Background info: Katara and the Gaang stuck around the Fire Nation after the battle with Ozai/Azula and Katara and Zuko had a bit of a secret fling. This piece takes place after everyone returns home.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything at all related to Avatar.
Mai watched him as he dressed. She could seem him wince at his months-old injury. She had given up on helping him; he refused it every time. She wouldn't be the fluttering nursemaid. Let him suffer. She hated it, but he was distant; not like before his "defection" as she called it. It mystified Mai. She couldn't, wouldn't attempt to figure him out because somehow, she suspected that she wouldn't like what she would find. Zuko was different, and all Mai wanted was for life to be how it was before, before the war, before Azula, just before, when they had been merely children, for that was where simplicity resided.
Zuko groaned, feeling that stabbing pain again. He could feel Mai watching him, and his annoyance grew. It was guilt that made him push her away. Each new pain was a reminder of Katara, and he somehow felt Mai would discover their secret if she helped him. He couldn't afford that. He adored Mai, with all her stubbornness and black humor. He had already hurt her so much and this would be a different kind of wound, one the two of them might not recover from. He needed the stability she provided as he entered into the new phase of his life. Adventure time was over. It was time to return to reality.
She lay with Aang, watching the ice sparkle in the early morning light. She leaned her head on his shoulder, breathing in the crisp southern air. She could barely feel his warmth; but she shouldn't think of that. Too soon ago had she absorbed the heat of the sun personified. Aang wasn't him. Oh no. Aang was like the sunrise, a guiding light, a welcoming light. He was the sun at midday, dangerous but beautiful. Shivering, she pushed the thoughts of him from her head. She whispered Aang's name, letting it float into the cool air, sealing her future.
Or so she thought.