Quarantined
by Madame Bomb
Zuki Week – Day 1 (March 29th)
Prompt: FIRSTS
Rating: M
Summary: After Zuko and Suki are quarantined together, they have to work through some issues.
Notes: Thanks to whatusernamex3000 and the coronavirius crisis for the idea for this fic! I hope you guys are keeping healthy! WASH YOUR HANDS!
"WHAT?!" Zuko exclaimed, his mouth falling open as he stared at the healer before him. "What do you mean we're quarantined?"
The healer, a small man with pince-nez glasses perched on the end of his nose, stared at him from ten feet back. He had a mask across his face that hid his expression. He was also wearing a white coat and gloves made of some kind of slick-looking rubber.
"You've both been exposed to the dragon pox, Fire Lord Zuko," the healer said, glancing at Zuko and then the woman standing beside Zuko looking equally as stunned. "For the safety of everyone in the palace you need to be quarantined for the next week."
"We're not sick!" Suki said, looking down at her arms, but they were bare of the large, scaly green pox that was currently rampantly tearing through Republic City's populace. "We didn't have any contact with anyone that was sick!"
But Zuko grimaced. "Uh...well.."
Suki glanced at him, frowning. "What?"
"One of the Air Acolytes was sick the day we left. I heard Aang and Katara talking about it just before we got into the airship to leave," Zuko said, shifting from foot to foot. "But that doesn't mean we were exposed. I mean, I don't even know which Acolyte it was! We probably didn't even run into them while we were on the island!"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Suki asked, looking betrayed and angry. He flinched.
Because you've been giving me the silent treatment, he thought, but knew better than to say.
"I didn't think it was, you know, a problem," Zuko said guiltily instead. "Not until we landed and my healers waylaid us."
Word of the outbreak in Republic City had reached the Fire Nation and the minute he and Suki had landed they'd been carted off to his suite by healers in masks and gloves. He'd felt like some sort of social pariah, but his healers had insisted.
Now here they were, under quarantine. It was ridiculous.
"If only one person is sick, then everyone who met that person could be exposed and turned into a carrier. The incubation period takes up to a week sometimes. And sometimes only a few days!" the healer said, backing up toward the door a little bit more. "It is highly contagious even after the symptoms start showing. You've been exposed, sire. You both have, and if we don't want this to spread like it has in Republic City, you need to be quarantined until we're sure you don't have it."
Zuko ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath. "This is ridiculous!"
"This is for everyone's safety, Fire Lord Zuko. You must be quarantined!"
Zuko glanced at Suki, feeling frustrated. He turned back to his healer, who was standing back as far from him as possible. "Okay, fine. I'll accept the quarantine if you think it's the correct response."
"I do," the healer said, and glanced at Suki. "We'll bring Captain Suki's things for her."
Suki started. "What do you mean, bring my things?"
"You've both been exposed. It will be much easier to care for you both if you're quarantined together for the duration of the incubation period. The Fire Lord's other guards need to keep a distance anyway, so you'll stay here in the Fire Lord's suite to guard him and to reduce the risk of this spreading. It's win-win!"
Suki glanced at Zuko, brows lifting. "I don't know if the Fire Lord is comfortable with that..."
Zuko opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it again. Things were happening very fast.
"It's been decided, and as the Fire Lord knows perfectly well, when it comes to matters of the Fire Lord's health, his healers have the final say."
It was true. They could overrule him if it came to that, and he had a feeling this was a fight even his crown couldn't help him win.
"It's fine," Zuko said. "At least we're together?"
But Suki glared at him. He winced. So she was still angry with him. He supposed he should have expected that. If she was still angry with him he couldn't even blame her. Not after what he'd done to her.
Suki let out a gust of air and threw up her hands, clearly giving up the fight for the moment. The healer bowed out of the suite as quickly as possible, leaving him standing in the middle of the room, watching Suki out of the corner of his eyes.
She didn't say anything to him, pacing in the corner, staring out the windows. He sat down in a chair in front of his fire, feeling frustrated.
"So this is crazy, huh?" he said after a few tense moments.
"You should have told me about the Air Acolyte," she said immediately.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't think it was a big deal."
"Well now we're trapped together for at least a week, maybe more," she said bitterly, pacing back and forth.
"Is that so bad?" he asked, but stopped when she gave him a look.
Oh yeah, she's definitely still mad.
It took another tense hour before there was a knock on the door. Suki opened the door, swinging it wide and letting him see the healer at the end of the hallway, rushing away from them. There was a cart in front of the door, filled with Suki's things, plus food and drink.
"Great, room service," Suki drawled and then raised her voice. "Thanks!"
The healer nodded from the end of the hallway. Suki blew out a breath and brought the cart into the suite. "This is ridiculous. Dragon pox isn't even fatal..."
"But it spreads pretty easily," Zuko said, coming over to the cart. He grabbed a peach, and took a juicy bite. "At least we're not going to starve. And at least we're not in Republic City right now. Katara was talking about putting a quarantine on the whole city to try and stop the spread of the pox. She said something about social distancing or something? She was pretty serious about it. We could have gotten stuck there. And we might have really gotten dragon pox."
Suki made a face. "Gross."
"Yeah. If you see any green spots you let me know. I'll do the same."
"Eww."
Dragon pox wasn't fatal, but it wasn't pretty. People came down with high fevers, coughs, and vomiting, but the worst symptom were the scaly green sores that covered those afflicted from head to toe. The pox was itchy and painful. It took weeks to heal up and sometimes left big scars if left untreated. Half of Republic City had been down with the disease, overwhelming the hospitals, and leading to shut downs as businesses ran into staffing problems.
Things in Republic City had been getting pretty dire. He'd thought they were safe enough on Air Temple Island, but apparently not. Now here they were. He didn't know if being stuck in his suite with Suki was a good thing or not. A week ago he'd have been excited at the prospect, but that was before he'd ruined things.
Now he was pretty sure Suki didn't want to be within a thousand feet of him.
Suki had her things in her arms, and she looked around the room, frowning. "Where should I put my things?"
Zuko blanched, nearly choking on his peach. "Uh... You can take the bedroom. I'll sleep on the couch."
"I can't put you out of your bed, Zuko."
He smiled at her, gently. "Well...we could share if you'd like?"
He knew as soon as he said it that he'd overplayed his hand. Her expression closed down immediately and her chin jutted out with anger. "I learned my lesson. Less chance you'll shove me onto the floor again if you're sleeping on the damned couch."
And she stormed away from him, going into the bedroom and slamming the door behind her. Zuko groaned, hitting himself on the forehead with his curled fist.
"One of these days I'm going to learn not to put my foot into my mouth, but today is not that day," he mumbled miserably.
The door stayed closed the rest of the day. He wanted to knock on the door and demand that she talk to him, but he knew better. She obviously needed space, and that wasn't something they had a lot of at the moment. Eventually he had to use the bathroom though, and the only one in the suite was accessed through the bedroom.
He approached the door and cautiously knocked on it.
"Suki? Hey, it's me... Can I come in?"
She didn't answer. He opened the door slowly after knocking again. The room was quiet and dark, the drapes over his balcony doors drawn closed. There was a lump in the bed and he knew that it was Suki.
"Suki?"
She was asleep, or faking it. He watched her for a moment, and then used the bathroom. When he came back out, he tiptoed to the door, but stopped when he heard her say his name.
"Why did you do it?"
He winced, turning back toward her. She was sitting up in the bed. He didn't have to ask what she meant. He knew. Of course he knew. He'd messed up so colossally in Republic City, and he'd been trying to figure out how to fix what he'd done ever since.
"I don't know," he said truthfully. "It just happened."
"That's not an explanation, Zuko."
"I know," he said miserably. "It was a mistake. I don't know how to make it better, Suki."
"I don't know either," she said and then rolled over in the bed and turned her back to him. "Please leave."
He didn't argue. He left the room and went back into the living room of his suite. He found himself pacing, his stomach roiling. He could feel her anger through the door. He didn't blame her for being angry with him. How could he, after what he'd done to her?
A knock sounded on the door and he answered it, only to find a domed tray of food sitting on the other side. He picked it up and carried it into the room; the deliverer had already skedaddled. Clearly the quarantine was being taken seriously.
He put the tray down on the table and lifted the dome, steam rolling out. There was a mini-feast inside, and it smelled amazing. He'd picked at the food they'd delivered earlier, but that had been light fair for snacking and hadn't satisfied his hunger. He put the dome back on and glanced at the door of his bedroom.
Suki didn't answer when he knocked again. He went back to the table and hesitated, then grabbed the tray. The door opened silently and he stepped into the bedroom.
"I asked you to leave," she said, not turning over in the bed to face him again. Her body was stiff beneath the blankets.
"I come with food," he said. "You haven't eaten yet."
"I'm not hungry," she said through clenched teeth as he lit the sconces on the walls.
"Well, too bad," Zuko said, sitting down on the bed beside her. He balanced the tray on his lap, and pulled the dome off. "Because this looks amazing."
"What are you doing?"
"Eating?" he said, popping a piece of savory meat into his mouth and chewing. Suki rolled over and sat up.
"In bed?"
"Yeah, why not?" he said. "Who's here to stop us?"
"Zuko."
"There's matcha-flavored mochi. Your favorite," he said, gesturing to the green mochi. Suki's eyes flicked from him to the tray. Her annoyed expression wavered, and then hardened.
"Fine," she huffed, sitting up against the headboard. Zuko settled beside her, putting the tray down on the bed before them. She grabbed the mochi and took a bite, making a soft moan of pleasure. Zuko bit his lip, watching her eating.
The food was as good as it smelled; it always was. He had the best chefs in the Fire Nation, after all, and they had pulled out all the stops to feed the quarantined Fire Lord. Between them he and Suki finished most of the food. They didn't talk, but she hadn't told him to leave again.
And that was a good sign. Right?
"So how long do you think this is going to last?" he asked.
"Takes a week for the pox to show up. So I guess we'll know if we've got it by then," she said softly, washing down the food with a generous gulp of red wine. "Sorry you're trapped here with me."
He heard the bitterness in her voice and frowned at her. "There's no one else I'd rather be quarantined with, Suki."
"That's not the message I got in Republic City," she said lightly, though he could hear the anger still lurking in her voice. Anger and hurt.
"Suki, that was a mistake," he said.
"Doing what you did, or sleeping with me?" she asked and then before he could respond, she picked up the tray and shoved it into his lap. "Nevermind, I don't want to hear the answer. Thanks for the food. I'm going back to sleep."
"We need to talk about this, Suki," he said plaintively, but she rolled over again, putting her back to him. "Suki."
"Go away, Zuko!"
He did, but only reluctantly. He took the empty trays into the living room and put them on the cart, which he wheeled out into the hallway to be picked up later. That done, he came back into the room, closed the door, and sat down with a huff on the couch.
It was late, but he couldn't sleep. He curled up on the couch, staring at the closed bedroom door, wishing he had the nerve to talk to her. He wanted to explain. He wanted to make it right, because he hadn't meant to hurt her. He hadn't wanted anything but her that night in Republic City.
He hadn't wanted anything but her for months. And when he'd finally had her he'd bungled it so completely that he'd ruined it. Probably forever.
"I'm so stupid," he mumbled, thumping his forehead with his fist, staring up at the dark ceiling.
He fell asleep eventually, and woke up to a knock on the door. He started to get up to answer it, but the knocking soon stopped. Disgruntled and having slept badly on the couch, he forced himself to get up. There was a tray of breakfast food on the cart outside, along with a note from the healer.
"Can't even come visit," Zuko mumbled, opening the letter. He looked up from reading it and saw Suki standing in the bedroom doorway, her hair rumbled by sleep, looking so beautiful in the morning sunlight that he couldn't breathe all of a sudden.
"Is that breakfast?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said and then waved the letter. "And our captors have left a ransom note. The Council is running things while we're locked up. And the Kyoshi Warriors are asking after us. We're not allowed to write them notes though. Apparently that's too risky. You'd think we were poisonous."
"They're just being cautious," Suki sighed, and then glanced at him. She drifted over to the cart and picked at the food. "We really don't want this to spread."
"If we're even sick."
"Mmm," she said around a mouthful of grapes. "I guess we'll find out."
"Guess so. And we're stuck with each other until then."
"I know you don't like that," she said.
"Why would you think that? Suki, I told you," he started, but she put her half-eaten food down and turned her back on him, marching into the bedroom again.
"I'm going to shower."
Zuko let her go, giving her the space she needed. He ate and then put the lid back on the tray. By the time she was finished in the bathroom he had to go too. She let him come into the bedroom, and he saw that she was sitting on the end of the bed, brushing her wet hair and wearing one of his robes. He stopped, smiling a little at the sight of her in it.
She saw him looking at her. "What?"
"That's my robe."
She shifted on the end of the bed. "They didn't bring me mine when they delivered my things. I didn't think you'd mind."
He smiled. "I don't. I like seeing you in it. I like seeing you in my bed too."
She looked up and their eyes met for a hot moment, and just like that, he found himself thinking about that night in Republic City and the way she had melted in his arms just like he had always wanted her to. She had been his that night, completely.
And in the morning he'd fucked it up so badly that she couldn't even stand to be in the same room as him.
"Zuko..." she started and then flushed. "Nevermind. Get a shower. You need to shave."
And with that she grabbed her clothes, stood, and left the bedroom. The door closed behind her and he sagged in place, so torn up that he was sure his heart was going to tear itself out of his chest.
He showered and shaved and by the time he got dressed and wandered into the living room of the suite, she had moved the furniture to the corners of the room. He stopped, surprised at the change, watching her as she stood in the center of the room, practicing with her fans.
It was a familiar kata, something he'd seen her do a million times in the dojo where they trained. They sparred together a lot. They did a lot of things together.
Suki moved from one form to the other, her fan like an extension of her arm. She was fluid grace, all muscle and feminine strength. He knew what a devastating warrior she could be; she beat him nine times out of ten without breaking a sweat. She was a joy to watch.
But watching her was more than just joyous for him. Watching her, all he could think about was that night. He knew now what it was like to feel those arms around him, to feel her beneath him, around him, her warm skin against his, the smell of her perfume in his nose, the taste of her on his tongue...
Watching her was torture after that, knowing how he'd destroyed what they had been building. He found himself moving toward her. He knew that she knew that he was there; she'd clocked him the minute he'd come out of the bedroom. She didn't move away though. She let him approach, and when she spun, she let him get behind her.
His hand landed on her hip, fingers brushing the bare bit of skin on her midriff. She stopped, but didn't stiffen up. Not even when his other hand caught her wrist, the one holding the fan. His chest pressed against her back, his breath hot on her neck.
"I can't stop thinking about it."
She didn't ask him what he meant. A blush formed behind her ears.
"Zuko..."
"Tell me you're still thinking about it too."
"Of course I am," she said and then she let out a soft sound. "I'm not the one who fucked up, Zuko. You hurt me."
"I know."
"Do you?" she said, turning on him, her eyes big in her pinched face. "I don't think you do!"
"Of course, I do! I just don't know how to make it right!" he said, dropping his hands from her body. "I'm trying to give you space, but you're not talking to me! I don't know what to do!"
"You want to know what to do, Zuko?" Suki said, hand on her hip. She closed her fan with a snap. "The next time you sleep with a woman, don't pretend it didn't happen the next morning when your friends nearly catch you in bed with her. How about that?"
"That's not what happened," he protested. "I panicked!"
"Because you didn't want Aang and Katara to know you fucked me!"
"Because I didn't know what to do!" he said, gesturing wildly. "I don't do this, you know! I don't just have incredible sex all night with one of my best friends! When they knocked on the door, I just... My brain left my body. I didn't know what this was, what we were! We'd just slept together for the first time! I didn't know if you wanted Aang and Katara to know about it!"
"Zuko, you shoved me off of the bed and told me to hide!" Suki said, jabbing him in the shoulder with her her closed fan. "That's not panicking, that's hiding the evidence!"
He winced.
"I know it looks bad!"
"It IS bad, you asshole!" she burst out, and then shoved him, hard. He stumbled back. "How do you think that made me feel? I thought we'd spent an incredible night together, what I was hoping would be the first of many, that this thing between us was finally going somewhere, and then you physically shoved me out of bed! You lied to Aang and Katara when they asked if you'd seen me! You lied! I've never felt so insulted in my life, Zuko!"
"That wasn't my intention," he said miserably.
"Well that was the result, so deal with the consequences," she said angrily, and there were tears in her eyes. He knew she was hurting, and had been hurting ever since that morning, the morning they'd left Republic City and its dragon pox outbreak behind.
"I'm sorry, Suki. Would it help if I told you I thought I was doing you a favor?"
Her brows went up. "Please tell me how you figure that, and may I remind you that I'm holding a weapon. Choose your words carefully, Fire Lord."
Zuko ran a hand down his face and then looked at her. Really looked at her.
She was beautiful, angry, and hurt. And he didn't blame her one bit. He'd caused this problem, after all. He had to make it right. Somehow.
"I didn't know if you wanted Sokka to find out we'd slept together. Katara would have told him, you know she would have. I know the breakup wasn't easy on you. I didn't want to make it worse. I also figured us sleeping together was no one's business but ours. I didn't even know... Spirits, I don't even know how you feel about me, Suki. I know how I feel about you, but... There was no time to talk about it! So I panicked and lied. And I shoved you of the bed. Sorry about that."
Suki's hurt expression changed into one of doubt. She licked her lips and tapped her fan against her thigh. "When you put it like that..."
"It was still a jerk move. I shouldn't done it."
"No, you shouldn't have," she said heavily. "It made me feel like you were ashamed to be seen with me."
"That couldn't be further from the truth, Suki!" he said. "I've wanted to be with you for so long! That's all I want! I didn't know how you felt, though. We haven't talked about it. That night we just... I kissed you and then then we were in bed and things just happened so fast!"
Suki put her hand to her mouth, looking away from him.
"It did happen fast," she said softly. "But also not fast at all. I wanted you for so long, Zuko."
He smiled, he couldn't help it. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," she said and then scuffed her bare foot on the carpet. "And then you shoved me out of bed like that, like you were having regrets about the whole thing."
"I don't regret sleeping with you, Suki. Why would I? I was planning on that night being the first night of...of something wonderful. And I fucked it up. I wish I could just do it all over again. Can we forget everything that happened and just start over?"
"That depends," she said, heaving a heavy sigh.
"On?"
"On if you're willing to brave dragon pox to kiss me again," she said coyly.
"You don't have dragon pox do you?"
"No, but I could," she said. Zuko smiled and stepped close to her. When he drew her into his arms, she went willingly. His spirits soared, and for the first time since he'd shoved her out of the bed in a panic, he thought maybe things were going to work out. Maybe he hadn't ruined it.
Maybe she even loved him the same way that he loved her.
But he didn't tell her that yet. There was plenty of time for that later.
"If you have dragon pox, then I have dragon pox," he said, cupping her face. "I'll take the risk."
He kissed her, and she melted in his arms, kissing him back. It didn't take long for the kiss to grow wild, and out of control.
They didn't make it to the bed, but the couch was nearby. He made love to her again and it was just like the first time—wonderful and all consuming, exactly what he'd always wanted. Afterwards, when she was laying on his chest, he smiled softly, stroking her hair.
"Is it weird if I think this quarantine is the best thing that's ever happened to us?" he murmured. Suki lifted her head and looked at him skeptically.
"It is?"
"Yeah...now we have all the time in the world to figure this out," he said and his hand dug into her bare skin. Suki moaned and arched into him, her lips curling into a soft smile. "And no one will interrupt."
"We're going to be sick of each other by the end of the quarantine."
But Zuko shook his head. "We already had our first fight, what else could go wrong?" He expected Suki to laugh, but she stiffened, sitting up, holding his discarded shirt to her chest. Her hands went over her lips.
"Zuko..."
"What?" he said, sitting up. "What's wrong?"
"There's a green spot on your cheek," she said in a tiny voice. His hand flew to his face immediately. Then he got a good look at her shoulder. He pointed to the green spot slowly forming there.
"Uhh... Sukes..."
Suki looked down at her shoulder and then gasped. "Oh no!"
Zuko laughed and tipped his head back against the arm of the couch. "We have dragon pox."
Suki stared at him, her mouth open. Then she burst into giggles, falling forward with her head on his chest. Zuko laughed too.
It was all he could do. And when Suki lifted her head, another green spot popping out on her forehead, all he could do was kiss her again. She didn't push him away, laughing against his lips, and for the first time, he thought maybe everything was going to work out.
Dragon pox or no dragon pox, at least they were together. And that was all that mattered.
(end)