."

s&a!Iroh is not fucking around on this point. He's perfectly aware that his niece can fight her own battles, and quite well at that. But this one? This one he needs to fight for her.

The original iteration was based on a joke. And by "bad admin", what I had in the original was that Ozai was extremely focused and intent on the war and all things directly related to the war. Which would be the things you mentioned.

What he was actually bad at was domestic policy that didn't directly affect the war. Who is dealing with grain subsidies in different areas of the Nation? Did a monsoon wipe out roads? Are all the factories working, even the ones that aren't directly producing for the war?

s&a!Toph going along would...certainly be something. Because s&a!Azula finding paperwork!Zuko means finding paperwork!Iroh. And that Iroh? Still thinks the worst of Azula and has no interest in changing his mind.

Iroh would call her "Princess Azula" and s&a!Azula would...shut down. Because right. Of course, she was stupid to even think...Uncle Iroh has Zuko, so what use does he have for her other than as a tool? That's...to be expected. It's the way the world works. Everything else was an aberration.

(Meanwhile, in a universe both very similar and very different, s&a!Iroh is completely losing his shit because his niece, the only daughter he'll ever have, is missing and this is not okay)

Zuko is surprised to see a flash of hurt in Azula's eyes when Iroh says her name. And then it's gone, but the usual cock-sure attitude and mocking superiority he's come to expect from his sister is completely absent. And why is she wearing a scarf?