if aang wrong choose katara,,, why universe show katara in danger to Aang 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 unless ?? universe want aang save katara 🤔🤔🤔 universe want aang die and katara save 🤔🤔🤔 universe say aang right to choose love over power😠😠😠😠🤯🤯👊🏼

Hi there! I've just found your blog, so sorry if you've done something like this already, but I wanted some head cannons about a reader who essentially has Toph's earthbending skills ( if she's blind or not thats up to you)( I always look back on that match against all those Earthbenders)

And just Izuku's, Bakugou's, and Todoroki's reaction to that power, if you don't mind.

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer this!

I ACTUALLY SCREECHED WHEN I READ THIS. I ACTUALLY HAD AN IDEA LIKE THIS FOR A FIC AND LOOK AT YOU FEEDING MY IMAGINATION.

I haven’t actually done anything like this but ahh I wish I did because ahh we love Toph, I kin with her so much.

You didn’t say anything about a crush or anything so imma use this prompt for a fic later 😭 and I’m gonna start this with a blurb since you referred to the earth bender arena, and then their reactions cause that makes the most sense to my 3 brain cells.

A/N: I’m upping the age on our boi’s b/c my brain put it together better and be ready cause I’m probs gonna use this for a fic later (:<

(H/N) = Hero Name

[Master List]

—————————

A large dust cloud was seen as you entered the attack, when it settled you were finally visible. In the middle of the decimation, you stood in a squat position with your bare heals in the ground. When he looked over, he recognized your costume. He’d never seen you in person or worked with you in his recent career but (H/N) was a well known name among the new hero’s. He knew a bit about your quirk sure, but seeing you standing in the middle of the carnage threw him of a loop.

With the slightest movement of your feet, buildings and rubble started moving as if it were alive. You stomped and thick discs of earth popped up from the ground in front of you before flicking your wrists and sending them flying, knocking out villains one after another. Civilians, he had no idea were still on the battlefield, started appearing on earthly platforms that whisked them to the temporary med station.

When they were all out of harms way there was a soft chuckle that echoed from where you stood. After taking down the villain he was in the middle of fighting he watched in awe as you movements became quicker and more decisive. Thick stone wall grew from the earth protecting the undamaged buildings, your back was to him when a stone took out a villain behind him. Like a wave: earth, cement, and stone of the city rushed the enemy and knocked them all out in one fell swoop.

Cheering was heard from all around when other hero’s, including you, started to collect the unconscious bodies of the attackers. Surprise was written all over his face at the raw power you possessed:

Todoroki Shoto:

He’s surprised someone like you was unheard of until becoming a pro

Thoroughly impressed

He can’t get the image of the shockwave you sent through the already destroyed area out of his head

Even more impressed when he sees you pull the earthly walls back into the ground like it was nothing

When he goes to thank you for your hard work you notes how you don’t look directly at him when you respond

When you feel his confusion you look up in his general direction

Shock sets in as he realizes you’re actually blind

A smirk grows on your face

He’s even more impressed at your skills

Astounded that you managed to identify the difference between hero’s, villains and civilians with your quirk alone

Would love to train with you as someone also with an elemental quirk

Fascinated about your fighting style

Would ask for tips on enhancing his own fighting style

Would definitely try and get your agency to work with his

Would suggest teaming up

THE ELEMENTS

Would be utterly shocked if you didn’t become a top ten hero quicker than Hawks

Midoriya Izuku:

oh boy.

He almost squealed when he got the chance to talk to you

Absolutely starstruck

Would pull his notebook out of thin air but to ask you questions

Nearly drops his notebook when he finds out you being blind wasn’t a rumor

Obsessed with your quirk v quickly

The ungodly amount of raw power you possessed terrified and amazed him

Billions of questions

“As far as I know, when you have a quirk that’s suited for your body, it’ll mutate for your needs.” You commented when explaining how you ‘see’

The two of you ran through hypotheticals for other hero’s and hopefuls

This guy will geek out much

Wants to show you his notes on you

You give him the look

“Sounds like paper to me” You chide

He stammered feeling like an idiot

He is but we love him anyway

Like Todoroki he would want to train with you when he could

Bakugo Katsuki:

Would be a little pissed

Feels like you got all the credit even though you showed up late in the fight

Even if you didn’t

Would stomp up to you and ask

“And what the hell took you so long??”

You’d just glance up at him

The thick fog in your eyes would make him feel like an asshole

His frustration would start to fizzle

“Well, it’s not like I can read text messages” You’d snort

After his frustration subsided he’d find himself impressed

He’d be awe struck as such raw power came from someone who was blind

He’d rescan the area and realize that the only damage to the city was caused before you even arrived

Would click his tongue a bit in frustration as you lowered thick stone walls to reveal totally undamaged buildings/property

Kind of feels like a hero excited kid again watching you use your quirk to help clear rubble

Wants to spar with you so bad

Would never admit that

Would feel a little violated when he finds out you can literally feel his emotions

Would never admit that he didn’t stop his agency from trying to team up with yours

Thinks your quirk would be great to work with cause you could play damage control while he went wild

Lives for the fact that you’re just as rough around the edges as him

For the ship meme: zukaang

Oooooh my gosh this is a LOT and I have to thank you very much for giving me the excuse to write all this. Lol.

General

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

—Tbh none of these fully encapsulate how I feel for this ship but I do wonder constantly why the hell few others actually appreciate it.

How long will they last? - Life.

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Alright I spent too long thinking about this because I have several headcanons for how/when they fall in love but eventually landed on my somewhat canon compliant one — Zuko falls for Aang first. Though he only realizes his feelings towards Aang after he and Mai break off their relationship for a final time. Aang falls for Zuko later, after he and Katara mutually break away from each other when they realize they’ve grown to love each other purely as friends.

How was their first kiss? - Initiated by Zuko their first kiss is sweet but charged full of all the things he didn’t know how to say but desperately wanted to convey. Aang laughs softly when they pull apart and says, “I wondered when you’d finally do it.”

Wedding

Who proposed? - Aang proposed marriage between them but Zuko had been thinking about it. However he had been hesitant to bring it up because of the potential political issues that might arise when the Avatar officially bound himself to the FireLord. This is an issue that the two ultimately decide is worth dealing with together.

Who stressed the most? - Zuko

How fancy was the ceremony? - I imagine their union happening one of two ways. One, they have two separate ceremonies. One for the Fire Nation following all their customs and one for themselves following all the Air Nomad customs (tho I do wonder how likely it was that the Air Nomads had formal weddings of any kind considering they were so huge on freedom). Anyway, the second version is that they have a ceremony which merges the two cultural traditions.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Idk Ozai probably.

Sex

Who is on top? - Ima just open these questions with it DEPENDS. So like if you wanna skip all the answers here go ahead because ultimately in my mind, it really just depends upon what’s happening between them in the given moment for like, every single one of these questions.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Depends. Both are likely to instigate. Zuko usually when they firebend together and Aang when Zuko lets go of his dignified FireLord image and is just himself.

How healthy is their sex life? - Very.

How kinky are they? - they’d probs be like at a 7?? Idk honestly this isn’t something I’ve thought about much. Lol

How long do they normally last? - suppose it depends on when and where they got busy.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - probably not, but this seems like something that’s dependent upon who initiated it.

How rough are they in bed? - I think how “rough” they get is purely dependent on the moment.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - They are definitely the types to hold each other close after.

Children

How many children will they have naturally? - Nada.

How many children will they adopt? - Four. For each nation! But like, by complete accident and Toph or Sokka are the ones to point this out. I like to imagine the first kid they adopt into their lives would maybe be an orphaned child from the people at the Northern Air Temple. (Who I think have potential to learn not only learn the Air Nomad culture but also Airbending!)

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Would depend mostly on who’s available. I like to imagine Aang wouldn’t like the idea of using servants to help care for their kids so probably him when he’s around.

Who is the stricter parent? - Zuko, he’d have had a much more structured upbringing so he’d definitely be the more serious/strict parent between them.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Ok I don’t think any of the kids would go to a formal school because they are royalty by virtue of being adopted by the FireLord. So they’d have many tutors. But like, in regards to dangerous stunts period? Zuko. Because Aang would absolutely join them (for fun and to keep them safe).

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? Who is the more loved parent? - Aang often has to force veggies on his children thus losing out half the time on the “favorite parent” vote. However Zuko suffers the same when he refuses to allow them to do something dangerous.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - They were raised by two people who know very well how to avoid getting caught, so the real question is, how often do either of them even need to?

Cooking

Who does the most cooking? - Ok so I like to think they’d have places to run away to all over the world and in those places they’d handle their own cooking. Zuko is pathetically bad at it so Aang does all the cooking which also means the whole family collectively eats vegetarian when they go off on breaks. This is because while Aang is fine with meat being cooked around him he really doesn’t care to cook it himself.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Aang, but eventually Zuko (once he learns that people eat Turtleducks) when he turns towards being vegetarian too. Sokka and all but one of their kids hate it. 😂

Who does the grocery shopping? - When they go off to one of their get away places Aang does the shopping but Zuko goes with him everytime.

How often do they bake desserts? - Aang does as often as possible but Zuko likes trying to bake Air Nomad desserts for Aang.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Zuko goes through a change from being a meat guy to a veggie guy (tho he still does eat meat occasionally). So they become a couple of salad eaters.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Aang.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Both. Aang because he likes trying new things. Zuko because every now and again he’d really like to have some meat.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Zuko.

Chores

Who cleans the room? - Aang.

Who is really against chores? - Their children.

Who cleans up after the pets? - depends, Zuko likes having the kids do it but Aang will if they don’t.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Zuko is most likely to want to, but ultimately he wouldn’t do it because Aang absolutely would find it.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Zuko

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - did they have dollars?

Misc

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Zuko, but they definitely take the longest baths together and shorter baths apart.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - were dogs a thing in ATLA?

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - 😬 idk what holidays do they have that would involve decorating for?

What are their goals for the relationship? - maintaining a healthy balance between them in all ways. In how they distance their personal relationship from the formal one. In how they parent (which is hugely different because of their very very different upbringings). And in how they treat each other.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Aang? Tbh I think they’d both be early risers.

Who plays the most pranks? - Aang. For sure.

Taang headcanon time!

Who fell first?

How did they both realize they had The Feeling™️

How did they confess? Who confessed first?

Did they get married or no? What was the proposal like?

Did they have kids? How many? Any benders?

Who passed first? Was their death sudden or expected?

Who fell first -- i def think that toph fell first and had the hardest fucking time admitting her feelings to herself, much less him. I do think there was a long pining time period and maybe Aang knowing but just seeing her as a friend until one day he looks at her and actually fucking sees her. 

How do they both realize they had The Feeling? -- Toph had been feeling the flutteries for a while but wrote it off and refused to think about it until someone (prob Zuko or Sokka) called her out and she was like, oh shit is that what that is? For Aang, i like to think he was oblvious to her feelings for a while and when he did find out, he only thought of her as a friend until one day, she’s doing something that she always does, bends a rock or something, and something clicks in his brain and he actually sees her and it fucking hits him like a freight train

How did they confess? Who confessed first? -- Toph didn’t mean to confess, but drunken nights happen. For Aang, she would be in the middle of a sentence when he just blurts it out, and she just stops for a minute to absorb that information before continuing with what she was saying. 

Did they get married or no? What was the proposal like? -- Nah i don’t think they get married. Marriage isn’t part of the nomad culture and Toph wouldn’t want to be trapped in something like that, which i 100% get. I mean, they refer to each other as significant others and stuff, but they don’t ever actually stand at an alter and say the words. It’s just a commitment that is too much for Toph and goes against what Aang was taught

Did they have kids? How many? Any benders? -- This may be dark, maybe a little triggering? But, for some reason, I think that they have fertility issues, maybe a few miscarriages before deciding to stop and then a year later she finds out she is pregnant. I like to think she would be an earthbender. Because they were so blessed with her, they didn’t want to tempt fate and try for another. 

Who passed first? Was their death sudden or expected? Fuck. okay. first of all. rude.  If we’re not following canon of how Aang dies, I think Toph would go first from age and then, because the grief is too much, Aang passes a week or so later. i just don’t see them living apart like that. 

I love your omega zuko fic! Do you have any omega zuko headcannons?

thank you so much!!!! c: and I have....... many, but i’ll try my best to not make this an entire manifesto and not spoil my own fic - after presenting I think it would be a mix of not wanting ppl to notice what and who he is, and being insecure about accepting himself only to find out he is “““bad”““ at it    - no such a thing, but if there was... he isn’t, at all. Zuko is, canonically, good with kids and animals, he can be pretty nurturing, he is super full of empathy, a good teacher, handsome and, abo speaking now, his scent (and status) is very attractive    - as in, even though he has that image of “the scarred omega prince who is very aggressive, socially awkward at least and rude at most”... people would try to court him. A lot.    - Zuko is aware most of it is out of greed, but he has no clue a bunch of Alphas and Betas actually want him as a mate.    - everybody thinks he is playing hard to get, he is just oblivious - heats are horrible. Half of it is because being a firebender makes them worse, the other half is because he is a dumbass who tries to pretend nothing is going on until its too late.    - feverish, sweating buckets and with a scent so strong the palace guards have to excuse themselves? No prob, he is gonna practice with his swords until literally being dragged away or passing out    - being mated does NOT change that, after all nobody is best at denying Zuko a good time than Zuko himself, Sokka has to deal with the aftermath    - the amount of cuddling post-heat can’t be overstated. First it was just to prevent him from having an omega drop, now he just likes it. Zuko is a cuddler    - if more than once they need to visit Katara after his cycle to treat Sokka’s first degree burns, and if part of their room gets completely charred.... no comment    - still, it was worse before. As in he felt actual physical pain, everything got destroyed, getting dehydrated was common, and the omega drop after left him depressed af - omegas and alphas have more sensitive senses, since Ozai impaired his vision and hearing, Zuko can smell very, very well. He hates how most people’s scents tho, parties are an invitation to have migraines later. Sokka though... the moment he catches Sokka’s scent he cant let it go.    - he buries his face on Sokka’s neck every possible chance he gets when they are alone    - loves the way their scents mingle, but loves Sokka’s more. would stop stealing his mate’s clothes just to have the thrill of sniffing it again like a week later and being just Sokka    - but the scent of his pack calms him down in a completely different way, Toph gets it better than anyone. They both are part of the “No, I don’t care about physical contact, touching the people I love all the time is accidental, scent marking was a consequence”    - Aang kind of internally freaks him out at first since he smells like....... nothing.    - he actually really likes some “omega things”, its all about doing them by choice    - being clingy and pampered. he loves giving gifts and receiving them, and it’s not about choice. “I saw this cool rock and thought of you” says Sokka. The rock is absolutely vital to his nest now    - also, makes cool af nests. “Royalty doesn’t nest” ozai or some knothead said once. k, says Zuko while piling 90% of the stuff he owns in a neat comfy corner He learned after the first few accidents to keep the sharp, pointy stuff like his SWORDS near the edges tho    - after he learns Sokka likes it, he would dress up for special occasions. And if he enjoys putting on robes and makeup from time to time... well, nobody is gonna say anything    - maybe, just maybe he likes to show off his bite mark. Maybe, just maybe it happens more often when omegas and betas interested in his mate are around   - he touches it all the time when he and Sokka have to be apart for long. It is not necessary, but when they are back together, he insists on Sokka biting over it again just to make sure it stays visible and there    - nobody but his mate will hear about him liking being knotted, makes him feel safe and full     - fuck alpha posturing, growling and all that stuff... unless it’s Sokka (he had to face off an alpha during a meeting and Zuko watched all the chest puffing and teeth baring and just went.... Huh. The day was very interesting after they got home - if he has kids, he is a menace. Smells too good for the whole nine months, everything is turned up to eleven, cuddles and sex are not optional. Almost breaks Sokka’s hand during delivery. That baby is getting spoiled rotten, it’s a miracle Izumi is not a brat let’s be real

Fire Lady

"A fire Lady must be proper. Must only speak when spoken to. Shall always carry herself with grace. She is, after all, the epitome of grace and etiquette. And a Fire Lady should, above all, respect her husband for he is the Nation, our Honor and our Lord.” Those words echoed in her head as she stared at the silky red gown on her bed. She reached forward and picked the delicate gown. "This is it” She thought, it was the last night before the real thing; the official announcement of her engagement with Zuko. “Is this what being the Fire Lady feels like?”

For Zutara Week, Day 1

Also in Ao3!

"A fire Lady must be proper. Must only speak when spoken to. Shall always carry herself with grace. She is, after all, the epitome of grace and etiquette. And a Fire Lady should, above all, respect her husband for he is the Nation, our Honor and our Lord.” Those words echoed in her head as she stared at the silky red gown on her bed. She reached forward and picked the delicate gown. "This is it” She thought, it was the last night before the real thing; the official announcement of her engagement with Zuko. “Is this what being the Fire Lady feels like?” The thought haunted her as she laid down the red gown over the bed again, straightening the creases of the silk. Is not that she was unhappy, but she was definitely uneasy, something about this felt off, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. Before Katara knew it, she found herself wandering nearby one of the garden’s biggest ponds, looking at the reflection of the moon on the still water.

“Can’t sleep?” Katara looked around, not really surprised “Are this things always this complicated here?” she asked. Sokka walked out of the shadows of the garden’s hallway and walked towards Katara, they sat by the edge of the pond. “Well, apparently firefolk like their fancy ways too much and have to do everything big and exaggerated, you know. But, you gotta admit this is unprecedented sis, after all, how many times has a Fire Lord married someone form outside the Fire Nation? Or an ambassador from another Nation?” “Right” Katara smiled as she leaned to Sokka’s side. She let out a sight. Sokka rubbed her shoulder tenderly, his eyebrows frowning slightly when his sister smile dropped to fine line “…Are you having second thoughts about this?” Katara straightened up immediately, her eyes opening wide “What? Sokka! No, of course not“ “Hey, don’t look at me like that! You’ve been acting weird lately, you can’t blame me for worrying” Ugh Katara rested her head on her knees, grunting. She just couldn’t make sense of it. She was so sure this is what she wanted, after years of traveling together, fighting together, flirting, secret relationships and an outrageous public announcement of their status as a couple, she thought marring Zuko would feel right. She wasn’t really having cold feet, was she?

“Hey, hey– Katara! There’s smoke coming out of your ears, you’re overthinking this” Katara turned her face to the side, cheek squeezing against her knee. “I… I don’t know what’s bothering me so much. I don’t want to get cold feet Sokka, I love Zuko” Sokka scratched his chin, as if he was thinking hard.

“Well, if you’re not sure about this whole thing, we can still make a run for it. I can create a diversion” “Sokka!” Katara slapped her bother’s arm and giggled —when was the last time she even laughed?— “You know I can make some mean stinking bombs, and we can take Zuzu if you want, you know, make him take some forced vacations. He probs needs them anyway” “Yeah, sure Sokka. We’ll just bomb the announcement, probably causing caos, making a huge drawback in the Water Tribe and Fire Nation’s relationship and then kidnap the Fire Lord. Solid plan.” They laughed. Katara sure missed this, just laughing with her brother, may be later going around helping Aang, visiting Toph and getting to kick some ass along side Zuko, like the old days.

Sokka whipped a tear from his eyes “Aw man, it sure is hard the Royal Life, uh?” “Yeah” Katara laid back, feeling the moonlight soak her in light “I guess I’m afraid that I’m not cut for this fancy life, you know?” “Actually, I don’t Katara. I’m not the one who’s been living in a palace for the past year” “But it’s not usually this hard Sokka. Or at least, it didn’t used to, this whole week —since we announced we wanted to get married to the council— has been about Fire Ladies do this, Fire ladies do that, you have to wear this, blah, blah, blah” Now she was gesturing, voice getting louder “We’ve had three, Sokka, three rehearsals for the announcement, can you imagine how the wedding’s gonna be like then?” “—Yeah, fucking nuts” “Exactly! I don’t— I don’t know if this is what I want! I mean, I want Zuko, but, I’m not sure I want to be The Fire Lady” Katara let her arms fall loose at her sides. So this was it, this is what has been troubling her. All this week has been about making her fitting of the Fire Lady name, learning how to stand, how to sit, where to walk, how to talk, how to dress and even how do her make up, as if she were hiding herself underneath all those red silky robes and coats of light powder to make her skin fairer. As if being Katara wasn’t good enough to be the Fire Lady. Katara closed her eyes, forcing the tears to stay put, she breathed in… May be she should put a stop to this, for now. Talk to Zuko, he’d understand, and since they haven’t announced it yet it wouldn’t be much trouble for the council. May be it was time for her to go back home, for a while. Zuko would be hurt, sure, but she needed to think this though better. She needed–

“Then don’t” Sokka’s voice interrupted Katara’s thought, her train of thought disappeared and it took her a moment to understand what her brother was talking about. “What? What do you mean don’t?” Sokka put a hand over his chest dramatically “Wow Katara, may be being inside this fancy walls has been affecting you” he deadpanned. “Look, you’re not getting into this to become the Fire Lady –that’s just colateral damage of loving fire boy I guess– You’re marrying Zuko because you love him, right? End of discussion. I mean where’s that sister of mine who literally fought the patriarchy and kicked Grandpakku’s ass? Where’s the Katara that pulled the Water Tribes closer than ever and put a stop to the nonsense and prejudice of our tribe and the Fire Nation? The first female water bender master recognized by all nations, the Katara I know? C’mon, after saving the world and putting it pack together, facing a little traditionalist Nation should be an easy thing for you, honestly”

Katara looked at her brother in disbelief, sure, it has been almost a decade since they fought Ozai and tried to bring balance to the world again, but sometimes she still forgot how much Sokka and herself had gone through, how much that experience had made them grown since they first left the Water Tribe all those years ago. Katara smiled and Sokka put his arms around his sister, softly petting her hair "Don’t let them bully you into being what they want, just be you” Katara cried a single tear of relief, and thanked her brother. “Sokka, about that diversion…"

———————————————

They had finally stopped pulling her hair. Granted, her thick, brown southern-tribe waves of hair are not easy to tame, but boy did this Fire Nation girls try. They had been at it for at least an hour. Now it was only about one and a half more hours to style it and do her make up, then she’d be ready to get into the four layered red gown sitting on her bed. “Breath Katara, just breath” She thought to herself; she had to control her temper, after all, she had a plan and she did not sleep two hours to let it out of the window because she couldn’t sit still, for the fourth time in a week, as they finished her “proper Fire Lady look”.

When Katara was finally ready, she asked the styling group and dressing helpers to go to the party, she’d be in the main hall in a few minutes. After the door closed Katara quickly locked it and went to looked in her desk, finally finding the small letter her father had sent her with Sokka: “I’m sorry I can’t be there this time, but I’ll make sure to be there for the real thing. Gran Gran would have liked to give you this herself. I had to have it altered, but I hope you’ll still like it like you used to. You’ve always been a smart girl, and I’m proud to see you become a wonderful woman, intelligent and strong. We could not have a better person representing the Water Tribe out there to the world, a true warrior of our clan with a wise mind and a big heart. I love you and I’m so proud of you Katara, your mother would be so proud. We are all so proud of you. We’ll see each other soon, Dad.” Katara pressed the letter to her chest tightly, her resolution only growing stronger “Yeah, I'll see you soon, Dad” Katara took a deep breath and whispered to herself “Lets do this” as she peeled off the layers of red clothing and looked for the package in her old traveling bag.

————————————————

Katara was thirty minutes late, but Zuko tried not to think of it, nor did he wanted to excuse his future fiancé’s tardiness with the grumpy council elders again. He just focused on Sokka’s stories –quite popular with the bored crowd– and Aang’s air bending tricks. This had been a very stressful week for both of them and he didn’t wanted to end it badly with a fight and ruining the engagement party over such a petty thing. So what if he was stood up in front of 500 important guests, right? ...May be he should check if she was fine. May be.

Just when Zuko was wondering where the maidens he sent to check up on Katara were, the hall’s doors opened, and with a gasp the crowd split, making room for the lady walking through.

Zuko was in awe, he didn’t even notice the council’s members jaws dropping and their reddening faces, nor their questions “What is the meaning of this?”

Katara looked incredible; in the red of sea, she stood up in a long gown with different shades of blue, with touches of purple and white, traditional of the Water Tribes. Somewhere on the back of his mind, Zuko thought it must have been altered to fit better for the hot Fire Nation spring, with no sleeves, full of intricate decorations and fur in strategic places, but he didn’t really care. He was transfixed by the way Katara moved: she was taking powerful strides, unlike the short and soft steps the aristocracy girls are taught, head held high and her hands joined to the front. Her voluminous wavy dark hair was half up in an intricate pattern of braids with accent accessories holding it together. Her brown skin was practically glowing, free of any trace of make up and whitening powder that dulled the rich color.

Without noticing, Zuko walked towards Katara, and met her half way though the hall. Only when Zuko reached for Katara’s hand did he notice the redness in her cheeks and the subtle tremble of her hand. “Kata–“ “Sorry–“ she said almost breathlessly “Let me say something first” Katara cared her throat and turned to the guests, without letting Zuko’s hand go.

“Thank you all for being here today. My apologies for the tardiness, but there has been a mistake” Zuko’s heart skipped a beat, Katara’s hand tightened around his own “I presume that the reason most of you think we are gathered here today is because I am to become, officially, the future Fire Lady. But that is not the case” Katara made pause to steady herself, the crowd was already whispering among themselves “In the past days I have been taught how to become the perfect Fire Lady, worthy of the Fire Lord, but the reason I am here today is not to announce my marriage to the Fire Lord, but to ask Zuko, the man I am in love with, the man I want to be by my side for the rest of my life, to marry me.” Katara looked around to the crowd, making sure everyone was listening “I want to make clear that, despite that I know that by teaching me your ways you only mean the best for your Nation and your Lord, but this is something else. Today I am not sanding here as an ambassador. Today I am standing here as myself, and I want you to know that the person I choose to love will not determine how or who I am, because, above all, before any kind of Lady, I am Katara, Water Bender Master of The Southern Water Tribe. And I will be given the respect and place I rightfully deserve in this court for my merits in combat and diplomacy, not as a trophy wife. The fact that the person I love happens to be the Fire Lord is another matter altogether. This said–” Katara turned to Zuko, her hand shaking and her eyes full of resolution “Zuko, I want you to know that this is in no way for diplomacy, and I am going to ask you this not as the Fire Lord, but as a man. I love you, like I never thought I could love anyone. We’ve been though so much, good and bad. We come from different paths, opposite sides of the world even, but somehow we always found our way to one another in the end, and that’s how I want us to be for the rest of our lives, together. I don’t know if this royal life is for me but I love you and I will take everything that it means to be your wife with open arms, even if it means to be the Fire Lady. I can’t promise I will be the perfect one, I know I’m stubborn and loud and bossy, but I’m also a water bender master, and if water can do something, is to flow and adjust. So, if you–“ Katara stopped for a second, lowering her eyes as she cupped Zuko’s hand with both her hands. She was shaking "If– If you, want to, would you, marry me?” Only then did her eyes look at Zuko’s again, her hands receding, leaving a necklace into Zuko’s hand. He looked down, the necklace was similar to Sokka’s bone necklace, but this one had black stones instead of the white bone. And in the center it had a deep blue rock, perfectly polished, with a symbol he knew only too well in the center; Katara had once show it to him, it was a symbol for the tides in her tribe. It meant the push and pull of the ocean and the moon, the give and take, two forces working together in harmony, both so different, but always in sync.

Before Katara could put her hands away Zuko reached forward, gently pulling her close. He placed the necklace back on Katara's hand “…May be you can help me put it on?” Katara chocked up a laugh —or was it a sob?— and reached forward, locking the necklace snuggly around her fiancé’s neck. She let her hands rest on his chest for a few seconds as she looked at her work. The choice of colors had been right, the dark stones didn’t clash with Zukos usual red clothes and matched his skin nicely, but the necklace still had a very Water Tribe air she was very proud of. She’d have to thank Aang again for staying up all night helping her make the necklace, she wouldn’t have been able to make it without him.

Slow clapping started filling the room. Some of the elders still looked in shock, some even angry. Zuko and Katara would deal with them later, now it was all about them and celebrating.