I wrote this for Day 3 of Fire Nation Week on Deviantart. The prompt was "Through the Fire."
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"We did it, didn't we?"
"Yeah, we did."
Zuko sat boneless in a high back chair in his father's study—his study—with Aang sprawled out on the floor. As he watched, Aang's eyes slid closed. An image flashed in front of him of Aang, sweating and gasping for breath, raising a wall of earth to block a wave of fire. Lightning flickered before his eyes, and a twinge of pain ran through his chest. He absently raised a hand to rub it.
"Does anyone know we're in here?" Zuko asked.
"Katara," Aang mumbled.
"Good." Zuko let his head fall against his shoulder. "We should get some sleep. My coronation is in a couple of hours."
Aang hummed in response, and Zuko smiled briefly. He stretched, settled back against the chair and rested his head against his shoulder once more, closing his tired eyes. In a couple of hours he would officially be Fire Lord. In a couple of hours he would officially end the war. And in a couple of hours, he would have the authority to free Mai.
And he was willing to do whatever it took to win her back.
