Avatar the last air bender fan fiction
-I do not own avatar the last airbender/the avatar series this is just fan fiction for your enjoyment :) thank you
(Notes from the author)- I've read so many fanfics on ATLA but my only issue is most of the writing doesn't sound like things the actual characters would say, making it hard to read. This is a short fan fiction mostly about prince zuko, a character I intend to write a good bit of fan fiction about in the future. Especially with all the talk of the new avatar movie(s) and zuko moving coming out in 2023-oct2025
Zukos fire watch:
Zuko's first few nights in the group were spent watching the fire. Since he had lost the strength in his bending it was the least he could do to contribute to the group.
He glanced at everyone without moving his head. Aang and momo were curled up together like a child with their favorite stuffed animal. Katara, sokka, toph and all the others had separate bed rolls around the fire. The smoke drifted perfectly between where everyone slept. There was a big gap between zuko and the others. He turned his head and looked at the darkness up welling into the western air temple, thoughts of azula appearing from the dark left him unsure of his surroundings. With is mouth open he used his hands to rub his tired eyes and returned his gaze in the fire. He gave it some juice, what he had left to give to it, feeling his body grow heavy.
He knew it was his job to keep the fire going though he kept catching himself slumping or head nodding with eyes nearly closed. He repositioned himself as straight and alert as the flame was hot. Sokka felt the warmth of the fire growing and opened his eyes.
"Hey zuko"
"What?"
"I know we put you on fire duty and all, but you still need to sleep…"
"How can I sleep when I'm watching the fire?"
Sokka shrugs "I don't know, before you came along we would take turns adding wood and restarting the fire when we woke up. It's okay to let the flame die down a little. whenever you feel the cold just hit it with some fire bending-wah pow!"
"Thanks but I don't think that would work, how is anyone going to trust me if I can't even keep a stupid fire going?"
Sokka finally understanding zukos thought process answered calmly.
"Look if you really have the right intentions the trust will build on its own, I'll make you a deal."
Zuko looked and listened intently trying not to let his sleepiness show.
"If you fall asleep and the fire starts to go out I'll throw another log on and it'll all be fine, deal? We'll go in turns. Who ever wakes up from the cold fixes the fire."
Zuko wanted to do it alone but he knew soon sleep would get the best of him, he responded only with a nod of approval before laying back on his elbows with is legs stretched out. Katara who stayed turned away from them had her eyes open and though she didn't speak she also didn't believe zuko should get off of watching the fire so easily.
About 30 minutes past and zuko turned from his back to his side, he moaned deeply and his breathing turned to light snores.
Katara felt the cold around her and got up ready to make zuko feel the shame of letting the fire die out, she walked to him and just as her mouth opened she heard her brother throwing a log on the fire. She turned to him and as they made eye contact Sokka pointed his head down disappointedly at Katara. He knew zuko didn't deserve to feel any worse after everything.
Katara looked back at zuko who was actively having a bad dream, he flinched a bit and uttered "no" a few times in a low desperate voice. He moved back to laying on his back again with a hand behind his head and the other on his stomach, he kept one leg straight out and the other bent up pointing toward the rising ashes on the fire.
Katara went back to her bed roll and waited. Maybe zukos bad dream was about capturing the avatar, what if he had some sort of horrible plan that was conflicting him while he slept.
Sokka was finished messing with the fire but he stayed turned toward the light. zuko was directly across from him on the other side of the fire.
Sokka laid back down to sleep, Katara watched.
Zuko tossed and turned, it was enough to woke toph who simply asked aloud
"What's his deal?"
Zuko continued to speak in his sleep in a raspy sleepy voice.
Katara answered Toph suspiciously.
"I don't know but I don't like it. I'm watching to be sure he doesn't try anything."
Toph held a confused expression
"in his sleep?"
Katara felt frustrated that no one saw things the way she did when it came to him, she answered back in a loud stern voice "yes in his sleep or awake! If he's planning anything I wanna know about it!"
Zukos eyes shot open at the sound of her finishing words.
His first thought was the fire. He scrambled to an upright position but saw the embers were still burning bright. He let out a breath of relief, completely unaware of toph and katara listening. He shot a weak fireball toward the fire causing it to burn brighter and laid back on his elbows to watch the flame again.
This time aang woke up to change positions and saw the sleepy fire bender gazing into the dancing light of the fire. Zukos eyes were dark and heavy, he needed sleep. His mouth opened and parted slightly, his hair brushed the side of his face as he began nodding to the side slowly fighting sleep.
Katara whispered to aang "see we can't even trust him to watch the fire."
Aang saw zuko struggling to stay awake and whispered back to katara "that's not fair, everybody needs sleep and deserves to feel safe enough to rest."
He air bended a small breeze in zukos direction which made him fall asleep fully. His mouth stayed open and his head nearly rested completely on his shoulder, the cooling feel of the air was just enough to lull him. His eyes darted beneath his closed lids and aang used a little gentle air bending to lay him the rest of the way down on his bed roll and blew a blanket his way.
Zuko moaned with satisfaction and grabbed at the blanket in his sleep.
Katara looked at zuko with disgust but after seeing all of her friends minding their own bussiness she decided to do the same.
Finally the fire prince slept, katara listened through the night as his snores grew.
In the morning everyone woke before prince zuko. They sat up, talked and left to find breakfast. toph stayed back as a guard to make sure he was alright.
Zuko groaned and sat up finally, the last thing he remembered was eyeing the fire. He asked toph confusingly
"Wha-what happened"
You snored so loud you finally woke yourself up, the others are out gathering food."
"I DONT SNORE." he yelled
"Trust me I've been here the whole time, at night I felt it rattle the ground like pebbles on a drum.
Zuko smacked his head with his palm feeling embarrassed and disappointed in himself. "Great, how will the others trust me if I can't even stay awake."
"Listen here fire breath, we all wanted you to get some sleep last night, you've been up for days."
"How can I sleep knowing I have so much to prove?"
"Either you sleep or your body will make you sleep, ignore Katara the rest of us can see you're trying."
"katara? Why would I ignore her?"
"Didn't you see her last night when she came over to talk to you??"
"No I…I guess I was asleep, I hope she doesn't think I was being rude."
"No I don't think she feels that way at all, tonight just lookout for yourself okay?"
Zuko nodded with a smile of appreciation "thank you." toph felt the sincerity in his heart beat.
The day was full of heavy training Exercises, zuko felt his fire bending strength returning .Aang was getting quick and his fire ball blast were hitting harder than ever. Everyone expressed how well the training was going except for Katara. that night around the fire everyone was bushed.
Aang came up with a plan where everyone could take turns messing with the fire. zuko added in if it was easier for anyone to just wake him he would add a flame. They all agreed…again except for Katara.
It was late and the fire was slowly dying. any time it lowered Katara made sure to wake zuko, this time she couldn't wake him from a distance. She got up and walked over to his bedroll. He slept soundly with his scared side down toward the mat. He had exceptionally good hearing but was exhausted from the day. Sparing with the avatar takes a lot out of a person. His mouth was open and he breathed deeply. Katara touched him and saw a small flame flicker from his mouth. She jumped back at the sight as if she were approaching a sleeping platypus bear. He inhaled deeply and and closed his mouth. She realized it might be dangerous to startle a sleeping fire bender so she tried a nicer approach then what she had planned. She got on her knees and gently shook his arm, feeling the shape of his muscles hidden under his fire nation clothing. He moaned and his hand pulsed making her wonder if he ever fire bends in his sleep. She took out some water from her stash just to be safe. At this point it would be easier for her to tend to the fire herself but why should she have to? after everything he's done. After everything the fire nation has done?! it should be his responsibility…at the least!
"Zuko, zuko get up." She said sternly while shaking his arm, she repeated herself again as his lips began to part, his face relaxing even more. Aang heard her and asked
"Katara what are you doing?"
"I'm waking zuko so he can tend to the fire."
Aang looked at her with eyes full of grogginess "there's plenty of fire left, I think zuko needs his sleep, when it gets lower I'll fire bend and fix it."
She snapped back "you're still learning."
"I know but I think I can handle a campfire, let zuko sleep."
Katara stood up and zuko said in his sleep "yes father."
Katara jumped back and yelled "did you hear that?! ZUKO WAKE UP!"
She yelled so loud everyone heard it, zuko jolted awake into an upright position, He looked around breathlessly while his heart beat uncontrollably and asked "WHAT?! WHATS WRONG IS IT AZULA, IS MY FATHER HERE? DID THE FIRE NATION FIND US?!" He made a small fire that hovered above the palm of his left hand.
Aang sent a gust of wind his way which put out his fire and calmed him a bit.
"No, Katara was just going to bed she didn't mean to wake you, any of you" he said to everyone.
Zuko flopped back on his bed roll, face up and covered his face with his hands that were still warm from bending just trying to catch his breath. Aang looked concerned. "have you been having nightmares about the fire lord?"
Zuko answered quickly "no."
Aang stayed silence till zuko answered himself "not always…yes, when I do get sleep."
Katara was full of regret, she knelt down a foot or so away from him and listened. He breathed heavier, his pulse finally coming down.
"You know…" aang started "I used to have nightmares about the fire lord all the time, talking about it with friends really helped us."
Zuko pushed his hair back with his hands. "My father wanted me dead, more than once, if he comes here I'm his first target then the avatar, you, are second… my own sister…" he stopped talking and Katara came to his side, she hugged him even though she wasn't sure she could trust him. He held her tightly and she felt a tear or two stream down his face.
"My own sister, wants me dead, my country, everyone. Why can't anyone see I'm trying to help them?!" He choked on the last words. Aang thought for a moment of what he should say but instead he decided it's more important what he does.
He stood heroically "if anyone comes here they have to deal with all of us. They can't just take anyone out one on one. we fight together and you're safe here with us."
Katara stood too and bended her water from her pouch into an ice dagger just for the display "yeah, all of us."
Zuko couldn't hide a little smile and this time he wasn't sure he wanted to, this really was TEAM avatar.
Katara exclaimed "tomorrow I'll watch the fire, we all need to be able to trust each other."
Aang smiled at her gesture "let's all get some sleep we have a lot more training tomorrow, maybe I can learn to make a fire tornado, or a fire wall or a-"
He was cut short by a weak snore from zuko. Katara and aang looked at each other. she held up a finger to her mouth to signal being quite and tip toed back to her own bed roll. Aang continued to smile as he got comfortable on his own blankets and whispered "thank you katara, and goodnight sifu hotman." The rest of the night was silent the first time since team avatar became whole.