An Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction by MuffinLance. Found here
In Canon, Aang revealed himself to be the Avatar, went on Zuko's ship and escaped soon after. Here, Aang doesn't escape and claims that he lied about being the Avatar to get the Fire Nation to leave the Southern Water Tribe alone. Zuko believes it but now thinks Aang is proof that the Nomads survived and keeps him prisoner. Sokka and Katara soon catch up and are convinced to go along with the ruse.
For other examples of their work see Towards the Sun, Salvage and Little Zuko v the World.
Tropes shown:
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Because Zuko doesn't think that Aang is the Avatar, his relationship with the Gaang is shaping to be more of a Vitriolic Best Buds one rather than the enemity they had in canon.
- Badass Bookworm: Zuko doesn’t keep his clothes in his wardrobe. Instead it is full of scrolls.
- Beware the Honest Ones: Played for Laughs. Kyo, one of the Wani's crew members, has such an easy-to-eat-alive air about him that all the gossipers at the ports are instantly drawn to him to hear rumors, which the rest of the crew takes advantage of to get free drinks. And since none of his stories sound believable anyway (like the one about finding an airbender and his bison), he can afford to be completely honest without selling anyone out.Satomi: Bless that man and his inherently wholesome air. They always fall for it.
- Culture Clash: Each of the four nations has a different way of laying their dead to rest, often in a manner reflective of their respective element. Zuko personally finds the other nations methods disrespectful to the dead and Aang is uncomfortable with simply reducing people to ash per Fire Nation cremation standards. They are, however, respectful of each other about it.
- Decision Darts: Referred to – a crew member talks about Zuko throwing a dart at a map to decide their next location.
- Drama Queen: Zuko monologues in the shower. Sokka has dramatic self-narration and also utters dramatic statements.
- Drinking Game: In-Universe, the crew of the Wani play one whenever they reach a port, where they have to take a shot every time Zuko yells at one of the army's suppliers. They invite Sokka along, and he's well and properly drunk by the time they get back to their ship.
- Due to the Dead: Whenever Zuko finds remains of people when searching the old airbender temples, he makes sure to give them a formal burial according to Fire Nation traditions. When Aang joins him in the Southern Temple, they combine Fire Nation traditions (cremation) with the airbenders' sky burial practices.
- Eating the Eye Candy: When Zuko takes off his shirt so he could spar with Katara and not ruin his few good shirts, Katara blames his washboard abs for "giving her unfair standards" about guys his age.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Zuko’s pale skin is lampshaded by Katara. By her culture's standards, Zuko's skin is the color of a dead fish, which is very unsettling... though, to her dismay, not enough so to prevent her from realizing he's actually quite attractive despite the scar and disconcerting coloration.
- Hypocritical Humor: After Sokka meets Sushi, Aang asks to pet her. Zuko refuses, asking if she looks like she wants to be petted. Aang points out Zuko is petting her as they speak.
- Intimidation Demonstration: Zuko admits to Aang his threats and firebending at the South Pole Village was simply to scare them into going along with what he wanted.Zuko: If people are scared enough, they don't fight, and then I don't have to hurt anyone.
- It's Personal: Aang vows to stop the Fire Lord before Sozin's Comet comes, after being informed of Sozin's Comet while standing in an Air Temple that had been sacked with the comet's power.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Zuko is an angry youth, who has no hesitation about throwing around orders or with trying to essentially shout people into compliance like a ticked-off drill sergeant. Despite this, he never actually hurts anyone, even when throwing around flames and screaming at the top of his lungs in rage, and ultimately he admits that he doesn't want to ever hurt anyone, though he's "better" at intimidating people into submission than trying diplomacy. Most of his "interrogations" prior to discovering Aang largely consisted of pointing his uncle at them and then sitting quietly in the corner jotting down useful notes whilst Iroh charmed stories out of them; even Aang, when Zuko first tries to interrogate him, has a chain of thoughts that boils down to "wow, you suck at this". He has a very clear sense of honor that leaves him questioning what is right vs. what is official Fire Nation policy, shows great respect to the dead of both sides found at all four Air Temples, and when not feeling personally aggravated, generally shows a surprisingly softhearted personality. Aang, Katara and even Sokka ultimately come to view Zuko as basically a grumpy tiger-dillo kitten in human form.
- Jumped at the Call: At the Temple, Zuko explains to Aang about Sozin's Comet. Aang doesn't take long to realize that he needs to stop whatever is planned for it this time.Aang had to stop the Fire Lord, before the comet came. The Avatar had to stop the Fire Lord, before the comet came.
- Love Triangle: Downplayed. Aang is crushing on Katara hard, but she seems oblivious to his feelings. At the same time, Katara and Zuko are subtly implied to be developing a budding attraction to each other, though neither is consciously aware of it.
- Luxury Prison Suite: The Gaang's "prison cell". It actually has nicer amenities than most of the crew's rooms because it's right next to the supply closet and the Gaang keeps breaking into it and taking things.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Like in the original series Aang is this. But when paired up with the already grumpy Zuko, the situation becomes far more hilarious, with Aang (later Sokka and Katara) bringing much needed humor into Zuko's rather depressing life.
- The Matchmaker: Iroh naturally reads embers of a potential attraction between Katara and Zuko, and isn't above nudging them to develop. He can also spot Aang's attraction to Katara, but is more supportive of his nephew's chances, for rather obvious reasons.
- Mistaken for Gay: In an early chapter, Zuko notes to himself that he's been approached by male prostitutes during his exile, since he apparently "(doesn't) look like he (has) a preference", which he regards with mortification.
- Mundane Utility: Zuko using firebending to dry his hair by bending heat, prompting Katara to wonder if she could achieve the same effect with waterbending.
- Must Have Caffeine: Hanako, the Wani's engineer, drinks an entire pot of heavily caffeinated tea each morning. Where one cup leaves a crewmember bouncing off the walls, she knocks back three in just a few minutes with no visible changes.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg: Sokka gets saddled with the nickname "Other One" (as in the Airbender, the Waterbender, and the other one) by Zuko and the crew of the Wani.
- Pædo Hunt: Zhao's downright creepy interactions with Zuko in canon are not only lampshaded by the author in the chapter 5 end notes, but also written into the story itself. In chapter 5 alone, Zuko makes it clear that as much as Zhao's general Jerkass nature aggravates him, it's his perversely flirtatious interactions that really unsettle the young exiled prince. Even Sokka, who is at this point more than a little loopy due to sleep deprivation, picks up on Zhao's unsettling attitude and thinks there's something wrong with him, first calling him out on it in public, then agreeing with Zuko that his perceptions of Zhao have been right all along (something that makes Zuko feel a rare moment of validation/friendship). Later, when drunk, Sokka protests the crew of the Wani leaving Zuko alone with Zhao, which the crew eventually agrees with and fake a fight breaking out between them so that Zuko has an excuse to get away from Zhao.Sokka: Wow, you're creepy. Like, don't follow the strange shadow into the tundra creepy. Do you practice, or is this just a natural talent?
- Perpetual Poverty: The Crew of the Wani receive a very small stipend and are constantly cheated by the army's suppliers. They resort to stealing from those same suppliers, swindling other soldiers out of money and Iroh paying for supplies out of his own pocket. Despite this, they are constantly struggling to make ends meet.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The Crew of the Wani is a group of outcasts and troublemakers led by a sixteen year old banished prince.
- Smarter Than You Look: Aang acts like a hyper, sheltered child but he has no problem noticing that while Zuko creates fire daggers when he’s angry, he doesn’t burn anything he doesn’t want to.
- Theme Naming: Specifically Edible Theme Naming. All of the animals aboard the Wani are named after various types of food.
- Tragic Keepsake: Aang keeps Gyatso's necklace at Zuko's prompting.Aang: We're not supposed to keep things after people die. It's… too permanent.Zuko: He's already waited a hundred years. Just throw it away when you're ready.
- Uncertified Expert: Zuko has been studying every bending scroll he could get his hands on. When Katara was trying to waterbend, he wound up teaching her. He probably knows more about different bending styles than anyone (Iroh, for example, declines teaching Katara as he has knowledge of Northern styles, not Southern, although he could be hiding his knowledge). But it is certain that very few know of how much Zuko knows and he has no recognition for it. Not even from himself.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: What Zuko and the Gaang are slowly shaping up to be.
- Wisdom from the Gutter: At the end of chapter 5, after a drunk and sleep deprived Sokka stumbles in on Zuko, who is trying to figure out how they can get the supplies they need when Zhao is using his rank to screw with them, Sokka points out that having Appa on board means they can literally just fly inland to a different settlement, do business there, then fly back with their purchases. The chapter ends with Zuko realizing that Sokka is right.
