Maiko Month
Prompt #7: Entanglement
Nothing Stays the Same
"I hate this." Zuko hissed the three words in Mai's ear. His expression was sourer than a sack full of lemons. The Fire Lord was anything but dignified as he slammed his head down onto the table and groaned. "Everything's all complicated now."
They sat in the Jasmine Dragon, Ba Sing Se's most famous tea shop and home to Zuko's much adored Uncle Iroh. It was officially closed, though Iroh's assistant still puttered about in the well stocked kitchen, baking and brewing various teas. The smells were tantalizing and Mai's tummy rumbled its desires.
"Why are you making it so difficult?" Zuko was adorable when he pouted, infuriating too, but Mai preferred to focus on the former. She nuzzled his cheek before giving it a kiss. "Iroh is getting married. Be happy for him and forget the rest. Besides," she added before giving his hair a tug, "it's none of our business."
"He's getting a whole new family, Mai." Unsaid was the 'what about me?' but Mai heard it anyway. He might be Fire Lord, one of the most powerful people in the world, but Zuko's insecurities still showed themselves in times of change or stress. Some part of Zuko still believed himself worthless.
"Yes, and he'll still love you, Zuko."
He lifted his head and heaved a sigh before giving Mai a grateful look. She always knew what he was thinking, sometimes before he did. She had this way about her, this gift for keen observation. The young husband marveled at how well she could read him. Hiding things from Mai, even a surprise, something good, proved challenging. And he usually failed. But that was all right. Mai was Mai and he would not change a thing, not one.
"You think so?" Zuko hated the weakness in his voice, the vulnerability it exposed, how he felt and sounded like a little child.
Putting her cup down, Mai took his chin in her hand and made a point of looking as deep as she could into those gold eyes she loved so much. "I know it. Stop worrying."
~~~~0000~~~~
With a flourish, his face alight, eyes sparkling, Iroh introduced his fiancée. She was younger, quite a bit, and her name was Hua. With her were three sons and one daughter, all in their mid to late twenties, Zuko and Mai figured. They were a sturdy lot, not beautiful, not handsome, but pleasant to look upon and each carried an air of humour and kindness.
Zuko fidgeted in his chair and muttered some kind of greeting. Mai could see that Iroh was disappointed. She kicked Zuko's leg and he swallowed an 'ouch' before throwing her a glare.
"You can do better than that." It was an order and the Fire Lord obeyed.
His face red and sheepish looking, Zuko nodded politely to Hua and each of her children, expressing his pleasure at meeting them. He thanked Hua for making his uncle so happy. She'd poured fresh life into the man. That could not be denied. Iroh appeared ten years younger and every step had a bounce. How could Zuko not be pleased?
~~~~0000~~~~
"Will you live here?" he asked his uncle that evening.
It was just the three of them now, Zuko, Mai and Iroh. They sat eating a simple dinner of stew and dumplings. There was a celebratory wine too. Zuko was torn between rejecting it outright and grabbing a bottle before running off upstairs to down it in private. Mai sipped hers steadily.
The Fire Lord pictured Iroh's new family taking over the Jasmine Dragon, his refuge away from the Fire Nation. Their bedroom would be inhabited by others, quiet time with Iroh a thing of the past. It was one big tangled mess in his eyes, one he would rather have vanish. But Mai had persuaded him to behave, keep those selfish thoughts to himself. And so he bit down the rest of his questions and waited for Iroh to answer.
"Hua will join me here, yes." Iroh peered at Zuko from across the table. "You seem unsettled by these developments, nephew. Am I right?" The old man stroked his long grey beard and reached for his drink.
"You have a new family." He sounded heartbreakingly like a little boy again.
"Zuko, I have lots of love to give, more than enough for all of you. And you will always be my Zuko, my nephew, my son." Iroh dabbed at wise amber eyes. "And Mai, you're like a daughter. No one can replace you. But I get lonely here sometimes and Hua takes that loneliness away. She's a fine woman and I love her too."
Mai observed the exchange in silence. She nodded at Iroh, indicating that she understood and gave him her blessing.
~~~~0000~~~~
Zuko encircled Mai with his arms. She sighed with contentment, glad to finally be in bed. It was late, well past midnight and Ba Sing Se had settled down to its own brief sleep. In just a few hours, bakers would begin work, factories would start early shifts, street sweepers would give the city a fresh face for the new day. But now, it was tranquil. Window flung wide open, the night air, perfumed with all the city's scents, crept into the space, shifting the curtains lazily, making the one candle gutter and finally go out.
"I love this room." Zuko kissed the top of Mai's head. His lips lingered there, reveling in the texture of Mai's raven hair.
"I do too."
So different from their bedroom in the Fire Nation palace, this one at the Jasmine Dragon was plain, but comfortable and cozy, a little nest at the top of the tea shop. They were a part of the city but distant as well. There they had made plans and made love, each with equal fervor. It really was a second home.
"Everything's going to change isn't it?"
"Yes; but change isn't always bad. You came home and we became a couple. That was a change. One day we'll have our own family. That will change a lot too. But I still want a child. Don't you?"
"Yes, yes; and Iroh deserves this happiness…after his wife and Lu Ten. It's just…"
Mai switched sides so that she could face Zuko. Her kiss was a whisper but it conveyed everything that Zuko needed to hear. After that he slept and in his dreams all became untangled once again.
