𝑭𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 (Zuko x Reader)

nine

A/N: AAHHH tysm for 1k reads :D!!! Sorry for my SUPER late update, I got caught up in demonicxchaos' fanfics Love Burns and Blazing!! They have the same 'double bender' idea, but in her stories, Y/n bends fire and water :) i highly suggest reading and joining her discord server!! everyone's so nice there :) both books are in my reading list! i made this chapter extra long to make up for being late, hope you enjoy~

p.s: i wrote this whole first half just so that Y/n could interact with Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai... sorry if its kinda long and boring lmao

"𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 believe it," Aang breathed. "I know the war spread far, but Omashu always seemed... untouchable."

"This is horrible," Katara approached Aang. "But we have to move on."

"I agree with Katara," I chimed in quickly, crossing my arms. "Something really doesn't feel right."

"Yeah, maybe it doesn't feel right because it's been taken over by the Fire Nation," Sokka stated caustically, gesturing to the smoking city.

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious," I retorted. "But that's not what I meant."

Sokka opened his mouth, but Aang interrupted him.

"No. We're not leaving," Aang said firmly, stepping closer to the cliffside. "I'm going in to find Bumi."

"Aang, stop," Katara reached for him.

"We don't know if Bumi's even still..." Sokka trailed off.

"What?" Aang turned to look at him, glaring. "If he's still what?"

"Around," he finished, looking away.

"I know you had your heart set on Bumi," Katara tried to reassure the airbender. "But there are plenty of other people who can teach you earthbending."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Once I can bend again, I'd be happy to teach you. But I really really don't think we should go in there right now."

"This isn't about finding a teacher," Aang turned away from us again. "This is about finding my friend."

Sokka, Katara, and I fell quiet at that, silently agreeing. I gulped.

I have a really bad feeling about this.

We all gathered back on Appa and flew down into the gorge surrounding the city, landing near a grate.

"A secret passage?" Sokka hopped down after Aang. "Why didn't we just use this last time?"

Aang pried the grate open, sending black sludge all over the narrow path. "That answer your question?"

Aang went in first, Katara and I behind him, Sokka in the back. I stuck close to her side as she bent the nasty water around us.

This is humiliating. I wish I had my earthbending right now.

Aang blew open the exit before hopping out, Katara hoisting herself over the edge and helping me up. Before now, I never realized that I was a little bit shorter than her, despite my being a year older. I didn't know if she wasn't aware of our age difference or just didn't care, as so far during our travels she treated me like her younger sister.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought," the waterbender smoothed out her tunic.

I opened my mouth to agree when Sokka emerged from the sewer, covered in sludgy, gross water. Katara quickly washed him off using a nearby barrel and Aang dried him off, revealing three, purple creatures on his face and neck. The boy started screaming, trying in vain to rip the poor things off of his cheeks before Aang tackled him to the ground.