This is really wonderful! I can't wait for the next chapter! I hope you and your family are doing well :)

Soooo I’m OBSESSED with this! It’s literally amazing and so heartbreaking at times! This is also my first Zokka fic I’ve ever read and im rlly enjoying their dynamic!

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This is great! I need to read more or I may die!

Of course it's not going to be easy for Zuko. If there ever was a universe where everything would go his way and he could just smile through life, that Big Bang fizzled out before an actual universe could form.
Still, Toph's advice, unpitying and sensible, is good. Zuko has a place to begin.
Has Iroh been trying to ignore Aang's problem or has he not realized that it's there? I find that hard to imagine but the White Lotus is deeply invested in Aang's success so he may have a blind spot. Maybe Jee and Zuko can get through to him.
The Boiling Rock. And Zuko is their resident expert on prison survival. Why do I think he'll be part of the rescue team?

Looking forward to Zuko experimenting. Loved the cute moments with him and Sokka!

Oh the assumptions! Aang has a fire bending master (no) and they know what Ozai plans to do with the comet's boost (also no). They probably should have made real contact months ago instead of giving sporadic and secret help.
The reunion wasn't as joyous as I could wish. There was too much pain and disappointment behind it. The hug was a start. There's an adult who wants to offer Zuko support and comfort, assuming they can work past all the misconceptions and hurt. Once again Zuko is dealing with his own sense of inadequacy.
They really thought that a boy who'd spent years in those mines and whose training stopped at 13 would be teaching Aang? He was a lot smarter than that. A careless or inept teacher is dangerous when you're discussing combat and bending. Look what happened when Jeong Jeong left Aang alone to practice.
That also could have been a clue about the spirits' fallibility. Avatar Roku insisted that he begin training Aang when the Avatar wasn't close to being ready. That should have been in any report to his superiors in the White Lotus. Maybe they would have realized that they couldn't be sure what Aang was getting from his spiritual connections.

That Earth Kingdom/Water Tribe attack ruined a plan, didn't it? Uncle Iroh must've been irate. :)

Aang still hasn't caught on that his impulsive actions put other people in danger. His friends shouldn't have had to take this risk.

I remembered Hama's name wrong but I do believe you caught her creepy fairy tale witch vibe very well. That quality was very hard to forget.
You added to the horror quotient with Toph and Zuko's journey underground. It may be the one time in her life that Toph regretted her extraordinary talent. Closing her eyes is impossible. Zuko now has more reason to have nightmares about going underground. The bones may haunt me as well.
Caught between death and prison, Hama would undoubtedly prefer death. Whatever they arranged would have to be even worse than the prison that drove her mad.
Aang wants to believe in his own philosophy. I understand that, but being the Avatar means he'll need to understand, not just know a few facts about, the other nations. Even if he'd been in a position to convince his friends to stay so that Hama received a trial, what sentence would he find acceptable? She was a powerful bender who'd been killing people for years. There's no clean solution to this one.
Again, Zuko was acknowledged by one if his people despite his traitor's scar.
Luckily another source unknowingly backed up Zuko's advice concerning the invasion. Instead of seeing hints of treachery, Hakoda has evidence that Zuko was acting in the invasion force's best interests. I still doubt that he'd approve of how close his son's gotten to Zuko, or of his daughter beginning to warm up to him.

Following a spirit's advice is all well and good, but Roku didn't tell Aang that there's more to it than a flower or a pai sho tile. Zuko literally has no clue what he's supposed to be looking for. I imagine spirits aren't allowed to be direct. They aren't part of the mortal world so it's possible they're forbidden to share too much of what they know.
These kids really needed to run into Kanna? Canon was traumatic enough. When Zuko sees what she's done, a panic attack will be the least of it. The really disturbing irony is that he may understand the woman better than the rest. He knows first hand about Fire Nation prisons and all those nobler ideals fading down to the thought of survival, even at others' expense.

Just binged the whole story, got hooked on the first chapter. Love me some angsty Zuko and to top it off i love the pairing! So hard to find good Zuko/Sokka fics but dang is this one great.

The secret is out but they don't know that it's also safe with Piandao. In this version of events he didn't get to reveal that he's not against them. They do know that the merchant means them well if not why, but even in canon nobody ever told them what the tile was for, did they?
That bow was interesting. Are there many people who know that their prince wasn't a traitor or is it just White Lotus knowledge gained from Iroh? Did even he know that Zuko didn't die from his wounds?

Zuko's cynicism might do some good if the others learn to listen. They're listening about the plan, at least, but will Hakoda? He may decide that Zuko wants to sabotage them to save his father (still believing in his spy theory).
And thanks for making use of a great big loophole in logic. The temples are aligned with the sun and celestial phenomena repeat, maybe over centuries but it is something that the solar based culture of the Fire Nation would be aware of. It's also a culture with very skilled nonbending fighters like Mai, the Yu Yan archers and Ty Lee, who doesn't need weapons at all. The Day of Black Sun could have been a disaster.

Fondly as fans may recall that episode, Zuko 's panic reaction triggered the sensible response to leave immediately. Aang somehow survives despite any sense of self preservation but luck does run out.
Sokka likes Zuko and is obviously sympathetic, but he still has moments when reality gives him a slap in the face. Zuko's scar is highly visible, he's a Fire Nation native, and if he says he should stay out of sight they should listen. Especially since the only other source of information is an impulsive 12 year old with obsolete information and a habit of not mentioning details he doesn't want to. Like the meaning behind that scar, which is unpleasant but something they ought to be aware of.
Zuko and Toph are getting along well. I think in part they do because she can read him and is more sensitive to others than they're aware of. Zuko isn't just argumentative or moody, she can tell how often he's terrified or on the verge of panic. Her steadiness and disinterest in babying anyone help, too.
It's insightful of you to note the way removing Zuko's cuffs left him feeling weird. The sensation of cool air and lack of weight I might have noted myself, but the idea that the skin might feel overstimulated wasn't anything I'd have considered. He'll have a period of adjustment.
In freedom, he's slowly beginning to regain his fire. Too bad Aang sneaking out caused all that disruption and he lost his flame. Your description of it as feeling almost like a tiny life in his hands was again insightful and rather poignant.