|•|W I T 卄 E R||•| Zuko X Reader ⚠SLOWBURN⚠

The Serpent's Pass

"A sea serpent...!? SEA!?" Toph groaned in frustration. "We'll be alright. I promised to guide you all safely through the Pass, and that's what I'm going to do." Aang stated.

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"The Fire Nation controls the western lake. Rumor has it, they're working on something big on the other side and don't want anyone to find out what it is." Suki said. "A Fire Navy ship... We'd better be careful." You muttered, noticing a few catapults waiting to be used.

Despite your warning, a chunk of the rock crumbled downwards, and Ying's husband fell along with it. "Than!" She cried. Toph bent a platform to catch him while you pulled him back up. You glanced back at the Fire Navy ship,
"Uh oh."

You formed a shield of void to deflect the fireballs, but the ones that missed caused some loose rocks to give out. Thankfully, Toph prevented the boulders from hitting anyone. "This is one of those times you could mention how awesome I am, Y/N!"

It was getting dark out, so you all set up camp. As you laid down, you stared at the stars above. The sun. The stars. The full moon. You could feel them glowing brighter than usual. You weren't exactly sure how to feel at the moment.

You were glad to be with your siblings again, but it felt rather bittersweet, considering you had missed out on parts of their lives, even if you were only separated for a while. What else were you oblivious to?

You could hear Sokka and Suki talking in the background. The same way you didn't know about them... They don't know the truth about you and Zuko.
"What's on your mind this time?"

You peered behind yourself and saw Toph sitting beside you. "Nothing much." You muttered, turning away from her.
"I can tell you're lying, Y/N." She hummed. You bit your lip, then let out a sigh.

"Okay. What if... What if there's this person you really care about, but you know things probably wouldn't go well if you allowed other people to know you cared about them?" You inquired, making odd hand gestures for every word you spoke.

"Who cares what anyone else thinks?"
Toph scoffed. "You don't get it, Toph. I-" She veered her head in your direction. "You like that person a lot, right? Then you gotta take the risk."

You were stunned into silence. You lowered your head, drawing your knees close to your chin. "Last time I took a risk... Something horrible happened."

"Yeah. That sucks. But sometimes we take risks, and the results are great! Like when I joined you guys. Sure, we got trapped in a horrendous bowl of sand, but like, now I can add that to my profile. Just imagine it. The Blind Bandit. She who survived the desert. It's super cool, right?"

She continued, "If the other people you're worried about blabbing to react negatively, then that's that. You shouldn't let other people control you. If it really makes you happy, then I say go for it!"

You felt the somber feeling in your chest shrink. "Learn to take risks, Y/N. I'll see you in the morning."

Learn to take risks...?

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You all continued through the Pass, until your walk was brought to an abrupt end. A section of the Pass was underwater. "Everyone single file!" Katara and Aang worked together to form a bubble to travel in.

Momo caught a few fish, holding one in front of you with a curious purr. "No thanks, I'm good." You giggled. Your giggles became laughter as Sokka snatched the fish and instead got smacked in the face by it.