Title: Typhoons and Other Things That Make Mai Tremble
Rating: G
Pairings/Characters: Mai/Zuko
Warnings: references to child abuse
Word count: 1130
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to the nice folks at Nickelodeon.
Author's note: Thanks to jin_fenghuang for the beta! Originally written for the Seven Fanworks challenge at LJ's AtLA_Land.

The wood creaked under Mai's careful footsteps, the shutters rattling in their frames as she climbed the stairs of the tower. The wind gusted over the capitol and shook the palace itself. When she dared peek out the windows, the sky was murky, swirling with vast, threatening banks of storm clouds. She could almost imagine the floor beneath her slippered feet pitching and yawing under the force of the winds.

But Mai didn't imagine. Force of habit.

She found him at the top of the stairs, in the highest chamber of the palace, just as she had known she would. The room was unornamented and almost undecorated. Strong wooden columns lined the walls in the rich, dark teak wood typical of the palace. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, swaying unsettlingly with the movements of the room. The light was a dim orange that flickered from his inattention as much as from the wind. He had flung the windows open – or perhaps it was the wind that had torn them open – and stood framed against the vast, dark sky. ponytail blew in the wind, ornamented now with the mark of the Crown Prince. His clothes had hardly changed since she saw him last, since before his mother left, but he looked strange and new to her somehow. Mai pressed her hands palm down against her robes, staring at him.

"I'm not going back down," he snapped, voice sudden and harsh as a crack of thunder. "You can tell Azula…"

"Please. Like I follow her orders," Mai replied. She kept her tone even, buried her fascination and concern beneath boredom. Steeling herself, she found the courage to step into the room, and added, "No one even knows you're up here."

He cocked his head to the side, like he was listening for the lie in her words. Then, just like that, the line of his back relaxed. His shoulders slumped with relief. Mai stepped up to his side, leaning against the frame of the window as she studied his profile. Zuko's eyes were sharp, the same gold as his father, but somehow haunting rather than commanding. His jaw was stubbornly fixed, put fading as he settled into her presence. And high upon his cheek there was a blossoming, purple bruise.

Mai's breath caught in her throat; she fisted her hands deeper into her robe.

"Zuko…"

"It's nothing," he replied immediately. His eyes flicked to the side, taking in her expression. Despite himself, he jerked physically away. Like he didn't want her touch. Like she was brave enough to offer it.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"Training. I wasn't fast enough."

Mai scowled. She'd never heard of firebending training that left bruises. There had been times when they trained together with blades, his long swords and her throwing knives, and that had been rougher, sweatier, dangerous in a way that made her blush to think of. But they hadn't practiced that way for a long time. No teacher could compare to Princess Ursa, and she knew Zuko would not tolerate a replacement.

"It's dangerous up here," she said. "We should go down."

Zuko shook his head fractionally; Mai sighed.

"It's just wind," he said. He was glaring out into the storm, issuing a challenge. "An inferior element. It's nothing to be afraid of."

Reaching out, she tugged suddenly on his sleeve. Zuko turned to look at her, blinking in surprise. Pointedly, Mai rolled her eyes at him.

"I don't need to hear propaganda. Typhoons are dangerous. We need to get down from here."

"I said no. I am your prince and you will not disobey me."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Has that ever worked? On anyone?"

He glared back at her. Maybe it had worked on the turtleducks.

"I want to watch the storm roll in, Mai. Leave me alone."

"You're so stupid sometimes," she huffed out.

Zuko really was. She wasn't sure how much of this was just pure, petulant obstinacy – although probably most of it, considering it was him – and how much was genuine ignorance. He'd never been in the capitol during the storm season. The weather was fairer on Ember Island, and Prince Ozai's domain had long been the court rather than the military. It was no hardship to any courtier to pick up and move to a beach house to wait out the storms, while the generals and high ministers continued to conduct the affairs of government without them. But Prince Ozai was Fire Lord now, the military was his to command. He remained at the palace, even with the skies darkened and the typhoons spun ominously closer, and so too did the court.

The corner of his mouth twitched up.

"Yeah, I am," he agreed. His eyes were warmer, reflected the light of the candles burning steady and bright behind her. He must have refocused, she realized, he must have brought them back under his control. His expression slipped, just a little, as he continued, "I've missed you."

"What's to miss?" she replied blandly, ignoring how her heart raced. "I'm always here."

"You're always with Azula," he corrected.

Which was true. Her mother had betrothed her to Zuko for the sake of politics, but she had quickly realized the Fire Lord's favor lay with his daughter. Better to court Azula's friendship than Zuko's affection, according to Mai's mother. But it wasn't that – not really, anyway. Mai did as her mother asked, sullenly and with no pleasure in most circumstances. She liked Azula well enough, but in an odd way, her company was safer than Zuko's. Not physically, of course, but it was so much easier to get through the day without flushing or stammering or wondering what a marriage bed was like.

She shied away from the topic, moving closer to him and looking out the window again. The storm clouds were pretty, in a maudlin, overwrought kind of way. It suited Zuko, anyway.

"So, what happened?" she asked again.

"Nothing," he said stiffly. His voice was defensive, and she just knew he'd raised his chin stubbornly as if that would dispel any doubts.

Mai waited a long moment before speaking, tilting her head and telling him conversationally, "I think I hate your father."

Zuko turned on his heel and grabbed her by the shoulders. She let him jostle her, remaining limp in his hands as she angled a challenging look up at him.

"You can't say that about the Fire Lord! It's treason!"

"He can't hit the Crown Prince," she replied. "It's treason."

His jaw worked for a moment and he looked down uncomfortably. Mai raised a hand, touching it lightly to his face.

"I miss you, too." She paused, enjoying the smile that broke across his face. "Now can we get out of this death trap?"