Sharing this to read when my internet connection is better đŤđ¤Ş
⏠word count: 12k
⏠fem!reader, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, âwhere is my wife?â line, zuko falls first and falls harder, reader & zuko are adults, some parts are from zukoâs pov
⏠summary: being the daughter of a powerful governor in the fire nation, you are married off to the new fire lord zuko. to the public, the two of you are madly in love. behind closed doors, you and zuko canât stand each other. but you can fuck each other
⏠genre: fluff / smut smut smutty smut smut
⏠warnings: reader & zuko hate each other in the beginning, reader gets poisoned, assassination attempt, zuko likes being choked, oral sex (m.receiving & f.receiving), zuko is a slut in the bedroom, unprotected sex, vaginal sex, swearing, typos
⏠a/n: waiting on season 3 live action zuko glow up đ¤
m.list
â˘â˘â˘
âTell me again,â Zuko breathes into the kiss.
âWhat?â
âTell me you hate me.â he pulls away for a moment and waits for you.
âI hate you.â
âI love you.â he responds breathlessly, smashing his lips against yours. This time heâs impatient, kissing you like heâs running out of time or like youâre going to be taken away and this is his last moment with you.
â˘â˘â˘
You take a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself. Was Zuko always this loud of a chewer? Seriously, in this entire large dining room, where he is sitting several feet away from you across the table, you can still hear him chewing on his stupid steak. Zuko was a loud chewer, a lousy cook, and an even lousier husband.Â
It has been nearly a year since the two of you wed in an arranged marriage and youâve hated every second of it since those stupid wedding bells went off. Your father was a governor in the Fire Nation, and often helped out Zuko with his royal duties. Him and Zukoâs uncle Iroh were good friends, and when it came time for Zuko to find a wife, you just so happen to be at the right age of marrying and available. Although you had fought and protested the marriage, once your father made a decision, he would never go back on it. Even if the decision was to marry off his daughter to the new Fire Lord.
You hated everything about being royalty. From the fancy parties and charities to all the socializing you were required to engage in with old conservative firebending weirdos, to the stupid sham wedding and fake kisses with Zuko. Sure, it was nice living in the palace and having people cook for you and dress you up in pretty clothes, but you hated everything else. You hated socializing and partying, you hated being the Fire Lordâs wife, and you hated all the dumb royal duties you were required to do. It would be a lot easier to do all these things if you actually liked Zuko, but everything about him irked you.
He may have found himself during his teenage years, but he was still easily angered and hard headed. Not to mention he was still moping around and crying about his ex, Mai. She had already moved on and found someone new, but you knew Zuko was still upset he had messed up their relationship. Even though every time you confronted him about it he denied it, you were so sure he was still hurting from it and thinking about it. The blank stares and passing looks he gave to her with a softness in his eyes he had never given you made it so obvious he was lying. And even though you didnât harbor any sort of romantic feelings for him, it still hurt that he was looking at Mai like that and thinking of her.
From the start of his reign, Zuko wanted Mai to be his wife, and not you, for very obvious reasons. It helped that he liked her and had already had history with her, so when you showed up and people were telling him that he was marrying you and not Mai, he had blamed it on you. He knew it would be better for his duty to put his feelings aside and marry you out of convenience, but he hated the idea of marrying someone he didnât love. Being with someone he didnât love.
âZuko,â you started, trying hard to keep yourself from slamming your silverware on the dining table. âWill you please stop chewing so loudly?â you ask politely.
âIâm not chewing loudly.â
âYes, you are.â
âYou canât even hear me! Youâre sitting so far away from me!â his voice echoed through the large room.
âExactly. Iâm sitting so far away from you, but I can still fucking hear you.â you emphasized, rolling your eyes.
âWell, if it bothers you that much, feel free to eat somewhere else.â
You could practically feel your blood pressure rising. âOh please, you think I havenât tried doing that before? Your stupid advisors wonât let me eat anywhere else because weâre married, so we should be eating together.â
âThen stop complaining.â
âMaybe stop chewing so damn loudly and I won't complain.â you sigh, angrily blowing a stray strand of hair out of your face. You were beginning to feel heated and upset. All you wanted to do was eat your dinner in peace and go back to your bedroom, but his stupid loud chewing and stupid stubbornness just had to get in the way.
A familiar silence entered the room and you took in another breath, deciding to try and quickly finish your food so that you could just leave. There was no point in trying to fight with Zuko; you wouldnât get what you want anyway.
âDo you ever stop sighing?â Zuko asked, and you felt something snap inside of you. You stood up abruptly, the steak knife you were using to cut your food flying towards his face. You had thrown the knife at him in anger, and hoped that it would hit him. Unfortunately, his fast reaction helped him and he moved to the side, swiftly avoiding your fast knife.
âWhat a shame,â you pushed out your chair and it squeaked against the polished floors. âI couldâve given you another scar on your stupid face.â you began making your way towards the door.
âMaybe if you had better aim you couldâve,â he replied, calmly going back to munching on his food as your eye twitched in annoyance.
â˘â˘â˘
You couldnât sleep. You had spent the last half hour tossing and turning and you still couldnât fall asleep. Irritated, you decided that you were going to take a walk around the palace gardens to help calm you. In the time youâve spent at the palace gardens so far, you began to make an effort to learn more about the plants and flowers and their meanings. You began to find it interesting the many messages you could send to someone through flowers, and hoped that someday youâd get a meaningful message through flowers from someone.Â
You had thrown a robe over your light and sheer nightgown, and headed to the gardens. Since coming to the place, the gardens have been the only place of peace for you. This was the only space that didnât have guards wandering around its perimeter 24/7 so that you could have a little privacy. You breathed in the crisp midnight air as you opened the gate at the entrance. You had been walking around and smelling the flowers when you heard a faint voice.Â
Zuko.Â
âPlease,â you heard him plead to someone, and you hid behind a small bush nearby in hopes to hear more of the conversation. If there was one thing you were going to do, it was snoop. The palace had so much drama going on between the staff and royal members of the family, it was impossible to keep your nose out of it.
âDonât leave,â he continued and you knew exactly who he was talking to. Mai.
You had never heard Zuko speak so softly and gently to someone it was almost as if it was out of character for him. Or maybe he just always spoke to you with such hatred and annoyance.
âNo,â you heard her reply. âIs this seriously what you called me out here for? Get a life, Zuko. Iâm leaving.â
Wait, that was it? That was everything she was going to say to him? You quietly chuckled to yourself; Mai sounded so over it and annoyed you were almost embarrassed for Zuko. When you saw her leave the gardens, you noticed Zuko sit on a nearby bench. Smiling to yourself, you took the opportunity to poke fun at him and make him feel bad. Who cares if itâs mean? It made you happy, and thatâs all that matters really.
âWhat a pathetic loser,â you stepped out from your hiding bush and he turned to face you, his face furrowed in anger and annoyance.Â
âWhat are you doing here?! Did you overhear all that?!â his voice was back to his normal angry tone.
âNot all of it, just the end.â you sat down next to him. âWhat, were you begging for her to come back to you? Begging for her to love you again? Oh you poor thing, maybe if you werenât such a horrible boyfriend, she wouldnât have left you.â you teased arrogantly, looking up to watch the moon.
âYou donât know anything about love.â he grumbled. âYou threw a knife at me during dinner. And thatâs not what I was doing. I wasnât asking her to come back to me.â
âUh huh. I wouldnât have thrown a knife at you if I loved you. I did it because you deserve it. And anyway, what would people think if they saw you and her together?â
âNobody saw.â
âOh, but I did.â
âYouâre a nobody.â
âIâm a nobody?â you laughed sarcastically. âAs far as everyone knows, Iâm the Fire Lordâs wife. What would people think of you if word got out that you were meeting your ex-lover in the middle of the night even though your first year marriage anniversary is coming up? Imagine what people would think and say about youâŚâ you trailed off, you were sure he got the message.Â
You werenât warning him of his careless actions because you cared about him, but because you cared about yourself and yourself only. If this did come out and people would start gossiping, the people would start pitying you and feeling bad. You already didnât like that you were only known as the Fire Lordâs wife, so youâd feel even more annoyed if you were known as the Fire Lordâs poor wife who got cheated on.
He was quiet, which meant he knew you were right. Although you and Zuko never got along, he knew when to admit defeat. And he did so with silence. After taking a moment to think to himself, he finally broke the silence.
âWhy are you even here anyways? Stalker much?â he eyed your pajamas. âAnd youâre out here in your nightgown? Go back inside!â
âWhat? Iâm wearing a robe, you canât even see anything!â
âYou idiot, if someone sees us, they might think weâre fucking in the gardens.â
âHA! Please, Iâd rather jump off a cliff than fuck you. And if youâre so aware that anybody can see us, you shouldâve taken that into consideration before you brought your ex here. Dumbass.â you stood up, quickly turning away from him and walking away before he could say anything.
Zukoâs eyes followed you as he watched you step away, his eyes dropping down to the slight sway of your hips as you walked. âPfft,â he said to himself as he rolled his eyes. âShe walks so arrogantly.â he whispered before forcing his eyes to look somewhere else.
â˘â˘â˘
It was that time of the year again. A stupid Fire Nation festival called Sparring Day, or whatever. Essentially, it was just a festival where the best firebenders of the nation put on a show and play with fire and pretend to fight each other for charity. The proceeds for the tickets went to charity and although that was the only part you liked about it, you dreaded going. Sure, this was the first time you were attending as a member of the royal family, but you still hated when your parents dragged you to the festival every previous year. Aside from the charity part (the only good part), it was mostly just a bunch of old lame shirtless dudes throwing fire at each other.
This year though, was different. It was Zukoâs first year where he participated in the festival himself. You thought the festival was supposed to be for the best of the best, so why the hell was Zuko going to be in it? Sure, the original benders of Fire, the dragons, passed down the way of firebending to him and Aang, but that didnât mean he was good, or whatever. He still sucked ass, in your opinion. Maybe youâre not one to be saying this since youâre not a bender, but you were Zukoâs number one hater.
You were sitting on the stands in the audience with the Avatar and his friends, frantically fanning yourself. The sun was practically cooking everyone alive, but they still went on with the stupid festival.
âLOOK!â Sokka exclaimed excitedly, frantically pointing at the stage below. âTheyâre setting up dummies for Zuko to burn!â
âI hope he misses.â you roll your eyes, fanning yourself as you wipe the sweat from your forehead.Â
âAww, donât say that! That would hurt his honor.â Toph jokes, earning a laugh from everybody. You quietly smirk to yourself in response; peopleâs eyes were on you, so you had to act elegant and proper, like the palace ladies always tell you to do.
The blow of a horn signifies that the show is starting, and you see a lineup of several fire benders enter the stage.
Shirtless.
Including Zuko.
Your seat is high up above the stage, so you canât see many details, but your eyes unconsciously check his body out. You knew Zuko was fit and lean, but you had never seen him shirtless. Aside from dinner or public events, you and Zuko almost were never in each otherâs presence. You donât even sleep in the same room, so you had never seen him shirtless.
You force yourself to look away from him; he wasnât the only shirtless fire bender on stage after all. As the event begins, you watch the men perform a form of fire bendingâwhat you assume to be the Dancing Dragon, and people begin to holler and cheer. You look away and doze off; youâve seen this a million times in previous years. When they finish, an announcer starts speaking, and almost immediately brings everyoneâs attention to you up in the stands.
âWhere is she?! There she is!â he points upwards at you, and your heart stops for a second.Â
âDoesnât everyone want to see Fire Lord Zuko perform up close and personal for his beautiful wife?!â he asks the crowd, and everyone cheers.Â
âHELL YEAHHHH!!!â Sokka screams, and you smack his arm.Â
âOW! Come on, donât you want to see him up close in all his fire glory?!â he asks you, his eyes lit up with excitement.Â
âNot really.â
âBRING HER DOWN!â Sokka yells back at the announcer and the crowd hollers again in amusement.Â
You purse your lips together in irritation. You know Sokka wants to see you in misery, so you make sure to step on his foot on your way down from the stands, smiling to yourself as he yells in pain.
Itâs a lot hotter once you get down to the stage. Thereâs no cool shade you can sit under and the flames from the torches and other benders make it even hotter. The announcer drags a chair for you to sit on center stage, and Zuko comes up to stand beside you.Â
You try not to look too much or make it obvious, but out of the corner of your eye you watch him struggle to catch his breath as he stands thereâshirtless and sweaty. His abs are so beautifully defined and itâs obvious the work heâs put in to achieve that. His pecs are glistening in sweat and the sun rays are shining so brightly on him like heâs some God. He runs his hands through his long locks of hair, messing it up so easily but he still looks so effortlessly handsome.Â
Youâre staringâstop staring. Zuko is going to notice. The announcer is going to notice when he stops talking about whatever it is heâs talking about. Look away. You canât look away. If you stare more, Zuko will notice and it will be weird.Â
Stop staring.
Itâs too late; he's taken notice of your gaze. He looks down, his sharp eyes bore into yours as he stares back down at you. You donât know what he is thinking, or maybe you just donât see it because the sun is in your eye. But heâs looking back at you almost seductively, but maybe youâre just imagining that and itâs probably just the sun. But heâs never looked at you before like this; usually he canât hide his feelings of hatred and dislike in his eyes, but this time none of that is there. Your best guess is because the two of you are in public and heâs actively trying not to look at you that way.
ââwill perform a fire bending performance he prepared in advance for his beautiful wife!â you snap back to reality, breaking eye contact with Zuko and looking back at the announcer.
A performance he prepared in advance for you? Please, what a load of bullshit that was. You knew that was just something the palace told him to say to continue to sell your cheap fake love story with Zuko.
The performance begins, and other fire benders join the stage again to show off their moves with fire alongside Zuko. Fire is dancing in the air and all around you and it feels a million times hotter and a million times more miserable because of the stupid heat. Youâre not enjoying it at all, but you keep a smile on your face to fool the people. Your eyes found a way to follow Zukoâs movements: he is smooth, athletic and agile, and elegant. You had to admit he looked good fire bending, but youâd never say that. It had to be because heâs probably been practicing. It feels like a million more years until the stupid dance finally ends and Zuko holds his hand out to you to escort you back to the stands, but not before the announcer disrupts you two.
âWoah woah woah, where are you going so early?!â he stops the two of you from stepping off the stage.Â
âTell me dear,â he looks at you then gestures to the audience. âWhat did you think of Fire Lord Zuko and his amazing performance?â
You barely paid any attention to it. âIt was amazing! I always love watching him firebend.â your response is automatic, and so is the exciting smile you put up for everyone to holler and cheer at.Â
âShe loved it, folks! Zuko, how are you feeling right now?â
âIâm happy she liked it, I worked hard to impress her.â His response and smile is just as automatic and fake as yours was.
âWonderful, wonderful! Well, folks, whatâre we thinking! A little kiss of appreciation between our lovely couple?â
Your heart practically drops to your stomach, and you feel Zukoâs hand tighten around yours. Itâs not like youâve never kissed him in public before, you have multiple times. But all those times were calculated and carefully planned out. This is a spontaneous kiss in front of thousands of people. Your hand feels a little sweaty, so you let go, but you quickly turn to Zuko and face him. You react quicker than him, standing on your tippy toes and tilting your chin up to give him easier access.
âWell?â you feel like throwing up. âArenât you going to kiss me, Zuko?â you feel yourself cringe.Â
The crowd is loud, but Zuko quickly adjusts. âSo eager to kiss me now, are we?â he automatically leans down and presses his lips against yours.Â
Soft. Supple. Zuko didnât think he would really feel the kiss out, and usually he didnât, but this was the first time he noticed how good it felt to kiss you. Or maybe it was the rush of adrenaline he got from moving around. Yeah, probably that.
Itâs almost as if his lips have a mind of his own and refuse to listen to him, because heâs tilting his head to kiss you more deeply and one of his hands are entangling themselves in your hair and the other is moving down to the small of your back as he holds you closer to himself. He can feel the erratic thumping of his heartbeat, fast and panicked.Â
People in the crowd are yelling louder now, hyping up the two of you as you kiss and you pull away. You look at him, cheeks colored with pink and droopy eyes. Heâs never had any sort of reaction to kissing you before, so why now? You figured he was blushing because of the heat; after all it was really hot.
â˘â˘â˘
âYou looked like you hated the performance,â Zuko observes out loud as he leads you back to the stands. The two of you mutually decided to go back to the stands through the palace halls instead of outside to get some cool air as a break.
âWhat do you think? You were front and center of the whole thing, of course I hated it.â you reply.
âWhy were ogling at me then?â he looks down at you and smirks.Â
Did he notice you staring at him earlier? Jesus, of course he did, you were so obvious! You do a mental facepalm, embarrassed he noticed.
âI wasnât ogling; you just smelled gross, you were all sweaty. Thatâs all.â
âThatâs not what I saw.â
âYou saw wrong. Humble yourself for once.â
Itâs quiet for a beat, then you decide to poke fun at his reaction to kissing you.
âYou liked the kiss that much, huh?â
He stops in his tracks. âWhat? That was just for show.â
âReally? Then why were you all blushy and red?â
âDonât be ridiculous,â he sounds serious. âItâs hot as hell outside, so donât get your hopes up just because I can give the people a good kiss. It was all an act.â
You donât know why, but you felt a little disappointed at what he said. Sure, it was true, but it still tugged at your heart a bit.
âReally?â
âReally.â
Heâs walking again, but you have the absurd idea to test if what he said is true. Grabbing him by his arm, you tug him towards you with force, and when he leans down to you the slightest, you lean up to kiss him.
Zuko freezes in place. He panics, unsure of what to do or how to feel in the moment. It all happened too fastâthe grabbing, the kissing, theâwhy is his heart beating fast? Heâs unable to think, mind and heart cloudy with confusion. Why were you kissing him? And why was he kissing you back? He normally doesnât find himself lost in kissing you, but thatâs exactly how he was feeling right now. Itâs like his head was empty and the only thing he could focus on was the sweet taste of your lips.
Oh, God.
Oh no.Â
No.
No.
No.
Zuko was leaning into you again, but this time with more passion. It felt rushed, like he was in some sort of hurry to get as close to you as he physically could. His hands couldnât help but hold your face, gently grabbing your chin to tilt your head into the kiss. God, your skin was so soft and felt so nice to rub. He softly moves his lips against yours, his nose brushing against yours as he continues to kiss you. Itâs like his body has a mind of its own, acting on its own desires and refusing to listen to his head. He feels your hands grab at his neck, wrapping around his throat as you forcefully push him away from you.
Zuko coughs for a second, stepping back in surprise, his hand coming up to rub his neck.Â
âDid you just choke me?â he accuses you.
âYou did like the kiss!â you point a finger at him, a victorious smile planted on your lips. You wanted to test out and see if it was because of your kiss that he was all red and blushy, and you were right.
âWhat?â He feels his cheeks heat up. âNo, no I did not. Why did you kiss me? Then choke me?âÂ
And why did he kind of like it?
âTo prove my point.â
âWhat point?â he was still thinking about your hands on his throat.
âYou liked the kiss! Thatâs why you were all red in the face like you are right now,â you told him arrogantly. âAnd I didnât choke you, I just grabbed you by the neck to push you away. Why, you got a thing for being choked?â
âNo!â Maybe. âThatâs absurd.â I wouldnât mind trying it out. âLetâs just go.âÂ
You watch him walk ahead of you, your eyes shifting from his back to the tip of his red ears.
â˘â˘â˘
There was going to be a ball. Another stupid ball where you would have to dress up (the only fun part) and socialize with nobles and other random rich people. Sometimes, youâd fake being sick in order to skip out on these balls, but tonight was a celebratory ball for your first year of marriage with Zuko. A miserable first year. You roll your eyes, cringing at the thought that it would be like this for the rest of your life. Although you had accepted it long before the wedding, every time you thought about it, it still managed to upset you.
âAre you comfortable?â one of your maids asked you as she adjusted your dress.Â
âNot really,â you had a sudden thought. âActually, Iâm feeling a bit illâŚâ
âYou cannot skip your anniversary ball, your majesty.â she spoke. She knew exactly what kind of excuse you were trying to pull.
You roll your eyes in annoyance. âFine.â
As your maids finished dressing you up, you were instructed to meet Zuko before the ball so that the two of you could arrive together. Your maids walked you to the entrance before the ball, where you saw Zuko standing there alone waiting for you.Â
âTook you long enough,â he complained.
You looked towards the door, the loud music making its way through the closed doors. âWell at least I look good. You, however, look like you just rolled out of bed. As usual.â
He ignored your sarcastic comment. âLook, tonight we need to act in love, so none of that attitude you always give me.âÂ
âWeâve been doing this for a year now; I think I know how it works. And anyway, it shouldnât be too hard for you to act in love with me.â you lectured him.
âA part of my soul dies every time I have to kiss you or even look at you lovingly.â
âPlease, what soul?â
As Zuko looked down at you to respond, one of his advisors stopped him. The two of you looked behind you to see Jia, a frail elderly woman Zuko often sought out for advice.
âAhem, um, maybe it would be better to separate the two of you for now. Fire Lord Zuko can enter first,â she then turned to you with a sweet smile. âWeâll just have you enter from the top of the staircase into the ballroom when it begins. Everyoneâs eyes will be on your beautiful gown then.â
â˘â˘â˘
Zuko was chatting with a couple nobles about the cabbage market, pretending to be engrossed in their conversation to kill time, but he was really just dozing off and staring into space. If there was one thing he had in common with you, it was that the two of you disliked ballroom parties. When a musical horn went off to call the attention of all guests, he looked towards the top of the staircase where he knew youâd be entering.
âEveryone, please welcome Fire Lord Zukoâs wife!â someone chanted, and people began to clap and cheer.
He watched you emerge from a door, only to notice that you had changed your appearance. Your dress was more casual, you were wearing shoes that looked more comfortable, and you had left your hair down.Â
Perhaps it was the alcohol he had been sipping on, or the loud music, or everyone cheering and clapping at the same time, but for once since meeting you, he felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of you. Your skin was glowing and your hair was so perfectly bouncy and lucious it was difficult for him to look anywhere else. It was as if there was nothing and no one else to look at but you. He felt the thump in his chest and was unable to focus on anything else until he had been staring for too long and you were already in front of him.
She looks beautiful⌠for once. Thatâs new.
He was admiring your beauty again, sharp eyes focused on your face, noticing all the details on your face, details he had never noticed before. He was sure you probably thought he was glaring at you, but reallyâhe was in awe. He had never seen you look so comfortable in something the palace ladies dressed you in.Â
His eyes were practically glued to your figure and he was having trouble snapping himself out of the sort of trance you put him under. He was feeling weak in the knees and could feel himself unsteady, you looked beautiful. Too beautiful.
Beautiful wasnât even a good enough word to describe how stunning you looked. Ethereal, ravishing, alluring, bewitchingânone of these words were enough to describe your beauty. None of them did you justice. To him, your beauty was thousands of times more beguiling than the flowers in the palace gardens you spent all your free time looking at. If he were to choose to either look at you or the flowers for an eternity, he would choose you.Â
And God, did he hate that. He hated the way he was looking at you right now. He hated the way that he knew he couldnât even hide how attracted he was to you. He hated the way he couldnât even find the right words to describe how beautiful you looked, he hated how he couldnât pull his eyes from you no matter how hard he tried, and he hated the way that you didnât even know how beautiful you are.
âZuko,â you bowed politely, and his eyes couldnât help but follow you as you moved.
He snapped back out of your trance and shook his head. It had to be the alcohol. He probably had too much and thatâs why he was feeling shaky and nervous, not because his jaw almost dropped seeing how breathtakingly beautiful you looked. He blamed the alcohol. There was no way he would feel this way if he were sober. He was tipsy. He had to be.
âYou look nice,â he began, knowing everyoneâs eyes and ears were on the two of you. I canât take my eyes off of her.
âThatâs it?â he watched you fake a chuckle. âIâm not beautiful?â If he didnât know your real personality, he wouldâve believed your fake laugh and fake smile you had plastered on your face right now.Â
âYou look beautiful as always,â he replied. Has she always been so pretty? Normally he wouldâve felt himself cringe and had the urge to vomit calling you attractive, but this time he said it as if he actually meant it. He did mean it.Â
Had to be the alcohol.
He felt you grab hold of his arm as he led you to the center of the ballroom and prepared to dance. As the guests formed a circle to watch the two of you dance, suddenly he felt a rise of panic in his chest. Normally he was used to peopleâs eyes on him and normally he was used to dancing with you and not making a big deal of it, but something about tonight was different.
It was the fact that you looked more like yourself when you had chosen to wear something that you felt more comfortable in and the fact that you wore your hair down which you almost never did in a ball for reasons he didnât know and the fact that because you were so comfortable, your confidence was through the roof and he found himself drawn to that.
You feel Zukoâs hand snake around your waist as he pulls you in closer to him, your face dangerously close to his as you look into his amber eyes. It was like his eyes were drilling holes into yours: he was looking at you so intensely and with so much conflict swimming in his pupils if confused you. Was he mad at you or something? If he wasnât, why was he looking at you as if he was and why was he gripping your waist so firmly like you were going to run away or something?
Your hand came up to rest on his shoulders, and on cue, the two of you began a waltz to the instrumental music. The two of you flowed so easily to the music, swaying with passion and chemistry. You lean in closer to him, knowing the guests would think you both are close and in love. You watched everyoneâs eyes on you, admiring and watching as you know people thought you and Zuko were head over heels in love with each other.
Unlike how the two of you usually dance, Zuko began to feel stiff and tense, and you wondered why that was. This dance was no different than any other dance, so why was he acting like this?
You tilted your chin upwards to get closer to his ear so that only he would hear what youâre saying. âWhatâs wrong with you?â you whisper. âWhy do you feel so stiff?â
âIâm not stiff,â he muttered passive-aggressively. He shuddered at the feeling of your hoarse whisper against his ear.Â
âRelax a little, Zuko, everyoneâs watching.â you warned him and assumed he forced himself to relax because he loosened his grip on you and was able to finish the dance with no more issues.
After your dance with him, you speed off to the refreshments in need of a drink and left him in the dust. As you pop some chocolates in your mouth, your eyes watch the crowd. Youâre scanning faces when your eyes meet a familiar pair of golden eyes.
Zuko.Â
His eyes bore into yours from across the ballroom. Though people walk across your line of vision and break your staring contest with Zuko, his eyes stay on yours, watching you.Â
No. Admiring you. Almost longing for you. Zukoâs gaze softens, eyes filled with tender love, and for a mere second you think he might actually be in love with you.
You canât help but stare back. Why was he looking at you like that? Did he hate dancing with you so much that he had to throw you a death stare?Â
Although you question why heâs looking at you with so much passion, your heart canât help but skip a beat. It feels like itâs about to leap out of your chest. Itâs making you nervous. Heâs making you nervous.
Zuko is making you nervous.
His eyes are still on you, watching your every move and even though people are trying to talk to him, heâs ignoring them. It was as if you were the only person in the room and he was begging for your attention with his eyes.Â
You are the first to break eye contact.
Displeased with the bland tastes of everything, you looked around and noticed a waiter walking around with a tray of drinks. Waving him over, you grabbed a glass from him and downed it. It was sweet and carbonated, something youâve never tasted before. As you turned to him to grab one more, you noticed the waiter was already gone. Shrugging it off, you turned to the desserts to eat. You were in the middle of tasting a chocolate when Mai came up to you.
âWhatâs up with Zuko?â she asked, popping a cookie into her mouth and leaning against the table of food.
âDid you see how stiff he was?â you asked her, sneaking a look back at him, but heâs nowhere to be found. You and Mai had become friends sometime after they had broken up and she was one of the few people who gave you comfort after you were put into this arranged marriage with Zuko. It was something small, but something you thought about often and were extremely grateful for.
âYeah, it was painful to watch. These people are stupid to not realize that.â she watched you, eyes darting around your face to read your expression. âAre you okay?â
âYeah, why?â
Her eyes started to grow in worry as she looked closer at your face. âYou look, I donât know. Hot and red. Not the good hot. The âyouâre heating upâ hot. Are you sick?â she held the back of her hand to your forehead. âOh my God, youâre heating up! It feels like you have a fever!â
âWhat?â you questioned, patting your cheeks and neck. You were burning up. âOh shit,â as you were heating up, your eyesight began to blur and your head was getting dizzy.
âHey!â you heard her start to yell, but her voice sounded faint. You struggled to stay on your feet, wobbling as Mai grabbed your shoulders to stabilize you. You looked around the room and Zuko was nowhere to be found. Everyone began to stare at you and ask if youâre okay, but everyoneâs voices including Maiâs were becoming more and more faint and harder to hear. You tried to stay on your feet and she tried to keep you upright, but you couldnât help yourself and it was like your body was beginning to shut down. Your vision was almost completely blurred and so was your hearing, and very soon your body shut down and you felt yourself fainting as you fell to the ground.
â˘â˘â˘
Zuko was out of breath as he rushed through the ballroom, grabbing random peopleâs shoulders and asking where you were. Some people had explained in a panic that you fainted suddenly while he was in the bathroom, and that you were taken by some maids somewhere else. After he had found out you were in the private clinic in the palace, he exited the party in a rush, practically sprinting down the hallways of the palace. He felt himself functioning off his adrenaline as he ran to you in a panicked worry. He was only gone for a couple of minutes, and in those couple of minutes you had fainted? What the hell did you even do to get yourself in a situation like that? Reaching the clinic quickly, he slammed the doors open and saw his friends sitting in the lobby.Â
âWhere is my wife?!â Zuko asked hurriedly in a state of panic and anger. How could this happen to you? Who could have caused something like this? Were you even okay?
âZuko, you need to calm down first.â Aang said in an attempt to pacify him. Aang swore he saw fire burning in Zukoâs eyes and steam blowing out of his nose.
âWhere is she?â he brushed the Avatar off, pushing him to the side as he opened one of the doors. He burst through and saw Katara healing you as you laid unconscious on the bed. Beside you was Mai, and as soon as he saw her, he couldnât help but shift the blame to her and glare.
âWhat did you do?!â he turned his anger on Mai, stepping closer to her in annoyance.
Zuko wasnât thinking straight (obviously) and was letting his emotions dictate his words and actions. Not knowing who the cause of your condition was pissing him off and hurting him more than he wanted it to.
âWhat? Are you stupid? I didnât do anything! You should be thankful! She was poisoned and fainted, and I brought her here for some privacy!â
âZuko, Mai only helped,â Katara calmly chimed in. âIf you would please stop yelling, I could heal her faster.â
âWell, hurry it up!â he snapped as his eyes looked over your unconscious body. On any other normal day, Zuko wouldnât have cared too much about you being poisoned, but tonight was different and he couldnât figure out why.Â
The fact that someoneâanother human beingâwent out of their way to poison you didnât sit right with him. Why would someone want to poison you and not him? He was unable to come up with a reason as to why someone would want to kill you, so he had to find out. He had to find who wanted you gone and had to figure out why. Because even though you both didnât get along, itâs not like he wanted you dead. Even if he were the one poisoned and youâd be happy, he would never wish for something like this to happen to you; he was well aware you already hated the royal life.
Zuko felt his jaw clench in anger as he left the room, heading straight to a close advisor of his: Jia.Â
â˘â˘â˘
âJia,â he knew she was always in the kitchens around this time at night, drinking tea. Oftentimes his uncle joined her, but not tonight.
âHm?â she barely looked up from her tea as she stirred it calmly.
He stood there in front of her, hands in fists as he waited for some sort of reaction. You had just been poisoned in front of everyone, and this was how she was reacting?Â
âHello?! My wifeâs just been poisoned, and this is how you react?! Jia, my wifeââ
âI already sent out a couple soldiers to search for the culprit, and they already have a lead on him. Apparently he was disguised as a waiter when she was poisoned.â she explained, and finally decided to look up at the distressed Fire Lord.Â
âI got on it as soon as it happened. Donât worry, at this rate, weâll have him in cuffs by the morning.â Jiaâs quick action calmed Zukoâs nerves a bit, and he found himself wanting to sit with her to get himself together.Â
âShe changed her clothes for the ball tonight,â he told Jia after pouring himself a cup of tea. âShe looked different.â
âHow so? All she did was ask to change her dress and leave her hair down.â
âI donât know,â he shrugged. âJust less annoying, I guess.â
The elderly woman chuckled, warming her hands with her tea.
âShe threw a knife at me the other night,â Zuko said to fill the silence when Jia didnât reply. âA steak knife.â
âYou two are a match made in heaven.â
He nearly choked on his tea and almost spat it out. As he coughed into his elbow, he could barely get a response out. âMatch made in heaven? Jia, are you blind or something? I just said she threw a knife at me the other night! Were you not listening?!â
âYou should go see her.â she spoke, ignoring his complaints.
âI already did.â
âReally?â she raised an eyebrow in response, surprised he even went to visit you in the first place. âI didnât think you would.â
âIâm not heartless.â
âI never said you were.â
âShe doesnât want to see me.â
âYou donât know that.â
âYes, I do. I know for a fact she will not want my presence there when she wakes up.â
âWell, maybe she doesnât want you there physically. But, you could send a message to her another way.â
â˘â˘â˘
Your massive headache was the only thing you could focus on as your eyes struggled to open. The pounding had you feeling cranky and groggy. You just wanted to go back to bed, but Katara insisted you sit up in bed and drink some water. Your lips feel dry and you feel shaky and weak as you force yourself to drink something.
âHow long was I out?â you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand.
âCouple days. Mai brought you here. And she brought you flowers.â Katara gestured to the vase of flowers on your bedside table. Purple hyacinths.Â
You raised an eyebrow in confusion. Why was Mai apologizing with flowers? She didnât even like flowers, and even if she did get them for you, her choice of purple hyacinths were bizarre. Purple hyacinths symbolize sadness, and asking for forgiveness.
âThatâs nice,â you brushed it off; Mai probably didnât even know the meaning of purple hyacinths. There was no need to overthink it. âThanks for taking care of me.â you told Katara, looking up at her and seeing her eye bags. How long has she been there with you?
âNo problem, get some rest.â
âYou should too. You look like you havenât been sleeping well. Iâll be fine on my own. If I need anything, Iâll call a nurse.âÂ
âAre you sure? I donât mind staying with you.â
âIâll be fine,â you assured her.Â
When she nodded and stood up, she made sure to tell you sheâll visit once a day until you get better. You smiled at her; Katara was such a kind soul and friend.
â˘â˘â˘
A couple more days passed and you were no longer bedridden after those days. You could finally muster up enough strength to get out of bed and walk around. In those couple of days, you were informed that the man who poisoned you was the waiter that served you a drink at the ballroom party. Thankfully, he was easily caught by soldiers who were sent out to search for him, and he was sitting in jail now as you recovered. You were told it was some scheme to try and hurt Zuko, but jokes on them because you and Zuko didnât love each other. He didnât even bother to come visit you or send someone to check on you. Not that it bothered you⌠it didnât. You knew that you and Zuko didnât get along, but you still felt your heart drop a little when Katara told you that he never stopped by, and that Mai was swinging by your room more to check on you.
You already knew Mai had been stopping by, because every day since youâve woken up you noticed that there was a new vase of purple hyacinths sitting by you. You never saw Mai drop them off herself, so you assumed she did it in the early morning while you were still sleeping.Â
Even your husbandâs ex-girlfriend cared more about your well-being than he did. Even though it was an arranged marriage and you and Zuko never wanted to be near each other, you probably still would have gone to see him if he was poisoned, so knowing he wasnât doing the same for you tugged at your heartstrings a bit, but you didnât want to admit it.
You shook your head in a physical attempt to shake Zuko from your thoughts. Standing up, you decided that youâd take a walk around the gardens for some fresh air. As you threw on a jacket, you stepped into your shoes and opened the door to leave. Stepping out from your room, you turn and see a disheveled Zuko sitting on a chair against the wall next to your door. When he notices you, he opens his mouth to say something, but heâs quiet. You look down at him, partly shocked but mostly annoyed. His hair looked messy and all over the place, he was dressed down, and he was holding a small blanket in his lap.
âWhat are you doing here? You look like you havenât slept.â you tell him.
âNot much,â he weakly said, a clear tiredness laced in his voice. âIâve been sleeping out here and waiting for you to come out.â
âDonât you have anything better to do?â you retorted, walking away and not letting him respond.Â
Did he really expect you to believe that he had been sleeping out in the hallway these past couple days waiting for you? Did he think you were stupid? Sure, it looked like he was telling the truth, but you doubt he actually did it. Why would he anyway? The two of you didnât like each other and never wanted to be around each other.
âWait for me,â he pleaded, and started following your footsteps like a dog. âAnd no, I donât have anything better to do.â
âHow about running your country? Did you forget youâre the Fire Lord?â you rolled your eyes and made your way to the gardens as he followed after you.Â
Why was he still following you? Why was he acting like he actually loved and cared for you? It confused you and made your heart ache and you didnât want to be around him. It was just too confusing and too much for you right now.
The gardens were empty like usual, so the only noise was your footsteps against the gravel and the chirping of the birds in the early morning. But of course, Zukoâs stupid loud footsteps just have to follow in your direction and ruin the entire mood.
âI couldnât focus on anything else.â
You didnât reply, instead choosing to walk faster in an attempt to shake him off. It was so obvious you didnât want to be near him, so why wouldnât he just take the hint and leave? You werenât fully healed, so you were growing tired as you began walking in the gardenâs maze in hopes to lose him.Â
âFuck off.â
You felt your heart beating faster because you were feeling weak and tired again, but you ignored it and kept going. You didnât want Zuko to bother you anymore. He calls your name once more, and his voice sounds faint so you know youâve already begun to lose him in the maze.Â
Turning a corner to catch your breath, you grab your chest. Your vision was becoming hazy and it was hard staying on two feet. It was like you were poisoned again once more and you felt yourself wobbling and struggling to even stand. When Zuko calls your name again, itâs because heâs catching you as you fall to the ground.
Heâs yelling your name again, but this time you can barely hear him and his face is becoming more blurry as the time passes. Heâs shaking you and yelling your name, but your hearing is clouded and you feel yourself fainting in his arms, your eyes closing shut against your own will.
â˘â˘â˘
When you awaken, the only sound in the room is the cackling fire by the bed youâre lying in. Except itâs not your bed. Sitting in a chair and half lying on the side of the bed is Zuko, sleeping soundly. You sit up and look around, the curtains are drawn so itâs almost completely dark in the room except for the fire going on the other side of the room.Â
Itâs Zukoâs room.Â
You had never been in his room, but you could tell it was his from the portraits of his uncle and mother and a nearby wall and his dual swords sitting above the bed on the wall. Looking at his bedside table, you eye a book sitting on it.
Flowers & Their Meanings
Zuko reads?Â
You grab the book, noting a corner of a page folded in, and you flip to it. The page is titled âPurple Hyacinthâ and below was some written information on it. Your thoughts run back to when you had first awakened after being poisoned, back to your conversation with Katara.
âHow long was I out?â you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand.
âCouple days. Mai brought you here. And she brought you flowers.â Katara gestured to the vase of flowers on your bedside table. Purple hyacinths.Â
You raised an eyebrow in confusion. Why was Mai apologizing with flowers? She didnât even like flowers, and even if she did get them for you, her choice of purple hyacinths were bizarre. Purple hyacinths symbolize sadness, and asking for forgiveness.
No.
There was absolutely no way it was Zuko that brought those flowers to you. Katara said it herself that Mai brought those flowers. You did think that it was weird for Mai to bring you flowers since she hated them, but Zuko? He hates you, and you hate him. So why on Earth would he bring you apology flowers? It didnât make any sense.
âYou saw the flowers?âÂ
You flinch in surprise, shutting the book and setting it down on the nightstand. Zuko is awake now, and sits back up in his chair. Crossing his arms against his chest, he silently and awkwardly avoids your eyes.
âThat was you?â you stare at him in disbelief.
âYou think Mai would give you flowers?â he stares deeply into your eyes, and you have the urge to look away.
âThatâs what Katara said.â
He sighs. âI told her not to tell you about them.â
âWhy?â
âI thought youâd hate it if I visited, so I sent flowers instead. I told Katara to say it was someone else.â
Actually, you thought the flowers were sweet, but that was because you thought they were from Mai and not Zuko. You and Zuko never got along well, so why would he give you flowers? It didnât make sense at all and was confusing you. Why was he so worried when you got poisoned and why has he been following you around like a lost puppy since you woke up?Â
âWhat is wrong with you?â you said without thinking.
âHuh?â
âYou wait for me to awaken after being poisoned, you read a book about flowers to pick the right ones to send to me, then you wonât stop following me after I wake up? What the hellâs going on with you, Zuko? What happened to trying to get Mai to love you again, huh? What, now that you know you canât have her, youâre paying attention to me now, is that it?â you were starting to feel furious, mostly out of confusion, but sadness as well.Â
The sudden shift in Zukoâs attitude had you feeling lost and had you questioning how you felt about him. Since you had gotten married, you didnât enjoy being his wife, so now that things were changing, you were questioning why that was.Â
âNo, stop. Thatâs not the truth at all. Thatâs far from the truth.â
âYouâre a liar.â you stand up, stepping from hisÂ
warm bed sheets as you walk towards the door. He quickly catches up to you, closing the door with his hand from behind you. Heâs standing close to you, too close you can feel his breath tickle the back of your neck.
âLet me explain.â
You take a deep breath, debating if you wanted to hear him out.Â
âPlease,â he begs you, his voice small and careful. It was as if he was walking on eggshells around you. When you react with nothing but silence, he takes it as a cue to continue.
âThings have changed, okay?â he tells you, and you turn around to look up at him and face him.Â
Youâve never been so up close and personal with Zuko, not like this anyways. He smells clean, and you eye his loosely tightened robeâitâs not covering his body entirely. His chest is slightly exposed, heaving up and down as he nervously tries to control his breathing around you.
âOh yeah? How so?â you keep your eyes trained on his chest, because if you look into his eyes, you might just give in to him.Â
âI know weâve had our differencesââ he begins.
âI never wanted to marry you.â
âI know, I felt the same way. Well, I did. I feel⌠differently now.â
âDifferent?â you look up at him with a glare, a hidden anger suddenly starting to rise to the surface the more you stare into his dumb pretty eyes.
âListen, I never wanted to marry you either. And when we did get married, I hated it. I know you did, too. But I donât know, recentlyârecently things have changed. In a good way. I donât know if Iâve always felt this way, maybe I have, but I canât help but be drawn to you. And itâs driving me absolutely insane. I thought I was insane. Because itâs like, every time I see you, I canât help but fall for you. I canât help but stare at you and I canât help but want you.âÂ
Zuko speaks with such honesty and passion there is no doubting his words, and thatâs what pisses you off. It takes getting poisoned for him to realize heâs in love with you? Where the hell did that even come from?
âI hate you.â is all you can say, because you donât know how to feel. Youâre lost and confused and you donât know how to handle it.
âI know you donât,â he speaks softly, his hand coming up to tilt your chin upwards.
His eyes look like a brighter shade of his stupid golden eyes, and heâs staring into your soul so intensely it makes you shudder.
âI do. I do hate you.â you whisper, your voice shaking and unsure. God, you probably sounded like an idiot.
âOh yeah?â his tone is mischievous as he leans in closer, his eyes lowering to your lips.
âYes. I hate everything about you.â
âSay it again. Tell me you hate me.â
âI hate you.â
âI love you.âÂ
Zuko leans in quickly, his lips meeting yours in an instant. You hesitate for a moment, relishing in his soft kiss. Itâs like time froze all around you and all you could think of was Zukoâs lips on yours and his large and soft hands coming up to gently stroke your cheeks.
His kiss is so innocent and sweet it pisses you off knowing how good he is at kissing. He leans into you, just barely pressing his chest to yours, and you can feel his heartbeat quicken. One hand is in your hair, combing through the soft strands as his other hand holds your waist, directing your body to press back into his. His thumb is rubbing at your hip, trying to feel you through the fabric of your clothes and suddenly you have the thought and urge to rip it all off so he can feel you up as much as he wants.
âTell me again,â Zuko breathes into the kiss.
âWhat?â
âTell me you hate me.â he pulls away for a moment and waits for you.
âI hate you.â
âI love you.â he responds breathlessly, smashing his lips against yours. This time heâs impatient, kissing you like heâs running out of time or like youâre going to be taken away and this is his last moment with you.
His head tilts to the side, the hand that was in your hair moving to grab you by your chin, easily directing you to open your mouth into the kiss. He licks into you, desperate for more as he kisses you harder, like some starved man that hasnât had a meal in forever. His chest is heaving and you feel the hand on your waist wandering the curves of your body, desperate to feel your bare skin.
You push him away from you slightly, but only because youâre out of breath and need a moment to process what just happened.
Zuko kissed you. And you kissed him back.
But he did more than just kiss you. He made you feel something. He made you want him back. Something you never thought he was capable of.Â
âWhat aboutâŚâ you start, unsure if you should say what youâre about to say.Â
You either have no talent for hiding your thoughts, or Zuko knows you well, because itâs as if heâs reading your mind because he finishes your sentence for you.
âMai?â
You nod silently. You always thought she was the one for him, after all up until a while ago he was trying to get back with her.
âThings have changed,â he starts. âActually, theyâve been changing for awhile. And itâs not what you think.â
Please, did he really think you would believe that? âOkay, then explain calling Mai to confess your love to her again in the gardens.â
âThat day in the gardens,â he explains as he leads you to sit on his bed with him. âI didnât call her out to confess to her. I wanted to see her to ask about you.â
Your eyes narrowed at him; you didnât believe anything that was coming out of his mouth.Â
âI know you two are close, so I wanted to ask her for advice because I was already falling for you. But she was calling me a dick for bothering her so she left.â
âWhy didnât you tell me?â
He looks stunned. âYou wouldnât have believed me even if I explained it to you, so it didnât matter.â
Heâs right, you wouldâve thought he was a liar and you probably wouldâve called him a liar like you did five minutes ago.
âSo⌠youâre not still in love with her?â
âNo.â
âYouâre telling me youâre not hopelessly, desperately, absolutely blind in love with her that you canât do anything else or think about anyone else?â you tease in one breath, your heart feeling lighter.
âNo, but do you want to know who Iâm actually hopelessly, desperately, absolutely blind in love with that I canât do anything else or think about anyone else?â
âI wonder who it could be.â
âWhy donât you take a guess.â he teases, leaning over you, sharp eyes watching your every move.
âI donât know.â you do know.
âYou donât?â he chuckles, leaning into your neck, his breath lightly tickling your skin.Â
âNope.â
âWould you like a hint?â His voice is so deep and sultry youâre practically trembling at how sexy he sounds.
âThatâd be nice.â
âWell, the woman Iâm in love with is fucking crazy,â Zuko begins, his hand coming up to stroke your thigh. Your eyes move down to watch his muscular hands massage your inner thighs, moving closer and closer to your pussy with each firm stroke. Itâs faint, but you feel yourself clench around nothing.
The veins on his hand are distracting.
âShe tried to kill me with a steak knife recently,â he laughs as he recalls the memory, pulling away slightly to look at you.Â
He is watching your face, trying to read and memorize your features as his eyes gaze into yours. There is a new softness in his eyes when he looks at you, unlike the usual sharp glare he shoots you when you both make eye contact.
âYouâre in love with a woman who tried to kill you?â you laugh quietly, going along with whatever joke heâs making.
âSurprisingly, yes. Iâm even looking at her right now. Do you know who Iâm in love with now?â he smiles, his eyes curving into a smile as well.
âI might need another hint.â you answer, your eyes flickering down to his lips. You hope he will kiss you again.
He picks up on your hint, leaning in to press a quick kiss to your lips. âIâve kissed her a couple times now. But the last couple times,â he kisses you again. âItâs like sheâs laced her lips with drugs or something. Iâve become addicted to her lips in just a couple kisses.â he glances down for a second, grabbing your hand and leading it to where he wants it.
Heâs hard.
He directs you to stroke him through the thin material of his loosely tied robe, his lips coming down to suck on the soft skin of your neck.Â
âAnd in just a couple kisses,â he says again. âSheâs managed to make me so hard.â he breathes against your neck.Â
âYou make me so hard.â Zuko whispers faintly.Â
His voice sounds so sweet and sexy it almost pisses you off how much his tone is turning you on. You stroke him through his robe, feeling his hard cock underneath. You have the urge to suddenly rip off his robe, wanting to feel him. His abs, his smooth skin, his strong thighs, and his hardened dick. He lets out a soft moan against your neck, his hips unexpectedly bucking upwards for more friction.Â
âYou have no idea what you do to me.â he whispers in your ear, his voice a slight whine.Â
âI think I have an idea.â you laugh, slightly tugging at the strings that tie his robe together. Itâs so loosely wrapped around him that if you just tugged on it slightly, you would finally get to see him naked. He watches your fingers play with his robe, sensing your impatience.Â
âTake it off.â he tells you, and you act automatically, undoing the knot. He stands briefly, letting the piece of clothing fall to the ground. You stay seated on the bed, your eyes practically groping his entire body. Heâs so sculpted and muscular and perfect in every way it almost pisses you off.
His hardened cock springs to life, red and angry at the tip, he looks like he could cum from just a couple strokes. Your eyes make their way back to his, and heâs watching you with such an intensity in his eyes it makes you shudder in pleasure. You stare at him in awe, almost lost in his eyes you donât notice him stroking your cheek, his voice a small whisper.Â
âI love seeing you look up at me like that,â he grins, grabbing his dick as he continues to caress your cheek. âIt makes me want to ruin you.â You watch him stroke himself, his pre-cum leaking at the tip.
âThen ruin me.â
He smiles a sweet smile in response, before he sticks his fingers in your mouth, forcing your lips apart before he shoves his dick into your mouth.Â
Heâs big, way too big and the biggest youâve ever had, but you love it. You love how it fills your mouth and you feel like youâre going to choke and it makes you think about just how good it will feel when he finally fucks you. Youâre taking him all in your mouth, desperate to hear something from him, to see some sort of reaction that youâre making him feel good. Your hands grab onto both of his thighs, feeling him tense beneath your fingertips.Â
Strands of your hair fall in front of your face, blocking your view of him, so he grabs it, combing it behind your ears to clear your face. His hands grab at your head, shoving it further down his cock, and when you gag thatâs when you hear it.Â
A low, desperate, sweet sounding moan that makes you clench around nothing again. He bites down hard on his bottom lip in an attempt to quiet himself, but your mouth keeps sucking him in he canât help but let out a moan of pleasure.Â
âFuck,â he groans, thrusting deeper into your mouth. Your eyes water and you rub your thighs together, anxious and impatient and wanting him to hurry and fuck you. âI love your mouth.â
He pulls out, a string of saliva connecting from your lips to his tip as he pulls his cock out. Heâs visibly more turned on now; pupils dilated and cheeks red and heated.
âYour mouth feels good,â he easily grabs you by the hips to move you further up the bed. âBut I bet this feels even better.â he forcefully spreads your legs with his knees and presses a hand to your clothed pussy. âFor both of us.â
âItâd feel even better if you undressed me first.â you command him.
âYes, maâam.â he obeys, practically ripping your clothes off and throwing them behind him.
Your underwear is completely soaked, you look away and blush in embarrassment. God, did you look that desperate for some dick? Zuko seems to be infatuated with how wet youâve become, because he leans down in front of you, his mouth hovering over your heat.Â
âYou donât have to.â you tell him, grabbing his hair to stop him.Â
âYouâre right. I donât have to,â he agrees, spreading your legs further so that youâre completely spread out for him, your entire body exposed for him and only him. âBut all I can think about right now is tasting you.â he says before he places a kiss on the inside of your thigh.Â
âYouâre so wet,â he observes aloud. âI love it.âÂ
He leans in, his tongue sticking out to lick a strip up your wetness. Heâs lapping at your pussy, licking and sucking and kissing everything it makes you dizzy. He sucks on your clit, his fingers teasing your entrance. Youâre so turned on by the sound of him eating you out, you grab his hair by instinct to pull him closer to you. When he groans, you mistake it for a groan of annoyance or pain, so you let go. His lips leave your wetness for a moment, his eyes looking up to meet yours.
âGrab my hair again,â he takes your hand and entangles it into his hair again. âI love when you pull on it. I fucking love it.â
You canât help but whimper, pulling on his roots as he moans in pleasure and you donât know if itâs because youâre tugging on his hair or because he loves eating you out or both. Your hips are moving on their own, bucking upwards into his face as his fingers easily make their way inside you, fucking you slowly to loosen you up.Â
âAhh,â you cringe at yourself, almost ashamed and embarrassed you canât hold yourself back. Your hands leave his hair to cover your face, heat rushing to your cheeks. Zuko pulls away from you, wiping his mouth before tugging at your hands.
âWhy are you covering your face?â he asks, his hands gently wrapping at your wrists and rubbing your skin soothingly.
âNo reason,â you shake your head, mortified.
âCome on now, let me see your face.â he grabs your wrists with one hand, pinning them above your head as he holds you down, his face inches away from yours.
Youâre even more embarrassed and red now. Youâre both completely naked and heâs situated between your legs, his cock rubbing against your entrance teasingly. Your hands are pinned above you, and the weight of his hand is holding you down, youâre unable to move. Heâs watching you, basking in your embarrassment.
âI love your voice,â he assures you.Â
âWhen youâre yelling at me,â he kisses your cheek.
âInsulting me,â he kisses your other cheek.
âAnd especially when youâre moaning for me.â he leaves small kisses on your jawline as his hips move against yours, his hard cock rubbing against your wetness. Youâre so desperate to have him fuck you itâs almost impossible not to whine in annoyance.Â
âI love when you moan. I want to hear more of it.â he says before he pushes himself into you.
âOh,â you gasp, struggling to take him in.
âFuck,â he lets go of your pinned hands and grabs your hips.Â
âYou son of a bitch,â you curse, your walls clenching down and welcoming him. You feel yourself throb around him, sucking him in as your hands wrap around his back. âYouâre too big.âÂ
âYou like it though,â he mumbles, pleasure taking over his body itâs becoming harder for him to speak clearly. He thrusts slowly, swearing to himself under his breath again. You moan as he fucks you more, your hands holding the back of his neck as he buries himself into you.
âI love it, it feels so good.â you moan, stroking his hair as his hips roll against you.
âI love you.â he tells you.Â
âI love you.â he repeats, practically chanting it like itâs some sort of prayer.
He keeps whispering it into your ear, and you lift your hips, wrapping your legs around him as he continues to thrust into you. He glides in and out of you so easily it turns you on even more that he gets you so wet and ready so easily.
Your hands are busy exploring his smooth skin, feeling his neck and collarbone when he moans in your ear, his voice almost silent and pleading.Â
âChoke me,â he begs. âL-Like you did the other day. Do it again.â
âWhat?â
âPlease,â he breathes out, his eyes looking into yours, desperate and aroused. âI want your hands wrapped around my throat.â
You steadily place your hands on the side of his neck, careful not to block his airway. You squeeze the sides of his neck slightly, and as soon as you do, his eyes roll back in pleasure and his thrusts are harder.Â
âMmm,â he moans, biting down on his lips as he fucks into you. âHarder,â he demands.
The harder you choke him, the harder he fucks you. His moans grow louder and heâs practically chanting your name, begging you to destroy him as his thrusts grow haphazard the closer he gets to orgasming.Â
He explodes, filling you up with so much cum it starts leaking out. But Zuko keeps going, desperate to make you finish as well. Youâre no longer choking him, but your hands are instead messing up his hair and his lips are on your breasts, biting and sucking and kissing, you feel dizzy.Â
His lips feel so good on your body. He leaves kisses and marks and words of his love and devotion for you itâs all so overwhelming. When he starts whispering to you how good your pussy feels and how much he loves you, it pushes you over the edge and you feel yourself clenching down on him hard as you reach your high.
When thereâs nothing but the sound of your heavy breaths, all of a sudden you feel awkward. You hadnât realized it until now, but you had been slowly falling for his stupid face and you were in denial about it this whole time.
âWhatâre you thinking so hard about?â Zuko hovers over your face, looking deeply into your eyes as if heâs trying to read you.
âYour stupid face.â
He chuckles, leaning down to brush his nose against yours before he leaves a small kiss on your cheek.Â
âIâm in love with you.â he tells you.
âOh.â
âOh?â
âThank you.â you say awkwardly, because youâre not good with words and youâre too embarrassed to tell him that youâre also in love with him because you would probably cringe and feel even more awkward than you do right now.Â
âSo⌠you do have a thing for being choked!â you tease when you suddenly remember him asking you to choke him.
He tenses, his eyes widening as he suddenly pulls out of you and sits up. âNo I donât!â
âIf I remember correctly, you asked me to choke you! Remember? You were practically beggingââ
He leans down, quickly kissing you to shut up. âI donât remember that. And tell me you love me back.â he demands.
âAdmit you like being choked first.â
âNo.â
âFine, then I donât love you. I still hate you.â
âTell me you love me.â he demands again, unwilling to give up.
âTell me you like being choked.â you fire back.
Heâs quiet for a moment, and thatâs when you know youâve won.Â
âFine. I do like it, but donât tell anyone!â he glares at you. âNow you say you love me.âÂ
âI hate you.â you tease.
âWhatever, I still love you.â Zuko rolls his eyes, leaning in to kiss you once more.
â˘â˘â˘
a/n: i literally added in the part of zuko getting choked after seeing a tiktok on how to properly choke someone during sex đ
m.list
Yes. Manhandle me like a sack of potatoes I deserve it đŤ đŤ đŤ
husband of the year â ( prohero!katsuki x reader ) â in your defense, who would've thought he would barge in while you're at work? clearly not you.
The TV was broadcasting and heatedly narrating Dynamight's current Villain-of-the-Week takedown when your co-worker, Yaeko whom you remember by her pin-straight waist-length hair and delight in a bunch of hearsay, taps on your shoulder for attention.
"Mm?" you murmur distractedly, incapable of tearing your eyes away from how the camera has easily captured the swift fluttering mid-air, even if just barely. No ordinary person could keep up with the force that is Bakugou Katsuki.
"Ayane-chan clocked out early."
"Did she?"
Yaeko settles on the plastic chair on your right, watching the #1 Pro Hero absolutely pulverize the villain with the most elegance, Bakugou style. She doesn't take it in with the same rapt. Doesn't hold her breath or tighten her grip on her knees, not like you.
"Her husband picked her up. They're having dinner," Yaeko sings, then sighs dreamily. "Oh, if only mine would pick me up with a nice, sleek car."
The villain finally registers he's clearly overestimated his plan for victory and starts begging for mercy. Dynamight appears too distracted to even feel victorious about it.
"That would be nice," you agree, though you're not really sure what she's saying anymore as Dynamight takes the last win. His expression looks off â far away.
'And once again, #1 Pro Hero Dynamight proves why he's at the top, breaking his last three-minute record! Looks like he'll be securing this year's ranking as well.' The reporter gushes like it's some Olympic Sport. Dynamight would grin like a fucking bastard, too, usually, but not today, it seems.
"How come I never see your husband?" Yaeko asks all of a sudden.
"That would be no good," you say, chuckling. "He's busy enough as he is."
Yaeko appraises your assured smile. "Hm. Is that what he says?"
The reporter continues gushing, "And he flees the scene in a signature Dynamight hit-and-run. He might be off to save another city; who knows!"
"That's what everyone says, really," you say cryptically, moments later. You wonder why Dynamight looked so distracted. It wasn't like him.
In the immediate silence that follows, you spare a glance at your co-worker. Yaeko looks thirsty for prying, but as soon as her shoulder comes in contact with yours, she rears back with a gasp.
"You're still sick!" she admonishes, not unlike in the tone a mother hen if they could speak and grip both your shoulders. "I was wondering why you even came today when you were all but dying last night."
You jerk away. "I was just feeling a little feverish. Nothing too bad.â
Yaeko clicks her tongue. The chair slides back as she pushes off to get water from the dispenser near the TV. The reporter drones on about how fortunate they were to witness the Pro Hero in broad daylight, followed by the dispenser's buzz.
"Your husband let you out like that?" she asks.
"He doesn't know," you murmur shamefully.
Yaeko appears unimpressed, holding the cup to your lips. You sigh and move to keep the glass yourself, feeling a little petulant about it.
Commotion begins to pick up in volume from outside, muted by the walls. Yaeko pays no mind to it, but your hair picks up on its ends. When there's a stifled sound of explosion, you understand why. The news moves to a different topic, though it seems that the headlines made its way to you himself.
"Shit. Hide me, Yaeko-san. Please."
Yaeko frowns. "What? Hey, don't move so much."
The door slides open and presents the #1 Hero himself, sweating and seething and still looking like a dream. He has to twist his upper body, the door for ordinarily built men unable to accommodate his solid, beefy arms.
"You," he growls, eyes blazing.
"Noo." You shield your face with the crook of your arm, but there isn't a single wall in the world that Dynamight can't break through.
Behind him, the security guard emerges and looks rightfully guilty. He makes a gesture of 'I tried, sorry. It's up to you now.'
He grips your elbow and pushes it out of view until your face is bare, and you're witness to his very, very angry face. "I told you not to punch in for work."
He did say that. "UhhâŚ"
"You went all," He pitches his voice somewhere obnoxiously high, "'Don't worry, baby, I won't!' â we lyin' to each other now?"
You did also say that.
"Baby?" Yaeko whispers to herself, stunned.
Dynamight scowls, ripping his glove out to press it on your forehead, his skin ice-cold. You wonder if this is how the villain from earlier felt, though maybe with a little less arousal at the sight of his eyes. "Fuckin' idiot," he mutters under his breath.
"D-Dynamight, sir," Yaeko pipes up, looking shell-shocked, "please unhand my co-worker."
"Ha? You the one who asked this idiot to clock in?"
"No." You shield Yaeko's terrified expression with your hand. "No, she didn't. I did it myself."
"Yeah, 'cause you're a dumbass on your own," he says, and now the familiarity of bickering feels more like your Katsuki in the walls of your home. Your husband, who seriously came all the way here after kicking some ass. Katsuki turns to Yaeko. "Tell your boss we're leaving. Don't call."
And he pulls you up and drags you off. You half-expected him to throw you over his shoulder, but his neck brace might dig into your side painfully, and Katsuki has already considered it despite his boiling anger at your disobedience.
"Katsuki," you whine, heating up at the stonished staring while you're tugged off into the exit. "Did you really fly all the way here just to kidnap me home?
"The hell's with that," he snaps. "I'm clocking out for the day 'cause I'm not stupid like your stupid ass."
"Katsuki!"
"'sides," Katsuki gives you a long look over his shoulder, and oh, is this what he was thinking about the entire time? Your heart does a bit of somersaulting. "Who else is gonna take care of you?"
Yaeko can keep her nice, sleek cars. Nothing beats this.
Give me corruption with Aonung and Jake's oldest daughter. The perfect warrior, an almost exact copy of her mother in spirit and firceness. But she's a daddy's girl, and she's swayed a little too easy by pretty Na'vi's of the opposite sex.
What started off as 'innocent' touches from Ao'nung that left her confused about the tingling sensation. The Sully Princess felt unsure about sneaking off after curfew when she's lured with the promise of 'exploring'.
But now she's starting to stay out late under the lie of meeting "The Girls" and is all too eager to be bent over by the "Pretty Reef Boy" who isn't scared to rough handle her.
The next leader of the clan enjoying the innocent look in her eyes the first time she sucks dick and he's shocked by her nonexistent gag reflex that it immediately has him deciding then and there he's not sharing with anyone, ever. Her mix of tears and drool the sweetest icing on the cake.
Her siblings don't understand her sudden change in demeanor and why she's all lovey dovey and touchy with Ao'nung who simply gives a smirk and pulls her closer, allowing his hand to rest just above her tail. Lo'ak and Neteyam sending warning glares, protective of their big sister.
Jake never even suspects. There's no way his perfect princess could ever go against their word. Neytiri has suspicions but respects her daughters privacy.
If only "Daddy Dearest" knew he lost the title Daddy the second Ao'nung had the Sully Princess shaking and sobbing from overstimulation as he fucked her cross eyed.
Ugh my heart đ â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Synopsis ! Jake had taken you as his own after Tsu'tey's passing, leaving no one to care for you. Things had been good before your relationship with him had blurred along growing of age. You and him fought all the time; argued each other's ear off and tonight was no different-- except words have been said, severing the already damaged bond. Content & warning Jake sully x Daughter!Reader, Sully kids x Sister!Reader Neytiri x Daughter!Reader. (wc; 3104)
Jake knew a saying; held onto it ever since he had resided amongst Naâviâ every person is born twice. While he believed that it meant that the second time is when you earn your place here in Pandora, Eywa had a clever way of broadening the idea. His very children were proof of it.
He thinks itâs the great motherâs way of compensation, perhaps a second chance for him to do betterâ to do his very best to keep them alive on behalf of those he lost.Â
While Kiri was a special case enough, you too were an odd one.Â
You are Tsuâtey's daughter. Turns out, he had someone in secret while he trained to become oloâeyktanâ when he was supposed to take Neytiri for himself. It was tabooâ absolutely wrong to become unfaithful to oneâs mate. But following the carnage of the great war, when Tsuâtey had so selflessly sacrificed his life, only then did Tsiâewa came forward; told everyone of their love and what could have been. She was a simple songstress along Ninat, but it was her round and bulging belly that caught everyoneâs attention.
It caused an uproar and understandably so. After all, Neytiri had only announced her rebellion with Jake not long before, but when the people connected the dots themselves and both stories had become one, they understood that their hearts merely yearned for another and no one should have ever dictated otherwise. Arrangements had been made and condolences were exchangedâ everyone can only look back and wish that things could have been different.
Jake was supposed to take you under his wing as a way of honoring himâ he owed Tsuâtey his life and perhaps an apology as big as so. But after your mother had unfortunately died during your birth, he knew to himself that he had to take you in; not as a responsibility, but as his own blood and flesh. His first daughter.
You were the loudest baby, he recalled. That day, Jake had rocked your body back and forth in his arms frantically, while Moâat and Neytiri did everything within their power to help TsĂŹ'ewa. Your cries were ear-splitting, enough to wake the whole clan up.Â
âJust what do I do with you,â He muttered under his breath, eyebrows knitted in frustrationâ just where do he hold you? Is he doing it right? Are you hurt? Why are you crying so loud?
âJake, the baby!â Neytiriâs shout from inside had cut his train of loud thoughts, snapping back to your bawling. He wasnât doing such a good job.Â
âIâm trying, Neytiriâ this thing wonât budge.â
Neytiri had emerged from the hut, stomping her way to Jake with a scowl. "That is not a thing, you skxawng!" she exclaimed before gently scooping you up from his arms, cooing softly to youâ though it was more like mocking him instead. âDoes Jake here make you cry?â She said, patting your thigh soothingly. âHeâs not at all pleasant to look at, but you have to get used to it.âÂ
Almost in an instant, your cries had died down. You babbled along with her, like you were agreeing with her every word. He slowly pulled himself closer to Neytiri, eyes wide with curiosity as he watched your small hands playing with her long braids. âHeh, she has Tsuâteyâs eyes,â He whispers, unable to look away.Â
The flap of the hut swinging open was the only thing that got their attention, momentarily away from yours as they looked at Moâat with anticipation. With a single shake of her head, sorrow surged their hearts, eyes traveling back to your innocent ones. They mourned for you; an unknowing child should never have to carry such grief. They had to make a choiceâ A responsibility they werenât expecting to have so early.Â
Jake mindlessly trails his finger down your stomach, gently, like you were the most fragile thing. Your little hand wraps around it and it was like you had binded his scattered thoughts into one big understanding.Â
Sully. Youâre one of them now.
Jake releases a breathless chuckle as he gazes upon his lover and you with a newfound clarity, a perspective so bright it illuminated in his very eyes. Then came an ideaâ the desire of having children of their own. Perhaps thatâs why Neteyam came after only two years. You were quite the ploy; the push they needed to start a family.
You were truly blessedâ the genius of your age was undeniable, your remarkable talent soon earning you the admiration of all who had seen it. By the time you turned six, you had already mastered many of the abilities that a hunter would needâ your skills with a bow were unrivaled by most of the children your age, let alone those who were much older than you. They'd marvel at your accuracy each time you took aim with an arrow. You could never miss. You had to make sure you didnât.Â
By the age of 12, you had already accompanied Jake in hunts. You had developed a knack for planning, coming up with routes and back-up plans that were often surprisingly effective. You have proved to be helpful plenty of times. You were quick, silentâ full of poise. They often wondered if you were an old, seasoned soul trapped inside a little girlâs body.Â
But as quickly as the spotlight had shone down on you, it left almost as soon as it had come.
(âWhat you did today was reckless, y/n.â Jake settles his bow on the table aggressively, emitting a sharp thud. You were just as frustrated, throwing your satchel down the floor of the hut.Â
The mission had gone rather wildly, with things not going along the plan. There was another airshipâ one that no one was aware of. Your instincts jolted your body, immediately throwing an explosive towards it which had it blowing all over the placeâ its pieces crashing and causing a wildfire.Â
Jake argued that there couldâve been a more safer way. One that didnât have to risk more of our resources and supplies; one that didnât have to injure the other warriors. Of course you knew to yourself that you did the right thing. You did what you had to do.Â
 âYou couldâve been hurt and got others killed! Just what were you thinking?â He continued to berate you. You jest that if this went on, thereâd be steam visible above his already heated head.Â
âI had to take a riskâ not everything goes to plan and this is proof of it.â You answered back with a scowl, âIf I hadn't, there wouldâve been more casualties.âÂ
âThatâs not a call for you to answer to! Jesus Christ,â Jake runs his palms down his face, grunting, before looking back at youâ expression suddenly tired and soft. âCome on kid, whereâs that sweetheart who always listened to what I said?âÂ
You had scoffed, a hurt forming on the pits of your stomach. âThat sweetheart once had a place in plans before.â You said, eyes unwilling to look at him. It weighed in your heart heavilyâ why did people assume that you were the only one who changed? You didnât understand. âPretty sure the Jake before was a good listener too.âÂ
The wrinkle in between his eyebrows deepened in confusion, but he never was one for confrontation. With a single dismissive grunt, he turns his back against you. âIâm way past your attitude. Youâre grounded. Go.â)
As you grew, the resemblance to your father became ever more apparent. Jake started noticing the many similarities between the two of you; the way you walkedâ how you sauntered confidently through a crowd. Your braids would move along your heavy steps (and perhaps, thatâs where Neteyam got his mannerism of swaying his too.), shoulders wide and proud. You even had his signature snarl, something Tsuâtey was known for that unfortunately seemed to have been passed down to you too.Â
However, it was more than how you brought yourself. You were strong-willedâ stubborn.Â
There was another thing about you too. You didnât call Jake dad anymore. It hurt himâ left a heavy feeling on his chest every time you regarded him so distant. It was unfair that you still called Neytiri mom, why did it have to change with him? He didnât have the heart to address it. Couldnât ask you what went wrong.Â
Because he knows damn well why.Â
Loâak was enough of a headache, but you were a different kind of royal pain in the ass, more like a personal problem. It was tiresome. Petty. There was not a day that you and Jake wouldnât argue and bite each otherâs ass offâ and yet, there was never a day where you two would talk it out. The fights would blur itselves out and before they knew it, things would be back to normal, only for it to fall out again over something small. It was routine. The only thing normal for you both.Â
He missed youâ missed his baby. Just when did you grow to become so distant? When did he start to overlook you?
Youâll admit, you might have indulged in the folkâs gossip. They always had a story for everything and they have plenty about your father. Tsuâtey was a fit oloâeyktan. He had proved so in his training and determination. Of course it was a low punch in the gut when the throne had been passed to an outsiderâ a demon, most of all. It was unfair, he knew it wasnât right. A washed up marine had taken something he had worked for like it was nothing. Like he was nothing.Â
You pitied your father and you feared youâd be like himâ like nothing.Â
And history might just repeat itself. You werenât cluelessâ wasnât blind to the fact that Jake had trained your brother more. He adored him so much that the very moment he was in the right age to train, you were off to fend for yourself; trained all alone while Jake went over the routine with Neteyam like he did with you. You remembered waiting for him every afternoon because he promised that heâd make timeâ that time was yours and yours only. But as the light bled and neared eclipse and you were too cold to wait outside, you learned never to wait again.Â
They would come home soon afterâ smiles on their faces and a handful of apologies for you.Â
Soon enough, your suspicions proved you right as the people started to talk again; Neteyamâ the golden child. He would make a good oloâeyktan.Â
Perhaps that would explain the drift between you and Neteyam too. Could they blame you for it? You had lost their attention so earlyâ while you still needed them. You werenât their kid and you were reminded of it everyday. In times when you didnât know if you had space in the family hammock while they sat together, telling stories under the starry sky. You pretended to have fallen asleep everytime; back against them as you listened. In times where the family was growing and growing, until the small table wasnât big enough for everyone anymoreâ or in this case, for you.Â
(âCome on, maâite, what are you doing so far from here?â Neytiri had called for you when she noticed how distant you were from everyone. You silently scooted beside her, wooden bowl in your lap. âLook, I prepared your favorite.âÂ
It wasnât. You hated it. You hated the tangy taste of it so badly. But you had decided to eat what was left on the table after everyone had gotten their meals and there wasnât usually enough for you. Neytiri thought nothing of thatâ didnât think that you eating only scraps and dried fruit was because there wasnât anything else for you to have. She simply thought that it was your favorite and had been making it for you ever since.
You didnât have the heart to tell her. Not when she thought she had been doing well with preparing it. You kissed your teeth, smiling tightly as you lifted the food to your lips, eating silently. âThank you, itâs good.â You muttered under your breath after.)Â
But you were family; they said so themselves. When they tucked you in to sleep, when they patted your head. They were still present now, just not in the way you wantedâ not in the way you longed for. It seemed like making them angry was the only way you could have their attentionâ particularly, your dad. You could never make Neytiri mad. She tries to understand you, she does. Explaining now just seems so.. Petty. So childish, you decided to push her away instead.Â
What do you tell her? That you only let dad blow a fuse or two was because you missed him? Because you didnât know what went wrong?Â
So there goes your routine.Â
âI just donât understand why I canât be oloâeykte.â You had brought up again, lips in a familiar snarl. âYou tire me and for what? Kiri is already training to be Tsahikâ just what would my place in this clan be?âÂ
âWe are not having this conversation again, y/n. Not tonight.â
Jake had just returned from a particularly bad hunt; went home empty-handed and with a patience as thin as a strand of hair. He continued to sharpen his dagger, movements almost aggressive. Everyone immediately went out of his way, not wanting to be on the end of his temperâ not you though. You could never get a hint, it seems.
âYes, tonight! My ceremony is almost near, sir. I have been waiting.â
It wasnât like he had a reason anyway. Jake couldnât tell you because he had no reason as to why. Why couldnât you be oloâeykte? You had all the skills to be one, even more so. But in the back of his mind, a thought so deep and petty that he couldnât bear to say, tells him that the name he carried was something to gift his eldest son. Oloâeyktan was a privilege reserved for Neteyam. He never thought to have you so earlyâ he always dreamed of having a son first.Â
âWait more.âÂ
âThis is insaneâ saânok!â You had turned to Neytiri, eyes pleading. She quickly grasps your arm and tries to tug you back towards the exit, speaking in a soft but firm voice as she tries to soothe the tension.
âMaâite, why donât we go out for a walk?â She whispers. To be frank, she was tired of thisâ never of you, no. But at the way things had been. Parents arenât parents automatically just because they have had children of their own. Itâs a skill they have yet to musterâ to truly understand. She didnât know where the line between you and her had blurry along the years. Didnât know where this constant need of yours to be seen came from.Â
You jerked your arm away from her, almost too harshly. It tugged on her heartstrings, not knowing what was going on with you. âI cannot wait anymore.â You said, taking two steps towards Jake with an unreadable angerâ an anger he didnât know when had stemmed from.Â
âIs it because Iâm not your daughter?âÂ
His eyes widened. A flash of vulnerability visible in his gaze, momentarily softening his glare. âYou stop this right now, y/n.â He had stood up, tucking the dagger back to his loincloth. Jakeâs larger frame towered over you, telling you to drop itâ to leave the conversation. But you werenât backing down.Â
âI am your eldestâ! You trained me earlier than Neteyam, I have been here long enoughââ
âYou arenât ready!â He had shouted with the same fierceness, earning a dirty look from Neytiri.
âWhy wonât you see me?â Your voice had softened, borderline beggingâ just a bit, but enough for his ears to flatten in response. He knew that beneath those few simple words lay many layers of underlying meaning; emotions that have yet to be spoken.Â
But he turns his back against you dismissively anyway. âNeytiri, get her out of here.âÂ
Neytiri grabs you by the arms again, although a bit forceful now, but just enough for her to touch youâ to have you in between her arms. She embraced you, like she was trying to keep the words from escalating. She feared one of you would say something out of line; something you both would regret.Â
But on the brink of the tensionâ the severity of the situation, you had muttered. Your voice was muffled, but it was clear. The message was oh so crystal. âYou took everything from my father.âÂ
Jake grunts, âYeah? Well maybe your father wasnât enough either.âÂ
âJake!â Neytiri hisses and although Jake couldnât see her, he knew very well he was getting quite the conversation with his mate too.Â
It was a low blow. Unnecessary. A straight strike to the gut. It was a pain so bitter, you didnât want it to linger any longerâ you were nauseous. You wanted no more than to vomit everything that spiraled out of your stomach.Â
âYou want to lead so badly and you canât even control your temper. No clan wants a hot-head for a leader.â But he kept goingâ relentless and cruel. âYou ought to be someone elseâs shadow.âÂ
âBut Iâm your daughter,â Your tone had softened, almost cracking as the lump in your throat grew. Tears blurred your vision, threatening to escape as Neytiri held you close.Â
âAnd yet you never listen to meâ because Iâm not exactly your father, yeah?â With one last glance, he stepped out, passing his children who stayed just outside the door, listening. Jake opens his mouth, desperate to ease the tensionâ the discomfort written in their faces, but he quickly shuts it and continues to walks out. He had said enough for tonight. There was nothing saving his face from this. It was best if he left instead.Â
âOh, maâite.â Neytiri rocks her body along yours, drawing soothing circles on your back but the embarrassment settles in your chestâ gnawing at your body. You catch a glance of the pitiful looks from your siblings as they try to enter the hut silently.Â
How could you make a mess out of yourself in front of them? Why had you let this blown over?
You retracted slowly from your motherâs hold, wiping your tears before running the opposite way from where Jake had gone to. It was better if you left instead.
mauve here! finally done writing this after racking my head for weeks. wanted it to be relatable (??) as much as possible, idk why. there is just something therapeutic w writing about your past issues <3 but i hope this one's alright!!! really excited to finally post this heheh
lots of kisses!
THE SWEETNESS
#cavityfromthesweet
Ao'nung x Reader [Word count: 5.8k]
All characters are aged-up to 18!! (okay not all, but-)
Warnings: Aoânung being a jerk, mentions of death, bullying, smoochingÂ
âIf we do not find someone worthy of being our mates, weâll mate each other,â Aoânung scoffed as you muttered a promise, seemingly frustrated by the idea of being one with you. An innocent declaration that none of the two of you expected to be rekindled in due time.
You have known the children of the Metkayina clanâs olo'eyktan and tsahik for as long as you can remember, being in close age with the two. The idea of being playmates struck your parents after seeing the two of you, along with Tsireya and Rotxo. The two of you were inseparable as young naâvi, having learned to breathe, swim, weave and heal collectively, and however intolerable the idea is to you right now, it has always been you and Aoânung who get paired up with each other in various chores. As you grew up however, Aoânungâs attitude towards your peers have also gone into a drastic change, as if he was above everyone, developing a penchant for sneering at every naâvi that approaches the two of you. You, on the other hand, thought of every naâvi you interact with as equals, being of no noble position as him. This very reason caused a rift between your companionship, forming your respective circles, frequent greetings turning into brief glances and side eyes, only communicating when training or when you are tasked with healing him. However, you understood the growing distance between the two of you, as you had different interests and responsibilities. The arrival of Jake Sully and his family was the one responsible for both rekindling and downfall of your relationship. An unwanted occurrence by most of the village percentile although your life would not be the same if it were not for them.
It was a bright day when the former oloâeyktan of the Omatikaya tribe had sought sanctuary in Awaâatlu. You and Tsireya were tasked with weaving nets when a ginormous silhouette of flying creatures flew over you, earning a worried glance from Tsireya. Your heart sped up at the thought of sky people discovering an obsession towards your village, you immediately clicked your tongue and called for your ilu, Orâma. Cautious at the arrival of the ikrans, you dove with your ilu to approach the shores, noticing other villagers approach the forest naâvi, some hissing with threat. Peering from the waters, you spotted familiar faces, deciding to detach yourself from the ilu and see what the commotion is all about. A bunch of tsurak accompanied by warriors resurfaced from the waters, that flew above the people, signaling that the oloâeyktan had arrived to take care of the matters. Gulping at the building anxiety, you looked for immediate safety, finding Aoânungâs wary stance, stalking behind the ikran, searching for any danger. Having a glance around you once more, you gave up finding your parents and ran towards Aoânung, gripping his left arm for protection. Â
Landing on the sand, the new faces earned hisses from all around them, causing the tallest figure to raise his hands as if he was surrendering, followed by his family. You peeked a glance at the ikran, gasping in amazement at their strong wings, wincing in fright when you met a particular naâviâs eyes, ducking your head behind Aoânungâs larger frame, forcing him to shield you with the arm you were gripping, puffing his chest with a threatening gaze at the eldest son of Jake Sully. Rotxo snickered at the size of their tails, âIt is too small, how are they supposed to swim?â, he laughed, earning a chuckle from Aoânung and a swat on the hand from Tsireya. âDo not. Rotxo, Aoânungâ she scolded, her eyes widening as a warning. Your furrowed eyebrows did not help the smile of reassurance directed to your friend. A glare from one of the Omatikayan siblings made you more nervous, squeezing Aoânungâs arm as your ears flattened down in panic. Â
As far as you know, you did not do anything to anger the female naâvi, so why was she rolling her eyes at you?
âMawey, (y/n), mawey,â Aoânung whispered, backing up when his father walked to the center of the crowd to address the problem at hand. You frowned at the words being exchanged, realizing how crucial it must be for their family to be let in, as they were in need of hiding from the sky people. Asking for uturu is no childsplay, considering that it is still the village leadersâ decision if they would be letting in those who asked for sanctuary. Â
Ronal went through them one by one, analyzing what use they could be of in the reef, having no physical trait to aid them in swimming. Hisses were let out when she raised one of the naâviâs hands, having an extra finger to it, a sign that they have demon blood flowing in them. Â
âThey are not even real naâvi!â she exclaimed, holding up the girlâs hands, one extra finger on display.
The girl whom you found glaring at you refuted, âYes, we are!â You winced at the confused dread you sensed in her voice, finding it in yourself to sympathize with her. Being close to the chiefâs children meant that you hang out with either or both of them often. You were witness to Aoânungâs condescending demeanor, and have made aware of how painful his words are. Something that he must have inherited from his mother, Ronal. Â
Countless thoughts filled your mind, only subsiding when you heard Tonowariâs decision, âToruk Makto, and his family will stay with us,â the faces of the forest naâvi lightened up, âTreat them as our brothers and sisters. They do not know the sea, so they will be like babies taking their first breath.â The mate of Jake Sully turned her gaze away, offended at the statement. âTeach them our way so they do not suffer the shame of being useless,â Tonowari emphasized, turning his attention again to Jake Sully, nodding at the family.Â
âAlright, what do we say?â He urged, thank youâs being muttered by the rest of his family.Â
âMy son Aoânung, our daughter Tsireya, will show your children what to do,â a grimace morphing in Aoânungâs face, whilst the complete opposite reaction was written on Tsireyaâs. She beamed at the family, and her brother sought an escape from unwanted duties. Â
âFather whyââÂ
âIt has been decidedâ
It has been decided.
It wasnât too long until you had to interact with the new faces, having been invited by Tsireya to dive with them, along with Rotxo and of course, Aoânung. You warily distanced yourself from the navy blue naâvi, sticking close to Aoânung, since Tsireya was enthusiastic with her newly acquired duties. You waved at Tuktirey, or Tuk, as what she asked you to call her. You found her adorable, having no siblings of your own. You swam closely to the reef, glancing behind you to ensure that they were following you, when you saw them swim upwards, Rotxo looking at them with disbelief, and Aoânung signing that they were bad divers. Â
âStop, they only need to learn,â Tsireya signed, with you nodding in agreement, swimming upwards to follow the Sully children and encourage them to swim more. You were eager to show them the beauty of the reef, determined to get to know them better. Loâak stuck his face into the water, finding Tsireyaâs smiling face, signaling them to swim together, as he responded with gibberish signs, having no idea how to respond. This coaxed a shy smile from you, continuing to swim upwards along with the other metkayina. Â
âYou swim too fast! Wait for us,â Tuk whined, making you chuckle at her adorableness.
âYou are not good divers, maybe swinging through trees butââ Aoânungâs tasteless humor earned a smack on the head from his sister, fed up with unsolicited criticisms. âCâmon broââ âWe do not understand this finger talk you were doing,â Neteyam tried copying what you were doing, making Rotxo grin and Aoânung laughed at their cluelessness. Â
âI will teach you,â Tsireya volunteered, and suddenly included you in her future responsibilities, â(y/n) and I will do. Aoânung and Rotxo can help us with your breathing.â
âWait, whereâs Kiri?â Rotxoâs face twisted in worry, the whole group asking each other where she was, not noticing that the eldest daughter of the Sullyâs had disconnected from the lot.
As soon as you realized where she was, you regrouped again and were told to follow Aoânung towards the shore. He stood a meter away from the group, producing clicks and noises to call a group of ilu. Waist deep in the water, he glanced at each of you, âIf you want to live here, you have to ride.â Â
His arms gestured at the iluâs surrounding him, nodding at the siblings, encouraging them to approach the creatures and familiarize themselves. Your eyes gleamed at how commanding his voice was, as if the whole ocean was sitting on his palm, an attribute that seemed to be innate in the future oloâeyktan of your clan. One by one, they tried their hand at riding an ilu, Loâakâs attempt being the most memorable after being thrown off its back at his recklessness.Â
The training went on and on for weeks, with you assisting Kiri, who was surprisingly a natural when it came to the ilu, having found her underwater interacting with one, which amazed you so much she was shocked to see your beaming face at her after resurfacing with an ilu. Â
As the eclipse approached, so did the end of your daily meetings. The beautiful shades of auburn purple shone on the archipelagic glory of Awaâatlu, indicating the end of the day. Soon after dismissing the group, Tsireya bid you farewell, whispering that she wanted to have a few moments Loâak, making the two of you giggle at the thought of potentially finding someone she wants to spend her life with. Your simpering caught Aoânungâs attention, raising his brow at what could possibly be funny that you and his sister are looking at the rest of the boys coyly. Supporting her idea after knowing that the Sully mean no harm and are actually just a family, you waved at her, tugging Aoânungâs arm to the direction of the village knowing his tendencies to be protective over his sister. Â
âWhat were the two of you talking about?â he asked, adjusting your headpiece, seeing how disheveled your hair looked. You brushed off a sand on your arm, âOh you know, thereâs this boy,â you giggled, remembering Tsireyaâs blushing face,â âReya really likes the forest boy.â You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, âIâm very happy for her. Finding someone she likes and allâŚâ A small whisper from your lips following, âHow wonderful it would be if I too..â
You sighed dreamily, reminiscing about your encounters with peers, frowning at the lack of finding someone that stood out from all of your options, having no recollection of successful romantic encounters. Your sigh did not go unnoticed by your companion, receiving a questioning gaze from Aoânung. He stopped walking and asked, âWhat, you want a mate all of the sudden?â
You breathed, the smell of the ocean embracing you, âI am simply pondering my options, Aoânung. My rite of passage is not far, and it is of common knowledge that it is only a matter of time until all the commendable bachelors in our village become betrothedâ he scoffed at this, his tail flicking in annoyance at the thought of you getting a mate. Â
âI do not want to grow old all alone. I would want a family for myself, you know that.â Approaching the direction of your marui, you smiled at him moving your hands to sign him farewell. As you were helping your mother prepare dinner, you couldnât help but reminisce about the times when another guy your age would approach you with the most intricate shells in hand. Â
You have just turned 14 when a boy of your age approached you with a carefully woven bracelet. It was typical of you to spend the day with Tsireya, however due to her duties as the tsahikâs daughter, she has asked you to pair up with her brother for the day. Not minding the company, Aoânung took you to a spot he and his friends frequented. You were humming a song to motivate you while searching for shells to give to your dearest friend when a familiar face started to walk towards you. Aoânung squinted in curiosity when he noticed Keomä approach your spot. Keomä is usually assigned with fishing out nets before the eclipse, often swooned at by girls due to his dimpled grins. The village is not a vast place so the two of you have already been acquainted with each other.
âWhat could be that bastardâs business?â he thought, his carving halted in contemplation. Rotxo stared at him in suspicion when he suddenly stopped sharpening the bone. Meeting his friendâs gaze, he huffed and continued his task with a newfound aggressive vigor. Shrugging at his strange action, Rotxo went back to polishing his dagger. Â
Aoânung was seething as soon as his eyes spotted the bracelet that was not-so-subtly held behind Keomä as an attempt to surprise you. His enraged mind was prompted to come up with unprecedented schemes to ruin the other metkayinaâs chances with you. As soon as you lifted your head to meet Keomäâs smile with yours, he flouted as he finally decided on what to do. Â
âKeomä, have you just finished fetching dinner for the village?â you put down your collection, politely nodding at him. âYes, it is another bountiful day,â he stiffly responded, making your head tilt as if to ask what was going on. Resolved to fulfill what his heart desired, he immediately spouted words of confession before his mouth betrayed him.
âYou are the most beautiful person that I have ever laid my eyes on (y/n). Your melodic voice never fails to complete my day,â he started, making your cheeks flush in appreciation at his kind words. âI am to participate in my rites of passage in a few months. If you would..â âIf your heart is to say yes,â he cleared his throat to continue, âWith this crafted bracelet, I would like to ask you for permission to stake a claim onââ
Unfortunately for him, Aoânung is not one to give openings for other metkayina. He had his heart spoken for since you were of young age, and he would not let you find a man other than him. He stood up from his sitting position with a smirk, prancing slowly towards the two of you.
âAh, Keomä. Were you not reprimanded by Zoaiäl for your irresponsible decisions yesterday?â Aoânung towered over the both of you, and to add salt to the wound, âThe offense you have induced on yourself could lengthen the stretch before you are allowed to take part in the ceremony for adulthood, you are aware arenât you?â
âT-thatââÂ
âFrankly, I do not see the significance in asking her for her hand if you are only going to make her wait for your incompetent self,â his arms extended in a haughty stance, his tail jerking with a snap with threat, âBest to get going to aid your ineptness, Keomä.â His voice deepened to emphasize his point, making the poor boy shiver. Â
Just as your suitor stomped in anger, Aoânung shook his head at Keomäâs pathetic attempt. Meanwhile, you were disappointed at the interrupted confession, making you glare at your companion. Aoânung could only raise his hands with a satisfied smirk all written on his face. You went back to your prior activity with a sunken expression and ears down, making him contemplate if you liked Keomä enough to induce despondency from you.
You are not as skillful as Tsireya in healing, nor as good as NoĂŹukä in hunting. Your modesty however, is of notable charm for most people in your village. This led to not two, but more than four suitors in a span of seven months just after the first efforts to capture your heart. Â
How wonderful! Not.Â
Aoânungâs annoying interruptions continued on as more young metkayina tried their hand in asking you, finding it increasingly difficult to penetrate the barricades that your childhood friend had established. He was acting like a possessive mate at that point. Thatâs right, a mateâ
That particular speculation immediately pulled you from the barrage of memories you were just recollecting. Your eyes widened at the thought of Aoânung holding romantic affections for you. You have never considered him to be someone who would develop feelings for you. Â
Not that you know of.Â
Set on shrugging this particular idea off of your mind, you finished cleaning up with your mother and informed her that you were turning in for the night, making her meet your forehead with hers in good night, receiving another from your father with a promise from your parents that they will be joining you in bed later. You tucked yourself in your familyâs mat with a strange feeling in your stomach, making it difficult to fall asleep. Instantly after a few minutes, you were off to sleep with a particular boy in your dreams.
Months have passed since the arrival of the Omatikaya naâvi and you have grown close with the siblings, which is quite the contrary in Aoânungâs case, growing some kind of disdain for them, calling them names and sneering at them for their differences. Â
It has become unbearable, really.Â
As you grew close to the siblings, you have also gotten to know their mother, Neytiri, and the Toruk Makto, Jake Sully. You looked up to the both of them, having been told the stories of how they fought the sky people with victory. You often found yourself dining with them in their marui at some nights. The cherry on top however, was the friendship that you have found in Neteyam. He is someone that you look up to, treating him as a brother and him, treating you as one of his sisters. You have invited him and his siblings to one of your dinners, your mother and father appreciating their presence as they have finally had a chance to take a closer look at the infamous family. Â
âSo, do you like it here so far Neteyam?â your hands untangled themselves from the net, gesturing for him to try continuing the work himself.Â
âIt is different from the forest,â he reached out for the strands, âthere is also difficulty in connecting with other naâvi, but the island is wonderful.â
You were assisting Neteyam with weaving a net when Kiriâs voice caught your attention. âLeave us alone!â, followed by a series of laughter. You frowned when you saw Aoânungâs peers around her and Loâak. Hearing a hiss from Neteyam, you casted a worried glance at him when he stood up stomping towards his siblings. You pressed your lips together and stood up to follow him, your ears flicking in alarm when he shoved Aoânung away, âYou heard what she said. Leave them alone.â He huffed with his tail flicking with a rigid threat, âSmart choice, and from now on, I need you to respect my sister.â  Â
You grimaced at Aoânungâs lack of apology when he simply raised his hands in mock surrender, obviously not taking Neteyamâs words seriously; followed suit by his friend who hissed at Neteyam from being told off. Neteyam goaded his sister gently to the direction of the village marui with Loâak following, when Aoânung voiced out another jibe.Â
âBuh-bye~â One of his friends waved goodbye with a singsong voice.
âTheyâre all freaks. The whole family,â he slyly whispered loudly, purposely making the siblings hear. You frowned when Loâak stopped walking, only to turn back and approach Aoânung with anger clearly visible from his eyes.  Â
âLoâak.âÂ
âI got this bro,â Loâak responded to his older brother calling his name in warning. Facing Aoânung, he raised his left hand, âI know this hand is funny. Look, Iâm a freak, itâs alienâ he waved his pinky, making the group snicker at the âweirdâ display. âBut it can do something really cool, watch.â He slowly started to close his hand to form a fist, âFirst I ball it up real tight like this, âkay? Then,â his balled up first met Aoânungâs cheek, catching him off guard to pause for a few seconds at what had just occurred. Â
âItâs called a punch, bitch. Never touch my sister again,â he raised a finger in threat, only to be greeted with hisses and a tackle. Your eyes met Neteyam and Kiriâs, only to gasp when Neteyam shook his head and joined in. Â
âOh dear,â you hissed when two of them pulled on Loâakâs tail, Aoânung being the main instigator of the action. âThis is stupid!â Kiri facepalmed in embarrassment, only to chortle at the childishness of the boys, making you follow her example as you bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing out loud at how silly they all looked. It was not long before one of the villagers spotted the lot of you and helped stop the boys from worsening their injuries. Â
As soon as the fight is broken off, Neteyam and Loâak were dragged by their necks by Jake Sully himself, meanwhile Aoânung successfully evaded his mother by calling an ilu together with his friends. Â
The eclipse had already begun when you went back to your home in order to assist your mother, spending time telling her of what had just occurred between your friends when an alarm resonated to gather the villagers. As soon as you were in the emergency gathering, you spotted Aoânung being interrogated by his own parents and Jake Sully, along with a livid Neytiri, clutching Tukâs hand. Â
âWhatâs going on, âReya?â you inquired, spotting your friend behind her parents. Her eyes glistened with welled up tears, fear clearly written on her face. âItâs Loâak..â she started, repeating what Aoânung confessed earlier.Â
You raised your hands to your mouth in shock, terrified at what you heard, âWhat do you mean Aoânung left Loâak beyond the hunting grounds? No one but warriors are allowed there!â You swallowed at the thought of Loâak getting injured, or worse, losing his life in the middle of nowhere. You had witnessed Aoânungâs tendency to play pranks countless times, but never did this particular idea strike your mind. You did not expect things to escalate this much. Â
Aoânung met your gaze with his ears flattened down with regret and scrutiny at himself clearly on his face. You avoided his gaze in utter disappointment, exasperated at the endangerment of one of your friends. You thought he had done enough to make the family feel unwelcome, but this is going above and beyond the line. He had endangered the life of another naâvi. You could not bring yourself to meet his eyes without a scornful grimace on your face.Â
It was not long after until someone yelled that they had found Loâak, hugging Tsireya in relief, her tears streaming down her face. Loâak shook his head when he saw Aoânung approaching him, getting blocked by his fatherâs distressed figure. Â
âHey, letâs take a look at you,â Jake roamed his eyes on his sonâs body, noticing a few scratches, proceeding to check on Loâakâs back to see if there were any notable injuries that needed immediate remedy. âHeâs fine! Itâs just a few scratches, heâs fine,â he finished examining, Neytiri coming into view with concern morphed into her face, turning into something akin to rage, âI pray for the strength that I will not pluck the eyeballs of my youngest son!â She hissed with a clawing gesture right at Loâakâs face, interjected by Tonowari. âNo, my son knows better than to take him outside the reef.â He smacked a hand at Aoânungâs nape, making him kneel before them, âthe blame is his.â Â
âOkay, letâs go,â Jake shrugged off the statement, patting his sonâs shoulder. âNo, this is not Aoânungâs fault,â Loâak intervened, obviously covering up for the oloâeyktanâs son. Aoânungâs surprised expression made you shake your head at his foolishness, feeling bad for your friend for salvaging his bullyâs honor. Loâak peered at him, back to Tonowari âAoânung actually tried to talk me out of it, really.â Tsireya only pursed her lips in shame for her brotherâs poor decisions, urging her to walk away from the commotion. Soon enough, the rest of the villagers were dispersed, ending the day with you thanking Eywa that she has kept your friend safe, and with the thoughts of Aoânung circling within your mind.
The next day, you were once again gathered in your usual spot to help the Sully siblings with their breathing. Although instead of training, the group had a newfound interest for talking, curious about Loâakâs frightening experience the prior day. You found out that Aoânung has apologized to Loâak, regretful of his actions but also thankful that the boy covered up for his irrationality. Â
âThe tulkun have not returned yet,â Aoânung scoffed in disbelief, crouching down, âand anyway, no tulkun is ever aloneâÂ
âBut this one was, he also had aâ a missing fin! On the left side, like a stumpâ Loâak defended, pointing at his arm, a bit annoyed.
Your eyes met Rotxoâs in realization, âLoâak, did you just say the tulkun was missing a fin?â He nodded at you in hopes of finding more information about his friend, âYou have met Payakan..â Tsireya gulped, afraid for him because of what the villagers know about Payakan. Â
âPayakan?â
Rotxo shook his head, fiddling with a shell, âA young bull who went rogue, he is an outcast. Alone, and he has a missing fin.â Tsireya held Loâakâs arm, âThey say he is a killer.â Loâak frowned, âNo, he saved my lifeââ âHe killed naâvi, and other tulkun,â Aoânung gritted his teeth, pointedly gesturing as if to emphasize his point. âNot here, but far to the south.â âLoâak, you are lucky to be alive,â Tsireya smiled as an attempt to ease his worries, but Loâak could only sigh, finding it ridiculous that none of his friends believed him. Â
âMy baby brother, the mighty warrior who survived from Payakan!â Neteyam chuckled, patting his brotherâs shoulders. âNo, you guys arenât listening,â âNo Iâmâ Iâm listening Loâak!â Tuk whined, reaching out for her brother.
You pressed your lips together, hugging yourself when Loâak stormed off. Blinking at his brotherâs response, Neteyam went to sit beside you, offering a smile, âI guess heâs not so mighty to be this fed up in a span of minutes, huh?â You laughed, standing up to call it a day. â(y/n), you are not coming with us?â Tsireya asked, brushing off sand from her legs. âI think I am going to pass, I have not told my mother that we would be visiting,â you smiled apologetically, waving at the rest of the group. âI wonât be going as well,â Aoânung said, standing up from his crouched position to walk towards you. He slung his arm around you, nodding at his sister, âBe back before the eclipse, Tsireya.â He shared a look with Rotxo, the latter snickering at his friend. âSee you guys around,â you waved, starting to walk with Aoânung.Â
You were talking to Aoânung about his latest opinion on the Sullyâs when a thought crossed your mind, something that you have been pondering since that night. Â
âAoânung, am I not desirable?â Â
Your question caught him off guard and stopped walking, âWhat?â Confusion. It was all written on his face. âI said, am I not desirable?â you repeated while facing him, slowly meeting his gaze with glossy eyes. You have been sought after before but when you turned 18, it was as if all of your redeemable qualities had disappeared. That you have become dull compared to the other girls your age. Keomä had bonded with Tifka. Rotxo is obviously pining for a certain girl. Tsireya and Loâak has something going on. Â
Aoânung.. Â
Aoânung probably has someone in mind.
Your ears flattened down in shame, your insecurities resurfacing, doubts swallowing your heart as you searched for answers.Â
Were you not worthy of being loved?
Tears started to stream down when Aoânung opened his mouth to answer. You were afraid that he might say something true that you cannot accept. You were afraid that he might ridicule you. You were afraid that you might be incapable of being loved. You were afraid that nobody would see you.
You were afraid that Aoânung does not see you the way you see him.
Aoânung let out an exasperated breath, reaching for your hands. âYou are desirable.â He licked his bottom lip, âYou are beautiful,â he breathed, âthe most beautiful metkayina.â He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, âYou are good at healing, better than most in weaving.â Â
You laughed, sniffling at the sudden compliments. âYou are not speaking the truth, Aoânung. You do not have to say those to make me feel better,â you smiled, looking at the horizons instead of his eyes. You could hear the constant splashing of water against the sand, a sound that you have been accustomed with since you were little. The blues reflect the way of the ocean, colors that you have most seen in your whole life. Â
But you were not familiar with the way Aoânung looked at you when you glanced back at his face. The look of yearning, as if he was pleading. Like there was a thing that he wanted to see.Â
That, he sees you.Â
Your heartbeat fastened at the thought. Of course not. He would not.
Interrupting you from more thinking, he spoke as if he was holding back âDo you have any idea why the others stopped trying to approach you?â You blinked at him, a few tears escaping from your eyes. Â
âI,â he inhaled sharply âI have told the others that I did not want them near you.â He brought his hand up to wipe at your tears, âI made it clear that they were not worthy of you,â your eyes clouded up again in realization. Â
âThat I was the only one who can love you,â you gripped the arm that held your face, clutching it, afraid that you might slip away from this dream. âI do not want you to see others so I made it impossible for you to have other options than I.â Your lips quivered, âI see you, (y/n). You have owned my heart since we were children,â his face was slowly inching towards yours, âyou make me feel tiny in this world,â he smiled like he was in pain, âyou hold my whole being, like you would a shell in your collection.â Â
âYou have so many people to choose from,â he closed his eyes, slowly closing the space between you, one centimeter at a time, âmany shells to place in your song chord.â He opened his eyes once again when your foreheads met, âBut, I want to be the one who will be in your life, recorded and embedded in your heart.â
His eyes themselves were becoming glossy, reflecting the hopeful expression on your face, slightly flushed but still just as beautiful as you were when he first met you. âI see you, (y/n). I see you like how the ilu sees the ocean,â you smiled, happy tears dropping at the mercy of his loving gaze, and finally your velvety voice reached his ears.
âI see you, Ma Aoânung. I see you since the promise that I have spoken years ago,â without hesitation, your lips met, perfectly slotting together like puzzle pieces finally finding one another after years and years of searching. His plump lips smiling against yours, slowly but passionately finding its place on yours, so full of longing, and as you returned with fervor, his arm found itself wounding across your back, one of his hands gently caressing your jaw, tilting it to a newer angle, making you sigh as he made it clear how long he waited for you to know. For you to see him back.Â
Seconds felt like hours to the two of you, the background fading into nothingness when it was just the two of you, close together. Your lips parted to catch your breath, holding on to Aoânungâs neck to balance your weakened knees. You smiled against Aoânungâs lips, âSo, all those years you were taking all of their chances for yourself?â He smirked, âA man cannot be too careful, they were simply not strong enough to go against me.â Â
âOr, you were simply not strong enough to handle it if I saw someone else,â you snorted at his deadpanning face. Your eyes widened in horror when you saw his face morph into something akin to a daring tsurak, his fangs visible from how wide his smile was, âYou have five seconds.â Â
â5,â you tried to get out from his tight grasp, giggling when he started to nose at your neck,Â
â4,â he strengthened his grip, ânot running away, pretty girl?âÂ
You wheezed, feeling too ticklish when he moved his arms near your sensitive spots, â3,â
â2â
âOh my Eywa, Aoânung!â you squealed, failing to escape.
â1!âÂ
âReady or not, here I come!â he announced, making Aâvire giggle nervously behind you. You smiled at his tiny hands gripping your tail, trying to hide his whole body from his father. Â
âSaânu, AiwouĂŹ would not give me my tsurak back!â ĂmepxĂŹr cried, tugging at you as you bounced Aytretem in your arms making him giggle. Â
âAiwouĂŹ, give your sister her toy back, or I will snap your spear in half.â You glared at your 4-year old son. Â
âMa yawne, stop glaring at our son or he might just melt into a puddle,â Aoânung pressed a kiss on your forehead, patting his son on the head, tearing up after being scolded. Â
âRemind me again, why did I go for you? Look at these little Aoânungs! None of them look like me,â you whined, repeatedly glancing over your children to double check if they at least had an ounce of you. Â
He grinned, letting out a boisterous laugh when you let out a long sigh, âMaybe it is because I am stronger than you, (y/n).â
âStronger?â you scoffed, âI see how it is. I hope you are strong enough to withstand the cold nights Aoânung,â his eyes almost popped out of his skull in realization. Â
âNo, maâ Yawntu, you know I was justââ Â
âI hope you have fun being strong by yourself outside my mat, Aoânung.â
-
Yawne, Yawntu â Beloved
Sa'nu - Mom, mother
I know I'm ovulating when anything smut wise just grabs my soul and fucks it good.
Storm
Katsuki Bakugou x Ex!Reader
Summary: He's been cheating and youre feeling the best feeling of all..Anger
Warnings: Breaking stuff, violence (towards objects never physical to a person), hot ex reader, swearing
He must've forgot who the fuck he was dealing with.
Bakugou fucking Katsuki really must have a screw loose if he thought he could get away with lying, cheating, and straight up being an asshole.
The sneaking around your house that you both shared. Catching whiffs of perfume too overbearing to be your own, making you gag and your nose runny.
You gave him a chance to come clean, asking him one night when he came home, turning the lamp on. He froze as he caught you smiling, a small cup of whiskey in your hand.
"Who were you with?"
"You really think that of me huh?" He scoffed, trying to gaslight you for asking him a simple question, "Katsu, I never mentioned you were doing something.." you swirled your liquor and took a long sip, eyes darting to his and you watched him like a Lion stalking a Mouse.
"Promiscuous," your voice was like a sticky sweet honey, daring him to act a fool.
"Forget it, I'm going the hell to bed,"
And like that, you had him hook, line and you were going to sink him.
~.~
Of course, before you could be the one to end it. He decided to get a step ahead and you came home one day to him throwing your stuff out onto the street, a girl clinging to his arm.
"We're over, I shouldn't have to settle for some entitled bitch asking me, the Number 4 Hero, shit and getting pissy if I don't wanna answer," he snapped, but he tried to ignore the small twinge of fear when your emotionless gaze bore into him.
"Oh really?" Was all you asked, head tilted, eyes moving from his to the girl on his arm. She appeared to be about your age, maybe a couple younger.
"Sorry sweetie, if you can't keep up with the best then someone else will," her cheap lipgloss wasn't helping her already cracked lips. Her fake giggle was like listening to a pick me girl record, which is basically all she was.
A pick me bitch.
"Since everything is in my name, get your shit and leave," Katsuki smirked, trying to puff up to show his dominance. Oh you'll show him dominance alright.
"Fine, but I have one more thing I need to grab," you shoved past him, the new girls squeak of surprise when she stumbled, her heels too skinny to handle the weight change.
You walked into the hall closet, grabbing your bat.
"Don't touch anything!" His voice yelled into the house but the next sound following had him growling, curses flying out of his mouth as he heard crashes and glass shattering.
You swing the bat and broke the TV you paid for. The China cabinet that was a gift from his parents for Christmas from when they went to visit China on vacation.
Cups and plates crashed around you as you continued to swing, the girls high pitched scream making your ears ring as you dodged Katsuki who was cussing you out.
You ducked under his arm and got outside, your bat coming down hard on his precious Buggati. A birthday present to himself, that he bought on your fucking birthday.
"BITCH! FUCKING STOP!" He screamed as your cracked the windows, shattering the tail lights.
"But I'm not touching anything," you growled, throwing the bat in his direction as he dodged, unluckily being missed by the bat. "IM FUCKING DESTROYING IT!"
You brought out your pocket knife that you kept on you for safety and slashed 3 of his tires, jabbing it into the metal of the car. Puncture marks left as Katsuki finally found some ounce of motion to run over and snatch the knife out of your hand.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM!? GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"
"Hope he wrapped it up sis cause he's got the clap! And I know I didn't give it to him!" You called over your shoulder, flipping them off as you sauntered to your car as you listened to the screaming that was now happening up the drive way.
"Have fun Katsu~" you blew a mocking kiss as he screamed about his car while he was getting hit by the pick me bitches hands.
No. I CANT DEAL WITH THE FEELS!
OK, so imagine Snape looking into the Mirror of Erised but he doesnât see himself. He sees Lily with James because he just wants her to be as happy as possible.
My Colorguard Coach marches Baritone here! GO NICHOLAS!
Phantom Regiment rehearsal in Nevada feat. The Phantomettes
This is giving me HTTYD2 Vibes, "You're a beautiful as the day I lost you" like stop breaking my heart man đđ
Bakugouâs first love whoâs temper and passion matches, no, exceeds his, because you had to fight twice as hard to earn things he was given, had to fight twice as hard to get a seat at a table he was born to. His first love, whoâs outcast by hero society for carrying too much anger, for being too rough, too much.Â
For being Quirkless.
He never said it was love, but it was. He could feel it, knew you could too. Or at least, he hopes you could.Â
So after you disappear, thereâs not a single day that goes by where he doesnât think of you, well into adulthood. Little things like the flowers in the florist shop window that are the exact color of your old car, the way the city glows after a rainstorm.
He thinks it would be easier to forget you, to not have to carry the weight around with him all the time, and he hates himself for thinking it at all. Hates that he feels burdened by your memory instead of thankful he could tell someone exactly where every mole and birthmark sat on your skin, the different colors in your eyes.
Itâs that perfect memory that confirms his worst suspicion when history begins to repeat himself, a new group of villains unhappy with society rising from the ashes of the last.
Youâre clearly different, but he knows you. Knows the way you move, the tilt to your voice when youâre hiding that youâre wounded.
Itâs the first time that his heart is at war with his sense of duty, but he keeps quiet about his suspicion regardless, needing to confirm everything for himself before he spoke up.
Itâs a thin line heâs walking, but he assures himself he wonât cross it, no matter what.
And yet, when he finally catches you, unmasked and pinned beneath him, bloody teeth bared, he finds himself lifting enough for you to escape. He wants desperately to give chase, to catch you again, but he knows itâs not so he can bring you in.
Itâs that realization that wakes him up, makes him take extended leave so he can track you down. Except he doesnât have to.
You show up at his apartment one night, covered in shadows near the open window as he comes in, absently listening to Kiri worry about him over the phone. It takes everything in him not to hang up on his friend immediately when he sees you, freezing in place.
He should be angry, should be insulted that you, a wanted villain, had the audacity to show up in his home and silently watch him, but heâs not.
Part of him believes heâs finally lost it, chasing ghosts, so he calls out your name quietly, more of a breath than real words, but he can see the way your body reacts to it immediately, and all he can feel is relief crash around him.
Thereâs a heavy silence for a while, and then he takes a step forward. You stiffen, and in a blink, youâre gone, the only sign you were real to begin with a note telling him to stay away.
But he doesnât. And neither do you. He knows you follow him, can feel watchful eyes on him, even if he canât see you right away.
And then you show up in his apartment once more, clearly ready for a fight in the middle of his kitchen. Thereâs a glint of a knife in your hand, and heâs careful to move slowly as he sets down his groceries, hands splayed to show you heâs unarmed, as if he couldnât kill you with one flick of his wrist. He calls out your name again, softly, like heâs talking to a wounded animal, and you canât help the way your heart begs you to respond, even after so many years.
You shift, hesitate, and he straightens, takes a chance, and takes a step towards you. Your hand twitches, but you donât raise it, donât charge him. So he takes another. And then another. And then heâs within striking range, and your eyes are hard, angry in warning, but wide, like youâre lost.Â
So he steps closer. And you step back, knife falling from your hand and clattering to the floor. He presses forward until your back hits his kitchen island, and heâs leaning over you, knuckles white with the way they grip the marble.Â
You look panicked, fear brewing in your gaze when he raises a hand, eyes squeezing shut so you donât see the blow coming.Â
Instead, he brushes your hair away from your face, and your eyes fly open in surprise, the large pro drinking you in, his eyes flicking over your form.Â
âI thought you were dead,âÂ
His voice is softer than anything youâve ever heard, rolling over you and bringing back memories long since repressed. He cups your cheek, thumb sliding over your skin as if to make sure youâre real, and you hate how good it feels, how much youâve missed him, and then his gaze dips lower and he freezes.Â
Now thatâs heâs able to be close to you, breathe you in, he sees what heâs missed before, hidden under stealth suits and large hoodies. From beneath your top curl ragged scars, curving and licking up along your throat and across your shoulders, more abundant than unmarred skin.
Your breath hitches as his fingers leave your face to trace over the scars on your collarbone, his face filled with anguish. His searching takes him lower, to the collar of your shirt where he pulls away, shaky hands falling to the hem as he begins to lift it slowly.Â
Your hands circle his wrist in warning, and he spares you a glance, his pretty eyes filled with silent pleas, and you give in to him, as powerless to him as you were when you were stupid kids believing you were in love. Your fingers fall away from his skin slowly to let him continue, heart hammering as you let the man you came to kill undress you.Â
He hesitates, inhaling deeply, steeling himself for what he might see before he tugs the cotton upwards once more.Â
His stomach twists in knots as youâre revealed to him, arching scars covering most of your torso, some clearly old, but far too many new, deep, and he can only imagine what you went through to earn such markings across your skin.Â
He can hardly find those moles and beauty marks he used to be able to map perfectly, now replaced with thick and jagged lines. He looks tortured, struggling not to let it show, but you see it anyways.
You canât help the noise that bubbles from your throat when you lift your arms for him, a fresh wound beneath your left breast pulling painfully tight with the movement, and he clenches his jaw at the sound of your whimper, brows drawn low over his eyes.Â
When his palm lays flat against your stomach, measuring the expanse of your scars to his hand, the former reaching out far further, you squeeze your eyes shut and tilt your head back.Â
You never wanted him to see you like this, and in that very moment, you wished you were dead like heâd assumed, rather than a broken shell of who he used to love.Â
Heâs silent as his hands wander, their warmth seeping into your skin and settling on your hips, fingers splayed wide. He lets out a shaky huff and you finally peel open your eyes as he drops to his knees, his breath warm over your skin, moments before his mouth presses over your flaws.
He doesnât miss the way you inhale sharply, hazy eyes focused down at him kneeling at your feet, mouth ghosting across your body.Â
He traces a path upwards, his hands keeping you grounded as you arch against him, goosebumps rising in the wake of his ministrations. He deviates from his path only once, to press a feather soft kiss against your newest wound, and you hiss, fingers flying to tangle in his hair.Â
It shouldnât hurt so much, but his mouth feels like a brand, his nose brushing along the underside of your breast, lighting a fire within you that you had assumed died long ago. He murmurs out something you donât quite catch against your skin before he returns the drag of his mouth between your breasts, up until heâs pressing kisses against your jaw, his forehead bumping against your cheek as he shakes his head.Â
He exhales shakily again, and you tilt your head ever so slightly, needing to see him, needing to see the disgust, the pity in his eyes. You need him to give you a reason to push him away, a reason to hate him so neither of you start something you canât finish.Â
But all you see is a quiet fury buried in those crimson eyes, smothered by a emotion youâve only ever seen in those very eyes the last time youâd seen him. Youâre not ready to admit what it is yet, denial flooding you even as your mind supplies the word.Â
Love.Â
Itâs like all the air rushes from your lungs, and youâre sure in that very moment, if it wasnât for his firm grip, that youâd simply crumple under the weight of your realization.Â
He draws you back to him, nose bumping yours when one of his hands cups the back of your head, fingers burying themselves in your hair. He opens his mouth and immediately closes it again, breathing in sharply through his nose before he speaks again, eyes shutting.Â
âIâm sorry I wasnât there to protect you.âÂ
And just like that, you canât resist his pull anymore, closing the distance as the first tear rolls down your cheek.Â
NO MY HEART đđ
This is my part for the bnharem collab, please check out all the other amazing authors here. The theme this month was flowers!Â
Warnings: Angst.
Word Count: 4101.
Youâd never been much of a flower person before. You could appreciate their beauty, but youâd never really understood their meanings. The reasons why each flower had its own unique message behind it. More interested in aesthetics than any cryptic messages. Thatâs why when you received the first bunch, you were perplexed.
âOi, shitty woman. Why the fuck were these at the front door this morning?â Bakugou flung a bouquet of flowers across the room to you, the ashen smell of his explosive quirk filling the air as you took in the sight of the dishevelled paper, the flowers in a disarray as you looked down at them in confusion.Â
âIsnât it obvious, Bakugou?â Ashido was already leaning over the couch to look at the paper, trying to find a note with them. Seeing the small pink rectangle and grabbing it off the sugar paper before you had a chance to stop her, your hand trying to grab it from her fingers as she held it away from you, âSheâs got a secret admirer!â
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