Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Mike and Bryan have that honor.
Comfort at Sea
It had been about fifteen minutes since he had woken up. This was becoming a nightly thing for Zuko, and he was not pleased that it was happening. Not pleased at all.
Stupid dream. Always the same one – the Avatar falling from the air, Azula laughing and congratulating him for a job well done, and then Uncle shaking his head at him disappointedly. It ended with lightning, a thunderclap and then his awakening. This had been going on ever since they had returned to the Fire Nation, and he had yet to find a way to stop it. The realizations he had had while on the beach at Ember Island hadn't rid him of his nightly troubles, either – if anything, they seemed to have gotten worse. Stupid dream.
Zuko got out of bed, pulled on a cloak (because it got very cold at night when one was at sea) and went to sit in one of the open rooms on the ship. He parked on a couch and stared at the fire that was going. Always burning, always in flames.
He heard the pitter patter of small feet, and turned to look over his shoulder. Standing there were Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, all three in casual robes and slippers.
"Rough night?" asked his sister. He grunted an affirmative. She nodded in response, and gestured for Ty Lee to move forward.
The pink-clad girl came up just behind Zuko, looking at him with sad brown eyes. She placed her hands on his shoulders. He tensed at the sudden touch, but when she began rubbing his shoulders gently, he relaxed, leaning into her touch. He sighed contentedly, and allowed her to continue. She came and sat beside him on the couch to get better access to his back, and continued working.
Mai came and sat beside them, while Azula quietly exited. Mai guided Zuko down onto his stomach, placing his head in her lap. She began stroking his scalp, using her nails as a makeshift method for acupuncture therapy while Ty Lee began working on the lower sections of his back.
Azula returned a few minutes later with a tray of steaming hot tea cups in her hands. "Uncle may be a fuddy-duddy and a hopeless loser," she remarked, "but he makes exceptional tea." She passed two cups to Mai, who set them on a table beside the couch. Azula then sat beside Ty Lee.
Zuko let his eyes slide to half-mast in pleasure. This was nice. It reminded him of the way he and Jet had, for all intents and purposes, enjoyed each other's company while on the ferry to Ba Sing Se. The Freedom Fighter had also been skilled at massage, especially when it came to the lower body, but he was nothing compared to Ty Lee and her knowledge of the human anatomy. It was as if she knew exactly where to find every tension point, and how to work it back to its natural state. Very nice, indeed.
Ty Lee coaxed him to turn over so she could work on his feet, and also to make it easier for Mai to pour the tea down his throat. Zuko obliged, getting sleepier as the hot liquid slid down his throat from the cup his lover held to his lips. Azula noticed this, and grabbed a blanket from the top of the couch and set it atop her older brother. Mai placed a pillow under his head and kissed his brow. He closed his eyes, knowing that he was in a safe place where his personal demons could not reach him.
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