Zuko sat under the apple tree in the heat of the day. He had been in meetings all day. The Earth Kingdom generals were relentless. Every time he thought they had reached an understanding, they had continued with their demands. They demanded complete renovation of the villages that had been destroyed over the last hundred years and they wanted the Fire Nation to pay for. Zuko had halfheartedly agreed when General Xian spoke up with a new demand.

"I've had it with these asinine demands!" Zuko exclaimed after the general's request. "I have already agreed to everything you asked!"

The candles in the throne room flared and it was then that one of his advisers spoke up.

"Perhaps we could take a thirty minute recess?"

The Earth Kingdom generals spoke amongst themselves before nodding their heads slowly.

"We will reconvene in thirty minutes," General Xian announced. "Perhaps then the Fire Lord will have cooled down and we can continue on like civilized people."


Zuko stormed out of the throne room, tufts of fire escaping his balled fists.

"I can't believe them!" he shouted as stormed into the courtyard. The turtleducks quacked angrily at him and swam off to another part of the pond. "They are insufferable!"

He threw himself under the apple tree with a heavy sigh. Being Fire Lord was harder than he had thought. He didn't realize how much damage the Fire Lords before him had done.

"I thought I might find you here," a familiar voice called from somewhere behind the trees.

"Mai!" Zuko exclaimed.

He sat up.

"I got sick of waiting for you so I thought I'd see if you were done with that boring meeting."

She gave a half-smile, knowing what would happen next.

Zuko shot up, furious.

"That meeting is a joke! No one does what they say, no one listens to what I say and when I throw my weight around they insult me and treat me like a baby!"

He arched his head upward and blew out a long stream of fire.

"OK, you're furious and flaming, I get it." Mai said, crossing him and sitting back against the tree.

"How long of a break did they give you?"

He sat down next to her and she took his hand.

"A half hour," he said quietly as she rubbed her thumb over the top of his hand.

"You know, we have some time."

She placed her free hand on his knee and nuzzled his neck. He tried to pull away.

"Mai, I don't think we sho-"

"Come on, it'll help you relax. And I'm bored."

She slid her hand up his leg to his thigh. He was dressed in his best attire and that annoyed her. More layers to take off. She sighed and straddled him. She cupped her face in her hands and kissed him hard. He kissed her back even harder, pressing her against him. Her tongue parted his lips and slid inside his mouth, hot and moist against hers. He moaned in her mouth before she pulled away. She slid down to his knees and yanked up his robes.

"Ugh, pants," she muttered under her breath.

She yanked them down to his knees. Crawling carefully back up to where she sat, she slid her hand over his erection. He was still soft but that would change. She enclosed her fingers around his shaft and slowly pumped it up and down. Her thumb rubbed over his tip and he shuddered. He held her legs, and, eyes half-lidded, saw her snake her other hand between her legs. She slid her hand into her pants and her fingers into her folds. She hummed as she pumped her hand up and down on his shaft, in time with the movement of her finger between her folds. When she came, she cried out his name, long and low.

Zuko grabbed her and kissed her hard. Mai slid her pants down and straddled him again. She kicked them off to the side and positioned herself above him. He slid into her smoothly and she sighed. She grabbed his shoulders for support and leaned forward. She pumped faster and faster until she came again, crying out and reaching for him. She searched for his lips as he pulled her to him, one hand tangled in her hair and the other near the area they were joined, controlling the movement of her hips with his hand. She grunted as he pushed deeper into her, nails digging into his back.

"Oh, Mai..."

His eyes were half-lidded and his hands were on her backside, controlling their pleasure with just his hands. He pushed her forward as she straightened herself and was rewarded with a low purr. Her pushed her again harder and deeper. She cried out again, crawling at his shoulders. Finally it was too much, and in a flurry of fabric and hands, he had her pinned hard against the ground, legs against his shoulders, thrusting hard. Stray hair fell in his face as he thrust deep into her and she keened. Zuko bit his lip. It was too much. She kept bringing him to the edge. Beneath him she called to him.

"Zuko, I'm..."

He let go, with a grunt, a moan, and a shudder. He whispered her name as he fell into her arms.

"That was...nice," he said, nuzzling her neck.

"It was."

Zuko hummed happily into her neck. Mai slapped his backside.

"You have that boring meeting to go to remember?"

"Oh, I do," he complained. He groaned. "Thanks Mai."

"Of course."

She gave him a smile as he pulled out of her. He stood and fixed himself. She rose and grabbed her pants. He kissed her before he turned back to the throne room. The meeting was much less stressful.