A/N: I've been writing a lot lately and have a bit of a back log of one-shots. I enjoy writing about Zuko and Mai and their first encounters/reunion in Ba Sing Se. Hope that you enjoy the piece.
How to Cheer Up Zuko
"Are you going to spend all your time in here?"
Zuko cursed himself silently. He had forgotten to lock his door. Mai hesitated in the hallway, unsure whether to come in or leave. She sighed, loud enough for the prince to hear. Though glad to see him again after three years, more than glad actually, he had been morose and uncommunicative, surly and rude. Clearly he had issues and Ba Sing Se did not seem to agree with him. Mai could relate to that. She wanted to go back to the Fire Nation too.
"Maybe, if I want to," he replied sulkily from the sofa. "What's it to you?"
He was stretched out, one leg half on and half off the luxurious piece of furniture, an arm thrown across his eyes.
"Nothing really, but I wondered if maybe you wanted to go for a walk in the city. I'm sick of this palace. It's boring. And Azula is busy giving orders and Ty Lee is busy being with Azula. You're the only one left." She made sure to betray no emotion. Her words had no inflection, and her face was blank.
"Glad to know that I'm wanted." Reluctantly he sat up and actually looked at Mai. He had seen her about the palace from a distance, usually in the company of Ty Lee. When he could do so without appearing to be a complete idiot, he avoided her. What was it he could offer Mai anyway? He was a scarred and ruined mess of a man, a turncoat, a prince who didn't deserve to be a prince. She probably had no more interest in him. Surely other young men had offered her their attentions during the three long years of his banishment?
Zuko inhaled sharply, all of that suddenly forgotten. Mai had grown into a stunning young woman, prettier than he had ever imagined her. And during his banishment, he had imagined her a lot. He felt the rush of heat into his face and cursed his lack of control. His stupid emotions always got the best of him.
"Not a problem," Mai replied with a smirk. She had seen the blush. So he had finally noticed her, truly noticed her. Here was an opportunity and Mai would not let it slip away. "Coming?" she asked more gently and stepped across the threshold. "You look sad and angry, Zuko. I think you need to get out of here." Once actually in the room, Mai felt as though she had at last made some progress. The prince didn't tell her to leave. He didn't bend at her or scowl. Rather, he looked almost pleased.
"M, maybe I could stand getting out of here for awhile." He gave Mai a weak smile and her knees almost buckled. The prince's thoughts, as they often did, turned to his Uncle Iroh, chained and imprisoned for a traitor. The terrible look Iroh had given him after he had made his choice, that look filled with so much sorrow and disappointment, haunted his nights and plagued his days. Guilt and horror suffused him, coursing through his veins, infecting his entire being. How had his life come to this? He had almost all that he had ever wanted, all he had ever dreamed about and talked of, and he was utterly miserable. But he didn't have Mai, at least not yet, and the way he'd been acting, Zuko was surprised she was giving him the time of day. With difficulty, he shook off the bad feelings like he would a cloak, letting them drop away, and then gave Mai a better smile, shy and a bit anxious, but sweet.
He stood up, straightened his robes, and daringly, held out his hand. What did he have to lose?
His hand was warm, warmer than hers, and his grip loose, like he wasn't quite ready to claim her as his. Mai felt rough little calluses, from the sword training no doubt, and rubbed her finger against them. She had her own and scars too, thin white ridges that covered her fingers, the consequence of training with knives, and at such a young age. He jerked a bit at the sensation but did not release her hand.
"It's nothing like Capitol City, is it?" she ventured.
Zuko shook his head. No, Ba Sing Se, especially the Lower Ring where he had lived and worked for a time, was nothing like the Fire Nation's largest city. It had a vibrancy, a poverty and a desperation, that Zuko had never encountered before on such a grand scale.
"I didn't want to be here. Uncle, Uncle," he faltered, "wanted to start a new life, to forget about the Fire Nation. He thought we could blend in and I would be content to live out my days here. But I wasn't and I'm not. Still, I wonder if maybe I shouldn't go home after all. I don't know what's waiting for me there."
That wasn't the answer Mai had expected. Still this Zuko, both different and similar to the one she had known as a little girl, was prone to introspective monologues. She let him talk and simply listened. With gentle pressure of her hand, she let him know that she heard and that she cared.
They wandered aimlessly, stopping where and when they wanted to. No one knew they were Fire Nation royalty and Fire Nation nobility. Both wore Earth Kingdom greens and neither drew any attention to themselves. Mai came to an abrupt stop outside a weapons' shop. Blades in the large front window beckoned her forward like a particularly ardent lover.
"I want to look."
Zuko recalled Mai's secret passion and wondered how many knives she wore strapped to her body. She had fought with Azula, after all, so there had to be at least a few. Thinking about that led to picturing the pale, smooth skin that hid beneath layers of green and yellow silk. He blushed again and felt a stirring in his groin. He wanted to look too, but not at weapons in the shop.
"Zuko?"
"Um, yeah, sure, whatever you want." He walked with her to the store and together they stepped inside.
Mai said little, but the gleam in her eyes and the twitching of her fingers, told Zuko just how much she loved everything on display. He wished that he could buy her something, but though a prince, he had little actual money on his person. Vowing to get her something when he could, he followed the black haired girl around the shop, unusually patient.
"Okay." With that she was finished. She felt for one of her own blades, slipping a hand up her wide sleeve. They made her feel like Mai, like she was more whole, more capable, more worthwhile.
The shopkeeper was disappointed that they hadn't bought anything and let his feelings be known.
"I can't live off of browsing and touching," he snarled. "You two look like you could afford something. You, why don't you buy something nice for your girl? It will make her happy and happy girls…." He gazed at Mai lasciviously, licking his lips.
The firebender growled, literally growled, and fought to keep his fire in check. It would not do to bend. But he could hit the guy, couldn't he?
Mai put a restraining hand on his arm, "He's not worth it." Secretly she was thrilled that he wanted to defend her honour. That was very much the old, familiar Zuko. "Let's just go."
The prince gave the shopkeeper one last glare before taking Mai's hand again and leaving the shop. He made sure to slam the door.
"Disgusting filth," he fumed under his breath. "How dare he? Does he have any idea who you are?"
"Obviously not," Mai replied, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "Forget about him. I'm hungry. Let's grab something to eat. I have some money."
"I have a bit too," Zuko was quick to chime in.
So they stopped at a quaint little café and drank tea and ate noodles, sneaking glances at each other, both sometimes wondering if it was all really happening. So much was different and so much was the same. Being together again was almost surreal. Zuko had been thirteen and Mai twelve the day of the fateful Agni Kai. Mai hadn't gone, but Azula was quick to fill her in on all the terrible details. He had been a boy and now he was a man. She had been a girl and now she was a woman. Three years without a glimpse or a word. There had been many times when both Mai and Zuko despaired of ever meeting the other again. And yet, here they were, in the middle of Ba Sing Se, slurping back buttery noodles. One would almost think that they were destined to be together.
"Still hungry?" Zuko asked. He stared at other dishes being carried to other patrons.
"No, I'm fine."
"Should we go back now?" The thought made him sad, but perhaps now that the space between them had been bridged, their time at the palace would be more pleasant.
Mai sighed, her displeasure at the idea obvious too. "I suppose we'd better. Azula will pop a vein if we're gone for too long." She hated being under the princess's thumb. That would change and soon, if Mai had anything to say about the situation. Zuko was her focus now. In reality, Zuko had always been her focus.
Back in the palace, Zuko accompanied Mai to her room.
"You can come in," she smirked.
Quietly they sat together on the sofa, bodies barely touching. Mai moved her leg, deliberately hitting Zuko's knee with her own. She wanted something and if Zuko wouldn't make the first move, she damn well would.
"Mai, I, I, um, well…." Zuko faced the young woman and reached up, touching the beautiful ebony hair.
They both leaned forward, movements excruciatingly slow, until their lips met. It wasn't much of a kiss, but it was all either needed. Leaning back against the sofa, both Mai and Zuko smiled.