Avatar The Lastairbender - Blog Posts

Fiery Familiarty - Part 4

i’m so sorry yall ;;; i really meant to post before now, my brain has been all over the place. but finally, here you have part 4, please forgive me!! i hope you guys enjoy <3

words: ~2.1k

prologue | part 1 | part 2 | part 3

When you awoke the following day, you were almost nervous to leave your room. As you dressed, you mentally prepared yourself, taking a deep breath before you walked out to greet everyone else. You greeted everyone politely, elbowing Toph and Sokka as you fought for your morning meal. You thanked Pipsqueak before taking your food, settling in to watch Aang and Zuko training. 

You couldn’t help but cringe as Zuko let out a particularly frustrated growl, changing form in an effort to get more out of his bending. “Don’t patronize me! You know what it’s supposed to look like!”

“Sorry, Sifu Hotman!”

You snickered around your breakfast at the nickname.

“Hey, jerks!” Sokka sat beside you, munching his apple. “Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?” 

You elbowed him, “Shut it.”

“Get out of here!”

“Okay, take it easy.” Sokka drops his apple, “I was just kiddin' around.” He snickers to himself as he walks away, “jerkbending, still got it.”

You watched Zuko sink in on himself, groaning in frustration at his own failure. You decided to leave them to train in peace, not noticing Zuko’s eyes trailing after you as you went. 

Once you caught up to Sokka, you shoved him. “Hey, idiot, what was that for, do you have a death wish or something? Willingly bothering an angry bender? Has Katara taught you nothing?”

He chuckled to himself shoving you back, “Hey, not my fault I’m so naturally hilarious. Besides, he’s so fun to tease now that he’s on our side.” He threw an arm around your shoulder, “besides, I think he’s got other interests. Somebody was asking about you this morning.”

Your eyes widened as you looked over to him, “what?”

Sokka’s face pulled into a Cheshire cat grin, “oh yeah, he was asking all about you this morning. Who you were, where you were from, what we knew about you. Seemed to reaallllly wanna get to know you. You got something going on with Prince Grumpy?” 

Your heart was pounding so loud that Sokka’s voice sounded muted. Had he figured it out? Surely not, or everyone would know. Right?

You laughed nervously, trying to keep your voice steady. “No way, I think he’s just asking 'cause I talked to him yesterday. Asked him about some stuff, he probably just wants to know more about who he’s teamed up with.”

Sokka swung his arms behind his head, crossing them to support it. “Okay, whatever you say! But I’m telling you, he’s more than just curious. There’s something more there.”

You felt heat rise to your cheeks, you tried to will it away as you grumbled, “whatever.” You passed him and went to check on Toph. You chose to spend the rest of your day with the others, exploring the Air Temple and playing mindless games to entertain yourselves. 

Around the campfire, after Zuko came to the realization that he didn’t have the rage and anger to fuel his bending, Toph explained how she learned from the original source, the badgermoles. Though, seeing as the dragons had since gone extinct, he and Aang decided they were going to visit the civilization of the Sun Warriors. They set off bright and early the next day. 

You paced all day until they returned, rushing to check on them. Aang laughed, assuring you they were alright before launching into another of his long-winded stories. You all got a good laugh out of their very sacred dragon dance.

Later that night, you guys sat around the fire, sharing food and laughter. 

“You should’ve seen the look on his face, I’ve never seen a kid so scared about a baby tiger seal!” Katara’s cackle was infectious, everyone joining in as Sokka whined at her for exposing him.

You chuckled softly, nudging him, “Don’t worry Sokka, I remember back home when we would visit the turtleducks, Zu-” You panicked, coughing to cover the fumble. “My friend Zumon, he used to bug them and the mother would bite him.”

The others laughed softly but mostly continued to tease Sokka and tell more stories. You could tell Toph felt your heart start pounding. She tapped your leg in concern, to which you tapped back twice for “I’m okay.”

You could feel Zuko staring at you. You lifted your gaze to meet his, your breath catching in your throat. He knew. There was no way he didn’t, not with the shock in his expression. He almost looked hurt, and you couldn’t take it. You stood up, quietly bidding everyone a good night, claiming you were tired. In reality, you barely slept.

You woke up before the morning sun had even risen, a hand on your shoulder. You panicked, sitting up so fast it made you dizzy.

“Sorry,” Zuko whispered, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You felt some tension bleed as you realized it wasn’t someone coming to attack you, but some came back when you realized that it was Zuko. Your Zuko. The Zuko you deceived into thinking you weren’t his childhood friend. Who found out by accident because you had slipped up in your stupid story. “Zuko… hey.”

“Hi,” his awkward attitude strikes back. “I was… Well, I was wondering if you- If you’d like to train. With me.”

“I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea-”

“Please.”

You could see the hope in his eyes, even in the dim light.

“...Okay”

You got on some light clothes, following Zuko out to where he’d been training with Aang. He sat down, patting the spot beside him. “So…”

You laughed softly, “so…”

“Why… didn’t you say anything?”

The dreaded question. “I didn’t mean to lie to you… I just couldn’t tell them. You have to understand, having someone from the Fire Nation try to join them? That was not an option. I couldn’t tell anyone. After I left, I had to blend in. I became a lost child, an orphan. Everyone assumed my family had been killed in the war, and I couldn’t tell anyone the truth. The family of the Fire Nation generals, even a child, are not treated kindly. I didn’t get my scar from a trip and fall,” you laughed bitterly.

Zuko paused, taking in your words before responding, “I didn’t mean why you didn’t tell anyone. I mean, why didn’t you say anything to me before you left? Y/n, you were… You were my only friend.”

Your heart dropped as you looked at him, grabbing his hands, “I never wanted to leave you, Zuko. There was never a day when I didn’t regret leaving you behind, you were my best friend. But after what I heard, their plans to enslave a town of innocent people… I couldn’t stay there.”

As Zuko studied your expression, he could see the distress in your eyes. His eyes softened, “If anyone understands the cruelty of the Fire Nation, it’s me. I’m just glad you got the chance to get out of there. It just… hurt. Losing my best, my only friend. Then when mom left…”

You leaned forward, hesitating before hugging him, tears welling in your eyes. “I’m so sorry for not being there when you needed me. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to lose her, Ursa was so kind and loving… I’ll never let you go through something like that alone, not again.”

As you pulled back, you saw a sole tear stream down his face. You raised a hand to his cheek, swiping your thumb across it as he leaned ever so slightly into your touch. “I promise, Zu.”

And as the Zuko in front of you looked into your eyes, you could see the broken boy he used to be, a weak smile finally gracing his face.

He closed his eyes, taking a moment to gather himself before pulling back. “Will you train with me? I… can teach you what I learned from the dragons.”

Your eyes widened, “I’m honoured, Zuko, but if they catch me-“

“The sun isn’t even awake yet, Y/n. Just this once, bend with me. It’s been years.”

You couldn’t resist those puppy dog eyes.

You nodded, stepping towards him as you bowed to each other. “I haven’t used my bending in years, I can’t promise I’ll be any good to practice with.”

A soft laugh, “I supposed I'll have to show you how a real master does it then, huh?”

You let out a scoff, shaking your head playfully, “you, a master? I saw you a couple days ago, that little smoke show wasn’t master level.”

He grinned, sliding into his first form, “that was before a dragon showed me my true power. Here, I’ll show you.” He moved so fluidly, from one motion to another before he struck. The sheer amount of fire, the heat radiating from his bending, it was mesmerizing.

You smiled, “Oh great Sifu Hotman, show me your ways!” You waved your hands in fake worship, eyes swimming with mischief.

“Spirits, not you too!” You let out a cackle as he grumbled about the ‘stupid nickname’. 

“Well, come on, teach me.”

His grumpy expression seemed to soften, his eyes betraying him. He slid behind you, “may I?”

You nodded without even thinking about what he was asking to do.

You gasped as he placed his hands ever so softly. You had forgotten how bending heated his hands. His touch felt deliciously warm with the morning air cooling your skin. You inhaled, holding your breath as his feather-light touch slid over your arms, guiding you. 

“Uncle always told me that your firepower comes from breathing, not muscle.” He pressed gently on your diaphragm, “breathe, Y/n.”

You drew a shaky breath, closing your eyes to try and steady yourself. You focused on his voice, on the electricity buzzing under your skin everywhere he touched.

“Good. Your breath becomes your energy. It powers you, it extends out and becomes your fire. Let the air fuel your flame.” He was so close you could feel his breath against your neck and he pushed you into form.

Your eyes shot open as you felt all the energy culminating, a flame shooting out of your hand. Your eyes lit up as you turned to him, “I did it!”

He laughed, “I told you, you just needed a master to teach you.”

Your smile turned to a cocky grin, “oh yeah? We’ll get ready to get your butt whooped, O’ Great Fire Master. You can’t stop me now that I’ve got my spark back!”

You let out a laugh as you pushed, a flame forcing him the deflect. That was all it took to get him going. You mimicked him, mirroring his forms in a perfect act of push and pull. It brought back old memories of long-forgotten childhood games, and silly moves you once used. You let out an excited yelp as he threw his ‘Super Mega Prince Fireball’ at you, nearly tripping over yourself as you dodged it. Zuko couldn’t help but play fight when it brought such a lovely shine to your eyes.

Then suddenly, as if the puzzle pieces had fallen into place, you remembered an old dance. One from such a distant memory, you were sure he had forgotten. But as you took your first step, and hummed a note, hoping he would remember… You could see recognition cross his face as he took the next step, humming the note to match. The raspy notes in his voice matched with the even tone in yours, creating the melody you’d missed so dearly. 

You danced around each other, letting out plumes of fire, your bodies brushing against each other in an intricate dance. As the tune built to its crescendo, your eyes met and suddenly it was like the world ceased to exist outside of him. He danced so perfectly, it’s like you were an extension of each other. You could feel your heart pounding as your feet moved in sync, a harmony you had never known until now. Then, on the last note, he swept you up, the way he’d never had the courage to do as a child. Zuko held you close before he dipped you, and both your opposite hands reached up toward the sky. Then, in your final pose, your hands wove together, shooting out flames that mixed so hot it burned white. 

You both held the pose, bodies pressed together as your chests heaved from the exertion. You were staring into his eyes as though you’d never see each other again, drinking each other in with a breathless smile. You almost forgot that you weren’t the only people in the temple.

“Well well, looks like Sparky finally found his match.”

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