#waterbender

Katara studies from cosplay life drawing sessions me and my friends organized at our art studio 🌊💙

never ever could dream about something like this to come true~

here is a few photos from this session also:

Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe~

Please support the artists!

EDIT: I don't quite understand how tumblr works, so I have no idea how to answer your kind words from repost, but thank you all 😭❤️❤️ You made my week or even month

Zuko x Fem!Waterbender Reader

Word Count: 3.9K

A/N: Taking a break from my James fic to write this because GAH DAMN. Those animators made my childhood crush OLDER than me again, I am losing my mind.

PSA - I haven't seen the leak, I support artists and their art but I also hate Paramount so I'm real conflicted about it.

Summary: When you're injured during a fight you witness Zuko's harsh, tempered side. He doesn't know how to express his concern and you don't like being told what to do.

Warnings: Angsty? I guess, Zuko is a lil mean but he makes up for it, established relationship.

---

You’re not quite sure how you managed to clamber up onto the tall rooftops of the imperial city, you imagined it was from the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins as you chased down an Ozai sympathiser. 

This wasn’t even meant to be a mission, the gaang just happened to be visiting casually in the city, checking out the sights, meeting old friends. You had spent more time in the city than most and knew your way around well. After a week with your friends you decided to take some time alone, you browsed a nearby market in the open sun, one you loved to visit because of how it overflowed with an abundance of different foods and spices from all over the nations, and the fact that very few people recognised you there didn’t hurt. That was until Sokka was pushing towards you screaming your name a few people making room for him while most looked at him like a crazy man (which isn’t unusual for him). He had worked himself up so much that by the time he reached you he was panting too much to actually speak. You just waited patiently, almost chuckling at his state. 

“Disturbance… firebenders… hurting citizens… Ozai” was all he managed to stutter out but it  was enough for you to understand as you quickly pushed past him and made toward the direction he came. 

You came up to a small square surrounded by tall buildings blocking the sun from reaching all the corners. A group of masked men surrounded an elderly man and young woman. As a large crowd looked on, you quietly observed the interaction, waning around the people and urging them to leave, you sensed it could get messy. 

“He didn’t mean anything by it! Please, grandfather apologise.” The young woman cried as she gripped onto the stern looking old man. 

A larger masked man stepped towards them, his fists clenched the elders collar, shaking in rage, “Ozai was our true Fire Lord! Not that petulant child!” he shouted. The older man hardly reacted, angering the masked man more.

You had heard of a few of Ozai’s followers becoming a bit more vocal, but never violent and never organised like this. Usually they would stick to the shadows, put up posters they would never come out in full force and in uniform, something about this situation uneases you as you stand guard, ready for the fight.

The man raised his free fist incoming steam boiling off it as the two citizens braced. Before he could bring it down you had uncorked your pouch at the speed of light, reaching forward and hooking the man's raised wrist, bringing it back and slamming him down into the ground, the force of which knocked him out cold.

The rest of the group turned to the disturbance caused and thank the spirits Sokka had finally caught up. “The others?” you asked, poised and ready.

“On their way” he replied, the air back in his lungs now as he grabbed his boomerang from his back. Just as he finished you noticed a flash of orange in the sky, Aang.

A brave man lurched forward to you, fists red hot as he shot blazes at you. You managed to deflect quickly, using your water to whip at him creating some distance. Sokka had also leaped into the brunt of it taking on a few. What you both missed was a man blasting towards you, you were occupied with your back turned and the blast was on course for a direct hit. Zuko dropped through just in time, smashing his leg through and diverting the blaze into a small nearby fountain, causing it to crumble. 

You turned at the commotion only to come into contact with Zuko. “Careful” he spoke quickly as he held your face in his hands doing a speedy check for harm that he always does. You simply gave him a small nod of acknowledgement and got back to it, you didn’t want him to interfere like he usually does or even get hurt because he was too distracted by keeping you out of harms way. With Katara and Toph’s help you had managed to apprehend most of the men.

Toph stood before the small group who sat with their arms firmly fastened behind their backs. She dusted her hands before throwing an arm over your shoulders, you were both left to keep a close eye on the men. “You guys could have put up some of a fight!” she mocked, the main guy (or who you believed was the leader) scoffed at her.  Katara and Aang were attending to any possibly injured bystanders and Sokka started the clean up duty with Zuko. 

“Since when does the ‘Fire Lord’ get involved in common crime?” He spat out, you didn’t much appreciate the way he mocked the Fire Lord and moved to shut him up before a voice stopped you.

“Since that crime threatens my people.” Zuko retorted from behind you both with an aura of regality you had never seen on him before. 

“We’re your people too!” another man spoke up, Zuko refused to reply which left Toph to speak up.

“That’s why we won’t kill ya!” They all stopped talking at that. Something about the situation seemed odd to you though, this attack was too organised and centred to be taken down so easily. Your neck felt hot like there was a single beam burning into it. You turned to see if there was a cause or if it was just paranoia but right behind you, up on the rooftops in front of the pale sun sat a figure, crouching and masked just as these men were, although this one seemed a bit more intricate than the common balaclavas the detained men wore. 

The figure noticed you noticing them and quickly jumped up leaping to another rooftop and away. You said nothing and sprang into action using your water to propel you up to the roof and beginning the chase, ignoring all the calls of your name, this has to be them, if you could just catch this guy you could definitely get some answers. Toph moved to follow you but Zuko stopped her, “Stay here and watch” he commanded, causing her to go still as he took off after you.

So, here you were leaping across the rooftops and sliding across the tiles all the while cursing yourself, how could you be so stupid? Of course that guy wasn’t the leader, just a short conversation with him proved that. You should have been on the look out sooner, caught this mastermind sooner, listened to your gut.

You felt a heat blaze past your torso, just missing burning your skin but close enough to feel the heat, you were in casual clothes, a short vest top and trousers of course they weren’t really battle clothes but it’s not like you were expecting a fight. You continued your chase dodging the balls of fire launched at you as well as trying to stop houses from going up in flames. That was getting exhausting, especially in this heat, you couldn’t keep up chasing them across the whole city and your mind was running ten times fast to figure out how to cut them off. It was moving so quick, focusing on the chase that you didn’t notice Zuko up ahead.

“Y/N!” Zuko called, you didn’t know how long he had been following but he managed to make it in front of you both causing you to stop dead in your tracks on a narrow rooftop. 

The figure spotted Zuko long before he called out your name and didn’t hesitate; they immediately raised their fist at the Fire Lord, injecting it with heat. “Zuko!” You called out, he was too focused on you, he wouldn’t be able to defend in time, their fist was already bursting with flames you had to act now. 

You whipped your water out around their ankle and yanked hard, the figure dropped and face planted but didn’t allow a moment of respite as they whipped over to face you, their fist still ignited, they shot out a blaze and a searing pain exploded across your shoulder and you lost your balance completely you water releasing their ankle and trickling down the tiles of the roof, you dropped from the height and plummeted into the streets below. You heard your name being called but your vision had instantly gone black from the pain long before your spine collided with the hard concrete. 

---

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Zuko stormed into your room, fury burning in his eyes. 

You rolled your eyes at his demeanor, you of all people were well aware of how steamed he could get. “I’m fine,” you replied from the edge of the bed. You were not fine, it took you ten minutes to slither into this position.”Katara healed me, to question me is to question her skills.” 

Zuko scoffed, you were being a smart ass and he didn’t like it. “She couldn’t heal this though” He hastily grabbed your arm, a large scar escaped from under your vest to cover your shoulder and crawl up your neck. You snatched your arm back from his warm grip trying to hide the wince that the movement had caused, Zuko saw the wince and it confirmed your lies, you were not fine. “Jumping into the line of fire?! Do you have a death wish?!”

You looked down at your feet, “I’m fine”, you repeated, eyes watering as you just wished him to just leave you be, you would usually love to have time with Zuko but not when he gets like this, and you knew that this has more than just common concern attached to it. 

“You are unbelievable” He spoke low as he turned on his heel and stormed back out the way that he came. He had pushed the doors open with so much ferocity that he almost knocked out Katara who was on her way in for your next healing session. 

“Zuko! Are you okay?” She asked the Fire Lord who was basically steaming. 

“I’m fine!” He echoed your words from earlier as he disappeared down the hallway. 

Katara sighed, making a mental note to ask Aang to deal with him later as she knocked on your door. 

“Come in” You spoke softly from the other side. As Katara entered she saw you now laying on your back, your feet dangling off the edge of the bed, you were still healing and although you put on a brave face Katara could see that whatever interaction you just had with Zuko had taken a lot out of you. 

You felt the bed dip beside you as Katara took her place, She said nothing as she reached for the bowl of water at your bedside. You sighed as you felt the cool water envelop your shoulder, a sharp contrast to the burning sensation that Zuko had left behind. 

“Why is he like this?” you asked after a prolonged silence. 

“Zuko has always been a bit hot headed,” Katara replied calmly, focusing on her work. 

“But it’s just me, I don't see him go off at Aang or Sokka like that.” You sat up now, forcing Katara to move with you; it didn't bother her. She was very used to your inability to sit still, “Is it because I’m a waterbender? Or a woman?! I didn’t think that Zuko was that kind of guy but maybe over time…” You trailed off, not fully sure of your accusation as Katara chuckled at you. 

“Zuko isn’t that kind of guy, he just cares but doesn’t know how to express it. Especially with you.” She mumbled that last part but you heard it anyway.  “All done here today. You could also probably heal yourself from now.” 

“I’m not as good as you, especially with one hand” You said, it wasn’t a lie, you were always more of a fighter than a healer. In the northern water tribe you were never given a chance to fight until the Avatar arrived so out of protest you also refused to learn to heal and practiced yourself in secret. That was until your father was badly injured during the war and something about that experience seeing him hurt, barely able to move expect to call for your mother, that had pushed you into learning. Then the Avatar arrived before you really managed to learn, you met a strong, stubborn Katara, a funny, intelligent Sokka, and the rest was history. She became your teacher as well as Aangs and eventually your best friend. So no, it wasn’t a lie but what you didn’t tell Katara was that you really enjoyed your healing time together, it was so rare that you all had time for each other nowadays. 

You didn’t say that to Katara but she understood, as she always did. “Okay, a few more sessions but then you really have to heal on your own”. 

You sighed “Alright”. You’ll take what you can get. 

Katara stood, placing the bowl back in its place on your bedside. “Maybe leave this room today? You need to get out.” 

You rubbed your head, your last mission that resulted in your injury was a week ago, you had finally woken up 3 days ago and spending 4 days unconscious was wreaking havoc on your system. You refused to exit your temporary healing room, you hated feeling useless and you didn’t want to constantly be reminded of that..

Katara said nothing else as she left. 

---

Zuko had managed to find of time for training today, he was in his private courtyard taking in the heat of the sun as he relentlessly battered a training dummy. 

“How’s Y/N?” Aang spoke calmly, he had waited patiently before announcing his presence not wanting to startle the young Fire Lord out of fear of being accidentally burned with the way he was attacking that poor dummy.

“You would know” Zuko replied sternly, like he knew Aang had been there for a while. 

Unfortunately for the both of them Sokka was also there, direct, sometimes rash, Sokka. “Hey, it’s not Aang's fault he’s checked in on your girlfriend more than you have.” Exactly, rash. 

Zuko sighed, “I just don’t know why she never listens! I always say ‘be careful’ ‘don't chase’, ‘think ahead’. But when it comes to it she just runs off and does what she wants anyway!”

Aang listened tentatively, his voice even as he spoke, “She’s strong willed”, he reasoned. 

Zuko, leaned on a stone wall, close to his friends, frustrated ”She’s going to get herself killed and if I’m not there-” His voiced wavered, “I can’t lose her”. 

“Y/N had traveled with us long before you joined Zuko” Sokka spoke, he was sometimes surprisingly reasonable. “She’s always known how to handle herself and maybe she’s not used to someone else doing it for her.”

Aang’s face scrunched in confusion but Zuko seemed to understand what his friend was poking at. 

“So I’m suffocating her?”

Sokka shook his head, “more like, containing…” he knitted his hands together to show some sort of a visual. Zuko thought on this, he never thought about how his interference could be the reason for your hurt, maybe he wasn’t trusting in you enough.

“See it like this” Aang began, he managed to get it now but still wanted to keep Zuko level headed enough so he can eventually talk it out with you. “Firebenders can draw power from a comet right? If the first firebender to discover that was told to slow down and not use their potential you guys probably wouldn’t have discovered that until hundreds of years later” he explained. 

Zuko had never thought of it like that, how what he thought was concern is something that you saw as something that dampened your ability to aid during missions, he’d never told you about his deepened fear of losing you so how would you see it as anything other than him just babying you? He felt a pang in his chest as he reminded himself of the was he spoke to you earlier and he wanted to smack himself for letting his temper get the better of him. 

“I need to talk to her” Zuko grabbed his vest and slipped it on before leaving the courtyard and making his way to your room. 

---

The floor of the palace was cool against your bare feet, a stark contrast to the heat of the oncoming summer that had leaked its way into your room. 

You had decided to take up Katara’s advice and get out of that stuffy room, she was usually right anyway. That last healing session left you feeling a lot better than you had in days. Everyone had come to see you when you awoke, Aang and Katara were the first, then Toph, then Sokka then… today was the first day you had seen Zuko. Katara told you he didn’t leave your bedside while you were out but you had a hard time believing her. 

You had never really explored this palace before, you had hardly stayed in one place so long. Especially with everyone, you’ve spent many a night camping under the stars alone, missing the days when you all used to camp together, finding joy in the circumstances you were all in as kids.

You didn’t think everyone would stay long, you never wished them to. Last you heard from Katara was that Aang was in and out with Avatar things, Toph left with him just a few hours ago for his latest mission. Sokka stayed though, taking a quiet place in the background of a few of Zuko’s meetings.

“Sokka? Quiet?” You chuckled out.

“I know, I know, he can be attentive when he needs to be,” Katara laughed with you. 

So here you were, wandering the palace, alone. It was very…red. The mixing of so many different shades just screamed fire nation. It wasn’t until you pushed open the two huge doors of a banquet hall that you were struck. The hall was glittering in sunlight, two gigantic round windows sat at the top of the hall which allowed the sunlight to beam in unapologetically. It made the hall look so alive as it bounced off the red walls causing them to glow in the light. 

“This is usually a space for royal weddings” You jumped at the voice. Behind you, just shy of the large doors in the small shadows that traced the walls stood the Fire Lord himself, leaning on a pillar that reached so high up you thought it would reach the sky. 

“It’s beautiful” You replied. Looking back from him and around the room. 

Zuko watched you, basking in the sunlight. For someone who comes from a land of ice and snow you seemed most at home in the sun and you looked absolutely gorgeous. He approached you slowly, sometimes he was so unsure about your mood but he wanted to be close to you to apologise. 

You felt his presence behind you, he was so close you could feel the heat from his body. “I’m sorry” he said as he brought a hand up to lightly graze your arms, almost wincing as he felt the bumps of your scar. You should be mad at him but you couldn’t help but lean into his touch, feeling his chest against your back as he rested his head atop yours. “When you fell off that roof…” He exhaled, “that was the most fear I’ve ever felt in my life Y/N” He wrapped his arms around your shoulders.

You said nothing, you were thinking and Zuko swore he could hear the cogs tinking in your head. His chest felt heavy. “I love you” He said, he knew he loved you from the moment you met but he had never felt it as strongly as he did now. He said it laced with the fear of what it felt like to almost lose you.

You twisted in his arms, you rested your head on his chest as you wrapped your arms around him, his heart was beating fast. “I love you too” You felt his breath of relief as his chest dipped and wrapped his arms around you squeezing tighter while placing a soft kiss on the top of your head. 

“I’m sorry too.” You said, causing Zuko to pull back to look at you. 

“For what my love?”

“I was careless, I shouldn’t have chased but when I saw him lift that hand… I just… I didn’t want… like before” You looked up at him, almost choking trying to hold back tears as you thought back to his Agni Kai, how useless you felt in that situation as you watched Katara heal him.

Zuko seemed to understand, he placed a hand on your cheek and leaned down to kiss you softly. Your eyes fluttered shut feeling his lips on yours after so long felt like heaven, when he finally released you he rested his forehead on yours. “I know” was all he said, eyes still shut. It was rare that you both had moments like this, with both of your busy schedules, you wished you could stay in this moment forever and Zuko wished so too. 

But that would never happen, “There you are!” Sokka exclaimed from the open doorway, Zuko cursed himself for not shutting that door earlier. “Alright, you guys can smoochy smooch later! We have a meeting with your advisor” Sokka said as he placed a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. 

Zuko turned away from you slightly, still keeping a firm grip around your waist. “You know what Sokka? Why don’t you take this one for me?” 

“What?” Sokka looked shocked, with a glint of excitement in his eyes. 

“Yeah, you’ve sat in on enough of my council meetings, just tell him something came up and you’ll be taking information for me” Zuko gave him a quick smile and eventually Sokka nodded.

“Okay yeah, I can do this!” Sokka was fully excited now, “I’m the Fire Lord.” He puffed out his chest while he attempted to mimic Zuko causing you to laugh and your boyfriend to roll his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah” he said and Sokka made his way out of the room quickly. 

You, still laughing, looked up at Zuko, “Can you do that?” 

Zuko wrapped his arms back around you, giving you another sweet kiss, “He’ll probably just talk about marriage and heirs, that's all he seems to do” he said, you laughed more at the idea of Sokka trying to sit through that meeting. 

“Oh? And who’s going to be the lucky young lady?” you teased him. Zuko pretended to think.

“Probably some noble Fire Lady.” You smacked his arm which made him chuckle, “okay! Okay! I have someone in mind, but only if she’ll have me also.” He leaned down to give you another kiss as he pulled you closer to him but you stopped him before his lips could reach yours.

“Is that a proposal your majesty?” Although your tone was mocking, Zuko still felt a shiver in his spine at the title. 

“Of course not, my proposal will be so extravagant, you won’t see it coming!” He spun you causing you to hold onto his shoulders as you squealed in delight. 

He placed you down and gazed over your features, his beauty. Zuko leaned down and placed another kiss on your lips, slow, long, one you gratefully accepted.

“I’m yours,” he said, speaking in a low tone. “Forever”.

---

sooo excited for the movie 😁😁 I’ve missed the gaang

thinking about drawing the rest of the gaang’s new designs but we’ll see

sketch under the cut :)