Chapter 11: Sweet Garden

The fourth night on Ember Island was their last night on Ember Island.

Zuko was grateful for that. He didn't want to stay on that damned island any more than he had to. Although, burning and trashing Chan's house was a bright spot. He'd hadn't had fun like that in…a while.

But now that he was going home…

He felt a lot better about that. He smiled more, he was more relaxed. Maybe what Li and Lo said was right…maybe Ember Island did wash away all your problems. But only after making more of them…

Zuko sighed and leaned on the railing, watching the waves as they lapped up against the wooden, lacquered boat. Mai sat next to him, her hand on his far shoulder and her head leaning up against his other shoulder. Zuko closed his eyes and breathed deep her scent…she smelled like ylang ylang and sweat.

"What's on your mind?" he whispered in her ear. He wanted to gently nip her ear, but Azula and Ty Lee weren't far away. He'd rather not have them watching.

Her eyes slid over to land on his face, and Zuko knew by the glint in her eye that her thoughts weren't passive. Mai smiled at him, and her grip on his shoulder tightened, her nails slightly sinking into his clothes and skin. "You really want to know?" Mai asked him, her voice low and raspy.

"Yeah," Zuko said, "what's on your mind?"

Mai's smile grew a bit bigger, and she whispered to him, "Lean in close."

Zuko did what she asked him, until her lips were pressed up against his ear. In her quietest voice, she whispered in Zuko's ear. Zuko's face turned red and his eyes grew big as he heard what Mai was telling him, and he gripped the railing in front of him, trying to bring himself back to reality.

When Mai finished telling him what was on her mind, she leaned back innocently, placing her head on Zuko's shoulder and looking out at sea, watching the waves lapping up against the boat and the wispy clouds moving along the jet stream.

Zuko glanced to his side, glad to see that Azula and Ty Lee weren't paying attention to either of them. He took at deep breath and looked back down at Mai, who was sitting there as innocently as ever. Zuko tugged at his collar, hoping that his blush was going down a bit. And…he didn't want to admit…he had to move his legs a bit to try to get his erection to go down.

Mai smirked, loving the reaction she had on him.

"You're blushing, Zuko," Mai told him.

"So are you," Zuko said, noting the light pink flush her cheeks had.

"So am I!" Ty Lee chimed in from across the boat. When everyone turned to look at her, Ty Lee said, "What? You two aren't as subtle as you think, especially on this tiny little boat."

Zuko and Mai looked at each other, slightly embarrassed, and then back out again at sea. Though Mai trailed her fingers along Zuko's shoulders and back, and Zuko leaned into her touch, the couple said nothing more for the entire trip there.

xoxo

Zuko didn't see his father the day after they had returned from Ember Island. Or the day after that. Or the day after that.

But he did see Mai everyday, and that was far better than any conference with his father.

While Ty Lee and Azula kept busy doing whatever, Zuko came by Mai's house almost everyday, staying for hours at a time. Luckily, Mai's Aunt Shoma was almost never around, saying that she didn't like living in Mai's parent's old house. It just…felt wrong…or so she said. Mai suspected that her aunt was often out of the house for her sake. Not that she was complaining. A part of her felt a bit miffed, though.

Tonight, though, she and Zuko spent their evening in the palace gardens, under a twilight sky and low hanging branches, thick with summer bloom. Fireflies were flickering in the bushes and trees, occasionally drifting lazily through the summer air. The water in the ponds were rippling as turtle ducks and tiny koi fish swam around, searching for food and following their mothers.

Zuko leaned against the truck of a thick tree, and Mai leaned back against him, resting her head up against his chest, her hand resting on his lap. Zuko wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and kissing her on her forehead. Mai smiled and hummed, perfectly content. She closed her eyes and nuzzled up to him, breathing deep and smelling musk and ylang ylang and cinnamon.

"You smell nice," Mai breathed.

"Thanks," Zuko said. "You too."

"Thanks," Mai said.

The summer breeze blew past them, making Zuko's hair blow up against Mai's skin, and she tried not to giggle at his hair tickling her. Zuko smiled when he heard a small snicker leave her throat, though, knowing from experience that she was trying to stop herself from laughing. He thought it was cute. He looked down at her, as she was smiling and chuckling, her eyes closed and her head leaning up against him.

In Zuko's head, he was picturing paradise. Of heaven. He knew nothing of what the Fire Sages preached or what they practiced, he knew nothing of the Spirit World or reincarnation, but at that moment he knew that heaven was real, and it was here with Mai, in the gardens, at peace with her by his side.

"This is so wonderful," Zuko whispered, his words slurring in her hair. "I wish that this moment would last forever." Zuko knew it was impossible, but he wished and he hoped. He kissed Mai's head and forehead, kissed her cheeks and her neck, and then captured her lips in a kiss.

Mai moaned slightly, and put her hands behind Zuko's head, pulling him in deeper, darting her tongue into his mouth. Her hands slid down his neck and shoulders, and then she grabbed the fabric of his shirt, her fingers balling the fabric in her fists, tugging at his clothes.

She yanked on Zuko's clothes, pulling him down into another kiss, kissing him deeply. When they ended the kiss, Zuko looked at her, and he knew by the look in her eyes—by the color in her face—what she wanted.

"Zuko," Mai rasped, and her suggestive tone said it all. Still, she leaned forward again, her hands still balled up in Zuko's clothes, running her lips up his neck, giving him soft, quick kisses.

"Really?" he asked, glancing around the gardens. "Here?"

"You said that you wished I was more crazy and high-strung sometimes. I'm willing to be like that now," Mai said, glancing down at his neck and her fists loosening in his robes.

"Someone could see," Zuko said, glancing at the garden and then back at her.

"I don't think anyone will," Mai said. "These are private gardens, and no one's going to come out here. The palace servants are busy serving, and generals are busy planning, and nobles are busy being boring. No one's going to see," she said.

"Well…I guess…" Zuko said.

Hesitantly, he pressed another kiss to Mai's lips, and Mai savored the feeling. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was practically bubbling with excitement. Never in her life had she done something so risky, but she was willing to try. Just to have the feeling; just to share it with Zuko.

Zuko wrapped his arms around Mai and she moved him on top of her, laying her head down on the soft grass. Zuko rolled on top of her, kissing her sweetly but deeply. Mai released his red robes and wrapped her arms around his back only before running her fingers through his hair.

As the night deepened, Mai's breathing became harsher. As the darkness became thicker, she parted her legs, wrapping them around Zuko's waist.

Zuko's heart was pounding like hers. His breath was coming out short and fast, and he could feel blood rushing between his legs, making him stiff. Mai's hair was spilled out behind her, pulled loose from its buns, and she unbuttoned her vest, sliding her arms out of the armholes. Zuko shifted his hips up against her, and Mai could feel his erection pressing through his clothes and up against her body.

She closed her eyes and moaned quietly.

Zuko kissed her neck, darting his tongue out and licking her skin. He pulled at the collar of her top, wanting to see her body. Mai moaned again and tilted her head back, her lips parting as she felt his lips up against her skin. Blood rushed between her legs, and she rubbed herself through her clothes.

She reached up for the waistband of her pants, slightly tugging them down until her hipbones were exposed to the cool night air.

Zuko's breath caught in his throat when he saw what she was doing.

"Still nervous?" Mai asked him, whispering in his ear.

"I…guess…?" he said.

Mai cupped his face, calming him with a deep kiss. Zuko kissed her back, letting all his anxiety fall away from him. It was just him and Mai out here. Just him and Mai.

He pushed his hips up against her again, teasing her. Mai bucked her hips up against him, feeling his erection up against her.

Zuko kissed her neck again, and then moved onto her collarbones, trying to ignore the taste of the silk in his mouth and focus on her skin just beneath that. His hand slid up from her hip and he stroked her hipbone with his fingers before sneaking his fingers underneath the hem of her tunic, pulling it up to reveal her stomach.

"Zuko," Mai breathed, her eyes closing in bliss.

"Mai," he breathed back.

He nipped at her collarbone, gentle enough to just tease, but it sent a fire racing along her veins. If Mai had been a firebender, she knew that she would have been breathing fire in that moment. She might have lit the entire garden on fire; her body felt so warm, flushing hot with her blood pounding through her veins and the heat of desire thick on her skin.

"Zuko," Mai said, tugging on the back of his clothes, "don't tease me like that."

"Sorry," he said, put he continued to kiss her neck.

Mai tugged on the back of his clothes again, harder this time. She wanted to rip them off of him, and run her hands up and down his bare back, and drag her nails along his skin as he took her right there in the garden. A moan escaped her without her knowing it, and she pulled on his clothes again.

Zuko finally got the message.

He took off the elaborate collar that he wore, tossing it into the grass like it was nothing. He kicked off his shoes, and he unbuttoned the collar of his tunic. Mai unbuttoned another, and another, until she could see his collarbones peeking out. The sight of his skin excited her more, and she rubbed herself again, trying to relieve the ache between her legs.

Slipping her fingers beneath his clothes, she stroked his collarbones, running her fingers along his skin slowly, eliciting a small, breathy moan from him. She tugged at the edge of his unbuttoned collar, until his shoulder was naked. She leaned forward, pressing a long kiss to his shoulder, and she let her tongue slip out of her mouth and trail along his shoulder and towards his collarbone. His skin tasted sweet and salty at the same time.

"Mai," Zuko whispered, tilted his head down as she trailed her tongue to his neck, pressing more long, heated kisses to his neck.

Mai continued to kiss his shoulder, to lick at his collarbone, to make him moan and fidget. Zuko breathed her name again, and Mai moved to his neck, sucking on it, debating on whether or not to leave a dark hickey on his skin. She never got the chance to decide, because Zuko pulled her head back and captured her lips in a kiss, his fingers tangling through her hair.

Mai cupped his cheeks and looking up at him expectantly. Zuko kissed her more, and Mai stroked his cheeks. As they kissed, her fingers trailed down to his neck and to his collar, pushing the red fabric away from his neck and collarbones.

She wanted to see him naked and exposed, to see his bare chest and bare legs, see the blush on his body as he thrust himself forward, his leg muscles straining.

Mai rubbed herself again, and she thought that she might soon orgasm if Zuko didn't take her soon.

"Don't be so hasty," Zuko said, chuckling, and his laugh reverberated against Mai's skin.

"Don't be so slow," she retorted.

"Alright," Zuko said, and without warning, he yanked down Mai's pants, making her gasp in surprise. He pulled them down until they were at her knees, and he trailed his fingers up her inner thigh, slowly.

Before his fingers could tease her labia, his hand left her body, and came to rest on her arm, where he rolled his thumbs in small circles.

"Zuko," Mai rasped, closing her eyes and grabbing onto his tunic, her nails sinking into the fabric. "Don't tease me," she rasped, her head leaning forward and resting up against his chin. "Don't tease me."

Zuko's hand left her arm and went back to her inner thigh, where he rubbed small circles into his skin there. Mai moaned, softly, wanting him to do so much more to her. She tugged on Zuko's clothes and buried her head into his shoulder, nipping at skin and then kissing it.

When his fingers finally made contact with her labia, Mai sucked in breath, her head falling back against the soft grass. Zuko looked down at her and smiled a lecherous smile. She was blushing, her lips were parted, and her eyes were closed in bliss. She looked so beautiful, so perfect…

This was the Mai that he'd always seen inside of that stoic exterior. This was the Mai that he'd come to love.

Leaning down, he kissed her on her stomach, right above her navel, before taking her tunic and pulling it further up her body, until her breast binder was exposed. He kissed the silken binder slowly, traveling from the bottom hem to right where her nipples were, taking his time, slowly kissing and sucking on them.

Mai moaned more, and her hands ran through his hair, telling him, 'more, more.'

He kissed her lips then, his tongue brushing against her lips and then snaking around Mai's tongue, only for a moment, before he pulled away. Both his hands left her body as he straightened up, sitting up on his knees.

Mai watched as he reached up underneath his robes and began pulling his pants down. She couldn't see anything besides his bare thighs, even as the side slits widened as he struggled out of his pants. When the waistband was at his knees, he leaned forward again, kissing Mai's breasts, neck, and lips.

Zuko reached his hand beneath the front panel of his robe, stroking his erection. He was wet with pre-ejaculate and he knew that when he entered her, it would be smooth and painless. He stroked himself slowly, dragging his foreskin over the head slowly, and then back down again.

He moaned against Mai's mouth.

"Zuko," she breathed, her hands burying themselves in his hair. "Take me," she whispered. He knew that she was demanding it, not suggesting.

He stroked himself again, then let go of his erection, his hand traveling back to Mai's labia. She moaned when she felt his fingertips touch her, parting her vaginal lips to stroke the smooth, sensitive labia. His fingertips started at her entrance, sliding into her body just an inch, checking to make sure that she was wet enough. Zuko remembered what his uncle had said about needing a woman to be wet. When he felt her wetness coating her body and his fingers, he traveled up from her entrance to where her…"flower bud" was supposed to be.

He…couldn't find it very easily.

Mai had to guide his fingers to the exact spot. When Zuko felt it, the small bud that was her clitoris, he rubbed his fingers against it, back and forth, until Mai was writhing beneath him.

He liked that reaction. He moved his fingers back and forth over her clitoris, at a gradual pace, watching her body jerk and arch forward, loving the reaction it had on her.

He slid his fingers back and forth…

Back and forth…

Back and forth…

Up and down…

Around and around, circling her clitoris…

Mai put her hand to her mouth, biting the side of it, her legs spasming, her back arching, her face contorting to one of pure ecstasy, her breathing deep and fast, sucking in air like she'd almost drowned. Even biting down on her hand, Zuko could hear her moans and grunts and whimpers.

He didn't stop stroking her clitoris, playing with it, circling it…

Mai spasmed again, then laid back flat against the grass, that blissful look still on her face. She stopped biting her hand, but kept her mouth covered. When Zuko changed the motion, swiping up and down, Mai jerked her body away from his fingers, whimpering and moaning up against her hand.

Zuko let his hand rest against her hip.

Mai's breathing slowly returned to normal, her body relaxed, and she took her hand away from her mouth. Zuko took her hand in his, looking at the bite marks on her skin before sweetly kissing them, licking the indentions before sucking on the tips of her fingers.

"You okay?" Zuko asked her, looking down.

"I came," Mai whispered, looking up at him with a smile. "I came, I orgasmed. You made me orgasm," she told him. Before Zuko could even respond to that, she grabbed his face, pulled him down, and kissed him deeply.

Zuko kissed her back. When the kiss was finished, the moon was high in the sky and Zuko's erection was throbbing beneath his robes.

"Mai," he grunted up against her, "I need to get in you."

"I know," Mai replied, a devious smile on her lips.

Zuko moved his robes out of the way, and that was when Mai saw his erection. The aftershocks of orgasm ran through her body again, and she breathed deeper, excitement racing through her veins. His penis jutted out in front of him, thick and throbbing, blushing a reddish-pink near the tip, and wetness beaded on the slit.

Zuko grabbed his penis and positioned it between her legs, but only after looking around the garden to make sure that no one was still there.

Before Zuko could enter her, Mai said, "Hey, Zuko?"

"Yeah?" he asked her, teasing her body by putting the tip of his erection right against her labia.

"This time, can you last more than two minutes?"

Zuko quirked his lips and wrinkled his nose, glancing down at the ground, before trying to make his face go back to normal.

Mai chuckled and grabbed his sleeves, her hips leaving the ground and teasingly pushing her body a bit closer. Zuko's eyes closed as he felt her body caressing his.

He leaned forward and kissed her again, right before he sheathed himself inside of her. They both gasped at the feeling. Mai's eyes shut and her head fell back against the ground, her fingers tightening in his sleeves as she felt him slide into her, and then slowly drag himself back out. He thrust quickly back inside of her, and she gasped again.

"You okay?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yes," Mai whispered back, running her hands up and down his back, caressing his body beneath his clothes. "That feels so good," she said, moving her hips up against him.

Zuko pulled himself out slowly, almost to the tip, and then thrust back in. Mai gasped again, and spread her legs a little wider. As Zuko began thrusting, slow and steady, Mai closed her eyes and breathed deep, savoring the feeling of him inside of her. She felt his erection sliding against her muscles, teasing and stroking all the sensitive little nerves. She clenched her muscles and arched her back.

Yes, sex felt wonderful.

And if it was shameful, she was too gone to care.

His pace quickened. Panting, he thrust in and out of her, angling his hips just right, and grabbed at Mai's hair and the soft grass beneath it. He grunted, quickly thrusting in and out of her, making their skin smack together. Briefly, he opened his eyes and looked around the garden, making sure that no one was still around.

No one was.

He looked back down at Mai, clearly enjoying herself on the ground, and smiled. He kissed her neck as he gave a quick, sharp thrust inside of her, making her gasp. Zuko did it again and again, just to hear her gasp each time. It was such a cute, lovely sound.

Zuko felt his orgasm starting to approach. So, of course, he had to wonder how long they'd been having sex. It's not like he was counting the minutes.

"Mai," he grunted out, "I'm about to come."

"Not yet," she hissed back. It felt so damn good to have him inside of her, his body inside of hers, making her feel like she did. Her clitoris was tingling and her insides were being stimulated.

Yeah, not yet.

"'Kay," Zuko said, and slowed his thrusting. He took slow, deep breaths.

Mai waited for him to continue, shifting her hips on the ground and kissing his neck. Zuko waited and waited until he felt his orgasm fade away, and he began thrusting again.

Mai moaned all the while, nipping at his neck and whispering his name like a mantra. Her head fell back as he quickened his pace, and Zuko took advantage of her exposed neck, licking it and nipping at it.

Just like she had done to him.

His orgasm was approaching again. He slowed, stopped, waited, and resumed. He wanted this to last as long as possible. Not just for Mai's sake, but for his as well.

Finally, when he could take no more, he decided that he would just let his orgasm happen. He sucked at Mai's lower neck when he felt it approaching. He didn't warn her, but instead moaned up against her neck.

He thrust hard and fast inside of her, spreading her legs wider with his hand, panting and sweating. He closed his eyes, groaned her name, and came.

His seed shot out of his body and Mai felt the wet warmth spreading inside of her. She peered up at him, at his messy hair and blissful face. He was smiling like an idiot…a tired idiot…but he looked so beautiful then.

He kept his erection inside of her, giving a few final thrusts to get the rest of his seed out of him. He sighed and whispered Mai's name again, this time adding a, "Oh, fuck yes," to the end.

With both of them having climaxed, they laid in the garden together. Zuko rolled off of her and rested by her side, pulling her clothes back over her so she wasn't so exposed. Mai snuggled up to him, giving him soft kisses and pressing smiles up against his skin.

"That was amazing," she told him.

"Yeah," Zuko agreed, "it really was."

A chilly breeze swept through the garden, rustling the green leaves and stirring the flowers. Mai shivered, the sweat on her body suddenly turning cold, and she pushed closer to Zuko, seeking out his warmth.

"Let's go inside," Zuko suggested when he felt her shiver again. "It's warmer in there."

"Yeah," Mai replied.

She stood up and tugged her clothes back over her stomach and slid her vest-jacket on. Zuko helped her smooth down her clothes and hair, trying to make her look somewhat innocent. Like she gotten laid in the palace gardens.

Together, she and Zuko went into the palace, holding hands and bumping shoulders, quietly making their way to Zuko's bedchambers for the rest of the night.