Avatar the Last Airbender x Reader Short Stories

Honorable Mention: MoonSpirit!Yue x Reader

In 4th place was Yue! She is the Honorable Mention. This is a MoonSpirit!Yue x Reader

Y/N - Your Name
Y/B/F - Your Best Friend

'Easy' was not in a sailor's vocabulary. There was nothing fun or easy about being stuck on a massive ship with dozens of water-logged people desperately looking for land and some decent food. Of course, you would have given your right leg to be back on that ship. You didn't know that yet.

About an hour earlier, the sun went down and your night shift began. You were hired as a pretty low-ranking sailor so all you had to do was just watch over the ship and await any orders from the highest-ranked member awake. The job was simple and boring.

"I know what you're thinking." Y/B/F leaned in, the wooden banister creaking under the weight of their elbow.

"You do?" You replied, barely even moving to look at them.

"You're just dying to lose at a game of gin." Y/B/F giggled and poked your elbow, knocking you off balance and pushing you over the edge.

"Shut up, Y/B/F. I'm not in the mood to deal with you hiding cards in your sleeves again. It wasn't funny the last hundred times and it isn't funny now." Your voice grated quietly like a dull sword against a wooden deck. Y/B/F was not having your bad attitude.

"Look, if the generals are going to make us wear these stupid, pointy uniforms, then I'll use them as I see fit." Y/B/D twanged your spiky pauldrons and laughed maniacally after they began making a farting sound. You tried your best not to giggle.

"You're a child." You teased light-heartedly. Y/B/F draped an arm over your shoulders and beamed.

"You know you love me." You snorted and tilted your head back, calmly closing your eyes and enjoying the sea spray.

It took a moment.

Was that coming from above?

As if the universe was waiting for you to notice, the skies opened up and the sea turned violent in an instant.

"All hands on deck!" The acting captain's voice was full of panic. He hadn't noticed until just now either. "Let's furl those sails! Secure the rigging! Gather buckets! We're about to take on water!" There was chaos everywhere. You stripped off your helmet, breastplate, and pauldrons and grabbed a bucket. Despite your efforts, the ship took on more water than you expected. The ship lurched from side to side as waves crashed into it. It was all you could do to not lose your dinner, much less your footing.

The universe must've been looking out for you because, at that moment, some of the lines broke and sent large pieces of wood hurling where you had been before you lost your balance. Y/B/F grabbed you.

"What are you doing! Don't just stand there! Do something to help!" It seemed harsh, but their sharp words helped you refocus. You tested the wooden deck. It was wet enough to not catch on fire already. Breathing in, then out, then in again, you punched the air in the direction you wanted to go and sent a ball of fire hurling into the oncoming wave. Your fire wasn't nearly hot enough to disperse it, it isn't like you are Firelord Zuko or anything, but it did weaken the strength of the oncoming waves.

"Y/N, keep it up!" The head captain shouted over the sound of the storm. You could barely see where the waves were coming from at this point. That was probably why you missed one.

The wave hit you squarely in the back, sending you into the ship's railing and over the edge. The last thing you heard was Y/B/F shouting, "Y/N!"

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You weren't sure what woke you. It was still the middle of the night, seeing as the full moon was directly above you.

"You're awake."

You jumped, falling off the driftwood keeping you afloat. Clawing back to the water's surface, you clung to the flotsam for dear life and coughed up a lifetime's supply of seawater.

"That's better." You followed the voice and immediately dropped your jaw.

"I'm dead."

"Sorry?"

"That's got to be it. I'm dead and you're the angel here to guide me to the Spirit World." You were speaking gibberish, but there was nothing in this world or the next that would have prepared you to see the goddess casually sitting on the calm ocean waves. She giggled a bit and your heart leaped from your chest and settled in your throat.

"That's very kind of you to say, but it's mostly inaccurate." Mostly?

"Mostly?" You replied hesitantly. Did you really want an answer to that question?

"Well, you're not dead, nor are you dying." She tilted her head up, reached for the sky, and brushed the clouds surrounding the moon away like it was dust. "You were the only one to make it out, and after you tried so hard. Admittedly, I find it difficult to help anyone from the Fire Nation, but you've earned my respect." Wait, what? Almost like she could read your mind, she picked up on your confusion. "It was a Fire Nation Admiral that killed me... er, well, indirectly." Killed... Was - was she once alive? "They forced me to become the Moon Spirit after they murdered the old one." You were too tired and confused to process this properly.

"What?" If she heard you, she didn't acknowledge it.

"Shhh. It's okay. Rest now. I'll keep you safe and lead you to land." Despite her looking like a ghost or spirit, her hand was soft as she stroked your forehead, then your temples, then your cheek, lulling you to sleep.

You woke at sunrise. The sand beneath you was hard and grainy compared to the beautiful woman's touch the night before. Was that a dream? At the very least the storm was real. What happened to everyone else, they couldn't have wrecked very far from the shore considering you got here. Finding your land legs, you stood and called out.

"Y/B/F! Y/B/F, where are you ya lily-livered turtle-duck!" They had to be here somewhere. "Y/B/F!"

~~~
So, the voting was much slower and took way longer to happen then I expected. It's been far too long, but there were barely any votes coming in. Thanks so much to everyone who voted! As compensation for the wait, I'm writing the 3rd place, 2nd place, honorable mentions, and 1st place prompts. Yue was the honorable mention and received 6 votes total.