darl-ings

mads

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Melting Ice | Zuko

melting ice | zuko

pairing: zuko x gender neutral reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none

word count: 1k

summary: in which the gaang goes ice skating, and you lend the nervous fire bender a helping hand

a/n: this was the shortest thing i’ve ever written but i think it’s a cute start to this blog :)

“We’re here!” Katara’s excited voice boomed, gaining the attention of the group members aboard Appa’s back. The flying bison landed atop a hill, a soft roar escaping his mouth as his feet touched the cold snow. Sokka, Suki and Toph woke from their short naps, groaning about Katara’s loud voice, while Aang matched Katara’s excited pitch as he rambled on about all the times he had ice skated in the past. All eyes turned to the newest group member, who stared at the scenery around him with an unreadable look.

“So, Zuko, have you ever had any experience with ice?” Aang was the first to ask, causing the fire bender to turn his head to the Avatar.

“I doubt it. I bet the only times he’s ever seen ice was when he was trying to capture Aang,” Sokka muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Zuko seemed to have heard his comment, his eyes falling to look at his lap.

“Actually,” Zuko began, deciding to not speak on Sokka’s comment, “someone made me fall through the ice and into the freezing water, once.”

“Yeah… sorry about that.” A voice sounded, everyone’s eyes moving to land on you. You had a slight smile on your lips, not entirely sincere with your words.

“Nice one, Y/N!” Toph cheered, her usual grin appearing on her face. The blind girl raised her hand, earning a high-five from you.

The seven friends all stood on the frozen lake’s edge, each dressed in water tribe attire and wearing ice skates. Many of them had needed clothes to keep themselves warm, and the only person selling heavy coats and boots in mid-summer was a water tribe peddler, who they had found in the outskirts of the Northern Water Tribe. Along with the warm clothes, he offered everyone ice skates, which gave Katara the idea of finding a lake to use their skates on.

“You cold?” You leaned over towards Zuko, eyes glimmering as the sun shone on you. Zuko looked at you, his teeth chattering and the tip of his nose red. Your playful smile made him feel warmer on the inside, his shivering dissipating slightly.

“Just a little,” he murmured, eyes moving from you and to the others, who had all started to get onto the ice. Aang was already doing tricks and spins on the ice, all in an attempt to impress a certain water bender. Sokka and Suki went onto the ice slowly, Sokka surprisingly (for a member of the Water Tribe) not being the best at keeping balance on the ice. Toph got onto the ice with the help of Katara, and the pair held hands as they circled around the lake.

“Here, take my hands.” You had appeared in front of the fire bender, your gloved hands held out in front of you. The boy looked between your eyes and your hands, eyes slightly widened.

“What?”

“Ah, come on, Hottie! I’m going to help you ice skate!” you cheered, shaking your hands a little to encourage him. Zuko glared slightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I told you to not call me that,” Zuko grumbled, causing you to pout slightly.

“Oh, fine...” you trailed off, your smile reappearing. “Now, come on, Sifu Hotman. Let’s get on the ice!”

It only took a few laps around the lake for Zuko to get the hang of it, but part of him didn’t want you to leave him on his own, so he pretended to lose balance a few times, just to feel you grasp his hands tighter. He hid his smiles in the tall neck of his coat, earning him a Pay Attention! from you every time he did so.

You were skating backwards as you helped Zuko, being a good ice skater yourself. You were from the Northern Water Tribe, a water bender like Katara, and you had met the gang long before Toph, Suki and Zuko had joined the group. After the battle between Admiral Zhao and the Northern Water Tribe, you left with Aang, Katara, and Sokka to help the Avatar end the war.

You hadn’t skated since then, but it was like second-nature to you, so you didn’t need the time to practice before getting the hang of it like the others did. You could’ve left Zuko on his own, a bad need screaming within you to skate as intensely as Aang, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. You were too busy staring at the fire bender while holding his two hands, noticing how cute he looked while trying to learn how to skate. He looked vulnerable for once, his cold and unreadable expression gone as he concentrated on his feet.

“You know, you’re pretty cute in Water Tribe clothes,” you stated, causing the fire bender to raise his eyes to you. He lost balance for a second, but you squeezed his hands and kept him from falling. With a sudden smirk, you continued, “But I have to admit, you look way hotter in red.”

The normally grumpy-looking teenager had his eyes wide and lips parted slightly. Your words caused his cheeks to burn and his feet to trip over one another, causing him to fall backwards onto the ice. Due to your hands still being connected, you came tumbling down as well, your body falling onto his. Thankfully, your coats were both stuffed, so the fall didn’t hurt as much as it could’ve.

“Aw, so you do like getting compliments,” you teased, poking the fire bender’s cheeks.

“Don’t tease me-”

“But it seems like you enjoy being teased, Hottie. I mean, the redness of your cheeks is saying a lot,” you smiled, causing Zuko to sigh and rest his head against the ice. You took this moment to stare at him properly, noticing his bangs getting near his eyes. With a concentrated look, you brushed his hair aside with your gloved-hands resting on his cheeks, causing his eyes to peer into yours. You froze, your eyes meeting his as your hands remained on his face. Both of your cheeks were red now as you stared at one another, unsure of what to do. Before either of you could do or say anything, though, Sokka skated over, causing ice to fly into your faces.

“Alright, lovebirds. Let’s break it up. We can’t have two power couples in this group,” the boy stated, holding his hand out for Suki, who hid her embarrassed face behind her hand.

Melting Ice | Zuko

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