THE QUESTION

by Madame Bomb

Zuki Week – Day 4 (April 1st)

Prompt: DATE NIGHT

Rating: M+

Summary: Zuko has been planning a special date for Suki's birthday for months, but Suki has her own plans.

Notes: A smutty fluffy one, my friends. Was there every any doubt? This is my favorite that I wrote this week, actually. It was a lot of fun.

"Hnnng..." Suki moaned and then crashed forward, face first into Zuko's bed. She lay there, stiff-legged and unmoving, her hands limp at her sides.

Zuko lifted his brows, looking at her lying there like a slug. "Suki, are you okay?"

She made a grunting noise and her foot moved. He assumed that was a good sign. At least she wasn't dead.

Crossing the room, Zuko came and stood beside the bed, surveying his girlfriend from head to toe. Her uniform was scuffed and covered in yellow dust. There was a battered slice on her padded gambeson, and seeing it there, knowing she hadn't had that slice when she'd left that morning, made him frown.

He reached out a hand and ran his fingers along the slice. He could see the inside of the padded gambeson beneath it. The slice went all the way through that, but the boiled leather on the inside had stopped it from cutting into her clothing, and then into her flesh. But only just.

"How did this happen?" he asked lightly, an edge to his voice. Suki turned her head to the side and peered up at him through one bleary blue eye. Her paint looked the worse for wear, smudged and cracked and running in rivers down her face. She looked like she'd gone ten rounds with a waterbender and not come out the winner on the other side.

"Quadruplets," Suki said and then huffed, shoving her face back into the covers. "That's what happened to me. They ganged up on me. The little bastards."

Zuko looked at her hard, running his fingers along the gaping slash in her gambeson. "I thought you were just going to train some of the palace guards today, not get into a knock-down drag out fight."

"Me too," Suki said, turning head again. She sat up a little and then thought better of it and collapsed again. She groaned. "I'm one big bruise."

"That doesn't sound like the Suki I know," Zuko said, sitting down next to her on the bed. "I've seen you take on ten men at once and not get a single scratch on you."

"Those were ordinary soldiers. These were General Ju-Long's sons. They all joined the guard and insisted I train them. Mistaaaaake," Suki said, wiggling her fingers, which seemed to be the only bit of her she could move.

Zuko flinched. He'd heard of Ju-Long's identical quadruplet sons. They were acrobats and highly skilled martial artists. Ju-Long had been training them since birth; they'd been a year old when he'd given them their first swords. They were only eighteen, but they had gained a reputation, winning competitions and exhibitions throughout the Fire Nation. Ju-Long was so proud of them he was fit to burst, and he'd been overjoyed when they'd all decided to join the palace guard, bragging loudly to anyone who would listen.

"So they kicked your ass?"

"The hell they did!" Suki said hotly, her head shooting up. She glared at him, as indignant as a cat. "I knocked all four of them flat on their backs. I even made one of them cry!"

Zuko's brows flew up. "What did you do to him?"

"Something unladylike," she said and then dropped her head back onto the bed. "I won, but they're good, Zuko. They're very good. And arrogant about it."

Zuko smiled, looking her over. His fingers ran along the slice in her armor. "That's why you took them on all at once, isn't it?"

He knew her too well. Suki loved knocking the arrogance out of any man who came along, thinking he could beat her in a fight. Zuko had seen a lot of men get their faces knocked into the dirt by the Kyoshi Warriors over the years, and it never failed to fill him with glee.

A lot of people took a look at Suki and saw the pretty face, the bright paint, and her slight build and thought she was an easy target, or at least not as good as her reputation made her out to be. She'd proven them all wrong, again and again.

Zuko loved that about her. She wasn't arrogant. She was competwnt and highly skilled and didn't let anyone forget it or dismiss her.

"Maybe," Suki said lightly. "They goaded me. One of them called me a little girl. I have five years on that little shit. The audacity."

Zuko laughed and sank down beside her, propping himself up on his elbow. Suki stared at him, her lower lip poking out. "You are incredibly stubborn, you know that?"

"I thought you loved that about me?" she said, her smile teasing.

He leaned forward and kissed her nose. "I do. But now your stubbornness has ruined the evening I had planned."

Suki frowned, shifting back from him a little. "Oh?"

"It's your birthday, blue eyes," Zuko said. "I was going to take you down into the city to a restaurant. I've been planning it for months."

Suki groaned, her face scrunching up. "Mmmm... That's so sweet, Zuko. I love you for that, but..."

"But?"

"But don't make me move. Please? My ass hurts."

"It does, huh?" he said, and his hand ran along her back down to her buttocks. He pushed up beneath her leather gambeson, sliding his hand along her taut muscles. "I thought they didn't kick your ass?"

"There may have been a few kicks. One kick. Possibly two," she said and then she groaned as his hand dug into her skin. "Mmm. That feels good."

"Well," he said, sighing. "Even though it's your birthday, how about we put a pin in the dinner? Save it for another night?"

"You're the best boyfriend in the world."

Zuko leaned toward her and kissed her ear. "Instead, how about I take your clothes off and give you what you really need?"

"If you say sex I'm breaking up with you," she said warningly. He laughed and nuzzled her cheek.

"I was going to say we should take a long hot bath together," he said as she made an interested little sound. "I take it you like that idea?"

"Best date ever," she said with feeling.

"I thought you'd like that. Now let's get you out of these pesky clothes. You're getting dust all over the bed," Zuko said, and then kissed her temple and stood. He came around the bed and grabbed her boots. He slipped them off of her feet, and then gentled tugged off her socks.

Suki was passive, moaning a little, letting him work. When he stood her up, she groaned, putting her face against his shoulder. He undid her gambeson, and pulled it off over her head, which wasn't easy. He could tell just by the way she was moving that she really was sore.

Her gloves, vambraces, and half-helm followed, until all that was left was her robe. When he gently peeled it off of her, she groaned, moving more and more stiffly by the minute. He saw why the minute the robe pooled at her feet.

She was already starting to bruise across her ribs, and on her arms. Her stomach looked like someone had kicked her—and they probably had. There was a bruise on her back, and one on her buttocks that looked especially painful; it was already turning purple and black on the edges, and there was a bloody contusion just below it.

He hissed in a breath and looked up at her. "Suki..."

She saw the look in his eyes and stopped him with a soft smile. "It's okay, Zuko. They got off much worse than I did. Trust me. I broke one of their nose and I'm pretty sure one of them had had a cracked tooth by the end of it. They're just bruises. Nothing feels broken."

"And what about that sword slice in your armor? Were you fighting with live steel?"

Suki colored; he could see the way her skin went red right below her ears. He usually loved seeing her blush like that—he loved kissing that bit of red skin beneath her ears, which drove her as wild as it did him—but he knew she ashamed all of a sudden.

"Things got a little carried away," Suki said softly. "I shouldn't have allowed them to pull weapons, but they pissed me off."

Zuko cupped her face, wiping at the streaks of white paint on her cheeks. He looked into her eyes, trying to tell her without words that he both understood—because he knew who she was and he loved her—but also that he didn't like that she'd put herself at such risk. He didn't say any of it. He knew that she knew.

They understood each other perfectly. He worried about her putting herself in harm's way, and she worried about him being the target of some skilled assassin. Mostly they watched each other's backs, and worried together. But knowing that she'd gotten hurt, and how close she'd come to really, truly getting injured..

It scared him.

He looked into her eyes and then kissed her, softly, gently, on the lips. Suki touched his chest, and he felt the softness of her kiss. She understood what he was saying to her, even if he hadn't said it.

When he pulled back, she was soft in his arms, smiling a little. He left her underwear on, but slowly unwound her breast wrappings. When he let them drop at their feet, his gaze locked onto her bare breasts. Suki smirked, reaching up and tipping his chin so that he was looking her in the eyes again.

"I'm up here."

"Forgive me, I'm only a man," he said with a smile and kissed her on the tip of her nose, where the white paint had rubbed off completely. "Your paint looks like it got as beat up as the rest of you."

Her hands flew to her face and she swiped at her cheeks. Her paint crumbled on her fingers, smudging it with big, dry white flakes. She stared at her fingers. "Spirits, I probably look like a nightmare clown. Ugh, don't look at me."

"I like looking at you," he said. "Clown face and all. Especially because of the clown face."

"Oh, Spirits! Marry me."

He stilled for half a second, looking at her hard, but she was rubbing at her face paint again, and wasn't watching him. His lips quirked. He was pretty sure she had been joking, and that she hadn't noticed his little pause. His heart hammered in his chest and he bit down on his lower lip, his hand straying to the pocket of his robes.

Trying not to give anything away, he picked her up instead. Suki squealed, but didn't fight him. He glanced at her as they walked toward the bathroom, and saw that she was smiling at him, her hands on his chest.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You," she said, as he set her down in the bathing room. "Always you, Zuko."

He kissed her again. He couldn't help it. He pulled back quickly, his pulse racing. He could feel Suki's eyes on him as he filled the big bathtub with water and bubbles. Steam rose into the air around them as she slipped her underwear off, the scent of lavender and roses filling the air. He held out his hand and she took it.

Slowly he eased her down into the bathtub, and she sank down with a groan, right up to her chin in the foaming water.

"Oh that's better than sex," she sighed.

"I'll try not to take that personally," he said dryly, toeing his boots off, and then shucking his clothing.

"You shouldn't, it's just that sex with you always leave me a little sore afterwards. In a good way," she said. "Although usually just as limp as this hot water is making me feel, so there's that."

Suki bit her lip, watching as he climbed into the tub with her. He sank down into the hot water and she shifted, sliding around to sit against his chest. He didn't mind in the slightest, opening his arms and pulling her back between his legs.

He ran his hands down her arms, and then let his fingers come to rest on her stomach. He was careful not to stray near the bruised parts of her, which wasn't easy; she was covered. The quadruplets had done a number on her.

"Sore, huh?"

"In a good way," she said over her shoulder. "In the best way."

"I'll take that as compliment then," he said, even as her butt wiggled back against him in the water in that way that she knew that he liked. He hitched in a breath and flattened his hand on her stomach, keeping her there against him.

His mouth slipped along her neck, pressing soft little kisses to her skin.

"You should," she said and her hand got between their bodies. He grabbed her wrist though, making a soft sound as he nuzzled her ear.

"I thought you said no sex," he said.

"Yeah, but then you got naked," she said with a laugh.

"Maybe later," he said, kissing a bruise on her shoulder. "If you're up to it after the bath."

"Is it because I still have nightmare clown face?"

"Absolutely," he said immediately. Suki laughed and splashed soapy water over her shoulder at him. It caught him in the face, and he laughed, shaking his head back.

"Jerk."

"You love me,"he said, his wet hair clinging to his face. She half-turned to face him and smiled.

"I do," she said seriously.

Zuko glanced at his clothing on the floor a few feet away, and then back at her. His plans for tonight had whimpered and died the moment she'd collapsed onto the bed, but maybe... Maybe they could salvaged. If he did this right and didn't mess it up.

He was pretty sure he was going to mess it up. He was good at messing things up.

"I love you too," he said with feeling, his heart aching. He kissed her again, unable to stop himself, one finger beneath her chin to tilt her mouth against his. He kissed her softly, stroking his hand along her stomach beneath the warm water. Suki smiled against his mouth and then pulled back.

"You are too good at that."

"What?"

"Making everything all better," she said warmly, and the light in her eyes was soft and sleepy, and happy all at once. He loved that look on her face. Paint and all. He kissed her ear again, in the place where she usually blushed, because it drove her wild. She laughed and wriggled back into him. "Stop that, this is a serious bath."

"And you're seriously sexy," he said, but pulled back, knowing exactly where things would head if he didn't. He reached for a wash cloth and the soap, as Suki sloshed around, shifting to face him. The bubbles clung to her heat-reddened skin, and the steam made her hair curl up a little. He wet the cloth and then soaped it up liberally.

"Come here, clown."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but let him wipe the remnants of her paint off of her face. She looked up at the ceiling while he carefully cleaned the black and red paint off from around her eyes.

After a few minutes of work, her skin was clean and pink again, the dark smudges and white flakes gone. He wrung out the washcloth and put it on the lip of the tub, as Suki sank her head back into the water, wetting it until it was a dark red cap that flowed down the back of her neck.

Then she turned around again, putting her back against his chest and relaxing into him. Zuko tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling, feeling Suki's fingers on his thighs, her nails running lightly up and down his skin.

He shifted forward, just a little bit, and she wriggled back against him. His hands skimmed her stomach, gently swirling against muscle and soft flesh. Suki squirmed against him, pressing back into him tessingly.

"I know what you're doing."

"We could have a little sex," she said, tipping her head back on his shoulder and looking at him with her big blue eyes pleading. "Just a little."

"I don't do just a little. And neither do you," he reminded her pointedly. Suki blushed beneath her ears again, biting her lip. It was the truth and they both knew it.

"It's my birthday," she pouted and then made her eyes get big. Her lower lip poked out again, in that way that drove him crazy. He loved it when she did that; it made him want to bite her lips instantly.

"I don't know, you already took on four men at once today. I don't know if you could handle me," he said, and she rolled her eyes, laughing.

"Wow, now I don't want have sex with you ever again," she said, splashing him again. He laughed, grabbing her hand. That devolved into a very weak wrestling match, in which Suki ended up in his lap, straddling him, her lips on his.

When he lifted her against him and then slid her down his length, she let out a soft mewl of pleasure, like a cat in the sun. Her lips hovered over his, that soft little sound spilling from her mouth. Her bruised body tensed and then relaxed against his as he spread his hand on her lower back.

"Oh, Zuko..." she mumbled, hands on his chest as their bodies ground together. Everything was warm and wet, and clenching. Her body was taut around his, grasping and warm. He shifted into the tight circle of her hips, but let her set the pace.

He was happy to just hold her there, staring into her eyes in the steamy air and then sliding his mouth down to her wet breasts. He dragged his tongue against her soft nipples, pulling them into his mouth until she was writhing on his lap, clutching at his head.

Water sloshed between them as her hips quickened, just a little, taking him in deeper. Sweat rolled down her back and down her neck, dripping. He lapped it up with the tip of his tongue and then captured her mouth with his own.

She kissed him hard, sinking her hands into his wet hair, her tongue against his. His hands dug into her hips and she broke the kiss with a hiss.

"Careful."

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled and kissed her again, his grip easing. She didn't seem to mind though, her soft grinding circles against him changed, moving into longer strokes that made his eyes roll up in his head. Her body and the hot water were going to be his undoing and he knew it.

He could feel completion coming, the gentle pressure as everything inside of him built, threatening to break as Suki's warmth enveloped him completely, taking him over that edge and leaving him teetering there.

His arms tightened on her as he let out a groan against her lips, tumbling over into a hard orgasm that left him shaking beneath her. Suki smiled against his mouth, watching as he tipped his head back, baring his throat to her. She nipped at his pulse point, her hips coming to a rest against his.

She kissed him lazily, letting her mouth trail along his sweaty chest and shoulders before finally nipping her way back up his throat to his chin. He tipped his head down, feeling boneless, and kissed her with soft avarice, his hands sinking into her hair.

"Suki..." he mumbled, and the question he'd spent months planning to ask her leaped onto his tongue, and then retreated back down his throat again just as fast. He wanted to ask her that question, but he couldn't.

Not yet anyway.

"Do you have any idea the way I feel about you?" she asked, cupping his face.

"Do you have any idea the way I feel about you?" he replied as s she lifted up a little, disengaging their bodies. "If one of those punks had hurt you today, really hurt you... I'd kill them."

"I know you would," she said seriously, though her smile was teasing. "My hero."

"You don't need a hero," he said, shaking his head.

"Damn right I don't."

He laughed and brought her forward for a hot, hard kiss. When they broke away, he stroked his hand down her bruised back and glanced at his clothing on the floor again. "What do you say we get out of this tub and I order us something to eat from the kitchens? I'm hungry."

"That sounds perfect," she said in a sleepy voice, and then kissed his nose.

They climbed out of the bathtub and he was pleased when she moved less stiffly than she had before. The hot water had helped a lot. And the sex, though he was pretty sure she would never admit that. Just like he knew she'd never admit that she hadn't cum when he had. He noticed though, and he wasn't about to forget it.

Not tonight, of all nights.

It didn't take them long to dry off and wrap up in robes. He carried her back to the bedroom and sat her down on the edge of the bed, then left to go order their food. The servant he rang for appeared promptly at the door, standing there with his arms clasped behind him. If he thought it was strange that the Fire Lord was wearing a robe and nothing else, he didn't say anything.

"I'll have that up for you right away," the servant said, but Zuko stopped him, glancing over his shoulder at the bedroom door. He slanted a little smile across his lips.

"You know what? Take your time with that."

"How much time?" the servant lifted a conspiratorial eyebrow.

"At least an hour," Zuko said decisively. The servant bowed to him, smothering a knowing smile.

"An hour? Of course, Fire Lord Zuko. I'll make sure to knock loudly, shall I?" he said, making an impressed face.

"That would be wise," Zuko said. The servant bowed again and then slowly sauntering down the hallway, obviously in no hurry. Zuko closed the door, thinking perhaps he should have been embarrassed; the servant had clearly understood what Zuko was up to, but he found he didn't care very much.

His relationship with Suki wasn't a secret. She had practically moved into his suite months ago, though she still kept her own a room with the other Kyoshi Warriors. Everyone knew that they were dating, and the palace loved gossiping about them.

In fact he'd heard a something about a bet that was going around at the moment, speculating on when Zuko was going to ask her to marry him. Zuko put his hand on the pocket of his robes, slipping his fingers inside as he walked toward the bedroom door.

He hoped whoever had put money on tonight used their windfall wisely.

He opened the door and stilled, amusement running through him. Suki was lying on the bed, sound asleep. Her damp hair was tumbled on the pillows, one leg peeking out from beneath her robe. He could see a bruise popping out on her knee and another on her thigh.

He closed the door as quietly as possible and wandered over to the bed, looking down at her. She didn't stir when he reached out a hand and gently pulled a piece of damp hair out of her face.

She also didn't stir when he climbed onto the bed and rolled her over onto her back. Nor did she wake when he unbelted her robe, laying it open before him on the bed.

He glanced at her face and saw her eyes flutter open and then closed. He leaned forward and kissed the corners of her lips, then her eyelids.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled as he nuzzled her nose with his own. His hand smoothed down her bruised stomach and then slipped between her legs. That woke her up. She made a soft sound, and her hips immediately rose into the press of his fingers. "Mmm... Zuko..."

"You didn't think I was done with you yet, did you?" he mumbled, as his fingers eased in and out of her warm, wet body.

"I thought you were ordering food. Aren't you hungry?"

"Ravenous," he said seriously and he saw the look in her eyes. She blushed beneath her ears again.

"Well then, happy birthday to me," she said huskily and then her head tipped back, a soft moan leaving her as he rubbed little circles right where he knew she loved. He laughed and kissed her. She lingered there, pressing soft kisses to his lips, as his fingers opened her up to him.

He took his time, bringing her to the edge with his fingers. He left her teetering there, pulling back at just the right moment. He knew it drove her wild and he wasn't disappointed.

"Zuko," she whined, pouting as he hovered over her, his wet fingers pressing against her hips, pushing her back down when she would have launched herself at him. He bit down on her bottom lip, unable to resist it this time.

Then he worked his way down her body and hungrily devoured her. Suki clutched at his hair, her back arching. He teased her with his mouth, his tongue slowly sliding along her bruised skin, flicking and licking, the taste of her flooding his tongue. He greedily lapped her up, as she moaned, her hips working up and down with each stroke of his tongue.

He was in no hurry, his tongue working against her in a steady, soft rhythm that he knew she wouldn't be able to resist for long. He was right; she started making soft noises, little gasps and whines as her thighs quivered and tried to close on his head.

He held them open, keeping up that steady pressure until she made a shivery little sound, one he knew all too well. She came against his lips, as he pulled her clit into his mouth and drew on it with a deep, heavy suck. She tried to withdraw, but he followed her, his tongue lapping against her skin again and again.

She arched beneath him, her nails in his back, dragging at his hair, at his robes. He heard stitches in his collar popping, but didn't let up. Not until she crashed over the edge yet again, with another back-bowing cry that left her shivering and shaking in the aftershocks.

His fingers pressed into her again and she groaned, her head shaking, eyes unfocused.

"No, I can't..." she breathed, and rolled over beneath him. Zuko grinned and wiped at his wet mouth with the back of his sleeve. She lay there face down again, with her back to him, panting as she tried to recapture her lost breath. "You do not play fair."

"I'm not playing," he said with a sizzling grin, unbelting his robe and then reaching forward, pushing her loose robe up her back, exposing her bruised ass to him. "I'm very, very serious."

Suki looked over her shoulder at him. "How serious?"

Zuko let a little smile cross his lips, as he leaned forward, his chest against her back. He tugged her down the bed a little, putting her right between his thighs. His hands stroked her bruised buttock, then he spread her open and pressed in, slowly.

Suki whimpered as he stilled inside of her. His breath was hot on her neck before he nipped at her skin.

"You have no idea," he said roughly, and then his hips moved forward. Suki pressed her face into the bed, her hips rolled back against his as he took her in long, strong thrusts.

She was warm and wet and his. He knew it by the way her fingers found his, clasping together on the bed, his hips rocking against hers. He knew it in the soft mumble of his voice, and the sharp cries of pleasure when he took her right to that brink again.

"Zuko, Zuko...yes..."

He was going to cum again, and he knew it. So was she; and he knew that. This time, he was determined that they would both finish together, and he held on for dear life. "Love you..."

But Suki was too far gone to reply. She didn't need to. He knew how she felt. Her hands tightened on his, her hips slamming back into his with a rough grind. She buried her face in the bed and let out a scream. Then she tightened and he knew she was his, utterly, completely.

He let go too, pumping into her with a rough exhale of her name. Suki shivered in his arms, still lying flat on the bed beneath him. He pulled back, sitting up on his knees and withdrawing until only the tip of him was inside of her. Then he pushed back in, again and again, giving her every last bit of him.

Finally, he let out a tense breath and pulled out of her. Suki exhaled and her taut, bruised ass relaxed. She still had hold of his hands, and she squeezed them tightly, then let go. Her head turned and she looked at him over her shoulder., as he wiped a hand down his face.

"Marry me," she said softly.

Zuko stilled above her, eyes wide as Suki froze, as if she had just realized what she'd said.

"What?" he whispered, even though he'd heard her perfectly fine. Suki bit her lip and then let out a breath. When she gently eased herself out from beneath him, sitting up on the bed, all he could do was stare at her, realizing how ridiculously he looked with his robe open. But he couldn't move to cover himself.

Because she'd asked him to marry her.

"Zuko, will you marry me?" Suki asked again, brows drawn up in the middle as her gaze searched his. Zuko stared at her for one tense moment and then he laughed, dropping his eyes. His face went into his hand. "Don't laugh! I'm serious!"

"I know you are," he said, shaking his head. He closed his robe and belted it, and when he looked up at her, she was looking pained, like she was about to bolt off of the bed at any moment. "I can't believe you asked me."

"Why?" Suki said, hurt in her voice. "Because the woman isn't supposed to ask the man?"

But Zuko laughed, his hand fishing into his pocket. He pulled out the little box he'd stashed in there while she'd been putting on her robe with her back to him. He opened it, showing her the ring inside.

"Of course not. I just had all these plans to ask you tonight," he said, as Suki's eyes widened, her gaze on the ring inside. "But you had to go and ruin our date tonight by fighting quadruplets. And asking me first."

"Zuko..."

"Ask me again," he whispered.

She looked up at him, that stunned expression still on her face. She saw the smile on his lips, and the love in his eyes. He knew that she did. She looked back at the ring and then smiled, that full smile that always brightened his day, long before he'd ever realized that he was in love with her.

"Will you marry me?" she asked in a tremulous voice.

"Absolutely. But only," he said as he took the ring out of the box and took her hand in his, "if you marry me too."

He slipped the engagement ring onto her finger and she let out a soft cry, looking up at him with her blue eyes huge in her bruised face.

"Yes," she said and then he was kissing her, pulling her into his lap. She laughed against his mouth, pulled back to look at him with an incredulous expression on her face, then she went right back to kissing him.

They tumbled back onto the bed, kissing and touching, giggling and mumbling nonsense at each other. She kept looking at the ring and then kissing him, happiness in her eyes.

It was a good thing the servant knocked very loudly on the door, or they might never have heard him at all. They pulled apart reluctantly, and Suki got up first, but not before slamming a fierce kiss to his mouth.

"Wash up," she said, closing her robe and belting it tightly. "I'll get the food."

He watched her sashay out of the room with hot eyes. Gone was the stiffness from her fight with Ju-Long's sons, replaced by a bounce in her step and a hum under her breath. The door closed behind her and he immediately flopped back on the bed, fists raised to the ceiling.

"YES!"

He couldn't help but grin, his heart bursting. He'd spent months planning the perfect date to ask her to marry him and she'd ruined it, every bit of it. From dinner to the proposal, she'd tossed his plans into the trash as easily as breathing.

And she'd made everything better than he ever could have because of it.

Shaking his head, he got out of the bed, cleaned up, and came back into the main room of the suite. Their suite now; he was going to ask her to move in with him permanently. Just as soon as his brain started working again.

She was sitting at the table, shoveling food into her mouth. She smiled at him as he came and sat down beside her. He reached for the food, and for her at the same time. Their fingers laced. He saw the ring on her finger, shiny and perfect, just her size.

He took a bite and looked up at her. She had a smear of sauce on the corner of her lip, bright red and utterly adorable. He laughed and she glared at him.

"What's so funny?"

Zuko reached forward, swiping the sauce of her lip with his thumb. Then he licked it off of his thumb, staring into her eyes for a long moment. When he dropped his hand, all he could do was shake his head, laughing at her expression.

"You. Always you," he said softly. "I'm going to marry you."

"Not if I marry you first," she said, and her nose scrunched at him. The expression was so adorable he was pretty sure his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

"So competitive," he teased. "Those quadruplets never stood a chance, did they?"

"Neither did you, Fire Lord," Suki grinned, and he knew that she was right. He'd been a goner for her from day one.

He wasn't about to admit it though. As he brushed the ring on her finger, feeling warm and content, he knew he didn't have to.

She already knew.

(end)