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lifblogs · 1 year

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A Tragedy: The First Page

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Mature Word Count: 2245 Summary: The Gaang is attacked by a troop of firebenders, and Sokka suffers a severe injury from one of their tanks. WARNINGS: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gore, Hallucinations, Suicidal Thoughts READ ON AO3

After a few weeks of dodging Fire Nation encampments within the Earth Kingdom it seemed like everyone was in the clear. Aang was very loudly practicing his earthbending with Toph, Katara her waterbending, and Sokka had been sharpening his weapons, trying to ignore all the benders for now.

Maybe the earthbending was too intense, heavy and deafening, because next thing they knew they were surrounded.

Usually the Fire Nation encampments they happened across in this southern part of the Earth Kingdom were just foot soldiers, but tanks? Really?

While the benders of the group were doing their best to destroy the tanks, Sokka had ended up in the thick of things, doing his best to help out. There had been a few foot soldiers in the middle of the formation, and Sokka was just barely dodging blasts of fire. What he was good at was engaging those with spears, disarming them, or leaving them too stunned or injured to continue the fight.

Maybe something went wrong, maybe he somehow made himself more of a threat than they realized (he had taken down quite a lot of the spearmen and even some benders), but next thing he knew a tank was rattling towards him on those terrifying spoked wheels. Katara called his name, and jumped into the fray with him. She shot water at the tank and then turned that water to ice when it made contact. The front left wheel creaked, small cracks accompanied with it as ice began to break, but the tank was still coming on, the wheel turning, the ice perhaps not reaching deep enough. Sokka wasn’t the one in danger anymore.

It was Katara.

He lunged at her, using his body to push her out of the way of the tank. She fell, but thankfully into a spot of safety.

On his stomach, he smiled at her, glad she was okay.

That was all he had time to register before pain roared through his leg, and black took him.

***

There was screaming, explosions of fire, the creaking rattle and churn of moving tanks, THUDs of earth. And through all of it there were flashes of red, white. Pain. Pain. Pain.

Sokka saw a tank dangerously close to him, and it was rising up into the air on a sheet of ice, getting knocked over, falling with a thunderous crash. He smelled the acrid smoke of burning gears as wheels uselessly tried to move.

When the tank had been lifted up he had felt freed from something, but he didn’t know what.

Pain.

The battle came to him through too-loud sounds, and too-bright light, and he wanted to scream, wanted it all to stop, and when he opened his mouth to scream, he realized he was already doing so.

Katara rushed to his side, frightened tears building up in her eyes.

Sokka wanted to ask how bad it was, but didn’t have the words, wasn’t sure he’d understand language right now.

He didn’t.

His sister was speaking to him, and he didn’t have a clue as to what she was saying.

He was shuddering, shaking, and the world seemed to be going in and out, all while his stomach roiled. Sokka fought to keep down the meager breakfast he’d had, and wanted to roll on his side, get off his stomach, because oh, it hurt so bad! But when he tried to move, an animal-like screech rent the air, and it certainly wasn’t Momo.

Katara was kneeling by him, hands on him, rolling him back onto his stomach. Vibrating mumbles, and sobs left his lips, and he could barely breathe.

Black spots shone in his vision, and then there was cool water on him.

“Ahh!”

“Sorry, I’m sorry! Oh no, Sokka, I’m sorry, please just stay still.”

The water began to feel nice, and he could sense the energy his sister was using, but it almost felt useless, like all it did was relieve some of the pain.

At least it was enough for his body to calm, for the shaking to subside. But when it did that, he could take in more of what was wrong.

His right leg was crushed.

Tears rolled down Sokka’s cheeks into the dirt. He rested his head in his arms, and watched the battle through glassy eyes. Watched Toph and Aang take out what might’ve been the last tank, saw as Aang looked back at him, almost getting blasted with fire in the process, Toph yelling Twinkle Toes at him in warning, Toph resting more weight on her heels, surely sensing what was wrong with Sokka’s body.

This wasn’t real.

How could it be?

Sokka was a warrior. He couldn’t afford to be injured like this.

Before he realized it, Aang and Toph were there; Toph sitting on his left, giving him a playful punch in the arm, and telling him it’d be all right; Aang on his right beside Katara, going green around his mouth, even as he pulled off his belt and tied it around Sokka’s thigh, pulling it so tight that a new pain was added to his existence. Sokka screamed through gritted teeth. At least he wouldn’t bleed to death, he supposed (he hoped).

“How bad is it?” Sokka finally asked, voice raw from his previous screaming, from holding in sobs despite the pain relief Katara was providing.

“It looks bad,” Aang said, voice ominously low for a kid his age. “Really, really bad.”

“Thanks,” Sokka muttered, not sure he had the strength to put all the sarcasm he wished into that word.

“If I wrap his leg and make a splint we can get him on Appa, and maybe…”

“Maybe, what?”

Sokka knew what they weren’t saying. His leg had gotten run over by a Fire Nation tank. There was no going back from that.

“Maybe I’ll survive long enough to get it amputated.”

What would’ve been a silent moment was then punctuated by his heaving breaths, body fighting the healing Katara was doing her best to provide.

Toph: “Why don’t we amputate it right now?”

That was met with a bunch of arguing, and screeching, Momo even settling on Aang’s shoulder to join in.

Sokka tried to move, to at least prop himself up, but Aang pushed him back down to the ground, and Katara protested.

“Look!” Sokka shouted at them. “I knew the risks when I left home to help Aang, all right? I’m a soldier. Injuries like this happen.”

They did. He knew that. He’d seen horrible scarring, what remained of a soldier when the battles were over. This was the choice he’d made. He wasn’t a bender, wasn’t anyone powerful or special, but he had wanted to help Aang anyway. And he still wanted to.

Katara had a noticeable shudder to her voice—fear, exhaustion, sickness and revulsion from the wound—as she said, “I’ll… I’ll gather the herbs we need to render you unconscious, Sokka. Even”—a deep breath here—”if we decide we don’t need to amputate… I—I don’t want you awake for this.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

She took a deep breath, and even without seeing her, Sokka could sense the stillness in her, the strength she’d been building up stone by stone since their mother had been killed.

“Okay, Toph, Aang, when I move the water from his leg, you keep him still, and make sure he doesn’t choke on his vomit if he does throw up. He’s in shock, and he’s lost a lot of blood. I wouldn’t be surprised if his body is reacting to that. Ready?”

No, Sokka thought, miserably.

“Ready.”

“We’re on it.”

Katara didn’t count down, just removed her hands, removed the water.

Pain came shrieking back. What was even left of his leg to hurt? Shattered bone? Frayed nerves? Crushed muscles? Torn tendons and ligaments?

The shuddering came back in full force, and he sensed a hot pool of liquid around his leg, his foot. Was his foot still intact? It was hard to tell with so much pain.

Aang checked the tourniquet, and then possibly started rubbing his back. It was hard to tell when all his body wanted to focus on was how much he hurt. Oh, how he wanted to die.

Sokka had never wanted to die before. He was all about survival! That was him, the survival man!

He hadn’t wanted to die when his mother was killed, when his dad left for war, all the times he’d had to face down firebenders, the people who had decimated his tribe down to just a few measly families.

But here and now, he wanted to.

Why couldn’t the Fire Nation have finished the job with him? Why couldn’t Aang or Toph do it? Okay, Aang couldn’t because of being an Air Nomad, but surely Toph… She was tough enough.

Sokka barely considered how they’d mourn. He was too busy mourning right now, mourning the moments before the battle when he hadn’t known this pain, mourning walking on two legs, mourning just going about his day!

This was a tragedy. An absolute tragedy, and if his hiccuping sobs said anything, it was that he couldn’t handle it.

Sokka didn’t want to be a soldier anymore, didn’t want to defeat the Fire Nation. He just wanted to be in his dad’s arms, warm despite howling wind outside and temperatures that would freeze his nose off if he was out in the cold for more than two minutes. He wanted home, he wanted peace.

He didn’t want to lose his right leg!

Time stretched into an eternity, the pain mounting, the puddle of blood growing.

Through a black, pain-filled haze, Sokka saw his mother. She approached with a warm smile, and knelt by him with a wooden bowl in hand. She was so beautiful, beauty that couldn’t be replicated in anyone else, perhaps save for Katara. He realized when he looked at her face that it was Katara’s face—a sister, a mother. She felt his forehead, and his cheeks, ignoring the sweat and tears. She told him to drink from the bowl, told him he’d feel better.

Sokka gratefully let her help him drink, and he closed his eyes, imagining home, his mom, his dad, his sister. Everyone safe, even himself. He had a working right leg, and his dad was tickling it, baiting Sokka into some rough housing that their mom had always hated.

Sokka had to push against his dad’s face and decline, had to let his head fall into his mother’s hands.

Relieved, darkness took him.

***

Sokka came to on Appa, wind rustling through his sweaty hair that had come undone, drying it, leaving it cool against his scalp. It sought his skin through his clothes, but didn’t find any.

His right leg felt entirely numb, and Sokka was a bit worried, but mostly glad. Why was he glad? What had happened?

“Appa…” he mumbled, happy to be on his giant friend and in the air, safe, but also wishing to sink in to all that fur.

“He’s awake!” Katara cried.

Immediately she was at his side, holding his hand. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were puffy and red, bloodshot.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Numb,” Sokka replied, mind wandering, reality leaving him as memories came back.

His leg. Oh, his leg!

Sokka tried to sit up, tried to look at his leg, but Katara gently pushed him back down, head resting against his bed roll as a make-shift pillow.

“You’re going to be okay,” Katara said.

Sokka ignored that, not sure if this was the lying of a healer wanting to comfort their patient, or the lie of a sister wanting her older brother to be all right (a lie she needed to tell herself).

He almost wanted to apologize, and to do so profusely. He was the oldest. She shouldn’t have to be the one looking out for him, but here she was, still holding his hand.

Sokka started to grow annoyed, but the emotion dissipated like a weak puff of cloud. He was too tired, too… He wasn’t sure. Something wasn’t precisely right.

“Can I have some water?”

“Of course!”

Katara helped him slowly drink from the water skin. She didn’t take it from him, just made sure he drank at it in tiny dribbles.

He pushed it away himself when his stomach began to feel a little too full.

“Do I still have my leg?” he asked.

To his relief Katara’s face didn’t crumple, and neither Aang nor Toph made any disheartened exclamations.

“You sure do!” Toph said.

Aang called back to them, “Katara used the water from the spirit oasis.”

“I couldn’t heal everything,” she said, “but most of what you need has been repaired, and the skin’s not broken anymore. Now you mostly just have a broken bone.”

Sokka was sure he almost fainted from relief.

“You’ll need regular healing sessions to feel better and to avoid permanent damage—though you may still have some of that—so—”

Sokka cut her off, doing his best to fling himself at her, and pull her into a hug. Katara held his weight, Sokka still a bit too tired from blood loss and the concoction she’d given him.

His tears flowed freely, wetting Katara’s dress.

“Thank you, Katara.”

They flew onwards, continuing their journey, and looking for a safe place to make camp for the night, the sun setting in orange bursts around them.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #sokka whump #hurt!sokka #atla whump #atla fanfiction #avatar: the last airbender fanfiction #sokka #whump #hurt/comfort #angst #katara #aang #toph #writing #my writing

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longing-for-rain · 2 months

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Hurt Zuko, my beloved ❤️‍🩹

He was doing something heroic, probably

#tw blood #zuko #whump #art #atla #avatar the last airbender #mine #fan art #prince zuko #injury

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whumpypepsigal · 3 months

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Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024) s01e04 “Everything I need is on this boat.”

#whumpedit #atlaedit #avatar the last airbender #atla spoilers #atla #whump #uncle iroh #prince zuko #paul sun hyung lee #dallas liu #family #teary eyed #emotional whump #my wailing heart… this scene was everything #I LOVE SOFT MOMENTS LIKE THIS!#my gifs #so far im enjoying this series very much

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sun-snatcher · 2 months

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hello! i love ur work and i was wondering if u could do some live action zuko angst (that makes ur heart sink) and then it progresses to fluff (that makes ur heart swell) please? HAHA idk if it makes sense but i rlly love ur work!! hope ure doing well n no pressure!!!

🐉・ HEARTBURN

summ. Fresh from his banishment, Zuko faces the aftermath of his punishment in both his dreams and his waking hours. pairing. Zuko x f!reader (established relationship) w.count. 1k. a/n. A bit abstract on this one, but just typical dream logic. A glimpse at Zuko’s descent into madness, almost? Sorry anon if this is mostly angst than fluff! 🧎🏻‍♀️

Zuko’s dreams manifest at the scent of burnt flesh and the sound of his own screaming.

He feels the molten sting of a melting crown upon his skin and the fantastical beast that is his father; something monstrous— something scaled, fanged, clawed, and too large an appetite, with a touch and breath of fire that lights the skies in a blaze.

( He wakes up with his voice hoarse from screaming. The 41st Division will eventually learn early on not to mention it. They just leave a hot pot of tea ready for him come the mornings, by General Iroh's orders. )

Sometimes, it transgresses. Sometimes, it’s his mother who burns while he watches from the sidelines of the Agni Kai; Or Azula. Their shrieks mix with his when he wakes.

Sometimes, it’s Iroh who scalds him. Great Dragon of the West, jasmine-white with razor teeth and a flame that burns as hot as the sun; serpent eyes a shining gold and a sharper tongue that spoke of his disappointment for his nephew.

Sometimes, it begins with you.

Please, you beg, at the foot of a winged beast. It speaks in the voice of his father; damning, all-encompassing. It warns the Prince the price of compassion, of mercies, and of weaknesses. Eliminate her, or I will.

Rarely does Zuko ever move. He’d plead in your name, to spare your life. It never happens; he just wakes to the smell of smoke and the sound of your screaming.

( There are dreams he doesn’t speak at all to defend you. The shame devours him whole. )

“I’ve killed you over a hundred times, in my sleep.”

In the aftermath of another nightmare, you turn to face Zuko. You’re not quite sure what to say.

“Other nights, it’s the 41st, or Uncle,” he says, quietly. “Even mom, or Azula.”

You turn back to the small medical chest on the desk. The infirmary is quieter at times like these; the soldiers of the 41st know not to visit the usual haunts of their Prince. Tonight, Zuko will have to replace the bandages of his scar, and there are only two people on this ship he’d ever trust in his life to lay a hand on it.

You’re shifting towards where he’s sitting on one of the cots. “May I?”

( You ask. You always ask. Even when you’ve done this nearly fifty times, you ask. Zuko is glad; there’s a comfort in agency, especially when he’s gotten so used to losing it every time he sleeps. )

He nods, and you make quick work to unravel the bandages. When the layers come away, you observe the way his left eye shuts and opens as he blinks, remaining half-closed into a permanent expression of pain. He looks away, downcast.

The skin around is stretched taut, some areas rawer than others, marred with growing scar tissue that knots in twisting valleys. ( Zuko has only seen the scar once. He’s covered the mirrors in his room ever since; avoids glancing at his own passing reflections. )

The wound is still fresh; the memories fresher.

You don’t flinch at the sight or recoil like the other soldiers or dignitaries.

He finds… solace in that.

( Something roils in his mind. It uncurls and hisses and growls. )

“Tilt your head for me,” you say, ready to replace the cotton on his eye with a new one.

He stops your wrist just as you do.

Your heart jumps at the contact. His hands are warm.

“Why?” he blurts.

You blink in confusion.

“Why’d you come with me?”

The reply is instant, and unintentionally drowned in affection. “Where else would I have belonged?”

Zuko almost answers instinctively: With me. By my side. He shakes his head.

“You should have never come,” he says, instead. He’d grown fond of you over the years. Too fond; over some Firenation colonel’s daughter, a force to be reckoned with and yet a childhood friend who he’d played and studied and fought with countless times. Fond enough that he’d been foolish to let you step foot into the ship of the 41st Division the day he’d been banished; fond enough to be foolish enough to allow you to put yourself in harm’s way. “You could’ve had a better future back home.”

“But a miserable one,” you counter.

His nostrils flare as he sighs. You watch the way his brows weave to a frown, the way they always did whenever he’s tamping down his frustration. "Nothing is more miserable than being banished from home. Yet here you are walking away from it.”

“You and I both know the palace was never a home for me,” you say. “I’ve been by your side my entire life. I’m not about to break that streak over some punishment. You matter to me.”

Zuko’s heart stifles.

( Compassion, he hears the wings of the blood-red dragon in his dreams unfurl. Compassion is a sign of weakness. )

“It was a stupid move,” he blurts, letting go of you. He had wanted it to be emotionless, but it comes out as distinctively bitter: “Sooner or later you’ll come to regret your decision. Then, you’ll see I was right all along.”

“Maybe,” you say, just to appease him. “But I doubt it.”

( Lies, jeers the serpent. You have only yourself to rely on in this world, Zuko. )

For the sake of conversation, you don’t provoke him further. You continue, instead, with replacing the dressings around his eye. He’s angry enough as is with the world— with you. For being stubborn. And strong. And steadfast. And loyal. And—

Zuko glances at your face in focus, your hands so careful in binding the gauze it’s nearly featherlight. “Tell me if it hurts,” you say, with gentle authority.

The ire leaves his body. Zuko’s gaze softens at a realisation:

“Not once have you ever hurt me. Not even in my dreams.”

It’s a statement so frighteningly vulnerable that it has you stilling. Your breath staggers. Something swells in your chest. You let your hand rest on his cheek, thumb below his scar. The touch is reassuring. Zuko wants to lean into it.

“I don’t think I ever could,” you answer, honestly.

( She can, sings the beast. She will. And once she does, know that it will burn tenfold than what I've done. )

Zuko's hand settles on top of yours.

“You can hurt me,” he concedes, solemn, voice barely above a whisper. “You can if you must. I command it.”

( The dragon in his head hisses. For now, it retreats. )

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feral-jackdaw · 4 months

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Is this anything?

#atla #digital art #zuko #avatar the last airbender #sokka #prince zuko #blue spirit #blue spirit zuko #zukka #zukka fanart #my art #angst #whump art #zuko whump #zuko x sokka #atla au #zukka au

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aceofwhump · 3 months

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Avatar the Last Airbender (2024) 1x06 "Masks"

#whumpedit #whump #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla netflix #netflix avatar the last airbender #my gifs #mod post #zuko #dallas liu #aang #gordon cormier #waking up #weak #stumbling #head injury #injured #worry

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lunarcrown · 2 years

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Finally finished my lil Tango backstory au that I worked on with @aquaquadrant !!

Poor sad Tango of the past………

Wanna see MORE??? here’s the master post full of fics, art, asks, and tons of other stuff!!

#hels to pay au #angst #whump #tangotek #hermitcraft #my art #HTP art #atlas syn #doctor atlas

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secret-whump-basement · 3 months

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Caretaker-turned-whumpers who are SO deep in denial

They're doing everything for Whumpee's good! It's in their best interest that they be tied up to the bed, otherwise they might break something during one of their episodes and hurt themselves. A little slap here or there for discipline's sake never killed anyone, Whumpee still needs to behave. Exposing them to triggers is only going to build up their mental resilience! And of course Whumpee is in no real mental state to make decisions for themselves so it's for the best that someone else handle it all for a while. Caretaker only wants them to get better!

#atlas posts #whump scenario #whump prompt #whumpblr #whump #caretaker prompts #bad caretaker #sighs dreamily....betrayal of trust....

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naensut · 2 months

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GIF by sarcasmcloud

found family

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a-todd-illustration · 5 months

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Zuko gets hurt while in the care of the Gaang and makes a run for it.

#tiny zuko #zuko #aang #sokka #katara #tiny #giant #avatar au #myart #fanart #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar #g/t #handheld #whump #zuko whump #hurt zuko

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honeycollectswhump · 1 year

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Whumper's title

[masterlist]

It was the end of a lazy evening. Caretaker stretched as the credits of the last movie rolled. Whumpee was draped across her lap and had apparently fallen asleep somewhere during the movie. She wasn’t sure if he even witnessed the climax. Even asleep Whumpee had a soft smile on his lips; he seemed truly at peace.

It hadn’t always been like that.

A year ago, serenity like this would have been unthinkable. Maybe he would have crawled into her lap if she ordered him to, but he wouldn’t have allowed himself to relax. He wouldn’t have been able to.

A year ago, he still called himself Pet or Mutt. He would beg for punishment, beg to be allowed necessities like sleep or food. But never for mercy because he’d thought he didn’t deserve it.

A year ago, Whumpee didn’t even remember they lived together for years prior.

But he did now, and that was all that mattered. God, how she had missed him and the time they spent together. Caretaker wanted to savor it all, savor every little moment she could spend with him.

With a smile playing on her lips, she brushed a stray piece of hair from his scarred face. She didn’t want to wake Whumpee up but she would have to. No matter how much she wanted it, they couldn’t spend the night like this. In the morning, his already aching back would trouble him even more. He was frankly too big for her couch, his feet already dangling over the side. With one hand she was playing with his soft curls, scratching the nape of his neck, and trying to grab the remote with the other – without success.

It had to be done. Caretaker softly whispered his name, tracing his jawline in an attempt to wake him up. He wouldn't budge.

“Whumpee”, the name came out as a soft chuckle. “Whumpee, you need to wake up.”

Again, nothing.

This time she held him by his shoulders and started shaking him gently. Two bleary brown eyes stared up at her, blinking a couple of times. A sleepy groan escaped his lips as he struggled to sit upright. Somehow Caretaker doubted that Whumpee was truly awake.

She stood up and held her hand out to him. “Let’s get you to bed, big guy.”

Loosely, he took her hands and let himself be pulled up, almost immediately resting his head on top of hers.

“Yes, Master”, he breathed into her hair.

Caretaker could feel her blood running cold. She froze, waiting for any indication of what happened, any sign that Whumpee wasn’t feeling well.

But he didn’t. He didn’t tense up or start shaking. He didn’t fall on his knees or stare at her in adoration and obedience or wait for her order. In fact, he didn’t seem to even realize what he’d said. Instead, he just nuzzled further into her locks, almost falling asleep on his feet.

Slowly, she took a step backward, his hands still in hers, waiting to see if he’d follow. Whumpee shuffled along, although at a snail’s pace. Caretaker didn’t know whether to bring up what had happened but one look in his half-lidded eyes told her that any attempt at communication would just pass by him. Chances were he wouldn’t even remember how he got to bed in the morning.

She took him upstairs where –at the sight of his own bed– he staggered forward and flopped down on his messy sheets. Caretaker followed him inside to tuck him in. While she was securing the blanket under his shoulders, Whumpee loosely grabbed one of her hands in his much bigger one and pressed it to his cheek.

“G’night…”, he murmured into her hand.

She couldn’t understand what he said after that and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

This is very much inspired by this post by @whumpadventureprompts (i couldn't find how you want to be tagged when people use your prompts so i hope this is alright)

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goldenavenger02 · 3 months

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cause we survived the great war

For @badthingshappenbingo . Prompt: Fainting.

"Did you stop him?" Zuko interrupted, his vision growing more and more blurred from the salty water that was building up in his eyes as he squeezed Aang's hand tightly, "d-did you stop him?"

"I took away his bending. He's powerless."

Despite popular belief by those outside of the Fire Nation, Capitol City did get cooler at night.

Zuko had always assumed it was from the wind that came down from the high peaks of the volcanoes blowing down into the capitol city, or maybe the pushback from the waves that surrounded the smaller islands.

Either way, the chilly breeze was passing through once again which only made the fiery pain in the center of his torso more apparent as it engulfed him whole and pulsed through his blood with every thump of his heart.

He refused to make mention of it to Katara despite his arm being wrapped around her shoulders to keep him on his feet as they walked towards where they had agreed to meet up with the others on the shoreline; just like her, he needed to know that the others were alive, that Aang had done the impossible and had ended the hundred year war.

Even if that meant that he was now an orphan.

"Sokka!" Katara shouted, pulling away from Zuko to run forward and pull her limping older brother into her arms, resulting in a particularly strong thump of pain to hit him right in the chest.

He couldn't hear the exchange between the siblings and Suki from where he stood, but despite the throbbing in his torso, he couldn't help but let his lips curl into a smile as he watched the trio hug.

Only for him to be knocked back into reality by a harsh punch in the arm that he knew belonged to Toph.

"Glad to see you're alive."

"Same to you, Sparky," her grin was wide even in the dim light of the setting sun before her nose wrinkled, "ooh, but you stink."

"I'm sorry, you're saying that to me?"

"Ha ha," she said with sarcasm laced in her words before they turned serious, "what happened, did you fall in a fireplace?"

"Azula plays dirty, Zuko gritted his teeth as he spoke, letting an arm wrap around the wound to support himself, "Is Aang-"

"He's on his way, but he's in the middle of- Zuko!" Sokka cut himself off with an arm around Suki as he limped towards him, "that almost killed Aang! How are you sti…"

The ringing sound replaced any voices that impacted him as he tried to blink away the sudden dizziness and his mouth filled with a coppery taste, only to look back up at the four blurring faces surrounding him.

"-hat's wrong?"

"I can't…" he swallowed, trying to pull in a breath that remained just out of his reach while the edges of his vision started to dim, "I can't breathe…"

"-eartbeat's too slow, catch hi-"

Zuko's world went black as he crashed to his knees.

…

"Please, Katara."

"You need to rest, we all do. I don't even know when he'll wake up."

"I haven't seen him for two days and…he deserves to know about what I did."

Katara's sigh echoed through the room, only returning his attention to the searing pain in his torso that was once again returning with a vengeance.

"Okay, you're right. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Katara? You should get some rest too."

Zuko didn't hear her response, he was too focused on the feeling of a small, gentle hand looped around his own; he knew it wasn't Toph, not with how gentle the voice had been, which could only mean one thing.

He opened his eyes slowly and carefully turned his head to focus his vision on the figure next to his bedside before managing to speak, "Aang."

"You're awake," Aang took a breath that sounded a bit too shaky to just be exhaustion and the look in his eyes told Zuko that if it wasn't for his injuries, he would have been pulled into a tight hug, "Katara told me, about the Agni Kai."

"Aang, my…my f-father-" Zuko hissed through his teeth from the pressure that the inhale had put on the burn that adorned his chest, tears involuntarily springing into his eyes.

"Don't strain yourself. We can talk later, once you're feeling better-"

"Did you stop him?" Zuko interrupted, his vision growing more and more blurred from the salty water that was building up in his eyes as he squeezed Aang's hand tightly, "d-did you stop him?"

"I took away his bending. He's powerless."

Zuko loosened his grip. 'He can't hurt anyone any more.'

"Thank you."

Aang squeezed his hand tightly with a smile on his face, the closest thing to a hug that he would give right now, before speaking again, "go back to sleep. You're safe with me."

It was Zuko's cue to let his vision darken and let the pain dissipate once again.

…

It didn't elevate the pain when she focused her attention on the pink edges of the wound and it trailed away from his torso onto into his arm from where he had tried to push it out through his fingertips.

In fact, when Katara bent the water over his right arm to try and sooth the angry nerves that laid underneath, it was cooling and actually helped ease away a fraction of the built-up tension in his shoulders.

It made sense why she started there and worked her way inward towards the center of the attack during every healing session.

"Do you need to take a break?" Her voice was sincere as she looked up at him, the glassiness of tears apparent in her blue eyes.

"Do you?"

"I'm…" she stopped, raising an arm up to wipe away the tears in her eyes, "I'm fine."

"Katara-"

"Why did you do it?" She cut him off quickly, "you know what this did to Aang, so why would you do it?"

"I didn't t-think she'd aim for you."

"Just answer me, Zuko," she begged, the tears falling from her eyes to the point where she discarded the water she had been using into the nearby bucket due to contamination, "why did you risk so much for me?"

He pondered on her question for a moment.

He hadn't been thinking about anything but pushing the lightning away from himself and into the ground, trying to emerge victorious against his unstable sister; but the crazed glance and the blue twisting around her fingertips had him running forward before the impact and-pain pain pain-

He looked back up at Katara's eyes, teary and demanding as they searched for an answer that only he could give.

"Because we're a team, r-remember?"

She wiped her tears away again and pulled in a long sniffle before looking over at him with a smile before she spoke, her voice shaking from her crying, "I…I know I already said it, but thank you."

Zuko nodded, wrapping his fingers around his sheets as he watched her bend fresh water out of the basin and braced himself for the pain.

"I'll be as fast as I can, okay?" Her voice was comforting and quiet now that the tears had finally stopped running down her cheeks and she had received a satisfactory answer, but Zuko knew that as soon as he agreed, he would be launched into unbearable agony.

"Okay."

The cry of pain that escaped his lips didn't shine a light to the intensity of the fiery, searing pain that engulfed him and fought back against the healing water; he gripped the sheets tightly in his palms and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I know it hurts," he made out as she hit a particularly sore spot that had his back arching in protest, "I'm almost done."

When she finally pulled the water away, he was struggling to get full breaths into his lungs as he opened his golden eyes that were now filled to the brim with pain-induced tears.

"It's going to get easier," Katara's assurance was sincere as she gently cupped the right side of his face in her hand to wipe away the tears that had leaked from his eyes and onto his cheeks, "for both of us."

…

When he awoke again, there was no sign of Aang or Katara.

Instead, he was greeted by a soft humming of a familiar song that he had heard his whole life. A song that had filled the halls of the palace whenever his uncle, as well as his cousin, were safely within the walls rather than on the front lines.

"Well," The humming stopped, replaced by the familiar voice of his uncle, "look who's awake."

"I thought you w-were in Ba Sing Se." Zuko managed to speak, his tongue heavy in his mouth.

"I was, but when the news of you defeating Azula in an Agni Kai reached us, as well as the defeat of Ozai, I knew that my efforts would be better here. After all, someone has to weed out his loyalists and you, my nephew, are in no state to do that yourself."

"I did try, to r-redirect the lightning."

"And master Katara thinks that was what saved you. While she has expressed gratitude that you saved her life, it would be wise to follow her advice until you are healed."

It wasn't like Zuko planned on rebelling against her, not while his chest burned with every inhale.

Despite the pain, he still managed to push himself up on his wrists and sit up with the support of the pillows behind his head.

"Y-You were humming the song," he changed the subject, watching as his uncle raised an eyebrow while sipping from the teacup that was a part of the tea set sitting on the dresser, " the one you u-used to sing it to Lu Ten and I."

"Yes, I was. Here," Iroh nodded as he grabbed the second teacup, like he knew that Zuko was going to wake up, and pressed it into his shaking palms, "you should drink and go back to sleep."

Zuko slowly brought the edge of the cup to his lips and tipped the warm tea into his mouth, letting the familiar flavors of jasmine and chamomile coat his tongue, washing away the coppery taste from his mouth.

He let his uncle gently take the glass cup out of his palms before laying back down, his vision spinning by the time he was laying flat on the mattress once again; he closed his eyes, reducing everything to black.

Zuko allowed himself to drift back off to the sounds of his uncle singing softly, just loud enough that he could make out the words "Brave soldier boy, comes marching home".

…

"Absolutely not."

"Katara, the coronation is in a few days-"

"My judgment wouldn't change if it was in a few hours," she shook her head as she wrapped the new bandages around his torso and up around his right shoulder, "you are on bedrest until further notice, and your uncle said you listen to me."

"He said it would be wise to follow your advice." Zuko hadn't planned on fighting against her judgment at all, let alone so soon after he was advised not to go against her, but he needed to know what was happening outside of the walls of his childhood bedroom.

"I wouldn't poke the bear if I was you, Sparky." Toph remarked from where she was lounging on the ottoman, her head hanging just above the floor.

"What did you just call me?" Katara turned away from his tight bandages to presumably glare at Toph, like it would make much of a difference.

"Relax, sweetness. I'm telling him to listen to you and not to piss you off, especially while you're gone."

'Wait, what?'

"You're leaving?"

Katara's sigh acted as confirmation even before she started speaking, "not for long, just for the rest of the day. There are a lot of injured people in both Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation, they need all of the healers they can get," she explained as she finished wrapping the bandages around his chest, "these aren't too tight?"

"No, they aren't."

"Good. You're doing a lot better and Sokka's leg has been healing up well enough, which is why I'm going with Aang and Suki," she explained as she stood up and pulled her bag over her shoulder, "but you are staying in bed."

Zuko raised his hands in surrender, resigning himself to staring at the ceiling for the rest of the day, allowing Katara to leave the room without another word.

However, just as he was starting to let his eyes flutter shut in relaxation, it was shattered by the young earthbender who had taken residence in his room that afternoon after his uncle had left.

"Do you want to get up?"

"What?"

"She just left the palace and I'm not gonna snitch. I used to run away all the time!"

"Toph-"

"You can't get better just laying down all day," Toph cut him off as she walked over and held her hand out, "besides, I still wanna know what's in this place."

"I don't-" Zuko started, but it quickly clicked in his mind just what Toph wanted and why she was encouraging a rebellion against Katara, "you still want your life changing field trip."

"Fine, you caught me," her voice was much sadder as she sat on the end of his bed and flopped backwards onto the mattress, "I know it won't be life changing, since the war is over and you're still hurt but…even if it isn't a new thing to you, this is the first time I've ever been anywhere outside of the earth kingdom."

"Are you gonna go back?"

"I'm not sure yet," she shrugged before standing up and offering her hand out again, "but right now, I'm gonna go to the garden and you should come with me."

"Okay, okay." He relented and pushed himself onto his feet, wincing at how the pain ricocheted up into his shoulder which forced him to grab the bed frame for support while his knees threatened to collapse from under him.

"On second thought, maybe you should stay here."

"Just give me a second."

"I don't want you getting hurt again."

Zuko's knees stopped shaking and the pain ebbed into a dull ache instead of the strong stabbing-like pain and it didn't return when he let go of the bed frame or when he walked forward to slide on his sandals.

"I'm fine," he insisted as he pulled one of the many robes around his shoulders in order to conceal the bandages around his torso and tied it closed, "but, just to be safe, can I-"

Toph didn't let him finish before taking his right hand and guiding it to her shoulder as support, "just tell me where to go."

And with that, the two of them began their walk through the palace.

No matter how much Zuko attempted to focus on the task at hand, he was still using his left hand to shield his vision away from the glaring pictures of the former Fire Lord all while thinking that this place was in serious need of redecoration.

Because while he understood the importance of the portraits of the Fire Lords before him, as to not to forget his lineage, he would be unable to rule under the glaring gaze of his father for the rest of his life.

Luckily for himself as well as Toph, the garden was not far from his room and soon enough, she was taking his hand off of his shoulder and helping him lower himself to sitting on the ground next to the small pond as the exhaustion began to seep into his bones.

"Are you still doing okay?"

"Oh yeah," Zuko breathed, resting his hand over his bandaged wound to try and sooth the renewed throbbing while resting his head against one of the tree trunks, "never better."

"I don't know if that was just sarcasm or just a load of monkey feathers, but your heartbeat is going crazy, Sparky."

"Why did you want to come out here?" He asked, trying to change the subject in order to give himself a chance to relax and let his agony dissipate once more.

"It's too hot in the palace, it makes my feet hurt," Toph explained as she pulled her knees in, "and I feel more in control out here, that if something were to happen, I'm surrounded by the earth so I can stop it faster. Also, Aang said he was able to hold one of the turtle ducks yesterday."

"We should have grabbed some bread from the kitchen first." Zuko chuckled but still pushed himself forward and rested one of his palms into the pond just like he had been taught by his mother when he was a kid.

Sure enough, one of the small turtle ducklings swam right up to his palm and gently pecked at it in search of some sort of treat, allowing him to gently scoop it up in his hands before turning to Toph, "hold your hands out."

She was obedient, cupping her hands as she held them out which helped him set the small bird into her palms before guiding her left hand to cup over it to keep it secure, "you have to be careful though, the mothers are notoriously ruthless when it comes to protecting their young."

"It's so soft," Toph murmured, running one of her fingers over the top of its soft head which resulted in a few content chirps, "and so small."

"This one is probably a few months old, it'll get bigger as it gets older."

Toph continued to hold the turtle duck securely in her palms, but Zuko couldn't help but swallow when the image of the young earthbender was replaced by a memory of his little sister.

They were just five and seven when she allowed him to place the turtle duckling in her open palms only to carelessly sear a hole right through its delicate shell.

There had been a lot of tears shed on both his as well as the baby turtle duck's part, but his mother arrived quickly to send Azula to her room before bringing the turtle duck and Zuko to the palace infirmary in order to do her best to soothe the burn.

It had resulted in a loud argument between his parents that night, one that echoed all the way into his bedroom; he hadn't been able to decipher the words back then while covering his ears, but he could only guess that his father had been displeased by the heir to the throne sobbing in response to an attack on an innocent animal.

He hadn't even noticed that Toph had let the turtle duckling swim back to its mother until she rested her hand on his left leg in complete silence.

"After we went to the play on Ember Island, I asked Aang about your scar," Her words were sudden but not unexpected as he turned his face towards her only to see her staring straight ahead at nothing, "he said it starts over your eye and spreads all the way over to your ear. Is that how you know how to describe stuff to me, because you know how it is?"

"Yeah," Zuko managed to say as he looked down at his fingernails, even if there was no point in avoiding Toph's non-existent gaze, "I got it right before I was banished from the fire nation."

"It was Ozai, wasn't it?" Zuko's tongue went dry at her words, he couldn't lift it to respond as tears welled up in his eyes from the statement.

He had never confirmed the rumors when asked, despite the tale being a popular propaganda piece during his father's rule, about what he would do to those who disrespected him. Given her next statement though, it seemed as though his silence was confirmation enough.

"Unless you ask me not to in the next five seconds, I'm going to hug you."

He didn't respond, allowing Toph to throw herself into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck while pressing her head against his shoulder.

Zuko ignored the renewed fire in his abdomen and wrapped his arms just as tightly around Toph.

…

"That one looks too stuffy," Sokka commented as he bit into the apple he was holding while leaning against the wall to seemingly avoid putting weight on his splinted leg, "and the sleeves are huge. You'll firebend once and woosh! Erupt into flames!"

"It's a flame resistant fabric, like all of the clothes produced in the fire nation," The tailor explained while wrapping the line of measuring tape around Zuko's bandaged abdomen, "it would be preposterous for the new Fire Lord to be unable to firebend in their regalia."

"I'm just saying, maybe it's time to update the regalia! Make it more Zuko and less Ozai. Right, Zuko?"

Zuko just wanted to get down from the platform he was standing on, away from the gaze from the tailor who had been part of the palace staff since his grandfather had been on the throne; even though he had been questioned extensively about where his loyalties lied, his chest still felt tight every time he looked over at the elderly man.

"Zuko, you with us?"

Zuko blinked a few times, his arms still extended outwards while he met Sokka's concerned glance but when he tried to respond, his mouth was dry as he lowered his arms while a shiver of fear went down his spine.

"Zheng, can you give a second?"

The tailor left the room with a bow in his direction, but all Zuko could focus on was Sokka's hand gripping onto his wrist as he helped him step down from the platform and sit on the lone, padded bench that sat in the corner.

"Are you in pain? Because I can get Katara-"

"It's stupid." Zuko swallowed, resting his face in his hands to try and get his heart to stop beating so fast. 'You're safe. No one is going to put you in a room with people that haven't been thoroughly questioned. You're fine.'

No matter how much he knew those statements to be true, his chest was burning with panic and paranoia.

"I once tried to keep us from going to get supplies because I had a dream where food ate people," Sokka's hand was gentle on his shoulder, just enough pressure for him to know that he was there, "I'm pretty sure it can't get more stupid then that."

"Just…worried, about all of this."

"About being the Fire Lord? Because that's not stupid, I'd argue that it'd be more stupid if you weren't."

'I shouldn't be scared. They shouldn't put a coward on the throne. The last thing that the Fire Nation needs is a coward ruling over them.'

"Look," Sokka spoke again, despite Zuko unable to respond as he rested his face in his hands, "this is a lot of responsibility, I get that. I was too young to go with my father but too old to be protected which meant that before Katara and I met Aang, I was the head of the Southern Water Tribe. I know it's not the same scale, but if I can do it, you've got it in the bag."

"You shouldn't doubt yourself, Sokka." Zuko finally managed to lift his head out of his hands and rest it against the wall instead as he responded, his heartbeat starting to fall back into its normal rhythm.

"Neither should you," Sokka argued, "even if the crown wasn't your birthright, which it is, you beat Azula in an Agni Kai."

"Aiming at someone else results in a forfeit."

"You saved my little sister's life, Zuko, and I…" he looked over as Sokka wiped his face on his sleeve before looking back to him, "I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you."

"You don't need to."

Sokka shrugged, which gave him permission to rest his heavy head, the head that would be crowned as the new Fire Lord in the morning, on the shoulder of one of the bravest warriors in the world.

"So, are you gonna kick me out of here then?"

"I didn't say that."

"Good, because someone needs to be here to tell you that these sleeves are so," Sokka smiled as he lifted up the edge of one of the sleeves and wrapped his hand around it to prove that Zuko still had plenty of room for his wrists in the robe, "so impractical."

…

"I should count myself lucky. The new Fire Lord has graced me with his presence in my lowly prison cell."

His vision was spinning when he finally returned from the Boiling Rock; it was real, he was the Fire Lord and he had proven his father wrong.

And yet, as he held onto the doorframe, his heart pounding in his chest and his ears filled with high-pitched ringing, he couldn't help but wonder if somewhere in his jail cell, his father had been hoping for this outcome.

That his son would be put on the throne and maybe he would be able to worm his way into his mind again. It made Zuko's stomach fill with nausea at the thought of being the puppet on his father's string again, like he had been just a year ago.

"There you are! Katara wants to check how everything is healing before we head to the Earth Kingdom…Zuko?"

Zuko had just been able to hear the voice over the ringing in his ears and looked up to see the blurry shape of Aang staring right at him.

"Zuko, are you-"

Zuko let go of the doorframe as his vision went dark, feeling hands grab his shoulders on the way down that were accompanied by a scream.

…

The first thing he heard when he opened his eyes was "don't move" followed by the familiar sting of water being passed over the lightning mark.

Zuko wasn't planning on it, not with how much everything was aching just from breathing; that was, until he heard a second voice that had him lifting his head from the pillows and propping himself up onto his elbows.

"He's awake?" Before he could even speak, Aang was rushing over to his side with relief tinged in his words, "you're awake."

"And he needs to lay," Katara cut herself off to use her free hand to press on his chest and guide him back onto the pillows, "back down."

"Is it bad?" He asked, wincing at how dry his mouth was and how hoarse his voice was.

"I'll get you some water." Aang insisted as he disappeared from view once again, leaving him to look up at Katara's squint of concentration.

"Everything is irritated. The nerves, the skin…it's all irritated. We put off the trip to the Earth Kingdom till tomorrow and King Kuei sends his regards," she stopped for a moment before looking over at him, "where were you?"

Zuko swallowed; he didn't want Katara to know that he had gone much further than anyone was comfortable with permitting, especially without security, not to mention that he had gone to see the former Fire Lord.

Even with his reasoning, he wasn't sure that any of his new found friends would be comfortable with the fact that he had gone in the first place.

"Here," Aang's return with the glass of water returned Katara's eyes to his burnt abdomen and gave Zuko, at the very least, a temporary scapegoat and took the lack of questioning eyes on him to lift his head and let the water coat his aching throat, "we told General Iroh too, since we'll be staying with him when we get there."

"Thanks." Zuko nodded even though he knew that it was going to be more difficult to keep his visit from his uncle then it was to keep it from Aang and Katara.

"No problem, Fire Lord Hotman" Aang smiled as he took the glass despite the quick glare he shot at the airbender, glancing at the burn for a moment before looking back at Zuko, a half-hearted giggle in his voice while gesturing to his back, "what do you know? We match now."

Zuko couldn't help but laugh despite the pain it caused him.

After all, Aang had saved the world and he had stopped Azula; the next few weeks, months, maybe even years would be hard as the nations settled down now that the war was over and started to rebuild.

But that could wait; for the next few hours as he rested, he didn't have to be the Fire Lord; he had the permission to just be Zuko.

#bad things happen bingo #fainting #avatar the last airbender #atla #post the last agni kai #whump #angst #my writing #fic #zuko #katara #aang #toph beifong #sokka #uncle iroh

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